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Down in Devon June 2008
What a lovely month June has been, mostly sunshine all the way, some different to last year (I
still have nightmares of all the cows having to come back into the sheds and raining everyday!)
On the 7th of June we took a day off and went to the Royal Cornwall Show at Wadebridge, it was smashing weather, a brilliant show. Our boys love to sit in all the new tractors and pretend that one day they will be theirs! The livestock section was some what diminished by these blessed Bluetongue movement restrictions, but never the less it was still a lovely day out.
Talking of Bluetongue we have now given all our animals their second vaccination jab, so
hopefully we should stay clear of this disease. The cows and bullocks must be feeling a bit like pin cushions this year.
On the 23rd and 24th of June we did our 2nd cut of silage, once again we were lucky with the weather and crops were heavier than the 1st cut. Grass quality was good and we used 'Ecosyl' additive again, we don't often get two good quality cuts of silage, (the weather usually mucks plans up) but this year is looking good. We cut 140 acres, and have now just finished spreading 85 acres of this with dung (or farmyard manure if you prefer).
With a drop of rain this will hopefully grow some cheap summer grass for the milking cows.
The other 55 acres we will sow with artificial fertilizer for a 3rd cut of silage, this we will round bale and wrap. We have just ordered another 28 tons of fertilizer it has now rocketed in price to £395.00 per ton!! This is much more than double last years price, I know our milk price per litre has risen to perhaps a yearly average of 25.5 pence per litre, but it certainly hasn't doubled in price, here's hoping.
All the best from
Steve, Down in Devon
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