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.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this has not been an easy summer on the farm! As we returned from our holiday in France and waited for the baggage at the carousel our attention was drawn to the helicopter video footage of a herd of cattle being corralled. The script underneath made awful reading … “Foot and mouth disease confirmed in Sussex”. We were not farming during the outbreak in 2001 but we knew of the tragedy and mayhem that it brought through contact with farming friends.

It could have been so much worse and we must give credit to the vigilant farmer, the vets and ministry officials who managed to contain this outbreak. It appears that DEFRA did learn some lessons from 2001 even if the footpath through the first infected farm was allowed to remain open for several days! If a virus can escape form a high security research laboratory it makes you wonder if transporting infected carcasses across the country for incineration is the most sensible way of disposing of the bodies. There is a wonderful irony in the fact that the Government laboratory that is responsible for controlling the disease could well be the source of the outbreak!

The wet weather finally broke and during the last few weeks we have been busy harvesting. There were several areas in the fields where the winter oats had lodged (gone flat) but with careful driving, Steve was able to lift them and get the crop through the combine. Grain yields are down by 15 to 20% across the country this year so we were very pleased with the 3.5 tonnes per acre that was harvested. The grain is now heaped up in a neighbour’s barn as we don’t have the space at Marchweeke. The forecast was for a week of further rain so we baled the straw even though it was rather damp. The straw bales were wrapped to prevent them from heating and becoming mouldy. The agricultural industry is buzzing at the moment with cereal prices reaching the dizzy heights of £180 / tonne which is twice what it was eighteen months ago. We are so relieved to have been able to grow our own corn and straw this year because buying at these prices would have been financially crippling. The impact will be felt hardest by poultry and pig farmers where feed represents 75% of the production costs. While most of the East Anglian barley barons will be enjoying perusing the John Deere tractor show rooms there will be some farmers that sold forward last year at £90 per tonne. While the latter watch their neighbours cashing-in; it must feel like winning the lottery and losing the ticket!

Our two fields of wheat had struggled from the start. As their names suggest, Moor Park and East Moor are not easy fields; there is just six inches of loam over heavy grey clay. Wet weather delayed drilling and the young plants were slow to establish in the water-logged soil. The hot April weather improved the crop and by flowering it was looking more promising but the lack of sunshine during the summer meant there was insufficient photosynthesis to fill all the grain sites. The display monitor in the combine cab showed an average of 2.5 tonnes an acre which is a modest yield but not surprising considering the difficult growing conditions. The wheat was combined at 19.5% moisture which means that it will heat and spoil if we don’t get it dried down to 17%. We placed some perforated plastic drainage pipe under the heap of wheat and attached a small electric fan. Each night we blow ambient cold air through the pile to cool and dry the grain. I was explaining to a farming friend over a pint at the pub that I was having to “blow air over my piles”; the occupants of the adjacent table looked both bemused and disgusted!
Have a good month. Julie, Simon and Rebecca

PS. Following on from the pathetic wool price; it was pointed out to me that I had missed the obvious punch line. “Fleeced by the British Wool Marketing Board”; thank you Gail!