That is probably enough weather related chat, so as usual we are making use of the lull before lambing to do some hedging and some fencing. I have bought some chestnut posts for the fencing, instead of using creosote ones. We have used chestnut before, they last well and don’t burn you if you touch them, which is the common complaint when using creosote. Chestnut posts do tend to be a little bendy, but the rustic look doesn’t really matter when you are in a field. I am also using plain wire, that we electrify, instead of barbed wire.
Barbed wire does have it’s uses, especially on a farm boundary with a neighbour, but for internal field boundaries we use plain wire. It has been a five-year project so far, to get electric fencing all around the farm and we are getting there slowly. I won’t bore you with the mechanics of it, but essentially, we are almost at the stage we have it in every field. Linking up the bits we have done, into a connected network. It makes it so much easier to sub divide fields for grazing when we can hook onto a powered wire in the field, rather than using batteries.
Occasionally I look back at old articles I’ve written, and I always seem to be asking for a warm spring. I am not sure if spring weather is changing, or maybe the warm weather comes later than it used to, but I have been thinking for a while that perhaps I or indeed we, are expecting too much from our land and our stock. Following a year of drought in 2025 and the wet year that was 2024, I am beginning to think the farm maybe needs a little bit of a rest.
Or, more specifically, more rest between grazing events than we might usually plan into our rotations. For that reason and after speaking to some more experienced friends and contacts, I am trying to reduce our stocking rate a little. Reduce the demand on the farm and allow the farm the time to repair itself.
It always comes back to context, but in these times of price volatility, especially for energy and energy costs are basically in everything, I think this might be the year to reduce our risk slightly, and see how it pans out.
81
We have sold some store cattle that we would usually graze for the summer and taken advantage of the good prices. So, although I write in mid March, we have cows out grazing and are not making much mess. And, I have enough grass for the ewes to lamb on in April.
So far so good? Well, sort of. It’s all about reducing risk and you know what they say about doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different result. I’d like to think I can think wider than that! I’ll let you know how it goes later in the year, but over relying on good weather doesn’t seem to be as reliable as it once was and I’m definitely not that daft!
Rich, Risbury -
rich@risburycourt.com
Regenerative Farming
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
BUSINESS ON THE FARM
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