We've been doing summer jobs in winter conditions at Mill Farm. The 50 cows on this high-lying, South Pennines dairy farm have also been fed up. Instead of lying out on sunny banks, they have huddled behind walls, seeking shelter from wind and showers and paddling through muddy gateways that get worse with every passage.
Bringing in loads of straw has added to the mess. It is so bad that I think the area will need ploughing and re-seeding before becoming decent pasture again.
Straw for bedding came in remarkably good order but the vendor's transport had to be pull
ed out of our yard. We were lucky to get it, as no more will be sold from that farm. Their straw in future will be chopped and ploughed in an attempt to save on fertiliser costs which have become astronomical. Farmers will do what they can to circumvent these high prices. I was one of a party of ten local gentlemen who made their annual pilgrimage to the Rugby League Cup Final at Wembley. Wives were not allowed. They stayed at home to look after things and we reluctantly left a sunny London to face mud and puddles once more.
Our three Texel lambs were loosed among the Mule ewes on September 1. This will give early February lambing. In addition to the small sheep flock we also keep one breeding Saddleback sow with a litter of eight for sale. A few pigs can be kept very cheaply here, feeding on surplus milk and other by-products.
A lot of dairy farmers seem to be giving up, judging from sale notices arriving with every post. Bluetongue vaccines are another cost. Materials averaged £2 per cow and £1 per head for young stock, but that is without all the extra labour involved.
To end on a brighter note, one of our cows won the dairying championship at Halifax Show.
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