Marchweeke Farm,

Each month we provide an update on the activities and events that have taken place at Marchweeke Farm as we develop our own beef, lamb, pork and poultry enterprises.

Lambing has finished and we can revel in the luxury of a full night’s sleep. We always look forward to the start of the lambing season but are equally relieved to get to the end! One of the highlights for this spring was the birth of a set of quads, a first for us. The ewe must have thought she was seeing double! There was no way she could rear them on her own so two were fostered on to ewes with singles. With several ewes lambing each day it was easier to foster lambs before the maternal bond has been established. We were feeling rather smug as we approached the end of lambing with no orphans. We should have known better! We recently lost a couple of older ewes through no obvious cause and therefore have four orphans to rear. Lambs that have been suckling for a few weeks can be very obstinate about accepting an artificial teat. Usually Julie’s Mum takes on this task but she is away for a short holiday at present. Richard and I are awaiting her return with anticipation; partly so that she can take over orphan lamb duties but we are also missing out on chocolate cake for lunch!

At last the days are warmer, the grass is growing and there is plenty of grazing for the ewes. On sunny evenings the older lambs gather in groups galloping and gambolling together. It doesn’t take the lambs long to find the gaps in the fencing; regardless of how generous the grazing the lambs will take the opportunity to explore. The rascals seem incapable of retracing their escape route with the result that Moss has to gather them together and drive them back through the gate. Young Freddie tries to assist but he has more enthusiasm than ability! Freddie is the young blue merle collie pup that we gave to Richard for his eighteenth birthday. Freddie is a lovely natured collie and we hope that he will be able to take on more of the work as Moss gets older. Although I offer some guidance it is Richard’s job to train his dog. Time will tell whether they can establish the close bond that is required to form a successful working partnership.

This spring we have been able to eliminate one of the more tedious tasks involving the unwinding of several hundred yards of water pipe and the daily filling of drinking troughs in the fields for sheep and cattle. My brother Mark and his wife Sheila own the adjacent Westcott Farm and have installed a bore hole in Higher Gratton. The water pump is powered by a small wind turbine with a back-up solar panel; water is stored in a pair of large concrete tanks and is gravity fed to all of the water troughs and standpipes in both Westcott and Marchweeke. Although it has been a considerable capital expense it will mean significant savings in the cost of water which has been rising dramatically.

There are several acres of copse on Westcott and it is not unusual to see a couple of deer grazing in the adjacent fields. Mostly they will be roe hinds or occasionally red deer. Although we have considered adding their venison to our produce range we haven’t mustered the enthusiasm to cull any of these wary creatures. The other evening I had been walking through the winter cereals checking for weeds and diseases and I disturbed a couple of red hinds; as I watched them retreat into a copse I counted a total of twenty five red deer as they slipped quietly between the trees. The majority were hinds with perhaps four stags amongst them. We are given to understand from locals that this is a herd of deer that overwinters several miles away in Rackenford but returns to the area around Washford Pyne woods during the summer where they disperse into small groups and give birth to their fawns. Although we are delighted to have evidence of a successful herd we hope that the majority will move on because the grazing from that number of beasts will significantly reduce yields of our oats and wheat and provide the motivation we need to increase our venison sales!

Have a good month. Simon, Julie and Rebecca