What a busy few months we've had here on the farm.
The weather has certainly changed for the worse and to say it's been wet in an understatement. The girls haven't appreciated this wet weather and grass growth has certainly slowed down so they're now on their winter feed at nights. This means that the milk will start getting creamier as we start feeding them a higher dry matter feed like hay during the winter.
What is dry matter? Dry matter is what remains after all of the water is evaporated out of a feed: grain and fresh or dried forages. Fresh grass has high water content and will have a lower percentage of dry matter than an equivalent weight of dryer feed, such as hay or grain. Dry matter is an indicator of the amount of nutrients that are available to the animal in a particular feed.
Hay is left to dry out in the sun once its cut it is raked (shook out) out to reduce all the moisture in it allowing for a high dry matter - roughly 90%
Smile Girls :)
I had a phone call at the start of August to tell me I had been nominated and shortlisted to the last 3 for Cumbria Dairy Farmer of the Year as part of the Cumbria Awards. I was thrilled and honered to have been thought about never mind shortlisted for the final three. We went to the Greenhill Hotel on the 1st October and swapped waterproofs and wellies for dresses and heels... we even peeled dad out of his boilersuit and put him into a suit for the night. We had a lovely evening and enjoyed being out socially with all other farmers. How fantastic that Prince Charles sent a video message to thank the awards committee for his award. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to win but a massive congratulations to Tom Dent who won Dairy Farmer of the Year. I really couldn't have got where I am without my family and boyfriend.
Well done to all other winners on the night!
We've also been busy planning the next step for Katherines Jersey Milk. We had the great pleasure to visiting several farms along the Cheshire/Welsh border. We sampled delicious ice cream at Brooklands Dairy and admired the views at Abbey Farm (fantastic caravan site)
If you are in the area pop in and sample the ice cream, its really yummy!
As some of you have seen we have had a bit of a new addition to the yard!
We've got some exciting new things coming soon that I think you will all love!
Watch this space!!
