Sheep out, Guests in!!

After much thought,debate and planning the new cattle grid was installed at Holt Farm on the day that the snow arrived. We have put the grid above a new concrete channel through which the stream now flows. In extreme weather conditions the track to the farm will no longer flood. Along side the grid we have a new pedestrian walk way so humans can still walk the footpath but the sheep will be excluded from the cottage lawns and gardens.



Snow and ice have provided some challenges but all our guests have got to the cottages and have managed to return home after their vacation. The 23 girls from Cardiff who stayed that first snowy weekend were surprised by our weather as Cardiff at that stage had very little snow.

Congratulations to all of you who made the trips, I am sure that you will remember the very special times you shared walking through the snow, taking great photographs of the landscape and each other in the snow, and keeping warm by the cosy log fire in the cottages. Here are a couple of our photos.

Escape to Brecon

Ruth here again! We managed to escape for a day to taste and see Brecon and the glorious Brecon Beacons. We live so near and needed to remind ourselves of all that is on offer for our guests visiting this area. On the 40 minute drive from Holt Farm you get a great view of Hay Bluff and Lord Hereford's Knob which hide the entrance to the Gospel Pass running down to Llanthony Abbey. Before you approach Brecon the Beacons stand out for miles. We took a tour of the area north of Brecon to hunt out where Gordon's father had lived as a youngster and came upon these fabulous views below! The Mountain Centre just south of the town offers more panoramic views from the Information Centre and Cafe. After a delicious lunch we headed home taking in a view of the canal. If time had allowed we might even have put the walking boots on and tackled Pen Y Fan!

Environmental scheme gets green light.

On Wednesday we had a meeting with our Natural England advisor and as a result we have clarified the problem issues so now will be able to proceed with our programme of work to improve the wildlife environment on the land we farm.

The fact that we farm the land organically , are in an upland area and have a higher level stewardship scheme means that to co-ordinate the demands of all three schemes has required some very specialised advice.

It will be good to actually start the practical part of the project. We shall soon be planting the plots of wild bird seeds give lots of winter feed.

Meanwhile, down on the farm these are our new arrivals.

Organic future?

All businesses have to re-evaluate their progress on a regular basis.
We have farmed the land as fully organic since the mid nineties but we are having doubts as to the viability of remaining as fully registered organic farmers when we need to renew our annual certification next year.
The certification process requires detailed and accurate records of all farming activities and as I get older I feel the record keeping becomes more of a burden. The annual renewal of certification costs money too!
When the U.K. economy was in borrow and spend mode the demand for organic produce was growing consistently. Now that the harsh realities of a much tougher economic situation have become apparent then the demand for organic produce has declined significantly. On our own farm this has resulted in most of the beef cattle being sold into the conventional farm market.The same is true of organic pigs, but we still have a few sows, even a new litter of piglets this week! The organic potato market has shrunk and the big yields of potatoes harvested last year have resulted in organic potatoes that are surplus to requirements.
One of our main customers was a company manrketing boxes of organic produce direct to the customer. Unfortunately their claims to look after their suppliers have proved to be without substance and they have not met their commitments when we have grown potatoes specifically for their market. Their claims that they keep their suppliers well informed and treat them with respect cannot be believed when they cannot return telephone calls.
It would seem to be rather foolish to continue running the farm to produce products with declining market share. Any business consultants would advise us to cease unprofitable activities and concentrate our efforts on aspects of the enterprise that are profitable.
We have about nine months to work out a future strategy for the farm, maybe we will continue to farm as we do now, but without being part of the "organic" brand. We will soon be sowing some of the wild flower and grass strips alongside the Escley brook. These help create greater diversity for wildlife and a physical barrier to stop soil erosion off cultivated slopes. We shall also be planting some areas of wild bird seed mixture which next winter and spring should help provide a valuable food supply for the wild birds. The target species are the Yellow Hammer, Corn Bunting and Linnet.

The birds and the bees !

The swallows arrived a couple of weeks ago, they live mainly on the insect life around the farm and I suspect that they will be struggling for food as the night temperatures are still very low and we do not see many insects for this time of year. There are lots of birds actively making nests,one very smmall bird is nesting in the edge of the slate roof above our bedroom,the nesting frenzy seems to be over and now they are quietly sitting on their eggs. The pheasants are wandering around in pairs and if they are on the country lanes they seem to have a total disregard for their own safety.The males are resplendant in their spring plumage and the poor females look very dowdy, a definite case for the inequality tribunal!

It must be getting warmer as we have had a couple of very large bumble bees buzzing around in the house windows recently.I like to carefully usher them back into the great outdoors.They always seem so cumbersome in flight.

Yesterday I saw a pair of large adult hares tying to hide themselves in a field that has been recently grazed by a large number of sheep.After a while they spotted me and loped off to the nearest hedgerow for cover. The hare population is very low in this area so we only spot them occassionaly.

We had our annual organic inspection on Friday so last week was spent assembling most of the required data. As usual ther were a few areas where our preparation was inadequate,and we now have thirty days to provide the further information that was requested..The inspection was very thorough as it should be and the inspector was a very competent gentleman.

Spring at last !

Finally we have a crowd of daffodils flowering at Holt Farm Holiday Cottages and up the access track from the council road we have primroses in bloom on the hedge bank.
Down below the track in the old orchard we have a profusion of wild flowers with dandelions, celandines and sorrel all in flower.
I have been enjoying the sunny days (although the wind has been cold)and spring cleaning around the farm. I have been tidying up the fallen limbs and branches from the trees damaged by the winter winds.This job needs doing before the grass grows and covers up the timber.We shed store it in old potato boxes and then cut it up ready for the woodburners next winter.The wood needs to be removed so that it does not damage any hay making machinery once the grass is ready to mow and preserve as hay or silage to feed the animals next winter.Even though the winter feels as if it has just ended the farming cycle makes us plan for next winter.


Another pressing job has been fencing repairs on our boundaries. With a hard winter and delayed spring the sheep have been keen to expand their diet by raiding our pastures. I have been replacing some wire netting fences which are in steep sided dingles. A dingle has a stream in the bottom of the gulley and the sides usually have some smaller trees such as hazel, willow and blackthorn growing up the steep sides. Often it is not possible to get machinery close enough to push the stakes and posts into the ground. The alternative to mechanisation is to get the oldest member of staff to do the work by hand! It is physically demanding as all the materials and tools have to be lugged down the steep slopes which can be very slippery on our clay soils when the weather is damp.
The holiday cottages have been very busy and the guests have certainly enjoyed the sunny days. Our Australian based family have enjoyed meeting with their U.K. based relations and climbing the field behind the cottages to the top of the ridge and looking to the Black Mountains, the Malvern Hills and Clee Hills. On a clear day it is possible to see the waters of the Severn estuary glinting in the sun. Quite a contrast to Bondi beach, but I felt quite jealous when I talked to them about the booking back in the bleak winter days and they were having marvellous sunny days.

We've got a Winner!

Ruth has taken over the Blog for this edition. During the few months we have been asking our Holt Farm guests to complete a Feedback Form. Many guests did just that and we have had great ideas and comments as we seek to give you the best holiday ever! Each entry was put in a draw to win a weekend for 2 in Holt Stable.
Now we have held the draw to select a winner. Christine Hope [above with Ruth] as the Chair of our local Golden Valley and Black Mountains tourism group drew the winner at her shop, Hope's of Longtown.
The winner is Carolyn Hill from Birmingham. Our thanks go to all who have helped us by completing the feedback form. We will be contacting each one of you this week with a special offer.

Feeding the birds next winter.

We have a good population of small birds at Holt Farm and we wonder how much the numbers have been depleted by the harsh weather. We found one of our resident robins dead near the cottages. Hopefully the survivors will have a good breeding season in the next few months. As part of our organic stewardship scheme we plan to plant some areas of wild bird seed in the next few months - it will provide a field crop for the birds next winter.



The private road into Holt Farm was substantially upgraded in 1960 and stood up to all the farm and building renovation traffic really well until the recent hard winter weather. As a result of the harsh freezing days and nights and then the thawing of the snowfalls the clay subsoil broke through the stone road foundations and we ended up with a very uneven road surface. Yesterday we excavated the damaged areas and replaced the foundation stone and compacted that into place. In a few days after more compaction we will resurface the road with new clean scalpings. I now have more sympathy with the local councils in charge of pothole repairs!

Yesterday Ruth was in a department store in Hereford. She was looking after Thomas (one of our twin grandsons) who was seated in the pushchair. As she passed a full length mirror Thomas called out " Rory" in a loud voice. Obviously he was finding it difficult to distinguish between his own image and that of his brother. Talking of reflected glory.......

The carrion crows are beginning to pair up and soon we will have the annual Spring problem at Holt Farm Holiday Cottages. The crows examine their images in the windows and much impressed by the beauty of what they see they peck at their reflection.
The downside of their activity is that they remove much of the sealant from around the bottom of the double glazing units. They do not clean their beaks or their feet before making contact with the glass so leave impressive smudges on the panes. Also they have not been toilet trained!
It seems as if freshly cleaned windows are best for this exercise as the image they see is much clearer and more attractive. They also are early risers and can on occassion peck loudly at the windows long before our guests in the cottage wish to be woken. I have tried to persuade Ruth to cease window cleaning but my suggestion has been vetoed.
The carrion crows have a warning system whereby one or more is always on duty as "callers". If someone with a crow deterrent(shotgun) arrives the "caller" persistently announces the new visitors approach. Whilst they are very clever they do not seem to have realised that if the gun is in my hands they are perfectly safe!

Rooks are already nesting in their colonies nearby but they cause us no harm and indeed help control lots of insect pests.

I guess the moral of the story is to be careful about what you identify when you look in the mirror !

Fishing in the Escley brook

In February 2009 the work commenced at our home farm Rhydunnog to fence off the Escley brook from livestock.
The work schedule was drawn up and overseen by the Monnow Fisheries Association who had previously carried out a survey on the Escley.
From that survey within the valley they were able to identify the work that was required to improve the habitat for trout and salmon production. The alder trees were re-coppiced to allow more light into the river which is already increasing the vegetation on the banks and in the brook. Livestock are prevented from damaging the banks by new fences. Strategically placed woody debris provides cover and further spawning gravel areas are encouraged. The positive impact of all this work is that the trout have more cover and food, and the river banks are stabilised.

We are confident that the area will become popular with those who wish to fish for Wild Brown Trout. There are three beats on the Escley and three other beats close to Holt Farm Holiday Cottages.

If you need more information about the work of the Monnow Fisheries Association please look up their website www.monnow.org

The exciting part of the project from my point of view has been the speed with which the fishing has improved and the positive feedback from those who are now visiting the Escley.

Rural environmental challenges

Welcome to Holt Farm blog - we are in the south west corner of beautiful Herefordshire and today the hills and valleys are blanketed in snow, so much for global warming! Last week we had our Green Tourism Business assessment which provided us with food for thought as to how we can reduce our carbon footprint.

As well as our holiday cottages situated at Holt Farm, Michaelchurch Escley, we have a farm which we run organically growing potatoes, cereals and grassland in a traditional farming rotation. The livestock enterprises are cattle and outdoor pigs.

We have just started a Higher Level Organic Stewardship scheme on some of the land so we will keep you informed as we implement the changes that will benefit the environment for example, water quality improvement as a result of fencing livestock out of streams and planting selected areas with species which will provide additional food for bird life.