Mrs Down's Diary

Having said that John has just finished clipping the tups as their wool was starting to shed and their backends look very mucky. Not wanting to leave them for the flies to attack and provoke a maggot panic, he decided the best thing to do was clip them completely. The rest of the flock are being quality assured for a short trim round the backend, just the worse claggy cases, with full haircuts booked for when we return.

Yesterday John cut four acres of grass for some bagged silage. We normally have contractors in to make the silage but there is not time to prepare the big clamp or cut the large acreage of grass we need for winter feed for the herd. Winter feed.

It is not summer yet but we are already having to make plans for what the herd will be chomping their way through come November. The four acres is one of the furthest fields on the farm and difficult to access with the big machinery owned by the contractors, whereas John, and his friend who will bag it up for him, can easily bounce their way along the rutted track.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette May 30