We have started a farm diary of our farm year as it happens

April 1st - We are well into lambing and have lots of lambs and calves in the barns and fields due to the wet weather we were not been able to get the lambs out in the fields but as it is now drying up they are going out and will be fine. we are also calving and have lots of lovely sussex calves in the fields.

We are very busy Ploughing and Drilling to put the seed in for the barley and wheat, This week the ewes will be coming in ready for lambing which starts on March 12th to open on the 15th

One ton of wheat makes 2,450 loaves – large white sliced apparently
(Information from the NFU )
The price of bread wheat has gone up this year to around£160

There for a farmer gets 8 pence a loaf and the shop sells it for £1 a loaf
the shops are saying it is due to the price increase to the farmer !

Aug 30th - Harvest is nearly finished and our Sussex Heifers have arrived also the new Rams, so things are looking up after a horrible summer with the threat of foot and mouth and the weather, Things are brightening up as the summer ends! We have had our first civil wedding in the barn and it went well and looked really lovely also we have had 4 wedding receptions, and a new barn dance season seems to be starting. We have plenty of feed for a normal winter now plus extra hay for sale. The fields are being ploughed with the thought of next year.

June 25th 2007- We have been having all sorts of problems with motorbikes killing our sheep and one lamb turning up in Brighton. But the support from everyone has been really good.
We had 5 motor bikes chasing our sheep, run over one, kill it and then drag it around to the horror of a watching walker, who phoned us. to late for the ewe but the lamb is ok.
Then we get a phone call that a lamb has turned up in brighton, that is back on the farm now . It must have been stolen as a small lamb. what next ?
The weather is amassing lambing so dry and now a wet summer ?

May 1st - Lambing has finished and we have well over 1200 lambs and 80 calves and the downs look really good with all the animals out side again but we really need rain. It has been the driest lambing that I can remember. The cowslips are out and the swallows back from their winter holidays!
We have just have a fantastic weekend of Polish music with our friends, A Special Polish Group coming from Zywiec for the weekend , Playing, singing and dancing . fun for all .

Work has started on Coombes church so it will be shut till the end of July but be then hopefully the Bell will ring again.

March 29th - Lambing is really in full swing and we are well over half way but there is still plenty to see. and don't forget you can get in and have a cuddle with a pet lamb. We have also done a lot of land work this week and Ploughed and drilled over 200 acres of land with barley. Some of the horses have gone back to wales for the trekking season but some are still here. The Sussex calves look lovely out in the sun shine on the downs with there mothers .

We are in a blackthorn winter with the weather. (The blackthorn is in flower and the weather is cold ) near shed a clout till the may is out (When the may trees are in flower it will turn warm again )

March 15th. Lambing and Calving is now in full swing and we had lots of lambs and Calves over the weekend and by April 15th we should have over 1200 lambs. We have our 2 Dutch students now to help with lambing, and we have Vet students helping as well. We opened the gates on Saturday and many friends came back to see this years lambs and to enjoy a tractor ride over the downs.

Feb. 14th "Valentine" the First sussex calf was born and
Feb21st we have had 2 more born this morning.

This week we are dagging the ewes,
The sheep pens are nearly ready to bring them in.

We have now scanned the sheep and they are in lamb ready for march
the cows have been tested as well, and they are in calf
We have also had our TB test and the cows are clear

Should you wish to get married in the barn we have now got our licence
so contact us for more details

22-1-07
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Nearly all the cows are in the barn now as it is so wet out in the fields
The sheep are out in the fields some on grass and some on stubble turnips,
The horses have arrived from wales and are up on the downs.

20-12-06
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One ton of wheat makes 2,450 loaves – large white sliced apparently
(Information from the NFU )
The price of bread wheat has gone up this year from £64 a ton to £100 a ton

There for a farmer gets 4 pence a loaf and the shop sells it for £1 a loaf
the shops are saying it is due to the price increase to the farmer !
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We have had 80 scouts this weekend on their blue nose Christmas camp, camping
out in the fields with many activities. all enjoying them selves.

15-12-06

"A Guy Falk's ram brings forth an April fool lamb "

A useful saying to remember. so we have been sorting our sheep and the rams have gone in with the ewes and we will be lambing March 10th - April 15th 2007. The cows will also be calving at that time in the barns and then at 3 days old they go out and we will have tractor and trailer rides to see them in the fields.

It is now frosty although their is plenty of grass still out in the fields, the cows are on grass and the sheep are now on stubble turnips. The horses from wales will soon be coming for there winter visit from http://www.llanthony.co.uk/

The tractor rides have finished for this year but people are still enjoying landrover trips around the farm

3-11-06