Monday 23rd October 2017
Wet, mud and hay!
Two days on from Storm Brian and our land is still saturated and looks set to remain so for a while. We had a hay delivery early on Saturday and Andrew drove his tractor into the 4-acre field, leaving barely a mark with his tyres. Now though, we have standing water in the very small indentations his wheels made as underneath the grass, the clay is too compacted to allow all the water through.
This is why looking after your land is not always just about what you can see happening on the surface. All traffic on the land will have an impact on the soil structure below and too much traffic at the wrong time of year may adversely affect the land several months down the line.
It’s also fascinating that since the storm, the sheep have eaten so much more hay – the grass isn't at its best and won’t have been so for a while but the sheep certainly want their hay now.
When they feed like this, it’s a good opportunity to check bums!!! We are now set to get the ram around 18th November so before then, we need to get all the sheep in and just have a check of all bums, udders, feet, teeth etc. AND we also need to have sold our remaining lambs by then – no takers as yet!!!
It’s also fascinating that since the storm, the sheep have eaten so much more hay – the grass isn't at its best and won’t have been so for a while but the sheep certainly want their hay now.
When they feed like this, it’s a good opportunity to check bums!!! We are now set to get the ram around 18th November so before then, we need to get all the sheep in and just have a check of all bums, udders, feet, teeth etc. AND we also need to have sold our remaining lambs by then – no takers as yet!!!