A busy few weeks - update

Its a busy few weeks on the farm. Here's what we have been up to lately....

Well, the sun has been shining beautifully over the last few weeks.

We have done all our clamp and round bale silage, hay and we have even been able to get onto some normally wet fields and we have cut the rushes off, to make some lovely winter bedding bales.

The cattle are very happy. Last week we brought the Herefords in for their pour-on and then put them back into a different field. One that has had a lot of work done to it over the last 4 winters, which scrub clearance and fencing. This field has not had cattle in grazing it for about 70 years. It was a fantastic feeling seeing he cattle in there and happy.

The youngest calves are now weaned and doing well, loving their nuts and silage. They have had their Blackleg injection today, so they will be going out into the fields very soon. Its so important to look after the weaned calves very carefully, as a change in diet can lead to problems. This is why we change them over slowly.

Blackleg is an infection that we vaccinate against. The only symptom that shows if there is a problem is a dead animal. Which is not great. Its a very cheap injection, so is well worth doing.

The Culm grassland has been incredible this spring. The orchids, the butterflies and dragonflies have been amazing. We held an afternoon for the Devon Wildlife Trust a couple of weeks ago, to look for the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly and we are pleased to say we did find some. This is our very rare butterfly that only lives in Culm and only feeds on Devils Bit Scabious. We also found a Gold ring tail Dragonfly. Its huge and totally amazing !!

We have been running lots of Wild Tribe sessions, with Bradford, Bridgerule and Black Torrington Primary schools and also with Bradworthy Primary Academy. These have all been maths based sessions and its been a pleasure working with these children. They love working outdoors and embraced a new way of learning, as did the teachers. In September, I will be doing a Wild Tribe Explorers training course, designed to work closely with a small group of children, rather that whole classes.

Our Care farming sessions are now almost at an end for the summer, to start again in September. Its been a massive privilege to work with these children. To witness a change in them, a growth in confidence, self esteem and skills is so humbling.

Our adult care farmer Toby is still with us on a Monday. We are working our way through a huge list of jobs and its been lovely recently to see lots of those jobs now being crossed off and completed. 

So, continue to enjoy the sunshine and a big thank you to all of you that support us.