The big job these last days has been clearing the barn of the cow’s winter bedding ready for this year’s bales to be stored.

The bedding straw cleared is now piled in new heaps in the fields where they will sit for a year before we spread them. We have some of last year’s bales that we will cover them with. We will put the preparations in the heap to give the goodness the best advantages.

As for last year’s heaps, these are continuing to be spread on fields across the farm. Other fields have been rolled. The pastures are firming up well, but with three overnight frosts earlier this month, the grass isn’t growing at speed. Thankfully, when the sun comes out, the air warms significantly.

We walked the farm and woods with botanist, Tom, from Heart of England Forest. Tom was visiting to give us information regards grants to support incorporating more trees and hedges throughout the farm, increasing biodiversity, habitat connectivity, and also long-term welfare benefits for the livestock. It was good to connect with someone as enamoured with our ancient, medieval, woodland as we are. Orchids were spotted, alongside lots of birdlife and one of the ‘good’ Sedges!

We were able to spray half the farm with 500 last week and will complete this task this week.

Overall, the animals are looking well. The lambs will be weighed again to check how they are doing, and then they and the ewes will need another footbath. Another consequence of the challenges the weather has brought us, is that while the grass is slow to grow, the thistles take advantage, making their numbers across the pasture numerous. This is leaving us with the consequence of a few cases of Orf in the lambs. The thistles break their skin, allowing Orf to enter their system. We have added the Orf spray to the sheep’s water troughs and hope we can stop any further cases in their tracks.

The cattle are in their summer coats and looking good. We are continuing with the homoeopathic remedies for New Forest Eye. The remedy is being added to their water troughs, and so far, cases are slowing.

The grazing plan is proving helpful, with the fields we are leaving for hay, and those we are leaving for Stewardship now clear of animals. We also have the Inkberrow Horse Show in late July, so our grazing plan has to allow for those fields being cut in good time.

It has been too cold for shearing, but the forecast is starting to look favourable. The lanolin sits between the skin and the wool, so when the temperatures are below 20 degrees, the lanolin is more solid than liquid, and makes shearing almost impossible.

Our ‘housekeeping’ work is in full swing now we can get almost everywhere on the farm. Fallen trees are being removed, fences repaired, and with the warmer temperatures, Hemlock is starting to appear more readily, so that is being pulled. Ragwort sightings are few at the moment, but seedlings have been spotted in the polytunnel, so we are on the lookout for those to pull up too.

The Three Counties show brought us a visitor who also farms Traditional Herefords – she is based in Holland and faithfully comes across to Malvern every year for the show. Plus, we have been able to also connect with other Llynn breeders. Perfect timing as we will need to bring a new ram onto the farm this autumn.

Matilda is in her last week with us and has been a very valuable asset to our workloads – and is a wonderful person to have amongst us. We will miss her very much!

Next week some of us head to Groundswell – we have a tent, and we have practised putting it up, so hopefully we are as ready as we can be.

In the garden, thanks to apposite strimming, the slugs have decreased significantly in number… only to make way for the pigeons. Ugh! All third sowings of radish and turnip have become pigeon food. Netting is now in place for the crops yet untouched. The veg box scheme, nevertheless, is going incredibly well, and Alice and Brendan are currently working on a website to help make ordering more straightforward. It has been one crazy year to start a veg box scheme, but against all odds, the boxes are fully subscribed, full each week, and the customers are happy. A huge testament to Alice’s resilience and both of their determination.

Somehow, without knowing quite how, today is Midsummer’s Day, so what better way to celebrate than with the master wordsmith:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II, Scene I by William Shakespeare

A wood near Athens. A Fairy speaks.
 
Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander every where,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green:
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dew-drops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits: I’ll be gone;
Our queen and all her elves come here anon.