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 Farm News April 2011 |
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Thoughts on the farm turn now towards the spring workload and work to come. Much of the winter was spent repairing machinery and hedge cutting which, under compliance rules, has to be completed by the end of February so that birds have time to build their nests before the breeding season starts. Nowadays we tend to farm in a much more environmentally and wildlife friendly way with more consideration given to wildlife habitats. Last summer we completed our application for the renewal of the Entry Level Stewardship Scheme (ELS), which means that we will have more land around the farm dedicated to wildlife habitat. From a practical farming point of view this causes little inconvenience since most of the ELS options can be sited in corners or around field margins; however weed control can at times be problematic. Generally ELS areas on the farm consist of either tussocky grass margins to provide |
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| habitat for ground nesting birds and small mammals, flower mixtures to provide nectar for insects, or seed producing crops to provide birds with a winter food source. Other areas include hedgerow management and in crop nesting sites for skylarks. The farm and the CCF have also spent part of the winter planting a new area of woodland to mark the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of the Combined Cadet Force. The trees used include oak, ash, hornbeam, wild cherry and hazel and a hedgerow has been planted in the same area using a mixture of species including blackthorn, hawthorn, and guilder rose. The trees used were donated by the Woodland Trust and Sternian Simon Butler (1995 Sutton) of Greenhills Nursery kindly donated further trees as well as the tree guards and stakes. Generally, crops look well especially the cereals and winter beans. Oilseed rape suffered during the winter from a constant and unrelenting pigeon invasion. Daily patrols and numerous different devices were used in what soon became a losing battle. As soon as the weather warmed up and the crop stared to grow the situation soon changed and now as the crop begins to flower the pigeons are no longer a problem. Field work continues at a pace and the settled weather during March allowed us to keep well on top of the fertilising and spraying. Linseed will be sown shortly, once the contractors have finished applying sewage sludge to the fields. Using sludge saves the farm a considerable amount of money because it reduces the amount of artificial fertiliser needed to grow the crops. It also has the advantage of introducing organic material into the fields which helps to improve the structure of the soil making it easier to work and less prone to waterlogging. Nowadays the sewage is treated before application to remove unpleasant objects and modern application techniques make it a far less smelly operation than in the past. As part of the farms ongoing machinery replacement policy the decision was taken in February to replace the remaining John Deere tractor. After much thought, it was decided to buy another Massey Ferguson. We are pleased with the one bought last year as it has performed well without any problems. It’s amazing how much tractors have changed over what it a relatively short space of time. Nowadays, four wheel drive, axel and cab suspension, clutchless gear changes, and air conditioned cabs are the norm, with satellite guidance now becoming more popular, especially on large farms, far different from the Fordson Major my father had on the farm when I was growing up! |
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Paul Sigley, Farm Manager |
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