A Month on the Farm - July

by Libby and Lisa Buchanan

This has been the month for silaging - bringing in the grass that will feed the cattle through winter. There is quite an art to silaging. The best time to cut is from noon until 5 p.m. This is because the sun pulls the sugar up the stem of the grass and the more sugar in the grass the better the quality. That is why you rarely see anyone cutting grass in the mornings - unless dodgy weather mean there is no choice. Then it lies for 24 hours to wilt so there isn’t too much moisture in the bales. Wet bales are both dangerous to lift because they are so heavy and much more prone to rotting. The bales are wrapped tightly - first in netting and then in plastic - excluding all the air. We all long to find a biodegradable medius, but at least we send all our plastic for recycling at the end of the year.

Philip Gurney does our mowing and baling, while we pick them up and stack them at home. You may see Philip out in the fields well into the night with his kit. There is no-one who works harder - at this time of year he often doesn’t finish until 2 or 3 in the morning and we have known him to go more than 6 hours without stopping. So when he is trying to get through the village with his gear, please try to be considerate to him.

The other big task of the moment is keeping the docks under control. We haven’t found one good reason for a dock yet - unless you should be unfortunate enough to come across a nettle! But they can take over a field unless you keep on top of them and for us, being organic, that means by hand. It is actually enormously satisfying clearing a field of docks, but goodness, it is hard work. We were given a great piece of advice by a brilliant organic farmer - “the docks must know you really hate them!” And so, as we check the cattle I am clutching my pair of secateurs and chopping any I come across! We try to keep any verbal abuse to a minimum!

A final thought for this special time of year. The dawn chorus is beautiful beyond words, but we have been noticing the loveliness of the evening chorus as the birds settle for the night. It is profoundly restful and gentle, especially when accompanied by the soft cooing of the collared doves.

English summers are unsurpassed in their beauty.