SEPTEMBER 2002
Home page

September has been one of our driest months so far with only 53mm of rain 41mm of which fell on the 9th. so we have managed to silage in dry weather.

The clamp now looks very full and we will have to put the maize at the front of the clamp.

 

The maize crop has now finished growing at around 2.75m tall and the cobs shown here (which contain the grain) are ripening.

For silage the grain should be the consistency of cheese but as this picture (taken on the 30th) shows it is still rather wet.

We hope to cut it around the third week of October weather permitting.

We have only had one calf this month a black and white heifer so it has been quiet on the calving front.

Although it is September I have still been sowing fertilizer as the weather has been warm and the grass is growing well. Hopefully we will be able to keep the heifers outside until the end of the year if this continues.

Early in the month we were inspected by our dairy co-op representative to see we were meeting all the various rules and regulations.

Apart from a few minor things we passed, however, we must shut the sparrows out of the feed loft above the parlour, repair a piece of worn concrete in the parlour floor and continue the never ending battle with the cobwebs.

Cow number 64 "twinner" as we call her has had twins each time she has calved and she has now produced 6 calves (all naturally) but because of this she always looks skinny as the twin pregnancies do take their toll.

She was in the veterinary stalls when David the inspector arrived (my fellow farmers who read this page will understand this) it is always one of the worst looking cows that seems to hang around when such officials arrive. He did understand however.

This is David inspecting our records and again with some of our youngstock.

 

Wednesday the 25th saw the annual Cheshire ploughing match (cancelled last year due to foot and mouth) and it was very well attended. Click here to see more.

This month has seen Paul and I carrying on with the cellar project in the farmhouse and we now have the walls painted with sealant to keep out the damp and the ceiling lined we hope to have it finished for our annual bonfire night party.

Besides this the estate have been repairing the farmhouse roof and fitting a new skylight here are estate contractors David and Simon hard at work.

The kids are now back at school with Simon and Hannah starting the final year of their GCSE's.



Simon along with cousins James and Lucy have been testing their brains in the Cheshire young farmer's annual junior quiz competition and have reached the semi-final which will take place on the 7th of October.


The 2002 team left to right James, Lucy, Claire, James, Richard and Simon.

The competition has been running for many years and I along with Dorothy, Graham and Alan were members of a winning team in 1878.

Click here for mine and Webby's nature report,

see you next month Phil.

Home page


e-mail

Previous

Back to Journal Index / Previous Page Milking Parlour Dairy Cubical Shed Grainstore and Barn Vetenary Stalls Silage Clamp Farm House Collecting Yard The Piggery The Heifer Cubicals The Stockyard Slurry store The Lean-to The New Shed Impliment Shed