Pertwood Organic Farm

Life on the Farm

August Harvest

• Working hard from morning till dusk... when we can

As it turns out, we didn't have to wait too long this year and the combine began rolling in early August. This is undoubtedly the most exciting time of year, when we get to see what we sowed (and prayed for!) yields into the coming years grain crop. It is so important to not waste a minute, as the last two wetter years in the West Country have shown us like never before. Frustratingly, rain has again fallen in volume in the middle part of the month and so we continue to wait, and pray some more for another dry spell. Silos at the ready... 

• The secret of patience is doing something else in the meanwhile

While we wait for harvest, there is a lot else to do. The best companion, a draught horse or dray horse (from the Anglo-Saxon dragan meaning to draw or haul as compared to Dutch dragen meaning to carry), makes light and fun work of heavy tasks such as carting hay and putting into store before the inevitable showers of late summer! Or are they still inevitable?

Our Shires share common traits with other breeds of heavy horses - strength, patience and a docile temperament which made them indispensable to generations of pre-industrial farmers. They come in very useful when loading out the tithe barn at Pertwood, even today!

July's Pastures

• Making hay while the sun shines

Weeks of sun have for allowed for some excellent hay making as seen here in Plough Down. To make hay, the forage has to be mowed, allowed to dry and then baled. The process of making hay sounds quite simple but if you want a good result it is very important to follow some key steps. As well as weather conditions, it is very important when in the plants lifecycle the hay is harvested. The protein and digestible nutrients of the forage continue to do down as plants mature. At the point just before the plant goes to seed the forage has a lot of mass and the digestibility and protein are still high. It is also important that the mower cut height be set properly. A higher cut height allows the forage to re-grow quickly using it root reserves. As this field is going to be ploughed up soon, a lower cut is preferable but avoiding the collection of any unwanted soil. Lastly, the time of day the forage is cut is also an important factor. The amount of sugar in the forage is highest during the afternoon due to longer sunshine. The sugar in the hay is basically energy in the hay and so we try to mow our forage in the afternoon to capture the higher sugar content.

What happened in June 2010, May 2010, April 2010, March 2010, February 2010, January 2010, December 2009, November 2009, October 2009, September 2009, August 2009, July 2009, June 2009, May 2009, April 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2009, December 2008, November 2008, October 2008, September 2008, August 2008, July 2008, June 2008, May 08, April 08, March 08, February 08, January 08, December 07, November 07

This just has to be healthy - a comment from The Times recently when doing a taste test on our Muesli Fruit & Seeds... (never was a truer word spoken)

Pertwood Organic Farm