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.

We have taken advantage of the recent spell of prolonged fine weather to do some field work while the fields are dry. A friend near Tedburn St. Mary has a large pig finishing unit with surplus manure so we hired the local contractor to haul several trailer loads of to Westcott. Pig manure provides a good balance of the main nutrients, nitrogen, potash and phosphate; it also acts as a soil conditioner as the rotten straw increases the humus content of the soil. February is an ideal month for spreading because there should be sufficient rainfall to help the earthworms utilise and incorporate the manure but not so much that the nutrients are leached away.

The ewes soon devoured the remaining area of fodder rape and while the weather was dry we were able to plough the field. A power harrow was used to create a seedbed before drilling some spring barley. The two Moor Fields will also be drilled with barley but the ground is more clay and it will be a while before the seedbed is dry enough to be prepared. To help prevent water-logging on the heavy ground the fields have been “mole ploughed”. The latter is an implement towed behind a tractor with a small torpedo shaped lump of metal attached to a stiff metal tine. The tractor is reversed up to a ditch; the plough is lowered and then dragged into the ditch wall and through the ground creating a four inch diameter tunnel about eighteen inches below the surface hence the name. Excess rainwater seeps into the “mole drain” and eventually runs into the ditch. That’s the theory anyway; we shall see how well it works in practice!

The dry weather also provided an opportunity to plant a new hedge beside the track between Marchweeke and Westcott. The trees are a mixture of species; the majority is made up of hawthorn and blackthorn that will grow rapidly to provide a stock-proof barrier; when mature they will also provide haws and sloes for the field fares. Besides the thorn there are hazel, dog roses, field maple, spindle and sweet briar rose. If we can keep the young trees free of weeds then the hedge should develop into a protective wildlife haven with plenty of flowers to attract the insects and fruits in the autumn.

The autumn born lambs have now been weaned and are currently growing fast with plentiful grazing on the grass leys established last September. If the same fields are grazed by sheep year after year there is an increase in the levels of parasitic worms which slow the growth of the lambs and also causes scouring. By ploughing and burying the old sward the worm burden is much reduced and the lambs will thrive. The ewes bleated for a day or two after the lambs were removed but are now quiet and content in Coarse Mead. While the ewes are milking and feeding their lambs they lose body condition so it is important that they gain weight again over the next couple of months to reach prime condition for when the rams are let loose again in May.

One of the great benefits of working in the countryside is the unexpected or unusual sighting of wildlife. As I was replacing a chainsaw blade in the workshop a series of high pitched screeches were heard. Initially I thought that our new cat, Moses, had caught a rat but on investigation, a peregrine falcon was screeching and repeatedly rising in the brisk wind and then stooping. It became apparent that a second falcon was being harried by the first. We could only surmise that an adult bird was chasing an intruder or a youngster out of his territory. It was a wonderful, natural, aerial display by one of our great, rare predators.

Have a good month. Simon, Julie and Rebecca