Events on the Farm
By Cheryl Garthwaite
Aug 10, 2006, 10:31

Silaging time on the farm

In among the day-to-day feeding and rearing of the animals there are other things to see to depending on the time of year. There is a general cycle of events; however the weather plays an important, yet unpredictable, part in the farming schedule.

June and the early part of July was a busy time. As the beginning of June was warm, following a wet period, the grass grew quickly. This was cut for silage, which will be mixed with other feeds and given to the animals over the winter months.

Collecting the cut grass

The sheep have been clipped, their fleeces have been sold on to the textile trade, and they are now more comfortable and ready to face the warm summer months.

This year we have expanded significantly on the farm side and have taken on tenancy of a farm at Brighouse, about 15 miles from the shop. This farm is partly grass which we are grazing and some has been cut for silage. With the remainder of the land we are growing cereals that will eventually be fed back to the animals.

We are now well into the harvest thanks to the warm weather in July. We have cut the wheat, oil seed rape and the barley at Blacker Hall and the combine is now at our farm at Brighouse. The peas will next to harvest towards the end of the month. These are for feeding to the animals, rather than for the commercial market, so they are left to dry out and harden before they are cut.

The sheep losing their winter coats