As the months and seasons roll around and we move into February, the dark days of winter start to give up their grip and the lengthening days mean that Spring is on the horizon. The trouble is, that horizon can feel like a large mountain which will have to be climbed.
As the cows get closer to calving in April, we have a TB test to look forward to again in March which, as you can imagine, is not going to do the heavily pregnant cows much good. The government vets say we have to test on a certain date and within a 30 day window - trying to get them to see any kind of reason or common sense when it comes to timing the test is like pushing water uphill. So we just have to get on with it and go as steady as we can with the girls and hopefully there won’t be too many problems and fingers crossed we get an all clear.
Of all the seasons Spring and lambing in particular stands out. Lambing is like a juggernaut heading towards you and it has to be tackled, the trick is being prepared! The ewes were scanned in January and they are divided into groups according to how many lambs they are carrying. Their diets are managed with ewes baring two or even three lambs getting the best pastures and supplementary feed to ensure the ewe and her lambs the best chance of survival. We have a lambing shed here at Greenwell and will house the triplets, the older early lambing ewes and our pedigree Whiteface Dartmoors. The rest, and the majority, still lamb outside, but as I said, preparation is the key and if the ewes are looking well with plenty of space they are able to cope with lambing on their own outside as nature intended. Kinder weather and plenty of grass growth in late March and April helps, but I find that there is no point worrying about the things you can’t control, just give the ewes the best chance you can and trust in mother nature.
Now I have waxed lyrical about how hard our lives are through lambing you will be surprised to hear that in late March for a week we open the doors to our lambing shed and invite the public, colleges and schools in to have a look around. There will be about 400 ewes lambing in the shed and we do a full tour which includes the pregnant ewes and how they are managed, new born lambs and what happens when they give birth, the nursery unit, how they are introduced back into the field and hopefully some ewes giving birth for visitors to experience first hand. This cannot be guaranteed, sometimes we have lots and sometimes they are more reluctant to perform!
It is as hard work as it sounds but it is such a rewarding experience. It is great to see school children that have probably never been on a real farm so engaged and they seem to love every minute. It is also great to see families from the local community coming onto a real working farm and talking to the farmer. As with others in modern life, we are busy people, but we are usually only spotted in the distance and often perceived as the grumpy, smelly, straw chewing cheese roller, who shouts at his dogs too much and blocks the road with his dirty tractor or quad bike on a regular basis! Through Lambing Live we have a great platform to talk openly about what we do on a Dartmoor farm and really engage with the people who live all around us and who are ultimately our customer. We sell our beef and lamb locally and add value to our product by selling sheep and cattle skins from our pedigree Whiteface ewes and Belted Galloway cattle. All of this is made so much easier when you can engage with people who are passionate about a living breathing Dartmoor national park, fantastic produce and sustainable hill farming into the future.