During a period of such uncertainty in the world the only thing you can be certain of is that the weather for a farmer is rarely what you want it to be! Walking the farm at the moment our crops are looking really well. They have responded well to the fertiliser and there looks to be some excellent yield potential. All of that could start to dwindle somewhat however if we do not get some rain soon! At the moment over in North Suffolk there is none on the horizon during the next two weeks which is becoming a worry. 

I am pleased to see that our Sugar beet are now coming up in the row and so, what little irrigation ability we have on the farm, will be pushed into action soon on those if the forecast does not change.

Having had a busy calving period over the past two months we are pleased to now have the majority of our Beef suckler herd now out at grass. They certainly bounced off the trailer with a spring in their step and the sun on their back! With them out the winter workload eases and we can focus on new projects.

We are currently pleased to be getting on with our Equine diversification expansion. We currently have 6 horses on DIY livery which are now being extended to 12 with the addition of more stables, grass paddocks and an outdoor arena. With all of the spaces already pre-let for new arrivals at the end of the month we are running flat out to get everything done on time!

We are pleased to have secured our new Mid Tier Stewardship scheme which in theory started on the 1st January, but they only confirmed a few weeks ago! We will be creating more areas for wildlife habitat across the farm in our more margin fields and margins over the next few years as well as planting over 4km of new hedge.

I think I better start saving up for a new hedge cutter now! As there will be more work for it to do in the years to come!

Stay safe and well

John