Giles Henry
1 March 2002
Giles Henry
Giles Henry rents 105ha
(260 acres) on a 10-year
lease and 114ha (280
acres) of heather moorland
near Selkirk in the Scottish
Borders which is in organic
conversion. Cropping is
mainly grass with 14ha (36
acres) of spring barley. The
farm is stocked with 450
breeding ewes, 85 hoggs
and 50 Luing cows with
followers and finishers
THEY say a problem shared is a problem halved and I must thank Mr Deans who telephoned me from Canada to tell me how he overcomes the problems of frozen pipes in temperatures far lower than we will ever get.
He uses the earths own heat to stop his water pipes freezing. Very ingenious and cost efficient. Now, does anyone know how to stop fields getting poached when it continues to rain every day?
I have just returned from the Luing Cattle Societys annual pedigree sale at Castle Douglas. Overall it was a terrific sale with many buyers unable to secure the cattle required. A new record was obtained for a Luing bull at 5200gns. I sold 10 bulling heifers, which were not of the standard of last years, but still averaged £621.
It was really good to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones. A group of Irish buyers who had been at the sale looked in at Oakwood Mill in the evening, firstly to see two young Luing bulls I am looking after for one of them and also to inspect my Luing calves. They thought my heifers were in great form and should make a decent lot to sell at Castle Douglas next year.
We stocked our poultry house with Hy-line 17-week-old point-of-lay pullets at the beginning of February. We are already collecting in excess of 120 eggs/day and hoped to be at 10% of daily egg numbers by the end of this week. A lot of time is being taken just now to walk the birds, so they get used to going into nest boxes.
The shed is working really well and has not been damaged by the relentless gales of the last few weeks. Even the wind-powered generator has stood up to all the buffeting.
The next job will be to erect an electric fence around the shed so the birds do not range too far and have their statutory 2ha (5 acres) in which to roam. *
Does anyone know how to stop fields getting poached when it rains every day? asks Giles Henry.