As we head into Autumn, our farm is a slice of rural paradise that offers a simpler, more connected way of life. Here, the pace is dictated by the rhythm of the seasons, the needs of the animals, and the hands-on work that keeps the farm thriving. Each day brings new challenges and rewards, with our blog capturing the daily life on the farm. So we can share the joys, lessons, and sometimes the hardships that come with managing a farm on this beautiful Island. So sit back with a warming brew and catch up with our farming life as we take five on the farm…
-
Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show - One of the last of our shows for the summer, the 2:30am alarm was made worthwhile thanks to coming 2nd with our ram, 3rd with our ram lamb, and the ewe came away with a first in her class and won the Suffolk Breed Championship! Our daughter also took part in the young handlers and helped out in the other classes too. All in all, a great team effort, even if we were a bit tired by the afternoon!
-
A rare family holiday - We have recently come back from a rare trip away. We spent a week in Wales (we stayed next to a field of sheep - you can take the farmer out of the farm…). Usually due to the demands of the farm, we only tend to get away as a family in February or perhaps the October half term, so this was a real treat to get away in summer. It's no mean feat though, it literally takes a village in order for us to get away......but we are lucky to have the support of farming friends who can easily step in - plus our amazing family. They are all glad to see us home now though.
-
Mums to be - We were extremely pleased to have the local farm vet out recently. Hannah and Euan scanned our cows and heifers and found them all to be in calf, making for a 100% success rate all round - well done girls and well done to our Aberdeen Angus bulls - Macchina Ecstatic, Brightman and Omaha - they are real heartbreakers!
-
We are getting prepped for sales. Not all of our livestock stays on the farm, as where we are renowned breeders, we get a lot of interest in our animals. We have just sold our Jacob ram (the Jacob is a native breed, combining two characteristics somewhat unusual in sheep - it is piebald so dark-coloured with areas of white wool and is often multi-horned - Viper has two) to Kelvin Fletcher of Emmerdale fame! He’s off to his new home (the ram that is, not Kelvin) in the Peak District as we speak. Maybe we might catch a glimpse of him on Fletchers Family Farm, which is returning for a second series this winter.
- We have straw! As we said in the last post, we made hay whilst the sun shone and thank goodness we did. The weather has taken a bit of a turn in the last week, but thankfully we should have enough straw to get us through the winter ahead. We use our straw for animal bedding thanks to it being pretty cosy and warm, as well as absorbent; they seem to like it!