The Year Round: Silage cuts prove to be of a high quality

They were surprisingly good for the time of year, as the first cuts had been rather light in this area of the south Pennines.

Our house is at 1000 feet above sea level and when it rains here it is usually heavy and often long-lasting.

Milk yields from the dairy herd are down a bit since the weather worsened.

Drivers on the retail round report steady sales though they do vary as families come and go from holidays.

Farming is affected like other industries by tightening regulations, but dairy inspections are due now.

So many bodies arrive to check the same items that we wonder how important it all is, but we try to keep everything straight on the dairying side and have reasonable relationships with the officials.

Now that silage making is completed, all grassland equipment has been cleaned, oiled and put away for the winter.

The litter of pigs mentioned here last month is doing well, eating a little extra feed and thriving on waste from other enterprises. I don't know whether some will be kept for home use but if not all will go to the local butcher.

One heifer proved impossible to get in-calf and has been sold.

She is a twin to a bull calf and known as a freemartin hermaphrodite or by other dialects' names.

Two Texel rams have been turned in with our 100 Mule ewes. They are ruddled with red on their chests which leaves a mark on any ewes mated.

We took a few suckler calves to market for a neighbour. They are totally different from our dairy cattle, as they are handled very little and will kick or run us down given the chance.

CW 18/9/10