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18th August 2008

The unexpected heavy rain on Saturday night meant an early morning text to three staff, cancelling the drive across to Shalford with the combine.  There was a change of plan, we wait for the wind to pick up and dry the fields of wheat just enough to start combining on Sunday afternoon at Park Farm.    

This is probably the most pressured time of year, and once the crops are ready they must be brought in as swiftly as possible, resulting in very long hours.  Every window of dry weather at the moment means that the combine and tractors will be rolling on into the night.  Last night was a relatively early finish at 10pm.

Today has been a wash-out!

 

16th August 2008

The pigs continue to grow ever larger, particularly Percy who is such a softy and still enjoys having his tummy rubbed.

 

 

Harvest has been 'stop-start' due to the heavy rain this week, however 140 acres of oats have been cut so far and Laurence has just gone up to complete the last 20 acres of oats at Manor Farm.

 

Oats flattened by heavy rain are more difficult to cut and if the moisture content is too high the grain will need to be dried.

 

The combine harvester will be moved over to Shalford early tomorrow morning before any traffic is on the roads.  The header bar will be taken over on a trailer.

There is 600 acres of wheat and 400 acres of maize to be harvested followed by 250 acres of spring rape.  About 125 acres is fallow.

9th August 2008

It is like winter outside, grey and miserable and pouring with rain - quite depressing when the crops are ready to harvest.     1,650 acres of crops to harvest and not one acre cut.  The combine harvester has been driven into Home Field and the cutter bar is connected, it’s ready to go.  If it stops raining over night and is dry tomorrow morning, then Laurence will start combining the oats.  The moisture content will be much too high so the grain will have to be dried.  Diesel in the drier cost £10/tonne when we last dried Maize and the cost of diesel has risen since then.  We get the market price for all our grain, farmers cannot demand a higher price just because their production costs have risen.  At the moment things are not looking good.

Over the coming week the calf sheds will be cleaned out and prepared for the next group of 10 day old calves coming in and 25 head of cattle are going off to the abattoir.

The chicken count is down by another one, the fox was back again and just left a pile of feathers as a calling card.

We have made contact with Animal Health who are tracing cattle which may have had contact with a possible bovine tuberculosis case in Hampshire.  We have confirmed with them that we still have the calves (bar two) that they are trying to trace and they say we will be contacted by someone next week about testing these cattle for TB.  Cattle passports and ear-tags are invaluable at such times as we check where 30 cattle are amongst 1,100. 

Calves come onto our farm in small groups and as these particular animals were born between between July 2007 and January 2008 they are at different growth stages and therefore in five different locations.  The cattle are in barns (the youngsters), two fields and grazing on Epsom and Hackhurst Downs; it will be time consuming work running all of the larger animals through the cattle crush, checking every ear-tag in order to find and test 30 cattle for TB.

George shot and skinned his first rabbit today so that's our Sunday lunch sorted.

As I bring my writing to a close it's now blowing a gale outside, whatever happened to summer?

 

7th August 2008

A letter has arrived from DEFRA informing us that 32 of our cattle need to be tested for Bovine Tuberculosis because ‘The listed cattle have been traced from a farm on which bovine TB has been confirmed’.

We phoned the dealer who sources our calves to ask what news he had of this.  One cow was bought from a farm sale in the west country earlier this year and this has tested positive as a reactor, it doesn’t mean that it definitely has TB, because the Gamma Interferon test is known to show false positives.  No other cattle have shown positive on the Hampshire farm and one would expect more animals to have contracted TB from the cow if it were actually TB positive.

The animal will be culled as a precaution and then further tests will confirm whether or not the cow actually had TB.

DEFRA now have to trace all livestock that have left the Hampshire farm and the west country farm. We have to confirm whether the calves are still on our farm and arrange for these to be tested. 

Laurence was planning to start combining today until the heavens opened just now and drenched everything including the oats.  Plan B is to do some fencing on the pig field.

 

3rd August 2008

A scene of carnage met us in the hen house and yard yesterday, where we found eight decapitated hens and later three heads in scattered locations.  The hen house was a mess of feathers and blood and nesting boxes were tipped over presumably when the fox was jumping up at the perched hens.

It was a job to get the hens back indoors in the evening  but we eventually counted 22 birds including the guinea fowl and cockerel, so a total of 9 hens were taken by a fox. 

We have just returned from the Cranleigh Agricultural Society Show which was great fun.  There were cattle and sheep on show and a Gloucester Oldspot sow with a litter of 12 piglets which captivated the audience.  What I like about these local agricultural shows is that they stay faithful to their roots, the public can get up close to the livestock and hear commentary about each breed as it is paraded in the judging ring.  There was a sheepdog demonstration and displays by Poultry keepers, bee keepers and hurdle makers, it was a real country day out.

On our return, George was fetching some straw for the pigs when he came face to face with a fox in the yard as it was ripping the head off our cockerel Rocky.  He says this was a young healthy fox, not the scrawny one we chased out of the office last week.  The fox obviously got a taste for killing our hens yesterday and is coming back for more.

Our new pedigree Belted Galloway cows and calves have now arrived and are grazing a field up at Abinger Common.  There are 21 in total; 11 cows a two year old heifer and nine calves.  Having spent the winter housed in a barn they were very excited when they went out to grass.  After a few weeks settling in we will introduce the cows to Harvey the bull.

 

29th July 2008

It has been a terribly sad day for me because I had to say goodbye to Brock, my faithful friend for the past fifteen years. 

 

Three weeks ago he underwent a lengthy operation to remove a tumour from his liver and it took him a while to recover from the effects of the anaesthetic, but after six days of TLC he was eating and drinking again and within eight days he back to play in the garden with Monty, Moss and the boys as if nothing had happened.  The vet has stayed in touch to check the patient’s progress and was hopeful that we would have Brock with us for some time to come.  His quality of life was still good and he loved to go out into the yard with us and have a mooch about while we fed the pigs or cleaned out the hens and when I sat at my desk he would always sit right behind my chair so I couldn’t move back without talking to him first!

 

There was an accident yesterday with one of the farm trucks and sadly Brock was run over, he just wasn’t seen.  I took him straight to Helen, the vet and while we drove there, Brock leant against the car and cried.  By the time we reached the surgery the vet and nurses were ready for us, with needles and swabs laid out on the examination table.  After the initial examination Brock was moved into the x-ray room but by now was in severe shock, his front legs extended and rigid and his gums had turned blue so he was given oxygen.  Brock reacted when his toes were pinched so the spinal cord seemed to be okay.

 

I just couldn’t believe this could be happening after all he had been through lately.

 

The first x-ray was taken of the spine at the rear end, and as we waited for the processing it seemed to take an eternity but to my relief there were no obvious signs of a break.  The plan was to take two more spinal x-rays, one in the centre and one near the neck, so we had a full picture of the spine, however the machine decided to play up and the next two x-rays of the centre were foggy.   A nurse took the x-ray machine apart and cleaned up various parts and finally we got a clear picture of the centre of the spine at the third attempt, this also seemed clear of fractures.  Every time Brock was moved onto an x-ray plate he cried out, this was all taking a very long time for him.  I kept talking to Brock, close to his ear so he might hear the vibration of my voice, that’s how we communicated because he is deaf, that and a lot of arm waving on walks! 

 

After discussing various possible prognoses it was decided to put Brock on a drip, steroids to reduce inflammation, give him a dose of pain relief and leave him to rest overnight.  Before I left him yesterday his colour was more natural, he was far more relaxed and the rigidity seemed to be reducing however he was still clearly in pain but he was definately fighting back. 

This morning Helen called me to say Brock was alert but he could not stand on his back legs so they needed to x-ray his pelvis, however due to Brock’s recent analgesia knocking him for six, this wasn’t advisable again.  We arranged for me to go in after surgery hours to see Brock and hopefully by then Helen would have examined Brock further.

 

After Brock’s recent operation I had been into the vets to spend time with Brock and knew that he was back in ‘his’ cage once more.  However when I arrived at lunchtime today, the nurse didn’t show me straight in to Brock, so I sensed there was more bad news to come.

 

I heard Helen coming down the stairs and into the consulting room and the familiar sound of the x-ray negative flexing and being clipped to the light board on the wall.  The door opened and I went in holding my breath, ‘bad news I’m afraid’.

They had managed to position Brock on his back without analgesia and x-rayed his pelvis.  The negative shows his thigh shunted into the pelvis and there were a number of breaks in the pelvis itself.  Had it just been the pelvis, he may have been able to heal given time, but the damaged between the thigh and pelvis was too great to rectify on a dog of his age.

 

So there we were, three weeks after surgery had given Brock another chance, there was now no other option than to put him out of his misery and let him die.  

I went in to see him and he looked up, said hello to me and even put his front paw on my hand like he usually does when he’s being stroked and doesn’t want me to stop.  He spoke to me and I cried.  I know he wasn't ready to die, he didn't want to go, he hadn't given up, but I had to make that final decision because there was no other. I spoke to him so he could hear me close to his head and stroked him for a good while before Helen returned with the final injection.

 

Brock and Monty love to play ball

 

Okay, some may say he was only a dog, but he was my faithful friend for fifteen years and it was just a terrible way for him to go.  I brought him home and we have buried him here.  I had to go out for a while afterwards and when I returned the boys had made a cross for Brock’s grave.

Goodbye my friend.

28th July 2008

The boys came running to find me this morning to say they had found a fox – in the room where the dog sleeps!  It’s not in the actual house, thank goodness but adjacent to the office. The fox was thin and looked mange ridden and exhausted as if he came in for a rest and something to eat.  The dogs didn’t quite know what to make of this creature in their home and I was grateful we hadn’t yet let the hens out.  We chased the fox away but I fear that it will return for our chucks.

 

The fox didn’t seem at all frightened by us,  I wonder if it’s one of those foxes originally living and scavenging in a town, possibly ‘rescued’ after a  road accident and then released in the countryside.  I have heard of wildlife rescue centres releasing foxes on Leith Hill, the foxes are quite at a loss, they just stay by the roadside because they have no idea what to do or where to go in the countryside.

Hopefully the rain will hold off because David is spraying the weeds in the maize, Dick is topping off the grass fields to remove thistles and Donald and Amanda are checking, feeding and bedding up the cattle as is the usual routine.  Six new calves arrive today from a local dairy farmer and they will be introduced to the milk machine.

The maize which germinated under plastic is already producing cobs which are already 8 inches long compared to the later crop which has yet to begin growing the cobs.

 

18th July 2008

We have put out feelers to buy some more Belted Galloway cattle in order to increase our suckler herd.   We spoke to Keith Jempson at the Surrey County Show and he said he would keep an eye out for us and I have been following up other leads, speaking to farmers selling the odd few cattle and one man who had just sold about thirty at auction - too late for those!  Then about two weeks ago we had a call from Keith who had heard of a small herd for sale in the south west.   Before considering this herd we asked Keith to make inquiries about the TB status in the area because we have to be sure that this herd is free from TB. 

We met up with Keith this week and took a look at the cattle which have been overwintered in a barn and should benefit greatly from going out to grass.  As the owner lives in another county we were shown the herd by a farm hand and then spent an hour or so making our own assessment of the cows and calves, checking the condition of each animal against the paperwork.

 After some discussion amongst ourselves, our offer was to made the owner by telephone and a deal was done.  Subject to all the calves being registered as pedigree with the Belted Galloway Society, a letter confirming the pedigree bull, all passports in order and some vaccination details for bluetongue, we hope to have the extra twelve cows and nine calves arriving in a couple of weeks.

The combine harvester is being serviced at the moment.  All working parts of the combine harvester and the cutter bar are gone over carefully by two specialist mechanics; one young man who went to Sparshalt Agricultural college to train for three years and the other who is completing a four year apprenticeship with CLASS.

The combine wasn’t washed down after it was used a couple of months ago and this has resulted in rats eating grain in the cutter bar and nibbling their way through a number of wires.  Various parts have been ordered and the combine should soon be ready for this season’s harvest.

Preparation for harvest will keep us occupied this week, with tractors and trailers being repaired and all the grain stores being cleaned.  After sweeping out, the grain stores are also vacuumed to be sure they are as clean as possible before the grain comes in (no, not with a Dyson or Henry but an industrial type machine that looks like it’s just come off the set of Doctor Who).      

 

13th July 2008

Hampton Court Flower Show was wet underfoot on Tuesday but the day was at least dry with some sunshine. I was stewarding on the Year of Food and Farming (YOFF) display which was designed by Gillian Van de Meer and was awarded a Silver Gilt medal.

The display was a perfectly potted version of how children have become involved in the YOFF with three contrasting sections combining to tell the story.  An area demonstrating how schools grow their own vegetables, the second section demonstrated a field growing oats, wheat, maize and triticale bounded by a hedgerow and wild flowers and the final section summarised the products of farming, a lovely old farm barrow laden with fruits, vegetables and herbs which was photographed almost continually by the public.

As the public stopped to look at the eye catching display I began by asking whether they had heard of the Year of Food and Farming, but only a handful said they had.  I went on to explain how some schools have a garden to grow vegetables whilst in cities children have been learning about food whilst growing vegetables in window boxes.

Over 660,000 primary school children have visited farms during the YOFF and this has been a fantastic  success in showing the children first hand, how their food is produced, where it actually comes from (so many really do think milk just comes from a supermarket)

I met some very interesting people during the day and it was a pleasure to tell the story behind the Year of Food and Farming and about the legacy which will be known as Think Food and Farming which I am sure will have some new initiatives but will continue to encourage children out into the countryside for farm visits.

On the farm the daily routine continues, checking cattle and bedding up and feeding those in barns.  The larger animals ready for slaughter are going in batches when they reach about 600 Kilos and another forty will be collected by the haulier on Tuesday and taken to Wales.  As this group will be part of a multiple pick-up, we had to apply for a licence from DEFRA which meant a vet had to come out last week to inspect the site from which the lorry will pick up our cattle.

Maisie is doing very well indeed and is very steady on her feet again, and as if to the point she was dancing about when I tried to take her photo just now.

The oats have suffered in recent heavy rains and much of the crop has gone down so it can’t be harvested. The remainder is interspersed with wild oats which cannot be managed by spraying or the crop of oats would also be killed, so this week we will go rogueing.  Taking out the rogue crop is a slow process with a line of people walking across the field, taking care not to trample the crop whilst pulling out the wild oats by hand.

We have some Amber Star point of lay hens which are becoming accustomed to their new home but haven’t yet ventured into the great outdoors.

 

8th July 2008

Having spent hours with the ITV camera crew and the presenter Chris Choy Laurence had given a full and accurate account of the sustainable way in which both food and fuel can be grown in this country and around the World. 

 

When the News came on at Six and our farm was introduced as a 'biofuel farm in Surrey' whereas we are in fact a mixed beef and arable farm, not a good start!

 

We hardly saw Laurence, most of what he had said throughout the day had been cut and ITV had turned the item into it's own opinion piece and the facts were SO innacurate.  It's a joke really that this can be called The News.

 

By Ten O'Clock News the item was slightly longer (no more of Laurence or the true facts and figures) with Chris Choy standing in a field of maize (which is sold for breakfast cereal) saying that an acre of wheat can produce thousands of loaves of bread compared to litres of fuel - he had turned it into a food v fuel issue which it is not.  Less than 1% of land Worl-wide is used to produce bio fuel.

 

This just shows how manipulative the media is to get the headline story it wants, whether it's factual or not, but sadly this warped 'news item' is what the public will believe to be true. 

 

Today I am off to steward the Year of Food and Farming stand at the Hampton Court Flower Show, so let's hope it doesn't rain like yesterday!

Old News