February 2001

As I write this report things within the farming community have become VERY SERIOUS, as you will know Foot and Mouth disease is currently beginning to spread around the country. This is a very infectious disease for cattle, pigs, goats and sheep and I am writing this wondering whether I will still have cattle to write about next month or whether you may be reading a obituary report on them.

Here at greenheyes.com we have tried to give you a slice of our Cheshire life and I pray we still will be able to.

All my farmer visitors will know what I mean when on behalf of all our community Please! Please! Don't go onto farmland during these difficult times. Follow the advice given in the media it isn't that we don't want visitors we DAREN'T have them.

Click on the link for more details on this disease. www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/default.htm

This Virtual visit is currently the best farm visit we can offer

Stuart chats up a young lady!!! We started February with a Ministry of Agriculture inspection of our cattle records (all UK farmers keep these to allow full trace ability of any animal from the farm) and I'm pleased to say we passed, and here is Stuart the inspector looking at some calves. He has to check all the stock and the paperwork.

We have had 4 calves this month black and white twins and 2 Belgian Blue bulls.

On the 14th I gave a talk to our old friends at Hebden Green School click on the link to see. This was my first of the 2001 season but due to the cold weather they only got me and not the trailer. I have promised to return in the summer but as you have read in this report we'll have to see about that!

The Children and Staff of Hebden Green School

Also that day I was interviewed by the Farmers Guardian Newspaper about greenheyes.com here (left) I am with Ken from the Guardian by the trailer.

Sarah from the Dairy Farmer Magazine On the 20th yet another interview this time by Sarah for the Dairy Farmer magazine. Sarah actually discovered us while surfing the web and didn't want to be pictured. However Paul photographed her while she took one of the cows.

The middle of February has been dry and so yet more muckspreading this time on Peacocks field.

There has been 73mm of rain this month. So we will soon be able to produce a rainfall chart for you.

Nothing so strange as city folk Homo Neanderthal??? Half term week for Simon and Sarah saw us venture south to London for a day.

We saw the main sights and went to the natural history museum and learned something of the origin of species. Though I have to say some of the exhibit's were very lifelike and somewhat scary, as you can see from the picture on the right.

See you next month Phil

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