Farmer Focus: Repeat of 2025 ‘ideal’ lambing season unlikely
Daffyd Parry Jones © Richard Stanton We are preparing for lambing: cleaning, pressure washing and disinfecting areas of the cattle sheds to bring in the ewes.
The cattle will have to be moved up to the empty spaces of the silage pit.
See also: How to minimise bacteria build-up in the lambing shed
About the author
My lambing partner this year will be my cousin, a mother of three from London.
She came to help us last year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I did have to explain to her that March 2025 was the ideal weather for lambing, and everything worked out well.
With the elements against us, it could be an emotional month of her asking herself, “Why am I doing this job?”
Last article
After five years, this will be my last article. That’s not a long time in one’s life, but during this period I have moved up a decade.
For the older and younger generations of our family, though, we have seen significant changes.
Five years ago, our daughters were school children, and now they have moved away from home to universities in Manchester and London.
The older generation, being my father – in his time a whirlwind of energy and inspiration – is now confined to a room in a care home 50 miles away.
Witnessing his decline over the period has not been easy.
During the past five years, we have transformed our old dilapidated farm buildings into our family home.
A process that we have thoroughly enjoyed and is very rewarding, as designing our own house was always our lifelong dream.
A big benefit is that the new house has a proper office, where completing paperwork is an easier task. It used to be a battle of continuously trying to set myself up at the kitchen table.
Organic farming
Over the years, we’ve attempted to explain and share our simple organic system and the methods we use, working with nature, to create a low-cost and efficient system.
My aim is not to convert everyone to organic, but I do believe that small elements of the organic farming system could widely benefit and complement conventional farming.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my wife, Glenys, for editing all my articles, very often turning what I am trying to say into a readable article!
Thank you, Farmers Weekly, for the opportunity to contribute, and thank you, the readers, for reading, diolch am eich darlleniad.