We enjoy sharing farm life

[09.04.2021]

Spring 2021 Turnout

Thankfully, some things are unaffected by human viruses. Cows and grass are two of them! On Thursday we enjoyed a highlight of our farming year… Spring Turnout for our ladies.

 

Since early November, when the fields became too wet and the grass stopped growing, our cows have been cared for inside and have been fed home-grown, organic, grass silage from the stores we clamped in summer 2020. However now the pastures are growing again and the temperatures are a bit kinder, they will be dining al fresco again on sweet, spring grass. We carefully manage this change to the cows diet. They will graze for a few hours on the first day, then a few more the following day and will finally be “out” for 24 hours after a couple of weeks-  all the time with access to their winter ration in the sheds. When you have four stomachs, digestive upsets are a major problem!

 

Organic standards require cows to graze and be free to roam as much as possible and whenever conditions are kind. On our farm this is roughly 240 days a year.  Having seen the ice and snow flurries at the start of this week, we are pleased we waited a few more days, otherwise we could have had some cold, miserable cows stood looking back at us!

 

Here you see them full of high jinks, running out into pastures that have not seen a chemical or pesticide in over 23 years. Having sun on their backs and mixing with larger groups of cows again must be fabulous.

 

Just like us, cows have very close friends and occasionally twin siblings they like to be with. The farm team are sensitive to this and keep these ladies together in the same smaller groups over winter. Come spring these smaller groups mix together with others and a wonderful, frantic riot/ reunion takes place. We can all appreciate the joy and freedom of a wider social group and that party vibe!

 

With our customers unable to join us on the farm, we’ve shared video of our Spring Turn Out here.

 

We hope you enjoy this footage and that next year, we can invite you to join us again!

 

Thank you for your custom.

Caroline Bell