Happy cows are fertile cows

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

This is a quiet time of year for a herdsman, waiting for the weather to dry and the grass to grow.

Calving has now come to an end with Tom delivering his first calf and our last for this season on January 19.

PD (pregnancy diagnosis) day showed that 80% of our cows are in calf 60% of those for the first time. This is well above the national average of 35% which shows that our natural organic system is bearing fruit and producing fertile happy cows.

I have been walking the meadows which all have names, Black Nell, The Hangings, The Marshes, Kingcups and The Church Field (which doesn’t have a church). All are very wet, especially Kingcups. In the spring and summer the pastures have lots of natural herbs, ladysmock, daisies and buttercups which support the herd’s natural fertility. When the time is right the girls will go out onto The Bowsings which is nearest the farm. At the moment they are enjoying grass silage which is the best of last year’s pasture.

We are all looking forward to getting back outside in the fresh air and sunshine.