We now know what it’s like living on the savannah

It’s been a busy time on the farm, we’ve had our heads down trying to keep on top of all the extra work which comes as a result of this drought.

The unusual weather patterns we have had over the past 12 months have meant we have had little to no rainfall when we would usually expect lots and vice versa.

Farmers generally are weather obsessives but this sort of season creates a different level of obsession.

Silage that is usually made in mid May was made in the middle of June, hay which is generally made in July was ready at the end of June too & the wheat harvest which provides our winter bedding in the form of 450-550kg square straw bales came about 3 weeks early too, which meant it has been all go here since June!

Compared to more intensively managed farms, we’re in a relatively decent spot. All the mob grazing and pasture management we do has kept more water in the soil, and meant that we could keep grazing for longer than most, but it’s fair to say our little corner of Rutland is looking a lot more like the savannah than usual at the moment!

The one downside is that at the end of July we started feeding out bales of silage earlier than ever, we usually like to start in October at the earliest, which means we’re eating into our winter stock sooner than we’d like. The saving grace is that we do have the stock to eat into – we normally sell some on to other farms, so this year we’ll simply be keeping a bit more of it for ourselves.

New arrivals

A couple of our cows are calving this month, both pedigree Aberdeen Angus. Always a good time on the farm when this happens and we’re be keeping a close eye on them.

A quick reminder of our special offer

And finally, our Freezer Filler Special offer is still running which gives you a 10-25% discount on a bulk selection of our sausages, burgers, steaks and mince, so you can stock up and save a bit while you’re at it.