Projects and Maintenance

2022 is the first year that we have not begun harvest in July or early August. With no Winter cereals in the ground and all Spring sown this year, we have an extra month to fill before the season concludes. Lucky really, as we have exchanged harvesting and sowing with more projects mixed in with the regular maintenance routine which is so much easier in the summer when land is dry and days are long.

Crossing the Dreel Burn with a new bridge will mean that we can walk livestock from the southern edge of the estate all the way to the northern tip. Reducing the need to load onto trailers and the stress this causes animals and people alike. The old culvert crossing was causing erosion of the burn and silting further downstream. The new bridge was installed by the team with some creative thinking and we look forward to its inaugural use.

More fields have been serviced with water pipes mole ploughed in around the outside, providing permanent drinking troughs and regular connection points for the mob grazed livestock. The team are getting pretty quick at this and have now completed over 25km of water pipe.

Shed hygiene, both for livestock and stored cereals means that the summer is spent pressure washing, sweeping and hoovering some large areas. The practice is well worthwhile, preventing disease and pests for which there are limited options to treat organically.

The breeding bulls have completed their work for the season and the heifers have been pregnancy scanned already. Each separate group has now been joined up to create larger mobs, reducing the number of groups to move daily – but more importantly, the greater the density of stock in each paddock, the greater the trampling of organic matter into the soil.

Lambs have been steadily leaving the farm and with over 800 already away, reducing stocking density as grass slows, the balance of livestock matches feed.

Bowhouse Link launched its new website and online shop this month. Focussing on produce from Bowhouse producers and simplifying the ordering process, the new site is much easier to navigate and better still, has the option to select a regular subscription box which is filled by the excellent producers with the best seasonal ingredients and fresh bread. Check out – https://shop.bowhousefife.com/