I know this is temping fate , but the grain worked a treat. We will need it on Monday and I bet it throws a wobbler, all because of this blog.
Why will we need the grain drier on Monday ?, the Oil Seed Rape is finished, thats why !!. Yesterday (friday) was dry all morning, all morning !! so after a quick lunch, no roast swans or larks tongues, and away we went about 2-30 pm. It was not too bad, even dusty, always a sighn of dry going. About eight Robert took over while I went for a quick tea, more poached eggs than roast suckling pig.
I was getting down to the nitty now, the weather forecast was for rain about lunchtime today (saturday) and there was still some tea in my thermos. If I could finish the next two fields, and the weather guessers were right I could get it done . by 2-00 am I had got far enough and went home and slept well if briefly. This morning ( saturday) was grey and less than promising, but to the combine I went. By 9-30 it was spitting with rain but I went on slowly, and within half an hour the drizzle had stopped and slow progress was being made.
At 2-30 pm I had it done, what a relief, It took 7 attempts over 10 days to harvest 105 acres of Oil Seed Rape. As if getting the grizzly task done was not enough, an hour later it started to rain again, its now nine pm and still raining, relief !!
So how did the crop do, well until its all loaded onto lorries and weighed we wont know exactly, but the best guess so far is around 4.5 tonnes per hectare, which is great. If we had been able to harvest at the right time rather than two weeks late who knows how much more there would have been. Such are the joys of farming.
Not a very exciting blog entry I know, but I claim extreme tiredness, time for bed, and its still raining.
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Harvest or rather lack of harvest
Farming is endlessly challenging, especially when livestock are included. The biggest wild card whatever we do is the weather. Farmers are famed for moaning about the weather, so why should I be any different ?
Its the 13th of August and half of the oilseed rape is still in the field rather than in the grain store where it ought to be. We have had rain every day for so long I have forgotten what a dry day is like. Monday dried quite well and by lunchtime I was getting itchy. By 2-30 there was no holding back and I went and made a start. To my surprise the moisture content of the seed was around 11%, considering rape has to be 9% or less to be sold we got at it. Conditions were difficult to say the least, and the combine was grumbling and growling at the damp crop, but by 4pm things had improved and were going quite well. At 5 pm it rained again and stopped all progress.
Today we are trying to get some rape dried , anxious times ! I hate using the drier , its old and pretty tired. In a more normal season the combine is big enough that we seldom have to harvest grain or rape that needs drying. Why not wait for better weather ?, I hear you say. Well rape has an unfortunate habit of harvesting its self. The pods split , especially in windy weather when the crop is fully ripe. This is starting to happen , completely loosing the seed.
I must go, the drier is running, I can hear it from the office, a little coaxing might be needed.
Sodding weather
Its the 13th of August and half of the oilseed rape is still in the field rather than in the grain store where it ought to be. We have had rain every day for so long I have forgotten what a dry day is like. Monday dried quite well and by lunchtime I was getting itchy. By 2-30 there was no holding back and I went and made a start. To my surprise the moisture content of the seed was around 11%, considering rape has to be 9% or less to be sold we got at it. Conditions were difficult to say the least, and the combine was grumbling and growling at the damp crop, but by 4pm things had improved and were going quite well. At 5 pm it rained again and stopped all progress.
Today we are trying to get some rape dried , anxious times ! I hate using the drier , its old and pretty tired. In a more normal season the combine is big enough that we seldom have to harvest grain or rape that needs drying. Why not wait for better weather ?, I hear you say. Well rape has an unfortunate habit of harvesting its self. The pods split , especially in windy weather when the crop is fully ripe. This is starting to happen , completely loosing the seed.
I must go, the drier is running, I can hear it from the office, a little coaxing might be needed.
Sodding weather
Thursday, 31 July 2008
its a combine picture.
Just to prove that I get dirty and do some work , heres a picture of me and my combine in a field of Barley. The field is called Beech Quarry, its one of the very few fields that I have amalgameted buy removing a hedge, guess what he two fields were called, annswers on a post card.
When this combine was new in 1995 it was considered huge in terms of output, at around 20 tonnes of wheat cut per hour, today ther are combines that are physically similar in size that can do 3 times that amount per hour plus. If I have one of those in 13 years time harvest will be a couple of long weekends, bring it on !!
Im back
What have I been doing neglecting this blog ?? shame full. I think I know why I'm so bad at any diary type discipline, its genetics. About 5 years ago we turned an unused room here in the farm house into a proper office. Nothing big and glamorous but ideal place to impersonate a productive office person. The room in question had always been known as "The Back Place", what it should have been called was "The Skip". It was filled with the detritus of 45 years of Teague family occupancy.
In this muddle I found all sorts of interesting ( to me ) stuff. A box full of Mums fathers farm accounts from the late forties and fifties, it was reassuring to see that he had whopping overdraft too, more genetics. I also came across a box full of Dads diaries from the late sixties and into the seventies when we moved from Tattenhall in Cheshire to Manor House Farm. I had struck gold, twenty odd priceless tomes of Teague family history. I opened them with anticipation, what great wisdom was within ?. Not much, in fact sod all. A few ear numbers of pigs and cows and the date they were mated , and occasional references to bills payed. So you see we Teagues are poor at this sort of thing but I will try.
The Barley was harvested last week with little drama, the straw baled and the fields cleared. What a relief to have lots of straw again, we have nearly 200 Herefords under 6 months old and they use masses of straw, as they are too young to be outside all the time.
last Sunday Sue took part in the Cardiff 10 kilometer run. It was scorching hot and I had to take shelter in a bar and drink very cold beer while she did her run. She did very well for a first attempt coming in at 1220 out of over 4000 entrants and completed the course in 56 minutes.
The course was around Cardiff Bay, which if you get the chance is well worth a visit. Its a modern entertainment complex on the site of the once derelict Cardiff docks. Its little wonder the economy is in the mess it is when you see the scale of the once massive docks trading with the world replaced with dozens of restaurants and shops consuming wealth and creating very little.
On Monday the 28 th July we were given access to the Blue Tongue Virus vaccine, so this week all the the cattle have had their first dose. Administering the dose is very simple and gave me the chance to weigh quite a few cattle. The weight is entered into a piece of computer software tat calculate Daily Live Weight Gain (DLWG), our young cattle are growing at about 1.15 kg per day which for Herefords is pretty OK.
Before I forget the new Pure Tilth podcast is up, see what you think.
In this muddle I found all sorts of interesting ( to me ) stuff. A box full of Mums fathers farm accounts from the late forties and fifties, it was reassuring to see that he had whopping overdraft too, more genetics. I also came across a box full of Dads diaries from the late sixties and into the seventies when we moved from Tattenhall in Cheshire to Manor House Farm. I had struck gold, twenty odd priceless tomes of Teague family history. I opened them with anticipation, what great wisdom was within ?. Not much, in fact sod all. A few ear numbers of pigs and cows and the date they were mated , and occasional references to bills payed. So you see we Teagues are poor at this sort of thing but I will try.
The Barley was harvested last week with little drama, the straw baled and the fields cleared. What a relief to have lots of straw again, we have nearly 200 Herefords under 6 months old and they use masses of straw, as they are too young to be outside all the time.
last Sunday Sue took part in the Cardiff 10 kilometer run. It was scorching hot and I had to take shelter in a bar and drink very cold beer while she did her run. She did very well for a first attempt coming in at 1220 out of over 4000 entrants and completed the course in 56 minutes.
The course was around Cardiff Bay, which if you get the chance is well worth a visit. Its a modern entertainment complex on the site of the once derelict Cardiff docks. Its little wonder the economy is in the mess it is when you see the scale of the once massive docks trading with the world replaced with dozens of restaurants and shops consuming wealth and creating very little.
On Monday the 28 th July we were given access to the Blue Tongue Virus vaccine, so this week all the the cattle have had their first dose. Administering the dose is very simple and gave me the chance to weigh quite a few cattle. The weight is entered into a piece of computer software tat calculate Daily Live Weight Gain (DLWG), our young cattle are growing at about 1.15 kg per day which for Herefords is pretty OK.
Before I forget the new Pure Tilth podcast is up, see what you think.
Friday, 4 July 2008
Tick tick tick tick
Can you hear that clock ticking, I can. Today we are, ( I say we , actually Robert ) has started to apply a chemical to our winter barley crop to stop it growing and start it ripening. This means that we have two weeks, thats how long the chemical takes to work, and if the weather is kind we will be starting harvest. Harvest is easily the biggest event of our farming year and always seems to catch me out how ever well laid my plans are. At the moment crops look well, what they need is hot sunny days, not the wet weather the forcast has to offer.
The Combine is nearly ready to go and there is still some tidying of grain stores to be done but at least we have a deadline and that's what I need !
The news this morning that a cull of Badgers in TB hot spots will not be going ahead came as no surprise. Although the evidence of Badger to cattle infection is pretty overwhelming the politicians involved have more of an eye for their careers than the welfare of tens of thousands of cattle needlessly slaughtered each year and farm businesses put in financial peril. I suppose having the fact that you were the one that sanctioned a badger cull on your CV is seen as unacceptable by those people who know nothing of the reality of the situation.
Fred Update, Fred is making fantastic progress, the cannula is still in place and is allowing any build up of gas to escape, but should come out next week if all remains well,..long live Fred.
Sorry about all the links, I only hope they work. Next I will try pictures, look out !!
The Combine is nearly ready to go and there is still some tidying of grain stores to be done but at least we have a deadline and that's what I need !
The news this morning that a cull of Badgers in TB hot spots will not be going ahead came as no surprise. Although the evidence of Badger to cattle infection is pretty overwhelming the politicians involved have more of an eye for their careers than the welfare of tens of thousands of cattle needlessly slaughtered each year and farm businesses put in financial peril. I suppose having the fact that you were the one that sanctioned a badger cull on your CV is seen as unacceptable by those people who know nothing of the reality of the situation.
Fred Update, Fred is making fantastic progress, the cannula is still in place and is allowing any build up of gas to escape, but should come out next week if all remains well,..long live Fred.
Sorry about all the links, I only hope they work. Next I will try pictures, look out !!
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Hows Fred
I am sure you are worried about Fred, well things are looking pretty good, hes up and about , looks a little under the weather and who can blame him.
He is in a small pen with two others for company and has eaten a little this morning, we are , dare I say it , optimistic.
Next job, drive to Heathrow Airport and back, is that South of Hereford ?, best dig out the Gazeteere !!
He is in a small pen with two others for company and has eaten a little this morning, we are , dare I say it , optimistic.
Next job, drive to Heathrow Airport and back, is that South of Hereford ?, best dig out the Gazeteere !!
Monday, 30 June 2008
That Bloated Feeling
We had some friends over last night , and despite my Cholesterol reducing diet I had a bit of a bloated feeling, after many sandwiches in the garden. The over full feeling was alleviated by a game involving 6 adults 4 children a terrier and a football. There were no rules , considerable physical contact ,no outcome and a lot of fun. The unnamed game ended when it got so dark we couldn't see the ball or the other combatants.
This morning was a very slow start, not being the highly tuned athlete I once was . A quick scan of a pen of 60 weanling's ( cattle that have just gone off milk to a solid diet) revealed trouble. Many years of looking at animals, and cattle particularly gives you an eye for trouble. One of the bunch was suffering from Bloat and if you read what is contained in the link you will be a bloat expert.
The young Hereford in question was looking pretty sorry for himself and very full of gas. The old remedy is to give them a drink ofbicarbonate of soda and warm water,then walk them round to help the gas escape from one end or the other. After an hour it was obvious the remedy had failed and the vet was called. John is a brilliant cattle vet, and vet in general and acted quickly. While Steve and I restrained the patient, who John called "Fred", perhaps that's his name and I didn't know?, a small incision was made in the left side. When I say incision it was more of a nick and a plastic cannula inserted into the top of the rumen. This is a tube that allows the offending ( and offensive smelling ) gas to escape.
The whoosh of escaping gas left Fred about 30% smaller and a 100% happier. It would not have been long until the pressure inside Fred would have suffocated him, so the nick was in the nick of time( am i trying too hard ?). The cannula will stay in Fred for a couple of weeks until normal digestion returns.
What a dramatic start to the week, and tomorrow Sues Aussie friends head for home and we are taking them down to Heathrow, which could well be another drama, I do hope not!
This morning was a very slow start, not being the highly tuned athlete I once was . A quick scan of a pen of 60 weanling's ( cattle that have just gone off milk to a solid diet) revealed trouble. Many years of looking at animals, and cattle particularly gives you an eye for trouble. One of the bunch was suffering from Bloat and if you read what is contained in the link you will be a bloat expert.
The young Hereford in question was looking pretty sorry for himself and very full of gas. The old remedy is to give them a drink ofbicarbonate of soda and warm water,then walk them round to help the gas escape from one end or the other. After an hour it was obvious the remedy had failed and the vet was called. John is a brilliant cattle vet, and vet in general and acted quickly. While Steve and I restrained the patient, who John called "Fred", perhaps that's his name and I didn't know?, a small incision was made in the left side. When I say incision it was more of a nick and a plastic cannula inserted into the top of the rumen. This is a tube that allows the offending ( and offensive smelling ) gas to escape.
The whoosh of escaping gas left Fred about 30% smaller and a 100% happier. It would not have been long until the pressure inside Fred would have suffocated him, so the nick was in the nick of time( am i trying too hard ?). The cannula will stay in Fred for a couple of weeks until normal digestion returns.
What a dramatic start to the week, and tomorrow Sues Aussie friends head for home and we are taking them down to Heathrow, which could well be another drama, I do hope not!
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