I RURAL UFE


Wednesday,September24,2014 Wednesday, September 24,2014 RURAL LIFE I


btewart Lambert and his family farm a herd of 40 * r ,erC0Ws.and a flock of 500 lambing sheep on 300-acre Kitridding Farm, near Kirkby Lonsdale. A former school governor and youth club leader,


Stewart gives talks and provides farm visits and demonstrations to edu/ate the public about farming practices. This month, he looks at the change in crops,


independence...and why his dogs were upset durina the night...


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Scotland has voted to stay a part of the United Kingdom.... maybe we up here in the north west should also apply for independence and perhaps we, too, will be offered more spending and freebies to remain in the union. Our roads are in a poor state, the by-roads never get cleared of snow or salted, we can't install solar panels because the power lines are too


old, our internet is slow, we don't have a great rural bus service, but we do pay : , more for fuel. I don't want independence, but I would like some of the basic amenities our more affluent friends in the south take for granted.


\ An Indian summer -just what we needed to round off agoodyear; is it global wanning or are wejnst lucky? -----------------------------------— -------------------------------------------------------- ; -------------------------------------------------- ; -----------------------------------------


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but the move is now to arable crops for ensiling. With the new varieties of corn, which can grow in the wetter north west, and the need to formulate balanced winter diets without the inclusion of expensive imported proteins, wheat, barley and maize are now common crops. They are allowed to ripen until the grain goes hard, and harvested not with a combine but with a forage harvester. The whole crop is taken; the grain is crushed to release the starch and protein, and the stem is chopped into one-inch lengths, blown into trailers and put into silage pits for the winter feed. During winter, this arable silage is mixed with grass silage to form a balanced diet,- V with the grass silage supplying the proteins


Crops change...and cow diet T


HERE is a change in the crops we are growing up here in Lancashire and Cumbria. There was always some grain grown for animal feed,


and sugars, and the arable the starch and fibre.


The straw acts as a rumen conditioner; being hard and prickly it encourages the stomach to turn and work properly and efficiently, taking out as much nutrient as


possible. You can tell if a cow's diet is right by its poo. It should splat on the ground . with the consistency of blancmange with no appearance of fibre or grain-too runny and the diet is low in fibre and is passing through the cow.too fast and not being


properly digested, too solid and the diet is low in energy and protein. The diet will be the same all winter, with minor tweaks depending on how much milk the cow is giving.


Spines and whines


Our hedgehogs have done well, perhaps the dry weather has helped the young to survive and the resident badgers have moved further away into another old set. The arrival of these prickly slow- moving creatures does cause problems, however. Twice


this week I have had to get up in the early hours to console two howling dogs, a spaniel and a labrador. They were huddled up on the top deck of their kennel, wide-eyed, and fur ruffled as a hedgehog helped itself to dog biscuits and water.


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using our own Beef and Lamb and Local Pork Hand Made Sausages and Burgers, Dry Cured Bacon, Home Made Pies and Baking


-JFARM SHOP AND TEAROOM With on site Butchery


AWARD WINNING KITRIDDING


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Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9:30am - 5pm


A friendly welcome awaits you... Open


■ last orders in tearoom 4:30pm : . 015395 67'184


Knuckling Faun, Old Town. Nr Kukby Lonsdale. LAC 2QA kitnddinufai mfiliop.co.uU


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KITRIDDING FARM SHOP AND TEAROOM OLD TOWN - NEAR KIRKBY LONSDALE


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We work b y a simple rule at Kitridding Farm Shop and Tearoom - by asking ourselves is it somewhere that we would like to visit ourselves. If the answer is yes, we feel confident that our customers will be happy too. So we pay attention to the details that matter to us - the friendly welcome and service, the quality of the food and the provenance of the ingredients. That’s why our menu features our own lamb and beef, reared right here on Kitridding Farm, our hand-made pies, sausages, burgers and our delicious home-cured bacon, all carefully prepared on-site. We also use local pork. Visit us for a hearty lunch, top up with one of our delicious afternoon teas or pop in anytime for our popular all-day breakfast, featuring' our own sausages, blackpudding and bacon cured on the premises. On fine days you can sit on our patio and admire the magnificent scenery as you enjoy our home­ baking, or work up an appetite by taking a stroll around our lake. If you like what you taste - and we're sure that you will - you can buy our home-produced food in our farm shop. We also have a range of unusual gifts to choose from. Our customers return again and again; we're sure you will too. '


OPEN: Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9.30am to 5pm (Last orders in the Tearoom 4.30pm)


VARIED MENU: From light snacks and afternoon tea to full cooked meals, we have a menu to suit everybody's appetite. Our all-day breakfast really is available all day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 9.30am to 11,30am on Sunday. Our traditional roast is served Sunday from noon and is so popular that we advise customers to book early to be sure of a table. And if you would rather sample something else from the menu, all the usual choices are available.


This is why our customers come back for more: Generous Afternoon Tea, served from 3pm | All-day Breakfast | Traditional Sunday Roast | Kitridding Ham and Eggs | Kitridding Salad | Freshly made scones and cakes | Home-made desserts.


Kitridding Farm, Old Town, Near Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, LA6 2QA


015395 67484 | email: info@kitriddingfarmshop.co.uk www.kitriddingfarmshop.co.uk


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