Update - we have made it to the end of the month!

Contrary to what I was told this morning - the cows have been out enjoying the sun and the grass in Strickley Hill and Wellbank.

Not quite made it to November . . .

. . . but the milk cows are not going out today. The sun is (currently) shining so they're probably getting themselves ready for the trek down the track to the grass, but we're allocating it to other stock.

So, there's more feeding and mucking out - but no 40 minutes of fetching them in from our farthest fields.

Roll on Spring!

P.S - it's only 55 days till Christmas!

A belated "Thank you"

I'm sorry I never posted this at the weekend - but Thank You Very Much to our buyers at the Beeston Sale. I hope they do well for you - and remember we usually have stock for sale - so get in touch!

Strickley Organic Dairy Shorthorns for sale tomorrow

Tomorrow is the Annual Autumn Show and Sale of The Dairy Shorthorn Society. This year it has moved from Chelford to Beeston Castle Auction. We are taking two newly calved heifers and two second calvers. All have been pre-movement TB tested (and we are in a 4 year parish).

You can see all the details in the catalogue - click here - we are Lots 4, 5, 15 and 17.

James is taking them down this evening and will be with them to answer any questions. He has been taking photos in the parlour this morning - see his Twitter account - this link should take you there. Or just go to Twitter and search for @JRfromStrickley.

And while James is spending the evening with our four lovely ladies, Henry and I will be at Kendal Brewery Arts Centre for a Faustus gig . Surprisingly there are still tickets available - so if you're not having an early night before heading of to the sale, get into town!

Recipe for today. . .

. . . when today is wet and windy and no one goes outside unless they have to (e.g. farmers and cows).

Meatloaf

all measurements and timings are very approximate -

Chop finely (by hand or Magimix)

      300 gm streaky bacon
      1 onion
      2 old carrots almost best their best
      thick slice of home made seedy bread

Tip into large mixing bowl and add

      1 kg mince
      500 gm good sausage meat
      several sploshes of Worcestershire Sauce
      some dried herbs - whatever you like
      stock cube
      1 egg (doesn't matter if you forget and find it on the table later in the morning)

Get one hand in among it and mix well, squidging through you fingers.

Plonk into two loaf tins (or one loaf tin and one large deep pie plate).
Squash down.
Cover with foil.

Cook in the top oven of the Aga for about an hour, then in the bottom oven for about another hour.

Have one hot for dinner - with mashed potato and a good savoury brown sauce (recipe on application), with leftovers in sandwiches for supper.
Freeze the other for another rainy day.

Ready for the oven

   

A Wet and Windy Night

The wind blew strongly overnight and the rain started in earnest about 4.30 am. And by now (7.45 am) there's already been more rain today than in the whole of September. But at least the milking cows were warm and dry as we laid them in for the first time last night. I'm sure they appreciated it. They'll be going out during the day for a while yet, but this marks the start of the farm's winter. There will gradually be more mucking out and feeding inside and less checking stock out in the fields, as different groups come inside.

Last night was also the start of Winter in the Strickley kitchen - we lit the big wood burner. It was maybe a bit too hot so we moved farther and farther away from it, but I think it started a trend and we'll be lighting it again later today.

And finally,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to 

ISABELLA BEATRICE ROBINSON

8 today!

At last another post!

It seems a long time since I posted anything on our Blog, and would hate for anyone to think we haven't been busy!

If I had to choose three words to sum up the past few weeks, it would probable be - 

     GRASS

     CALVINGS

     MILK

This year the grass has kept on growing and growing. We've made two good cuts of clamp silage, and another good cut of big bales. The grass has not stopped growing, and the cows are never going to get round it all so twice we've had the mower out "for the last time" and added to our stack of bales. I think it's now ready to be washed off and put away till next May.

Some years the cows have been inside by now, especially at night, but the really really low rainfall (only a quarter of an inch so far this month) has meant no poaching of gateways etc and they are enjoying being outside. This week we're grazing a field a bit farther along the road - so apologies to anyone we hold up as the cows walk along. With hi-viz jackets and a flasher on the bike we're easily seen.

The photo was taken by James, who was waiting to turn the cows into the field, so he had time to Tweet. For more relevant and up to date farming thoughts and photos, why not follow him on Twitter? Clicking here ought to work. You may also get the odd Tweet about Manchester United (but I can't help that). 

At night the cows are also grazing a long way from the buildings, but down the fields. Henry has had to fix a bright light on the bike and take a spot light to find them in the early hours (5.45). I'm got sure if they appreciate getting up in the dark.

We've about come to the end of our busy calving period, so hopefully we won't be woken up so much by calving cows bawling just outside our bedroom window (at least, that's what it sounds like).

All this grass and the calvings lead the the third word - milk. Every day the tank is a bit fuller. I hope it's big enough.

The prolonged dry spell has meant we can keep on top of rush control. As organic farmers we don't use sprays, so we cut them off - with a Topper. We've been able to get on usually wet fields and yesterday James spread slurry on newly topped fields. The idea is, I'm told, that the grass is given a boost and grows ahead of the rushes.

Yesterday was a day to rely on old and new recourses. Electricity North West are replacing poles round here and we were forewarned that the power would be off from 9 till 5.  I hadn't realised how dark it was inside until the lights went out. The milk was already cooled by 9 and when it was collected later in the morning, and temperature tested, was still cold. We have two UPS's in the house in case of unexpected power cuts. One is for the computer, and the other for the router (unfortunately not near enough to use the same one). I know they work seamlessly (tested in anger a few times), but the battery doesn't hold out forever, so I switched the computer off. I left the router UPS on, so we had Wifi for phones and Ipad etc. It lasted 4 hours, which I think is pretty good. Money well spent. More money was well spent a few years ago on a decent generator. So before we started milking we connected it up and flicked the switch to change form Mains to "Genny" and power was restored. The only trouble is, it's very noisy in the house as the tractor driving it is just outside the window.

And no electric doesn't mean we are cold or hungry - the Aga may be nearly as old as me, but being solid fuel provides heat, hot water and cooker whatever else is happening.

EDIT - please don't get the wrong idea about the "flasher" on the bike - it's not too alarming or scary - just a bright orange light!