Happy new year one and all, I hoping its going to be a year full of opportunity for us all. The has made all the crops look really even so far this year which is a good sign! We have some sheep on the farm which we are grassing for a local shepherd they are now requiring some supplementary food They have done a good job up-till now rummaging inn the snow for their grub but now is the time to start to feed them a little silage from the clamp.

The snow has brought out the best in most people doing what they can to help out. There has been some opportunists out thieving though we have had our fuel tank broken into, my shepherd friend has had a break in last night, and another one of his farms had a quad bike stolen last week, as if they didn't have enough to deal with!

Toby didn't have much to say about his white Christmas, he hasn't been out building snowmen, having snowball fights or sledging so I have had to do all of this for him like a dutiful father!

This is the time of year that arable farmers either go on Holiday or hibernate in the office! I'm doing the latter my main job in the office is to write a document for the local planning authority. We are about to write a whole estate plan which we will include with planning applications to show how that application fits in with the whole plan for the estate, how the income generated will contribute to the overall improvement of the estate, including environmental work. 

We are also about to embark on a woodland regeneration scheme. this will involve a lot of work in the woodlands taking out a lot of wood that will not produce a decent crop to allow the surrounding trees to grow bigger we will also open out some areas to allow the hazel coppice's to regenerate, as well as working on the woodland edges to warm the base of the woodland up. All of this work will provide a better habitat for wild life in the longer term, but it will appear destructive while the work is being carried out, so I'm ready for the phone calls telling me what a terrible thing I'm doing! I'll keep you posted.

Id better go and feed those sheep now!