These Little Piggies…..

We have been lucky to enjoy a great September for establishing crops in near perfect conditions and with the hard work of the team, have managed to gather all the straw, establish all of the grass, plant the winter crops and only have the last fields to sow after potatoes. A few days of rain have enabled the team to get a well-deserved rest before we begin the livestock vaccinations and calf weaning.

Our early lambing flock is now on countdown, with the tups being turned out on 1^st October and we hopefully see many coloured ewes as the tups wear a coloured crayon so we can see how many are being served and can plan to the closest fortnight when they will lamb.

We have more Tamworth piglets now, with thanks to Kate Graham of Shank End Farm in the Scottish Borders. We have also borrowed Jasper, her Tamworth Boar to keep our gilts company and so we hope in a few months to be able to report some more little piggies. Our intention is to build a small herd which will live entirely outside and be grazed on grass which is due to be cropped in subsequent years. This way the pigs are free to root up the grass and help to control weeds in the organic land. They are particularly keen on thistles and Couch grass roots – both of which are undesirable in farming.

With the new grassland established, we have a winter of fencing ahead. Many miles of new fencing will be required and using our own team, we have been trialling an Australian Clipex fence system. It utilises galvanised metal posts and stock netting. As a response to the poor quality timber we have been using in the past, many of which last less than 10 years, we hope that this “slightly industrial” style of fence will tone down in time and prove to be more reliable.

Sophie has now opened the Butchery at Bowhouse counter on Thursday to Saturday from 10.00 until 2.00, so that customers can pop in, meet up with Sophie and finally, she gets to meet her customers who have been regular since March, face, to face (or mask to mask anyway)