These last few months have been very stressful for many people as we have had to adjust to dramatic lifestyle changes, some of which have been incredibly tough, and we are hoping that easier times are around the corner for us all.
Our farm crops are all suffering the stress of this long drought period, and they are all trying to save water the best way they can. The hot weather, combined with many days of really high winds has really reduced the relative humidity of the air. The wheat is showing significant 'leaf curl' - an ingenious way to reduce the plant surface area and hence evaporative loss but we are really hoping rain is on it's way. It is incredible to think that those are the same plants that survived drowning during the severe flooding we had in the Autumn! The real extremes of weather that seem to be becoming 'the norm' are certainly a challenge and no two years are ever the same.
January Farm News is still dominated by the wet weather and the impact 4 months of continuous rain has had on our crops.
Sian's Dad records the daily rainfall and December '19 was the wettest in 34 years of recording. As you can see 25.23" fell from September to December; it's no wonder our crops are drowning!
Not long now until harvest starts in earnest; a very exciting (if a little nerve-wracking) time of year. Our winter oats (seen here) will be the first crop on the farm to be harvested and should be ready towards the end of next week.
Richard has been busy topping tracks and bumble bee strips with his beloved Massey Ferguson 675 which he bought way back in 1984 - making it a grand old 31 years of age!
It fills my heart with pride to see our Swallows back and swooping over our Really Wild Bird feed production farm. They are miracles of migration. It is very humbling to think that they navigated the 3,000 miles back from South Africa ( via the treacherous Sahara desert ) to Street End Farm, without any need for a post code or a TomTom! Weighing in at a meagre 20g (about the weight of 2 x £1 coins) - I wonder how much they lose during their trip? The coincidental arrival of Eleanor's pony, Megan, and the pile of associated pony dung will create an additional source of airborne insects for the Swallows to replenish their depleted stores. Isn't it amazing to think that Barn Swallows will feed their young about 400 times in a day…that is dedication for you! I can only hope that this summer will be better for them than last - surely it has to be?
Naturetrek are only just down the country road from us at Street End Farm. After a visit to us they say.....We at Naturetrek have been really impressed by Richard and Lesley’s hard work for our local wild birds at Street End Farm. It is unsual to find a neighbour with such worthy aims! We also found the bird seed extremely attractive to our birds at Cheriton Mill ... as well as very competitively priced.
