Yet another dry month has seen us with another 51mm of rain, click here for the weather report.

However the dry weather has seen us able to harvest the maize silage which had ripened earlier than 2002 and was cut on the 5th.

 

Here are Richardsons in action.

Talking of harvesting, in our Now and Then section we look at harvesting Swede

Besides being dry it has been colder seeing some temperatures below freezing, and so grass has more or less stopped growing, so from the beginning of the month we have been feeding silage.

First to be used are those big bales we made last month, here I am cutting the wrap and string from a bale. The cows seemed to like it and I’m sure we will use any spare grass this way in the future.

2 calves this month both black and white bulls 2 others were due for the end of the month but at time of writing they are still hanging on.

This month I have visited Wincham primary school together with our NFU county chairman Tony Garnett.

We spent the afternoon talking about how we produce milk to the classes in years 1 and 2 as part of National school milk week.

Paul and Margot have been “treading the boards” this month with Byley Players and this time for the first time in a few years Margot has appeared on stage (actually in the lead role) click here for more.

The slurry store having been emptied onto the maize stubble I turned my attention to the “hole” by the back door otherwise known as the well.

The well is probably as old as the farmhouse (about 300 years) and was below the current path. We pump water for the garden and we had said we would renovate it and raise the top to above ground.

These photos show the building work and final result. I have promised to fit a hand pump as a finishing touch, but Dorothy’s herbs seem to have a new home.

The cows will be in for the winter soon so I have been repairing one of the doors on the cubical shed feeding passage and fitting a new door above the re-sheeted one. Here I am nailing on the boarding.

Our wood stores which consist of an old porta-cabin and hen shed are both very past their best so we have bought this shipping container replacement from a local building company.

It should stand having logs thrown into it. We plan to empty the old sheds this winter.

Finally logs brings me to fires and this year we are holding two (yes two) bonfires on the 1st and 8th.

The one on the 1st is for the normal people and the 8th is for the teenagers.

Click here for the nature report with some very colourful Autumn trees.

See you next month PHIL.

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