30 January 2012
We had a bit of a tidy for today’s farm assurance inspection. The dairy that buys our milk subscribes to the Red Tractor mark – the farm assurance scheme that shows a food product meets specific animal welfare and quality standards, so it’s important that we meet the criteria.
The inspector looked at our animals and facilities, checking the milking parlour for cleanliness for example, and checking our animal health routines. The medicine cupboard was checked to make sure that it is lockable, that the use of drugs is recorded, and that we dispose of empty bottles and used needles safely.
During my ten years of organic farming I had to keep records of pretty much every last detail of the way I managed the farm so that organic food is trustworthy. I’m so used to record keeping that today’s inspection passed without a hitch.
By Clare Coxon, 30 January 2012 –
15 December 2011
A new cow feed arrived today, fresh from the sugar beet factory. This pile of deliciously sweet steaming shreds will be an energy providing addition to the cows’ diet. Some by-products of human food production (like this) are now hard to come by; the mash we used to get from breweries is now powering bio fuel plants.
By Alison Park, 15 December 2011 –
05 December 2011
Everyone at Low Sizergh is thrilled to have won the Best Farm Shop category in the inaugural Cumbria Life Food and Drink Awards. Included in the judges' assessment were our fabulous staff, the product range, and Cumbrian influences. It is certainly true that we wouldn't be where we are without being where we are, which is a clumsy acknowledgment of the hugely talented food producers at work in Cumbria. Staff and suppliers make us stand out, but huge thanks must also go to the customers that shop with us.
By Alison Park, 05 December 2011 –
11 November 2011
For the first time in 12 years we grew maize. Farmers all over the UK are saying this has been the worst crop in 15 years. The dry windy conditions in May and early June stunted the newly germinated seedlings, and then summer’s abundant rain further limited growth.
The important part of the plant is the cob, rather than the dead -looking stalks you see in fields at this time of year. It is a slow release energy food for cows in winter. When the contractor came with the harvester this week we were pleased to hear that our crop is one of the best of a fairly poor lot that he has cut this season.
Thankfully, harvesting conditions were excellent. A dry day meant carting down the busy A591 dual carriageway didn’t create a mud hazard. We had invested in a road brush just in case, and were very pleased to leave it in the shed.
By Alison Park, 11 November 2011 –
19 October 2011
This morning’s cold weather coincided with a delivery of wood chip for the biomass boiler. A load of 23 cubic metres keeps the barn warm and heats all the hot water we use in a winter fortnight. It’s a delicious kind of heat, generated by seasoned wood from local managed woodland. There’s a pleasure to be had in the local self sufficiency of the system –those trees that are felled are replanted, and the woodland is actively managed as a resource. The boiler here is a bit of a beast at 90kW, but Cumbria Woodlands has an excellent guide to using wood for fuel in house.
By Alison Park, 19 October 2011 –