FARMERFOCUS
FARMERFOCUS
Murray Garrett
Murray Garrett farms 96ha
(240 acres) at Rowden
Farm, near Leighton
Buzzard, Beds. The whole
farm is permanent pasture
on heavy clay land. He runs
100 spring calving South
Devon suckler cows and a
flock of 200 Friesland
milking sheep
HALLELUJAH. Finally, after weeks of horrendous weather, we have our forage stocks for the winter all safely gathered in. Just in time too, as I depart for Italy to tie the knot with my long suffering fiancée Helen.
When we planned the event back in May, I was confident the farm would be able to spare me for a week in August. Since then the weather and a lack of part-time labour have conspired to make things rather awkward. However, friends and family have rallied round and we shall escape after all.
We have just completed one of our regular Signet weight recordings and taken the opportunity to worm calves at the same time, as they move to aftermath grazing with their dams.
This is our first weighing with a new IAE Chieftain cattle crush. Our old crush has been decommissioned since weights and measures proved our suspicions that it was no longer accurate.
How many of us merely zero our weigh scales and then stand on them as a rough guide? This is fine if you only weigh calves, but even after a hearty breakfast I dont come close to the weight of a yearling bull.
As I prepare to e-mail this article before the deadline, I am hoping the phone line holds out. The farm is rather isolated and one of only two properties on a branch line miles from the local exchange. BT has sent scores of engineers out over the years.
A new twist emerged last week when we reported the line out yet again. A technician came to the farm and advised us to consider updating our connection to BT Highway. This service would, he assured us, guarantee repair within 24 hours.
The following day, still without the phone, a second engineer called to report that having tested our line, a Highway box was not an option as we were too far from the exchange. On reporting it out of order again, several days later, we were told our old number had been deleted. In the end, in desperation, I asked the operator to spell Highway box. Wheres the f I asked. Theres no f in Highway box came the reply. At last, we are getting somewhere. *