As our regulars know we use a limited number of beef farms in our supply chain – in
Cheshire, Lancashire and the Wainrights up in Cumbria. We had a chat with Neil last week
to find out what is happening on the farm as the growing season ends and we get deep into
Autumn.
Contrary to popular belief – summer in Cumbria was moderately drier than 2023! All is relative!! Plenty of silage was produced but unfortunately the cut hay was not quite dry enough to bale. With the weather closing in – the decision was made to bale the hay and wrap it. The wrapping attempts to block out oxygen which tends to preclude mould growth – but results in a wetter feed than dry hay. It also means that the cattle need more haylage than hay – and thus it ultimately costs more.
In early August the stock bulls were taken out from the cows and calves – simply as the bull should have ‘done its work’ by then. Additionally there is a risk that the female calves come into their first season – so the Bulls are removed to avoid anything premature! Male calves are castrated early removing that risk too.
This is also an ideal time for worming – all the wet warm weather is perfect breeding conditions for tape worms and liver fluke. They are also given garlic licks as it is supposed to stop flies bothering them as much!! Who knew right?!
July and August were harvest months – first the winter barley which is sown in the autumn and harvested the following July. This is normally a good reliable crop but last years wet winter took its toll and it was a pitiful yield of both grain and straw. September saw the spring barley which did better – not a bumper crop but good enough, followed soon after by the winter wheat. The grain is sold to local dairy farmers and the straw is retained for bedding the cattle.
With all the winter forage now complete the cattle have a lot more ground to graze which makes September and October great grazing months as long as it stays dry enough under foot. As per the Cherish our Farmers blog – this is so dependent on the weather. If it is too wet the cattle can destroy the pasture and cause soil erosion.
Towards the end of October, the cattle are finally housed for the winter in the barns. This is done when the temperature has dropped as the cattle tend to sweat to begin with. To help them stay cool, we clip or shave their heads (including their ears so we can read the ear tags) and their backs. Once settled in they are then fed silage, hayledge, hay and a little of the barley we have grown to help them stay fit and healthy. The cattle also get molasses licks which have various vitamins and minerals in to keep them growing and putting weight on!