Cholderton Estate's Farm Diary

September 2011

Cholderton — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:40:24 +0000

The dry spring inhibited grass growth and we feared that the volume of hay and silage would be well below our requirements. However, thanks to early summer rain, we were able to complete 3 silage clamps. The weather conditions in September have stimulated grass growth and, most unusually, we have been able to make an additional clamp of silage, which will leave us better prepared to cope with inclement weather this coming winter.

Harvest yields have been better than we had anticipated earlier in the year, although the wet weather over the summer has made it a struggle to bring it in. Cereals were completed by early September but we are still attempting to finish the vetches. The promise of a window of fine weather should see us finish later this week. We are endeavouring to take a very late hay crop although we are relying on the ‘Indian summer’ which has been forecast.

The animals are all enjoying the autumn flush of grass and the dairy cows are milking extremely well. We have purchased a new mill for the production of animal feed and this will be installed in the next couple of weeks.

There has been a great improvement in the number of yellow wagtails this autumn; approximately 40 have been spotted around one of herds of cows. There were many grasshopper warblers in the last fields of oats. These birds stay in the middle of the crop and are very loathe to leave it; when eventually forced to do so they could be seen diving for cover which could be the nearest hedgerow or even into the lines of straw left behind the combine.

Now begins the long schedule of autumn work as we try to have all the winter cops sown before the beginning of November.

Summer news by Henry Edmunds

Cholderton — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:19:16 +0000

Summer rain and a touch of seasonal warmth have at last combined together to persuade our faltering grass to grow. White clover, lucerne and sainfoin are providing carpets of nutritious fodder for our cattle and sheep.

Silage making is again on the go with wide corridors left for our nesting corn buntings. Most chicks appear to have fledged and gone, but a couple of pairs are still holding territory. We now have a significant proportion of the total Hampshire population of this rapidly declining bird so every effort is being made to ensure breeding success.

One pair of Lapwings has two unfledged chicks which are being protected by an electric fence run around the periphery of their nesting area. Without this protection they would have no chance against the marauding foxes which abound in this area. I sleep with my fingers crossed every night in the hope that they survive for the following day. They still have about 18 days to go before fledging. Will they make it?

Large aggregations of a very small bee called Lasioglossum are gathering on the heads of a Bromus grass, for unknown reasons.

I should be interested to hear from anyone who can offer an explanation. Please contact me by email:
Admin@cholderton-estate.co.uk

The cereal harvest is really upon us and we are desperate to try and complete silage making before we start combining.

Stubble turnips are being sown on ground previously growing oats and vetch for silage. These will provide autumnal grazing for the cattle and sheep.

Summer 2011

Cholderton — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 08:47:44 +0000

A further spell of dry weather over the past few weeks accompanied by cold nights combined to inhibit grass growth. However, the pastures have responded to the recent rains and the general rise in temperature. Grass cutting is underway and one clamp of silage has been completed. The start of the second clamp has been delayed slightly as we identify the nesting sites of Corn Buntings prior to cutting the grass.

The dairy cows are milking well even though the grass is quite short. The first few batches of crossbred and Hampshire Down lambs have been sold. There is good demand for organically grown lamb and Cholderton produce features in a top grade London outlet. Yesterday the first Cleveland foal of the season, a filly, was born. There will be more to come.

The spring barley is looking remarkably good considering the unusual weather pattern of the past few months and compares very favourably with the conventional non-organic crops on neighbouring farms. The winter oats have profited from the recent rains.
The 5 pairs of Corn Buntings on the estate are more than have been seen for years and considerable care is being taken to ensure that their breeding cycle is completed successfully. The Lapwing flock is now growing. The 41 counted last week have increased to 52 including 17 fledged juveniles. One unfledged juvenile is in the same field. A Red Start and a newly fledged chick were spotted a few days ago. The Stone Curlews have bred again this year and the chicks are prospering in the areas set aside for them.

Last weekend we hosted a visit from members of the Reading Natural History Society. They spent the whole day touring the estate seeing how we protect wildlife habitats and promote biodiversity within the context of managing a commercially viable organic farming enterprise. Next week we look forward to welcoming the Hampshire Organic Gardeners to the estate.

Late Spring 2011

Cholderton — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:16:37 +0000

Thanks to the clement weather earlier in the year there was a very successful lambing season with minimum fatalities and few predations. Shearing of the Hampshire downs and crossbreds stared earlier this month and will be finished by 14th May.

The very dry weather in April retarded the growth of the spring grass. The decision was made to retain the cattle in their barns with winter feed for longer than usual. However, the much needed recent rain has accelerated grass growth and the cattle are at last in the pastures.

The very early sowing of the spring cereals turned out to be an excellent decision as the rain in March stimulated growth. The rain in the last 2 weeks has come at just the right time and the fields are looking very healthy.

The Cleveland Bays wintered well and 2 pure-bred foals are eagerly anticipated in the next 2 to 3 weeks. A stallion was entered in the King George Vth Cleveland Bay Stallion Champoinship Show at the University of Lincoln.

This has been a wonderful spring for wildlife. Hares abound all over the estate and migratory birds are back in numbers. Next time we hope to report on the progress of our lapwings and of course the stone curlew pairs for whom special breeding areas have been set aside.

February – 2011

Cholderton — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:05:46 +0000

The main event during the first 2 months of every year is lambing. The first to lamb are the crossbred ewes in the third week of January followed a week later by the Hampshire downs. This year started well with the crossbreds producing twins, triplets and some quads. Lambing takes place in the open fields but the vulnerable lambs and mothers are moved to a specially converted barn where they are protected from the elements and fed twice a day. They will be returned to the flock gradually when they are fully fit. Lambing was completed by the end of the third week in February. Altogether it has been a successful year.
Sir George Young Bt, Member of Parliament for North West Hampshire and Leader of the House of Commons, visited the Estate in early February to see the Higher Level Stewardship in action. He was accompanied by a senior official from Natural England. The work which has been done to restore large expanses of chalk downland and the extensive woodland coppicing to preserve natural habitats attracted particular interest. Coppicing in one area has been done to help the development of a small colony of Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne) butterflies which were re-introduced to the Estate early last summer.
The new horse barn, designed by Henry Edmunds, which is being constructed at the Home Farm is progressing well. When finished later this year the surrounds will be landscaped and completed by a mixed deciduous hedge. The new factory for the successful GRP business at Down Barn will be ready for handover by the end of April.
Of particular note on the wildlife front have been the presence of a pair of peregrine falcons which have been sighted regularly over the past few weeks. The rough grass in the new plantations have attracted Woodcock, 15 of which have been spotted over the winter.

Early winter – 2010

Cholderton — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:42:00 +0000

Winter has arrived quite suddenly with temperatures in November dropping as low as -10 degrees C at night and remaining below freezing during the day. This very cold weather has coincided with the arrival from Scandinavia of large numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings which are feasting on the berry-laden hedges. This year Woodcock, which are protected at Cholderton, have arrived in large numbers and are sheltering and feeding in areas of woodland where the frost has not penetrated.
For the past month the cattle have been in their barns which were improved during 2010. They will remain in these winter quarters until the spring. The sheep, however, remain outside and are being fed hay during this unusual cold snap. The Cleveland Bays are also being fed hay in fields which have open buildings where they can shelter at will. Polo ponies are now to be seen on the estate, where they have been placed by their owners for care over the winter.
No land work is being done at the moment and the estate staff are concentrating their attention on maintenance tasks which include coppicing and scrub clearance. The breeding areas of the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary will benefit from this work and from the planting of cowslips and primrose in the spring.

Autumn – 2010

Cholderton — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:25:40 +0000

The harvest was completed by the end of the last week in September. The barley and oats were finished earlier but the changeable weather meant that harvesting the vetches lingered on until the end of the month. Yields varied with the cereal crops being down due to the lack of rain during the growing season whereas the vetches enjoyed good yields. The ground is being prepared for the sowing of the winter oats and vetches. The estate barley crop is always spring sown.

A late hay crop was gathered in during September and baled for winter feed. This welcome supplement means that despite the reduction in silage it will not be necessary to plan for more animal feed than usual during the winter. Some arable land has been sown with grass and legume mixes and an additional 40 hectares has been sown with lucerne. This more drought resistant crop is essentially an insurance against a repeat of the near drought conditions of 2010 being repeated next year. The arable/grassland ratio for 2011 will remain unchanged as older leys are ploughed as part of the crop rotation programme.

With autumn upon us the migratory birds have mostly left although 4o swallows were seen last week feeding around the dairy heifers after heavy rain.

Harvest – August 2010

Cholderton — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:16:40 +0000

Harvesting of the spring barley is now complete. The lack of rain during the critical period in the growing season has meant that yields are less than those for 2009. The same applies to the winter oats where 35 hectares remain to be combined. All the straw is being baled for winter bedding. The vetchs require a further 2 weeks to ripen before combining can start.
The first cut of haymaking was completed successfully and a second cut is planned when all the combining has been completed. With the generally lower yields it may be necessary to buy in additional concentrates for the livestock this winter.
However, the dairy cows are benefiting from the new growth following the recent much needed rains. The sheep are in good health. The majority of this year’s lambs have gone to market leaving some to be sold in the autumn and the balance to supplement the flock.
On the wildlife front 2010 has been an excellent year for Barn Owls and the successful fledging of 2 sets of Stone Curlew chicks, which was reported in the news section, was ample reward for all those involved in protecting the nesting sites. Although this year has been an amazing one for butterflies, there has been no sign of the migratory Painted Ladies which were so common last year.

Summer, July 2010

Cholderton — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:48:53 +0000

The driest spell in 29 years has resulted in very slow grass growth. Most of the silage has been cut but this year we only expect to fill 3 clamps compared with 4 in normal years. We are starting on the hay acreage and we hope yields will not have suffered too much. On the bright side, the legumes have done well. The spring barley is also looking good. This is a vindication of the organic system because the soil is in excellent condition due to the high organic content. The barley also appears to suppress weeds naturally.
The dairy cows are managing to maintain milk yields due to the growth of red and white clover. Stallions are now running with the Cleveland Bay mares. We look forward to having foals next year.
There is encouraging news about birdlife. The curlews have 2 chicks and the corn buntings at Thruxton have fledged 2 groups of young birds. The lapwings have fledged at least a dozen chicks and at the last count there was a flock of 30 birds on the estate, mainly juveniles.
Butterflies have done well in the dry weather. Two new colonies of Duke of Burgundy Fritillary have been found. These are on sites where these butterflies were last seen 12 and 25 years ago illustrating what a difficult butterfly this is to see. Also doing well are Silver Winged Fritillaries and Tortoiseshells, which are in abundance. The second brood of Holly Blue are now flying.
In the last 3 weeks we have welcomed visits from Sparsholt Agricultural College and the Hampshire and Wiltshire Botanical societies.