New Toy on the Farm!

Look what's just arrived on the farm today!  It's not very often we have a new piece of kit.  In fact it's been 14 years since we last bought a new tractor.  I remember because I took a picture of Harry sitting in side the back wheel and Charlotte sitting on the steps to the cab.  Not sure either of them will be small enough to do that now!

Although it looks new, and is new to us, it is in fact 8 years old.  But as it's arrived via an Agricultural Machinery firm, they've repaired, cleaned and replaced bits and pieces to make it look as new as possible.  Not bad for £38k!  (We did have a VERY old Massey Fergusson to part exchange though to soften the blow!)  Let's hope the milk price stays above 30ppl for the next 5 years to help pay for it!

Harry besides himself and can't wait until he's back from College this weekend to "play" with it.  I wonder how long before its gets dirty?

Boys and their toys hey?

Stilton Cheese Milk!

The world famous Stilton Cheese from Long Clawson.

We are proud to sell all the milk we produce from our Pedigree Ayrshire herd, to Long Clawson who process it into Stilton.  This gets exported all over the world but it can only be made from milk where the cows are grazing in the three counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

As dairy farmers, we have to produce the right sort of milk the dairy wants and at the right time of the year.  That time in now.  The dairy is in full production because the milk we're sending now, will become the Stilton you will eat this Christmas!

Long Clawson Dairy needs milk with high protein and high butterfat content.  We have a standard to achieve of 4.1% butterfat and 3.3% protein and our Ayrshire ladies are producing that in abundance.  Thanks to the ideal weather pattern this year and the fact that we now calve most of our herd in March, April, May and June.  Once a cow has calved, she will produce the most milk in her daily yield during the first three months of lactation.  So all the June calvers are in peak of production in Sept.

I give a lot of talks about dairy farming and also have groups round our farm regularly.  At each event I always bring along some Stilton Cheese fresh from the dairy, so my audience can taste it.  Everyone loves it and thats because you have to serve it at room temperature.  Let the cheese breath!

Long Clawson Dairy has an excellent website, with great ideas for Stilton in recipes and you can even order online!  You will find it at www.clawson.co.uk  They also have facebook and twitter pages.

So on the run up to Christmas, please buy British Cheeses and give them as gifts but especially Stilton with a bottle of Port perhaps!

Our farm on Local Radio

Yesterday, a recording made recently, whilst a group visited our farm on a Farm Walk, went live on GravityFM radio station in Grantham, Lincs.  I thought it a very good piece so if you wish to hear it, click on the link below!

http://webmail.tiscali.co.uk/cp/ps/Mail/ExternalURLProxy?d=tiscali.co.uk&u=jane.barnes&url=http://www.youtube.com/watch!!v~~07NMG2IebMI^^amp;feature~~c4-overview^^amp;list~~UUojvxvQM-g8pRXqEi-urV9A&urlHash=-1.7981179234359022E195

It's all change down on the farm!

It's all change in our household. 

Charlotte is on her "gap year" to life!  She's in Sydney, Australia working with a family looking after ponies and horses as a groom.  She's been there a week now and has the job for six long months!  How am I going to manage without her around?  Then the plan is to move on to NZ for three months also looking after horses for a family who show jump and hunt.  Her aim there is to hunt in NZ.  OMG they jump barbed wire I here!

Back on the farm, we've got Jayden arriving any day now, to live and work with us on our farm.  He's visiting the UK from NZ where he's used to milking 1800 Holstein cows!  Slightly different here with our 120 Ayrshires!  So Charlottes bedroom has had a make over to turn it less pink, for Jayden to live in.

Harry is off to Reaseheath College, to study Agriculture on a three year sandwich course.  His middle year will be out on a farm, gaining practical experience on someone else's farm.  So we need to pack up his stuff and move into halls this Sunday. 

So it's all change on Southfields Farm.

Mark and I will stay at home keeping the place going.  Cows are milking extremely well as the grass hasn't stopped growing this summer.  Currently in a hot period but rain is due over the weekend to freshen everything up. 

The In-Laws have finally got away with their caravan to Sunny Honey! (Hunstanton, Norfolk) for TWO months!!!  Hope the weather holds.

I'm typing this with freshly painted nail varnish.......  I need to get ready in a moment, as I've been invited to an Awards Dinner tonight with DairyCo.  I'm going to the Motorcyle Museum in Birmingham as a guest of DairyCo.  Unfortunately, Mark's not included!  Its evening dress, hence the nail varnish, and I'm going because Adam Hanson is the MC for the evening.  All I know is, the guests are all connected to the dairy industry, not just farmer producers, but industry leaders and alike.  (Not too sure why I'm invited, but in for a penny, in for a pound as they say).  Never one to miss an opportunity I'm off in half and hour.  Will update my blog later to let you know how I get on.