Archived News

1st January 2009 

On top of the everyday running of the farm and the serious job of earning a living, 2008 was an exciting year with educational schools visits to Manor farm, the creation of a farm information board and leaflet and visits from the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) team and Dr Helen Philips, Chief Executive of Natural England. 

We bought a herd of pedigree Belted Galloways, increasing the number of breeding cows and heifers from six to seventeen. Two Belted Galloway bull calves and three heifer calves were born last year from the existing cows whilst a scan of the new ‘Wotton Herd’ females in December, indicates that eight or nine of them are in calf.    As we look back at the sad loss of Brock, it is a good thing to look forward to the new lives beginning on the farm.

I take many photographs of farming activities, wildlife and scenery here on the farm and some of my favourite photos last year were of a dead tree, standing proudly above the Hazel Copse.  Dead standing trees can provide a fantastic habitat for insects and fungi (some insects have a preference for fallen timber whilst others for standing timber) and an excellent source of food for woodpeckers and other birds.

Sadly the tree has come tumbling down this week and it leaves quite a gap in the familiar landscape.  The timber will need to be removed from the field headland, however it can be stacked in the edge of the copse and the trunk and root plate can remain in situ so the tree can continue to provide a habitat, albeit in a different place from where it stood for seventy years.

Happy New Year to you all, from Paula, Laurence and boys.