Arable
The winter barley and wheat are being sprayed with their 2nd application of fungicide. The sugar beet need tractor hoeing as the dry spring has made the chemicals we normally use for weed control partially ineffective, hoeing also improves soil conditions for growing sugar beet. Things are getting busy in the workshop as we prepare and repair machines ready for harvest.
Cattle
All of the cows and their calves have been turned out to grass, the bulls are running with groups of about 25 cows for 3 months at this time of the year. The black bull at the far end of the hills (closest field to Kersey village) is a British Blue cross Limousin called Vulcan. The other bull is a homebred pure British Blue called Classic and he is built like a weightlifter! Although the bulls may look threatening they are quite slow moving and are usually more interested in their cows than people. Swirly is on the field behind our house and is no longer taking any milk from the bottle; she has learnt to steal milk from other cows!
We are currently preparing to build a new shed for pedigree cattle. We have been using our tracked 360° digger to pull out tree stumps and level the site.
Wild pheasants and partridges are nesting and are very prone to disturbance by dogs at the moment. Also a note to footpath walkers to please close gates after they have been through them.
Moles
I have been trapping moles on the farm as we have had a problem with them since the use of strychnine was banned. I have caught 32 since October 2008 and have trapped most of the ones on the grass land. I am now offering a mole catching service if you live in Kersey. I charge £5 a mole.
Shows
We had an enjoyable day at the Hadleigh Show and got good results with both cattle and sheep. At the time of writing we are about to leave for the Suffolk Show. Just a quick reminder for those of you who get this in time that Open Farm Sunday is on the 7th of June from 12.00 to 6.00pm, when we would be pleased to see you at Bridges Farm, Kersey Tye.