Well, today was my first encounter by myself with the public on the land. I am quite confident with talking to people i dont know and when i pointed out a load of orange jacketed, zippy gaiter walkers out to my boss he just said keep an eye out while he went out. So, while busy, working away i noticed they had stopped and were sitting on one of the hay bales for the sheep. Fine - no problem at all untill i relised they had ventured out into the wood - now i was a bit annoyed. So i hopped on the quad and dashed up the top to see what they were doing. My grandad was about somewhere as i was moving barley for him but he hadn't seen them, so i took it upon myself as the young countryside custodian that i am to go and ''have a word''. I dont mind people enjoying the countryside - thats really good and i wish more people would but when we have pheasants nesting and have spent time and money doing things in the wood i dont (nor does the rest of the shoot) want them ruined. Plus, my boss dont like people wondering willy nilly over his land and despite the public footpath running over the land, they have no right to go where they want - which i think, it fair and square.
So, I went over and i thought before as i was approaching just to be calm, and be polite. I didnt want them (there was about 12 of them) to A/ think i was a nasty farmer B/ I didnt want to give myself, the shoot, my boss or the farm a bad name. C/ I didnt want to give the impression that all farmers are miserable gits. I pulled up on the quad - they seemed to think i was going to give them hastle. I introduced myself, asked how they were and how there day had been so far (fair dont you think?). I got positive responses and they seemed ok. I explained the situation, that we had pheasants nesting, and to keep out the wood. They agreed to and then inquired where the footpath went, i explained, wished them a good day, a did off on the quad. They were polite, apart from the one of two sarcastic comments (dont worry, i put pay to that with my humourous witty banter). I think they thought i was alot older than i was actually as, i didint get any hastle and i (i hope) showed that I knew what i was talking about.
But they had there lunch on the bales while i went away and sorted a few things out and as i came back down that field (just to have a little check),there wasn't any litter, any sign they had been there and my grandad was talking to them. So, despite the boss being a little narked with them when i told him about it when he got back, all was well really. Grandad spoke to them about the shoot - they listened and went on there way. All was well in the end and I think I conducted myself appropriately and with respect!
So, what with them gone, i had the rest of the bits and bobs so to - basically shifting barley all day with quad and trailer and shifting the last few lambing pens and rescuing a lamb which was stuck. But the highlight of the day i think would have to be grandad sitting on the back of the quad (i relised his error but didnt say anything) where the mud gards werent and going full pelt into a muddy puddle and him getting sprayed with mud (luckily he can laugh it off and he's done worse to me)!!!!
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OOO, before i go, the grass is growing and we aren't organic which means feed costs are a hell of alot lower but we will miss out on the returns of organic but feed costs have been halfed and the sheep now have grass to graze - the yard isn't even that muddy anymore!!!