Farm Diary

WHERE is the spring? Here we are in the middle of April, and the weather is not very nice to put it mildly. The clay at Plaistow is still far too wet to contemplate turning out the cows, who are more than happy to prolong the winter hotel accommodation, rather than venture out in the cold and wet to forage for themselves.

I keep telling them that the cost of feed has doubled, and all the diesel being burned to feed and clean up after them twice a day is now twice the price of milk per litre.

Cows have this 'Am I bovvered?' attitude when I try to explain the economics of milk production to them. As far as they are concerned, we are in the service industry, and they are the customer whose currency (milk price) is now re-valued to an all time high.

I am in a rather weak position to argue too much it seems. I am concerned that we are eating valuable silage stocks, when the stale cows at least should be outside grazing, if only to start the rotation. We have plenty of grass, and the next problem will be that it will get away from us during peak growth period, next month.

The young stock are grazing very well at Tillington, having got used to the big outside world and electric fencing! They are the future, and it is vital that we look after them and maintain growth rates through the summer months.

They spend very little time in the shed, even in the cold wet weather, but they have access to good barley straw, which helps to counter the effects of cold, wet grass. The grass at Tillington is growing quite strongly, as one would expect on the sand, but so are the thistles and ragwort and every other weed under the sun. The sprayer will be calling in any day now.

To read the full feature, see West Sussex Gazette April 16