Easter at Mark’s Farm

A belated happy Easter to all our Mark’s Farm readers. This month we’ll be trying something different, with a couple of short blog posts, rather than one longer post. Let us know what you think.

This month Daniel and Mark have continued preparing the ground for drilling corn. The good weather has meant that lots of jobs need to be done at once. They have had to put in a lot of hours to get everything in the ground, ready and waiting for the first shower of rain to kick-start their growth.

Here Daniel is rolling the ground after Mark has drilled the corn. This pushes the seed down further into the ground as well as breaking down any clumps of soil ensuring that the corn has the best possible chance.

The sheep health checks…

The time has come to split the older ewes from their lambs, partly to give the ewes a rest and to encourage the lambs to become more independent from their mums. The sheep made their way across the estate in batches before being sorted in the shed into lambs and ewes.

This seemed an ideal opportunity to give the ewes a pedicure and ensure they were in tip-top condition before turning them back out to the field. A race was set up in the shed to funnel the sheep through. When the ewes reach the ‘turnover crate’ they are clamped in and turned upside down. This stops the ewes from struggling and it is their natural reflex to put all four feet in the air.

This is ideal for Mark, who gains access to all four feet which he can then trim with large toenail clippers. Sheep’s feet grow tremendously quickly and in all sorts of odd directions so its important to keep on top of the problem. It also provides an opportunity for Jess and Ruth to check udders and eyes for any problems and make a note of any missing ear tags. The sheep are marked with their ear tag number across their side using a coloured spray. This helps them to identify the sheep from a distance.

The sheep are checked every morning and sometimes twice a day. Mark was shocked one morning to find this ewe. Her swollen face meant she could no longer see out of her eyes and despite being her usual self on the inside, this clearly wasn’t the case on the outside.

The ewe and the lamb was separated and the vet was called. She was given a course of injections to help bring down the swelling and this had amazing results. The ewe could see again after day one and after a week was heading out to pasture. It is possible that this was an allergic reaction to a bee sting or perhaps she had managed to eat a poisonous plant lurking in the undergrowth.

Here she is just two weeks later, the ewe and lamb are now happily back out in the field with the only sign of her ordeal being the pink patches around her eyes and mouth showing where the scabs had fallen off. Fingers crossed, Mark will never experience anything like this again.

Hear more from Mark’s farm in another update soon.

Off to market

On the first Thursday of month, Kivells auctioneers hold an organic market at Hallworthy. The young stock Mark had separated in the winter have recently become large enough to be sold at market. They were sold as store cattle, this means they will be ‘stored’ by the next farmer and fattened so that they can eventually be sold on again as finished beef to the butcher/supermarket. Selling the animals as store cattle removes the costly feed bill, and also the risk involved with the strict carcass grading linked to a pay scale.

 It’s an early job loading livestock, as they need to be at the market in time to be unloaded and studied by potential buyers. 

 

Mark at the market

The livestock are kept in holding pens at the back of the market, and when ready they are run down a race and into the ring. In the ring an auctioneer will explain a little about the animals age, breed, temperament etc and the bidding will begin.

 

 It’s Mark’s chance to show the cattle off at their best by walking them around the ring, and he was pleased with the top price the males got. However the trade for the females was not as good, and this could be for a number of reasons. The weather is the most likely cause, with buyers cherry picking the best animals and limiting their purchases whilst the future grass supply is still uncertain.

The improved weather has meant the cattle and sheep can now head out into the fields. They are pleased to be out roaming around in the fresh air and eating the new grass.

The cattle enjoy being back outdoors

Currently there are three different batches of cows, the Ruby Reds, the Herefords and the remainder of last years calves fattening up for market, and these are spread out across the estate.

The sheep are split into two batches as well, depending on which lambing group they belong to. The animals being out on the land cuts the work load down dramatically and allows Mark and Daniel to get on with other important jobs like drilling corn.

As soon as the sunshine comes out, thoughts turn to drilling corn. It is this crop which will be harvested in the autumn and in winter months used as feed and bedding for the livestock. In the mean time there is a lot of work to be done to get the ground ready.

The first step is to plough the ground by turning the soil over, this encourages the grass to breakdown and put its goodness back into the soil. The soil is also tested and analysed to see if its needs a top up of any of the vital nutrients such as nitrates, potash and phosphate. All the dung spreading Daniel has been doing will help naturally restore the balance of the ground. Mark then rotivates the ground breaking down any larger clumps of soil before drilling the corn straight into the ground.

 Large field margins are left to comply with the stewardship scheme, which allows a corridor around the fields for the birds, small mammals, butterflies and insects to exist with modern-day farming.

 

The puppies are now five weeks old and all nine are thriving. Each have developed their own character and are already part of the family. Belle has done really well to rear all the little ones and even coped through a bout of mastitis.

It is hard to believe, but the puppies will be ready for sale in three weeks and Belle will be back to her old duties. Mark and Ruth have decided not to keep any from this litter as they already have three dogs. They hope Belle will have puppies again in a few years and would like to keep one of those.

Mark and Ruth have specified that each of the dogs should go to working homes, so they can get plenty of exercise and training. Hopefully some of the puppies will stay in the area and Belle can keep track of how her little ones are getting on.

Next month, look out for…

• TB testing of cattle
• Sheep health checks
• Fat lambs are sent for slaughter
• More working ground for spring oats

 

New Year and lots of new borns

January has been a very busy month on Mark’s Farm, 2014 began with a flying start with new calves, new lambs and a new baby all on the first of the month.

The New Year’s Day calf

Mark and his family have had several little surprises over January. This little man arrived on 1 January and, with the exception of one little calf, Flash who we will introduce to you later, all are doing well having made a smooth transition to the world with just the help of their mum.

Gracie and her new lamb

Gracie the show sheep, also gave birth on New Year’s Day. She had a good sized, healthy ewe lamb. This ewe lamb will be staying in the flock, and although it is still early days, Mark hopes to take her to a show or two in the upcoming year. Mark’s grandson Brook has named her Sky.

The ewes have been steadily lambing ever since, with Ruth and Jessie taking turns on the 11pm, 3am and 6am night shifts as well as every few hours during the day. It is really important that should the ewe have any difficulties they assist her to get the lamb out as smoothly as possible.

Ideally, they would like all the first time mums to have singles so they get a feel for motherhood, from the second year onwards twins are preferred. Triplets on one ewe are avoided where possible, as it often has negative health implications on the ewe and each of her three lambs.

A third arrival on New Year’s Day was Daniel and Vickie’s third son, Joey. Brother to Brook and Zak who already love tractors, cows and mud, they are sure Joey will be no exception and welcome him in to the Pascoe family.

Daniel and Mark have also been busy researching replacements for their dungspreader and tractor.

The tractor and dungspreader

This new tractor will have better fuel economy than its predecessor, and should reduce its carbon foot print. The Fendt tractors also have a good reputation for reliability and the family will have to wait and see if this has been a worthwhile purchase, as Daniel puts the tractor through its paces.

 Mark has also purchased a rear discharge dungspreader, which is designed to chop the straw dung up and spread it evenly over the land. The large wheels reduce soil compaction and allow Mark and Daniel to get the organic straw dung out of the shed and on to the fields as soon as possible, so it can start putting nutrients back into the ground completing the cycle for another year.

Defra regularly ask Mark to test the herds on the Godolphin estate for TB. Currently Godolphin has a ‘TB free’ status and is not due another test until April this year, although Defra can ask Mark to test whenever they feel it is necessary.

Cattle rarely show symptoms of TB until it reaches advanced stages. To test for the disease a Defra appointed vet will inject all the cattle. They are then examined three days later by the same vet, who measures their reaction to the original injection making note of any he believes are infected. The vet is looking for a thickening of the skin in the area where he made the original injection. Any infected animals are destroyed and although Defra pay compensation, it is still heartbreaking to see any animal loaded on to the lorry for slaughter. This is an agonising time for any farmer, but a reality they are getting used to.

This month Defra contacted Mark asking him to complete a tracer test at Godolphin. Mark’s own farm has been diagnosed with TB, so he is no longer allowed to move any animals off the farm until he receives a clear status. The three animals he had moved to Godolphin during 2013 were listed as requiring tracer tests.

The weather wasn’t great on the day of the tracer tests

Supercharge the bull, a cow and a young Ruby Red were tested and all had clear results. The weather was appalling on test day, and Mark was glad it was just the three that needed testing, definitely a day for wet weather overalls!

Flash has had a difficult start to life. Nicknamed because of the flash of brown across her face she is quite the character. Flash is only a week old and doesn’t appear to be getting the important milk she needs from her mother, she has been lethargic and her stomach looks sucked in.Flash’s mother is one of Mark’s older cows, and she has always been a good mother in the past. Year after year of milk production has taken its toll and her udder now hangs low to the floor, her teats also seem too big for Flash to grip.

Flash and her mother

Mark had to act quickly once the problem was diagnosed, but he was reluctant to separate the cow and calf unless absolutely necessary. It is vital that Flash gets milk from her mother in the first few stages as it is rich with antibodies. Despite Flash’s and her mother’s best efforts the calf’s health was deteriorating quickly.

 

The next step has been to load the cow into the cattle crush, and use the calf’s suck reflex firstly on the fingers, before moving the calf into position to suck from the cow’s teat. This way Mark knows the calf has had milk that day. It is important to hold the teat in position until the calf has had enough.

 

This is hard work for Mark, and the weather has been horrendous. Matters are made worse by the cow having lost the use of one of her back teats, during a previous mastitis infection. This milking process needs to be repeated twice a day until the calf can begin to drink on its own. Unfortunately, this calf may not make it, the cow is likely to be ear marked for sale. Fingers crossed Flash will get better each day.

The lambs are growing and getting personalities of their own, here is Sky after 20 days.

Sky with her mum

Once born the lambs and their mums are put in a 6ft x 6ft pen to bond. Their navals are dipped in an orange, iodine solution to reduce the risk of infection from any bacteria they may come in to contact with.

 

 After a few days they are then put into a nursery pen, a pen of 5-6 ewes and lambs, where the lambs really start to find their feet before joining the older lambs out in the field.

Ruth with a new lamb

The lambs are sprayed with the ewe’s identification number on their side, making them easily identifiable during the first month. This allows Ruth to keep an eye on any ewes and lambs which are underperforming and made need separating for some extra attention.The lambs also have a rubber ring placed on their tail, causing the lower section to die and drop off over time. This makes it harder for any foxes to catch the lambs and makes it less likely to snag on fences etc.The male lambs also have a ring placed on their testicles to stop any unwanted pregnancies when they grow older. The lambs quickly lose feeling in these areas and after a few minutes they forget it’s even there.

All the new lambs are given an ear tag, blue for boys and pink for girls, showing their individual number. This is for management purposes and allows Mark to identify each lamb personally. The best girls will be kept in the flock and will be double tagged with an electronic ear tag at a later stage. The other lambs will eventually be sent for slaughter.

Below, this little ram lamb is just hours old and well worth getting up for at 3am to ensure he made it into the world safely.

Jess with a newborn ram lamb

Next month find out how Flash is getting on, as well as…

• More baby calves
• More baby lambs
• Trimming and management on the upper fields
• Dung spreading

 

Cattle at Christmas

The cows are now settled in the shed and have their feeding and bedding down regime mastered. Their whole lives are fairly routine at this time of year, so to spice things up Mark and his family arranged for them to have pedicures.

The cows’ feet will grow in the same way that ours do, if you don’t keep them trimmed their toe nails can get a little out of hand. Some farmers believe that feeding the cattle a high protein diet can make this worse. Others feel that being unable to stand on a hard surface like concrete can contribute or that foot growth is due to the actual breeding of the animal. Sometimes it can be a combination of all three. 

What ever the cause of the growth, the cows need to have their feet trimmed to ensure they remain in good physical condition. Having them housed during the winter provides an ideal opportunity for this to happen. In previous years Daniel has trimmed their feet using a specialised cattle crush and equipment to hold the cow in place, with its foot elevated whilst he trims each foot by hand. This year, however, the family have decided to work with a relatively new design in the way foot trimming is done. They asked James from C.H.D Foot Care, to come down to the estate and do some foot trimming.

 The process works like this:

Each cow walks down the race and into this crush, much like it does with any other crush.

The cow is then secured into the crush and gently hoisted off its feet. It is quite unusual to see but the cows seem to take it all in their stride.

The crush is lifted and turned leaving the cow resting on its side. Each of the four feet are strapped so that both James and the cow cannot get hurt. The cows seemed very calm throughout this whole process and even the livelier members of the herd lay back to enjoy the pedicure.

James can examine each foot quickly and safely, trimming away any excess without the fear of a kick in the face. The cow is not at all stressed and the process is pain-free.

On a routine trimming, the whole process may take a matter of minutes from the cow walking into the crush to it walking out again. This makes the job much more efficient and is great if you choose to do a large number of animals. It works well on an individual basis too as an older cow ‘Vic’ found out.

Vic had recently developed a limp caused by a stone getting stuck in the sole of her foot, becoming infected. Mark and Jess asked James to put her in the crush so they could get a closer look. James dealt with the problem area, bandaged her foot and glued a wooden block to the good side of her foot allowing the wound to be elevated off the ground, giving it time to heal. Vic walked out of the crush with her new high heels and was immediately moving better. The wooden block will wear down over time and eventually fall off.

The new calving season has begun, and with ear tags and castration bands at the ready, the first calves have arrived. Here are just a few of the calves that arrived this month…

Mark and his family have to be extremely careful with the new-born calves, and ensure that the environment they are born into is as clean and germ free as possible. Contamination and infections are all too easily spread in such a confined area.

The Ruby Red cattle remain outside during the winter. Their hardy breed allows them to withstand weather conditions that the Herefords and crosses would struggle with. Their calving has also begun and the young calves are running around and looking healthy. This is slightly problematic when it comes to giving them an ear tag and recording their gender so they can be registered. The calves are fast and energetic and in an open space Mark and Daniel have to come up with new ways of persuading them to have their vital statistics taken.

Earlier in the year, the summer calvers were featured on the blog. The Miss Marples have always been good mothers, and the growth of their calves illustrates this. Take a look at this photo from a couple of days ago, you can see the difference a couple of months makes!

There are lots of things to look forward to in January:

• More calves
• The first of the lambs are born from the Godolphin sheep
• The new tractor arrives

Although everyone is celebrating the festive season, work does not stop for Christmas on the farm. The animals are looked after each and every day including Christmas Day, but Mark makes sure they get an extra big portion of silage to celebrate.

Mark and Jess on Christmas Day 2012

Everyone at Mark’s Farm would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very merry Christmas, and a big thank you for taking an interest in the farming we do here on the Godolphin estate. See you in the New Year!

Housing the cattle

The wintry weather has arrived here at Godolphin, and the time has come to bring in the herds of cattle. Mark hopes that he has enough feed and bedding to get through the winter, no matter how unpredictable it may be.

The animals will now be housed until the spring. Each day Mark and Jess will need to check the cattle, bed them down with fresh straw and give them hay and silage to eat. The bales are broken down with the tractor and then spread out across the shed by hand-held fork.

The tractor breaks up the bales in the barn

At Godolphin, shed room has always been an issue, and with winter here Mark has had to clear out the shed to make space for the cattle, as the temperature falls. This means the yard is now stacked full of straw, silage and hay. All the feed and bedding has to be sheeted down, and Mark hopes that it is not too badly damaged by being exposed to the weather.

The Herefords are much happier being housed in the shed with the ‘Miss Marples’ in particular hating the wet weather. It has become impossible not to laugh at them stood by the hedge with their ears drooping when they sense poor weather is on the way!

The cattle enjoy a snack in the shed

This month Mark and his family separated the cows and calves. Each of the animals had to pass through the race and be separated depending on the age of their calves. Whilst some cows and calves had naturally grown apart and were happy to be separated, others made a lot of noise during the whole process and for many days afterwards (apologies to anyone in the local vicinity). The design of the shed means that the cows and calves can call to each other across the feeding passage. Mark believes this makes the separation process less stressful for the cows and calves as they realise their independence.

Feeding in the shed

The calves, which are equivalent to teenagers, are fed up to help build their size and condition, with a view to being sold as store cattle in the spring.

On Monday 18 November, Mr Bob Cowell of Franchis Farm, Helston hosted the annual Fatstock Show. This is a small show of cattle, sheep, forage and vegetables with a domestic section for cookery, photography and floristry.

Sheep at Helston Fatstock Show

Jess is presented with a rosette at Helston Fatstock Show

Three of the Godolphin sheep were selected for entry. Numbers 40 and 42 were entered in a ‘pair of breeding ewes’ and Number 37 as a ‘single breeding ewe’. Mark and his family came home with two rosettes from the two classes, with a 2^nd in the pair of breeding ewes and a 3^rd in the single ewe. Ruth made her debut at the show helping to lead the sheep in the first class, and despite her initial resistance, she enjoyed it!

Jess with the winning ewes

It was a big rush to get them ready and halter trained for the big day, but overall it was worth it. Mark and his family had brilliant feedback from the judge. It’s a great opportunity to meet people and learn some tricks of the trade, as well as a chance to laugh and joke with the other competitors.

In other news…

The new calving season begins any day.

Mark has finally found a new bull, which he is hoping will join the Ruby Reds up on Godolphin Hill. He has some more work to do with his current herd and will hopefully arrive in January, so keep an eye out for his arrival in the new year.

Baling and nutrient analysis

This month saw the last of the farm’s silage for 2013. The grass is at its best in the spring and early summer, and although it regrows each time it’s cut, it always has a little less quality and volume than the previous crop.

Mark in the field with Belle

Once the decision comes to cut, Mark has to play a gambling game with the weather. He needs to give the grass a chance to dry whilst its laid out on the floor, but still give himself enough time to get the grass kicked out, baled, wrapped and stacked before any rainfall which could potentially ruin the crop.

Mark kicks out the grass to help any damp grass at the bottom of the pile dry in the sun.

Daniel then rakes the grass into larger ranks ready for Mark to bale.

The bales are spread out across the fields and it’s Jess’s job to bring them in to Daniel who wraps and stacks them.

Jess moves the bales with the tractor.

The whole family works together when they’re on silage, as each process leads into the next. It makes the tea break even more rewarding!

A well-earned tea break.

The straw bales need to be protected so they stay dry and make good, clean bedding during the winter. The straw bales will shed any water which hits the bale on its edge, however, by stacking the bales one on top of another and laying sheeting over the top, Mark is able to stop water from penetrating the core of the bale. 

The bales are stacked and protected with sheeting.

 Last year the sheet was caught in the high winds and blew away from the bales, but hopefully this year the sheet will be stopped from breaking free, by weighing it down with more bales.

Now the silage has been completed, Mark can have it analysed to examine its nutrient content. The first cut silage is usually the richest and the third the poorest grade. This is then also affected by the type of land, exposure to the elements and even the time of day it was baled.

Mark takes samples from the bales.

 This nutrient analysis allows Mark to feed the right feed to the right cattle at the right time. For example, the Ruby Red cows will benefit from a lower grade silage than some of the Hereford crosses such as the Miss Marples, and this is also affected by the type of winter we have. If Mark makes a mistake, it may mean that the cows and sheep lose condition or become excessively fat. Ideally, each feed should be used as efficiently as possible by the spring. During November Mark will be concentrating on the start of calving, and getting the cattle housed for winter. He will also be selecting two breeding ewes to attend the local Helston Fatstock Show; follow next month’s blog to see how they get on.

Silage

This month the sunshine has worked wonders with the grass, making it a big enough crop to cut again for silage. The grass is mown, kicked out and dried in the sun before being baled, wrapped in plastic and stacked to create silage for winter. The grass is a haven for wildlife and the short stubble after cutting is great for birds and insects. The nutrients and goodness of the summer grass is locked inside the bale and fed to the cows when they are housed during the winter. This will be Mark’s second cut.

The silage bales all wrapped and stacked ready to feed.

You will see the large stacks of black and green bales in the yard and surrounding area. It is important that the grass is dry when cut and baled so that it keeps its goodness and doesn’t break down before winter. Other farmers have struggled this year as the poor spring weather meant grass growth was slow, and to keep their herds going they had to graze grass fields which would have been used to make silage for the winter months. The large acreage at the Godolphin Estate along with careful management, has meant that Mark was able to keep the herd grazing without effecting the silage production.

You may have also seen the combine harvester around the farm. Mark began combining over at the Blowing house fields. Access wasn’t easy with overhanging branches making the lane difficult to negotiate! Daniel can be seen in the photo below driving the combine. The combine processes the crop in the field by splitting the corn from the straw. The straw is then baled and used for bedding during the winter months and the corn grain collected and used for feed or sold.

The combine at work.

Combining the field.

The corn being taking away to be stored.

Mark has had a quiet time this month with calving, with only two new additions to the herd.

The newborn calves suckling.

Each calf is given an ear tag to hep identify them, and they are recorded with the British Cattle Movement Service. This will then give them a ‘passport’. This is a legal requirement for all cattle and was designed to increase traceability.

Hide and seek…

The mothers will often hide their calves in the bracken, keeping them safe from predators whilst they eat. This can make them tricky to locate!

In the farming calendar, events will often change depending on the weather and market fluctuations. However, next month Mark will be looking to complete the following jobs.

• More births within the Hereford herd
• Cutting spring barley
• A third cut of silage in some fields depending on growth this month
• Splitting off the older calves which no longer need their mothers into an independent herd
• Researching into breeders of Pedigree Ruby Reds with the view of purchasing a new bull for next years breeding.

However life on the farm is far from predictable!

An introduction to Mark, his family and other characters on the farm

Farming runs in Mark’s family, and he has farmed with both his dad and brother since he was very small. He now owns his own farm near Gweek, also in Cornwall, and has been a tenant farmer for the National Trust Godolphin since 2005. It is important for Mark and his family, that the Godolphin estate remains a working and viable farm, and the family work hard in all weathers to ensure it stays that way.

The farm itself is made up of organic and non-organic land, although all is farmed in an environmentally sensitive way, in line with the requirements of the Higher Level Stewardship scheme. This scheme helps to promote wildlife sustainability, habitat creation and conservation. The livestock on the estate are also traditional breeds, which are in keeping with the National Trust ethos.

Mark runs two main herds of cattle at Godolphin; a large herd of Herefords and Hereford crosses, which graze across the bottom of the hill and lower grass fields, and a secondary herd of pedigree North Devon Ruby Reds which graze the hill and upland areas. The Herefords and Hereford crosses consist of the bull Supercharge and approximately 61 cows and calves. When the calves are fully grown they are separated from their mothers and eventually sold for beef production.

The Herefords and Hereford crosses

A key character in this herd is Supercharge (the bull). He is a young pedigree Hereford bull and hopes to some day fill the shoes of his predecessor, Gladiator.

Supercharge the bull

The two Hereford cross Shorthorn cows nicknamed ‘The Miss Marples’ (also known as Martha and Mary), are favourites with Mark’s family. This year Martha calved just before her sister Mary.

Mary

Martha

The Ruby Reds are also kept for beef production as well as conservation work on the hill, breaking in areas of overgrown bracken and creating a variety of habitats for wildlife.

The Ruby Red Devons on Godolphin hill

Primrose, Mark’s favourite cow, is part of this herd.

Primrose

Mark’s wife Ruth is responsible for the 36 pedigree Poll Dorset sheep, which graze in the small meadows adjacent to the Side Garden, and Side Garden Paddock of Godolphin House. The high stone hedges surrounding the meadows are perfect for the small flock to graze without causing too much mischief!

The sheep grazing at Godolphin

These youngs lambs are bred from Ruth’s flock of Poll Dorsets at their home farm, and were born in January 2013.

Poll Dorset lambs

Wheezy and Gracie are two characters in this flock. Wheezy was bottle fed due to catching pneumonia as a lamb, which thankfully has cleared up, although the name has stuck!

Wheezy

Gracie is a young ewe who has been selected to show, her size and shape make her a good example of the breed. She is now halter trained and currently roaming the small meadows with the other young ewes.

Gracie

Mark’s eldest son Daniel and daughter Jessie work on the farm with him, whilst the youngest Sam and Katherine are drafted in when additional hands are needed.

Daniel

Jessie

Sam

Katherine

Well, an introduction to the tenants wouldn’t be complete without Belle, the Springer Spaniel. Belle waits by the Landrover each morning for her trip to Godolphin, and rides with Mark as he checks his stock each day.

Belle waits for Mark in the Landrover