The grass is always greener |
Further afield, I can see a countywide problem - an expanded version of our own situation - where many stock farms are finding themselves overstocked and unable to sell or move cattle.
This seasons lambs and calves are born and reared and should, in many cases, be moving onto fattening farms. Usually, I believe 40,000 cattle leave Devon's lush pastures, heading east, but it looks complicated, or even impossible to get them licensed out of the County this autumn.
 | Cows on Dartmoor, just outside
Widecombe-in-the-Moor |
Conversely over 1000 farms in the county have been emptied of stock during those dark days - still ongoing, sadly, in some places. Those empty farms have now grown, as has ours, a crop of grass.
Obviously, regular marketing and movement practices will have to adjust and it's to be hoped that the hungry stock can be matched to the spare fodder, without too much pain and bureaucracy (two words that run well together).
Finally a little ray of sunshine, for me at least.
During March we lost - in its entirety - our Galloway hill cow herd. Since then several neighbours have kindly promised us a few cows and heifers to help put things together, although none of these cattle will be "hefted" onto the right area of the hill, which will inevitably require extra work for us and a big dollop of goodwill from my neighbours, to get said cows to gel as a herd.
 | Every cloud has a silver lining - we hope! |
A couple of weeks ago however we set sail west, children and all, wafting disinfectant as we went. Deep in the back roads of Bodmin Moor we were welcomed by some old friends who were able to show us a pure bred dun Galloway they had bought from me 8 years ago as a yearling.
A deal has been struck and she and her heifer calf are coming home again. Fingers crossed, she may take her calf straight to the spot where her mother reared her. There should be some threads of the old cloth woven into the new.
You can comment on Anton's Diary on our Farmers' Forum and there'll be more "Grass Roots" next month. |
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