A Change Of Scenery

Frosty morn in Michaelchurch Escley

Holt Farm - winter view

I am very conscious that the previous blog was written on one of the few sunny days we had this last summer.
The practical work on the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme progressed well until I had a couple of months off work with a back problem.
Now we have completed the fencing and gate hanging at Holt Farm and all the newly planted apple trees in the small orchards are thriving. The land has been water logged much of the time so we used a tracked digger to assist with the fencing work. This was an invaluable machine as it minimised damage to the pasture and kept us in a safe working environment.
Last year I spent a lot of time watering newly planted hedges and apple trees  but this year that has certainly not been a problem.
Our field of wheat was combined in September,and we managed to harvest the grain without needing to dry it. The yield was much below our normal expectations.
Potatoes were finally lifted in November. Conditions were difficult and because the soil had been cold and wet for the whole growing season the tonnage was well down.
On a positive note we were able to grow lots of grass, so the grazing animals have been well fed and the stocks of hay are good too.
This morning I have been up to Holt Farm where an oil fired boiler needed some urgent repairs. Although it was raining there was a lot of sheet ice under the water running off the roads. Driving conditions were treacherous and walking around was a dangerous activity.
Repairs were completed efficiently and now the rain is melting the ice layer away so travelling will be easier for the guests coming in to the cottages this evening. We wish you all a very happy and relaxed Christmas and New Year.

Sunshine at last!

Finally we do seem to have some summer weather and we will all feel better with the warmth and vitamin D top up. Our guests at Holt Farm will be pleased with the improved conditions for walking, sightseeing and play for the children.

On the farm we are busy making hay and Jon our son is using his machinery on the neighbours farm to make silage. Grass quality will not be great in the conserved crops as ideally it should have been  cut in the leafy stage. This year there are a lot of seed heads and the bottom of the crop is all brown where the grass has deteriorated from too much wet weather.

The high fibre content of the harvested crop will lead to poorer animal performance, so less milk from lactating animals and less weight gain for growing animals. In an ideal world our crops would have been harvested in mid June. We farm on clay soils and travelling with harvesting machinery was not possible until this weekend without damage to the grassland.

We have been able to continue with some fencing at Holt Farm using a tracked machine and ageing human muscle to carry materials and equipment.  The project has to be completed by the end of September so hopefully the weather will be more settled. Dry conditions under foot and over head make the work environment much safer especially on the steep slopes where we are erecting the fences.

A Summer walk near Holt Farm

Christopher Cadbury Reserve Michaelchurch Escley May 2012 

Once again our farming activities have been affected by the unusual weather in recent months.
Unfortunately potatoes planted in the earlier dry spell were then overtaken by persistent wet weather and low soil temperatures which meant a total crop failure in two fields. We are now impatiently waiting for the soil to dry out enough to replant those two fields.

Although the holiday cottages at Holt Farm are within easy walking distance of the Christopher Cadbury Reserve I have only recently become fully aware of the significance of this land which was purchased in1993 with generous assistance from Mr J C Cadbury, the Herefordshire Conservation Development Trust and the Four Winds Trust.

The reserve has a rich flora,and is typical of ancient unimproved grassland, 160 species have been recorded.
Currently the reserve is managed as a traditional hay meadow with an annual hay crop being taken about the fifteenth of July. This allows the many meadow plants to set seed. The land is then grazed by sheep and cattle until the end of November. Once over the locked gate, anyone can walk through the reserve. Details of the reserve can be found on the internet and see the information board in the photo below.

Cadbury Reserve information board

The apple trees we planted last year have been in blossom and are thriving. Last year we had to water them for several weeks but that has not been necessary this year. The lawns at Holt Farm have been growing quickly. We look forward to some sunshine which may be a possibility now the Hay Literary Festival is drawing to a close.

Walking in the Black Mountains of the Welsh border

So far in 2012 we have taken some tome out to do several local walks, mostly on the nearby Black Mountains which are the border between Wales and England and also Offa's Dyke path.

On New Years Day we did a wet and windy walk from the Cat's Back car park over to the Hay Bluff car park. It was a good bracing walk and we were glad of the exercise after the feasts of Christmas time!



We have also walked up the Skirrid Mountain with several members of the family from the oldest to the youngest, which we completed in much better weather conditions. There were great views of the Sugar Loaf [next on our list of walks!] and of Abergavenny at dusk.



This is a more recent photograph of the Cat's Back in late February.




We are fortunate to live in an area of such outstanding natural beauty and have decided to enjoy the walking on a regular basis.

Stewardship Work at Holt Farm

Last week we were very busy with tree felling in the dingles (wooded stream banks) at Holt Farm. We have cut down about two hundred trees adjacent to the water course which will let in the light so that grass can be established on the stream bank. This will help prevent soil erosion.
The felling has been selective and we have retained mature oak, ash and holly trees. A Felling License was required to complete these activities.

After we have cleaned up all the tree branches and sawn out the fire wood we will embark on a fencing programme to stop farm animals having access to the freshly cleared areas.

The weather has been ideal providing us with safe working conditions. The land has been dry enough to travel across without causing much surface damage or compaction. Timing of this activity is important as we needed to complete the work before the birds begin their nest building.

We have taken some time out too, for a few local walks in the beautiful Black Mountains near Holt Farm, see our next blog........

Reducing our Fossil Fuels Dependancy at Holt Farm Cottages

We have been looking at ways to reduce our dependency of fossil fuels.

For various reasons we think that solar panels generating electricity suit our requirements at Holt Farm quite well. The perfect installation site appears to be the Wain House roof [in the foreground of this picture of Holt Farm ] creating enough energy for all four cottages.



At the moment we are gathering together the final bits of information before submitting the listed building consent forms. We were under the impression that this type of panel in a domestic situation was allowed under "permitted developments" from a planning point of view. How wrong we were, we definitely require listed building consent and some of the planners are quite insistent that we need to submit a full planning application.



Since we made our initial enquiries some months ago the Feed In Tariffs have been considerably reduced which reduces the financial rewards. As the panel market experiences a decline in demand it seems likely that the initial cost of the panels will be subject to a considerable reduction. It would seem that high oil prices are here to stay and if the last fifteen months are any guideline the cost of electricity will keep increasing too. So it's still all go on this project.

[Pictures from D Cosford 5dEnergy]

We have also investigated a more substantial investment on Rhydunnog farm where our son Jon runs a three phase cold store using a diesel powered generator. The biggest stumbling block in that case is the cost of bringing in a three phase power supply with lines of adequate size to export any power generated and not required on the farm. The quote from Western Power Distribution was about fifty per cent greater than my expectations!

In time we will report on any progress but that will not be very soon!

A good year for young wild life.

Driving up the track to Holt Farm holiday cottages we see lots of young rabbits and grey squirrels at the moment. Also we have had another visitor and we thank our guests who took the photograph.



The fox is not yet fully grown and seems to have little fear of human beings. She seems to enjoy basking in the sunlight.



This year we had very late hatches of swallows in our farm buildings at Rhydunnog and the young birds only left the nest at the end of September. They will need to grow strong quickly for their migratory flight.

In west Herefordshire we have had several months of low rainfall. Some of the local farmers are struggling for water for their households and their animals. Springs that have never failed previously are now dry. The spring at Holt Farm is very good so we have no concerns about water supply for the holiday cottages or the livestock, like these beautiful Hereford heifers.



Thanks David and family for the photos.