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Bantams / Grass / Repairs

Monday 4 October, 2021

by Rosemary at 10:40am in Agriculture Comments closed

Monday 20th September

Off on holiday. Back Friday.

Friday 24th September

Home again!

Dan had to put Sheldon down this morning; he’d been damaged in the fox attack but seemed to have recovered reasonably well, but he was getting weaker and it was the right thing to do to let him go.

Dan has also made a start on clearing the sunken garden. We’ve been here before, so I’m not holding my breath.

gardenSunken garden.

Management information

Sunday 19 January, 2014

by Rosemary Champion at 10:35am in Agriculture 6 comments Comments closed

I've always intended that the smallholding be at least self-financing in revenue terms. We've been happy to invest in capital items such as fencing and equipment durng the establishment of the smallholding but we're now hoping that it can support itself and even return a small profit.

Although I keep records of income and expenditure for the business overall, I've never looked at each enterprise to see how it performs. But 2014 is going to be the year of the "improved management information". I've ordered a proper calculator - not on my phone or computer, but a "proper" desk one - and I've got all the invoices out for 2012/13 and since it's a miserable day, I'me going to spend the afternoon working through them.

Christmas preparations

Tuesday 24 December, 2013

by Rosemary Champion at 12:33pm in Agriculture Comments closed

We've had some strong and gusty winds and some rain here, but thankfully, we've escaped the worst of the weather so far.

The cows and calves are now housed here at Dalmore and the bull and bullock are at Astwood in the wood and the paddock beside it. There's still a bit of grass but we'll start feeding them a  bit of hay after Christmas. They have a molassed lick too.

The cows are on a mix of hay and straw with a a molassed lick and have settled in fine. Blizzard (boss cow), her 2012 heifer, Annie, and her bullock from this year, Charlie, feed together - as do Breeze and Bonny. The straw is ad-lib, so they just pick away at it and I top it up with some hay twice a day. Blizzard and her two are first at the barrier and Breeze and Bonny aren't allowed in until they are finished, so I give Breeze and Bonny their own hay. Seems to work fine.

A lost and found day

Tuesday 26 June, 2012

by Rosemary at 7:59pm in Agriculture 1 comment Comments closed

Since it was a lovely day here (until 7pm when it started to rain heavily), I planned to get a few jobs done outside.

First was mucking out the field shelter. Now, I've been putting this off 'cos it's not a nice job. The cattle were fed in there over winter, so there is a thick layer of wet, shitty hay lying. It will make great manure in due course but at the moment it's no nice sad. I took the box trailer round two weeks ago too, but I could put it off no longer. I went to get my nice blue graip... but it was nowhere to be found. I looked in all the usual places and some not so usual, but no sign. So off I went with an old graip, with a rough wooden handle and bent tines. An hour and a blister later, I was fed-up.

"A salvage job"

Friday 9 April, 2010

by Rosemary at 1:22pm in Agriculture 1 comment Comments closed

It was heartbreaking to read in today's "Scottish Farmer" about the losses suffered by some Scottish sheep farmers due to the terrible weather. One farmer had lost between 150 and 200 lambs, all his Bluefaced Leicester tups and ten feeding sheep. Another experienced a snowfall of 21 inches in 24 hours, followed by flooding and three days without power. Many expressed concern about the condition of hill ewes, which will lamb in a couple of weeks.

It's sometimes easy, in the warmth of the supermarket, to forget how hard our farmers work, especially when the weather is so difficult and unpredictable. I, for one, take my hat off to them.

Agricultural and Horticultural Census

Sunday 22 June, 2008

by Rosemary at 11:19am in Agriculture Comments closed

If you register as an agricultural holding, which you must do if you are going to keep livestock (pigs, sheep, cattle) or claim rural payments, you will get a CPH number (County Parish Holding). As well as allowing you to keep the aforementioned livestock and claim the dosh, it also presents you with the opportunity to contribute to the annual Agricultural and Horticultural Census.

Actually, under the 1947 Agriculture Act, you must complete and return the census form. Failure to do so may result in a fine of up to £1,000. Penalties are also prescribed for "knowingly or recklessly furnishing false information". You can bet ours was completed in time, with no false information, furnished knowingly or recklessly!

Farm visit

Sunday 16 March, 2008

by Rosemary at 8:18pm in Agriculture Comments closed

Forth Valley and West Fife Smallholders' Association had its first farm visit today. I think it would be judged a success!

We visited Mid Torrie Farm, near Callander, which is home to Bernard and Hilary Barker and their fold of Highland cattle. Eight of us went along; the weather was lovely and the hosts generous with their time, expertise and excellent meat pies!

A full report, with photos, will appear on the Association's website www.smallholders.info shortly.

Huntly Farmers' Market

Tuesday 9 October, 2007

by Rosemary at 12:25pm in Agriculture 1 comment Comments closed

Dan and I were up in Aberdeenshire this weekend, tentatively looking at property. We'd like some more land and there's not much around here, so we thought we'd look North East. It was very nice and there were lots of suitable properties but it's not home. I'm not sure I'll ever leave Clackmannanshire.

Anyway, while we were there, we visited Huntly, which is a nice town with a lovely square (and a nice tea shop called "The Merry Kettle", if you ever visit). The local Farmers' Market was on and, although small, it had some good stuff including two stall selling local, farm produced butter, cheese and yogurt. We bought some butter (unpasteurised and unsalted), soft cheese and drinking yogurt. It's all lovely!

RHS in the rain!

Monday 25 June, 2007

by Rosemary at 8:22pm in Agriculture Comments closed

Dan and I had a day at the Royal Highland Show on Saturday. It was wet, but OK if you were prepared, as we were. Sun hats weren't selling well, but waterproofs were. I predicted at 9am, as the rain teemed down, that the sun would be out by lunchtime. It came out at 2pm - so I wasn't far wrong. As we left at back of 5, the heavens opened again though.

The poultry marquee was abit disappointing. There was no poultry equipment for sale and nothing really to promote smallscale poultry keeping. Although tere were some interesting birds, there was almost no information about them, not even the breed. So for the inetersted lay person, it was a bit of a letdown (IMHO).

Stirling Show 9th June 2007

Sunday 10 June, 2007

by Rosemary at 9:28pm in Agriculture 4 comments Comments closed

Lorna and I paid a visit to Stirling Show on Saturday. The weather was pleasant, so we had icecream and looked at all the exhibits, including the vintage tractors, Clydesdale horses, beef cattle and sheep. There were lots of horse classes, and a few competitors that I knew from my previous livery yard, so it was nice to catch up with them.

I almost bought two rain hats and a deerskin, but the stallholder didn't take either credit or debit cards, which I found a bit bizarre in this day and age.

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