Archived News

30th June 2015

It’s that time of year again for harvest preparation.The grain stores are dusted down and vacuumed out and the combine harvester is cleaned inside and out and serviced in readiness for the busy weeks ahead.

The arrival of the new grain store sections for Coast Hill farm has been slower than promised, but the build should begin this week.

Laurence has been awarded 1^st prize by the Surrey County Agricultural Society for his winter barley crop and a 2^nd prize for his peas, beaten by Sir Graham’s crop of beans!  

Each County invites judges from other areas to walk the crops and judge them. Laurence has judged crops for other counties in the past.

Laurence spends a number of days a month working for Red Tractor Assured Food Standards and today is in London for the Standards Committee.

The Red tractor logo is shown on produce from farms that undergo regular independent assessment and meet very comprehensive standards.  The standards include full traceabilty via comprehensive record keeping for livestock and crops, food safety which ensures the food given to livestock is safe for them to eat and strict hygiene measures in milk production, animal welfare standards and environmental protection.

The Red Tractor website is colourful and interesting with much more information and has a recipe section full of tasty meals made entirely from Red Tractor ingredients www.redtractor.org.uk

The Lucerne had its second cut yesterday afternoon and it was rowed up and baled by evening.

As expected in this first year or growing lucerne, there are fewer bales in this second cut, which is just four weeks after the first.

The cattle barns are empty once again at Churchfield and need mucking out this afternoon; the muck being transported by trailers out into the fields where it’s left in heaps until muck spreading time.

The last stragglers of the calving group seem to be taking their time. The last two calves were born to heifers (they are called cows after they have had two calves). One of these heifers was born in 2013 without a belt despite having a pedigree Belted Galloway dam and sire. The sire was Park Phoenix a hired bull and about half of his offspring that year were unfortunately mis-marked as a result of a throwback gene which does happen sometimes.

I decided to keep Ella and put her to our bull Carsluith Ethelred to see how her own calf would be marked; her heifer calf ‘Willow’ was born with a perfect belt! 

Despite Ella having pedigree parents with full belts, she could not herself be registered with the Belted Galloway Society as she had no belt and so it follows that despite Willow having a beautiful belt, I cannot register her as her mother is not registered...

Another heifer calf was born last weekend. 

Iris is a first time mum and she is incredibly dedicated to her calf ‘Yew’ and won’t leave her side;

literally following the calf around the field as she investigated her new home.

Finally, here is a photo of the peas one month on.  They are growing well.