It's Friday and ahrrrrrrrrrrrr.............raining AGAIN!

So cross this morning, raining again, everywhere on the farm is flooding.  Cows hate going out into the driving rain, through those very bottomless gateways!  They will stand under the nearest hedge all day, not grazing!   Whoever think its unhealthy to keep cows inside 24/7 all year round ought to come to our farm today and try working in it and fetch those cows in.   At least if they were inside, they'd be eating fodder and have clean teats.   If they don't graze, they don't eat enough grass to produce milk for the next milking, so less yield and therefore less milk!   Milking takes longer as their teats will be muddy as the drag along through the sinking muddy gateways, so Mark has to wash and wipe every teat prior to putting the unit on.

It's Friday and that means Farmers Weekly day.  Reading it over breakfast this morning was very depressing.  An emergency meeting with dairy producers was held this week in Stafford as another round of milk price cuts hits us all hard again!  For us, it means we are being paid 27p per litre but due to have another price cut next month - not heard what it is yet.  Experts say it costs us 29p per litre to produce!  Another worry!  No wonder Mark and I are turning grey by the day. 

All I want to do is SCREEM at the Supermarkets, who sell milk cheaper than they buy it, cos they can afford to do that and they know its what brings people through their doors to shop.  Why don't they understand how hard its hitting us?  When people ask me what they can do, try to buy British produce wherever possible and don't buy if you're not sure as the Supermarkets only put on the shelves what is selling.  So don't buy imported food!!!

On a lighter note, Harry is back tomorrow from his boarding school in Somerset.  It will be great having another pair of hands on the farm as Marks' parents are away at the moment and we've alot of calves to feed and carrying the milk is heavy on me.  Harry was camping in the Quantock Hills last night as part of  D of  E.  Hope he didn't get washed away down the hills.  Charlotte has gone to London to prepare for her volunteering job at the Olympics.  She travelled alone on the 6am train and making her way to Leicester Square!  She's so grown up now.  It's her 18th next week!