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Dorset NFU county chairman George Hosford gives show visitors an insight to the life of a modern farmer with his July farm diary
Harvest time near Blandford All images: George Hosford
Our winter barley harvest started a little earlier than usual, though only one day earlier than in 2018 (another heatwave year). All 113 hectares was Maris Otter, and the yield was our best ever. Big heap feed barley growers might scoff, but Otter (bred in 1966) is a consistent performer for us. We enjoy growing it and we particularly enjoy testing the results once the skilled brewers at places like St Austell, Flack Manor, Butcombe and Dorset’s Sixpenny brewery have done their best with it! The oilseed rape was ready on 14th July, very similar to 2018 but a good deal earlier than most years. It did not need spraying with glyphosate. It had ripened evenly and in good time. The yields were good where allowed to grow undamaged by animals, but terrible where the farmer (erm, isn’t that you? – Ed) had insisted on grazing sheep (admittedly for all sorts of sound reasons like weed, insect and disease-avoidance). After three years of this experiment, initiated with Innovative Farmers as part of the search for survival techniques in face of the flea beetle onslaught following the ban on neonics, we have got the message. The sheep have been sold, so it won’t be happening again.
A pretty field margain near Dorschester
Wildflower verges Driving back from a bad news session at our local tractor dealer last Saturday, my eye was caught by a very pretty field margin near Dorchester. Closer examination revealed cornflowers, corn marigolds, ox-eye daisies, poppies and others – mostly annuals. The richness of colour and the buzz of the bees helped to sweep away the blues induced by being told that one of our tractors has a near-terminal condition – terminal either for the tractor or the bank account, we just have to decide which. How can a ten-year-old tractor with just 6,000 hours on the clock be rendered almost worthless by a breakdown due to poor manufacturing? Why do we have no comeback on the manufacturer who happily took £100,000 off us in 2012, and walked away after the original warranty expired? Anyway, back to the flowers. I admired their beauty, while wondering which is better; a perennial mix, which only needs to be established once, and can be good for ten to 15 years of pollen and nectar provision (but doesn’t look remotely as colourful as this one). Or are annuals better for attracting insects and providing nectar, with the drawback of needing to re-sow every year? Without doubt the annuals are good for impressing people; planted alongside public paths and roads they are sure to attract the right kind of attention. But for busy farmers who are always time-poor, doing it just once is usually going to be preferable. It’s not so good for the soil to have to re-sow every year, either.
Guatamalan carrots in the local supermaket
Guatamalan carrots I am definitely not the best person to send out for the weekly shop. I always take far too long. Starting at the newspaper rack just inside the door of our local supermarket, just seeing the daily paper headlines makes my blood pressure rise. Stupid puns abound for starters, but what really gets me is the tribalism and narrow mindedness shown. I can’t understand why people buy any of them at all. Moving on to the fruit and veg aisle, things don’t improve when I reach the apples, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms. All of these grow very well indeed in the UK. The modern technology for fresh produce storage is amazing – you can still buy English apples in July that taste nearly as fresh as the day they were picked. And in less than a month the new crop will be available. Why then are we shipping in apples from South Africa and calling them seasonal or the appalling French Granny Smiths or – worst of all – Gala apples from Argentina and calling them organic. English carrots are available for a great deal of the year; stored in the ground for months, they are dug as required to suit the market. Presumably they can also be kept in cold storage. Why then do we need to import ‘Tendersweet’ carrots from Guatemala in July?
Combining at Traveller’s Rest Farm near Blandford
Mushrooms, as far as I can tell, are like many people – kept in the dark and fed on bullsh**t. This can be done anywhere. There used to be a large mushroom farm near Sturminster Newton, but they gave up the unequal fight with their supermarket customer a few years ago. They also used to provide a useful source of compost for neighbouring farmers to purchase. Why are we importing mushrooms from Poland and selling them in identical packaging to the English ones produced in Cambridgeshire? And lastly tomatoes – if our greenhouse is anything to go by, July is peak tomato season in the UK. Modern techniques and innovative heat sources have extended the tomato season hugely over the last ten years – for example using waste heat from anaerobic digester plants or from sugarbeet factories. However, the tomato shelf in our supermarket is dominated by Moroccan, Polish and Spanish tomatoes, even in July. The only UK ones are the premium range, with a limited number of sizes. And yes, I’m aware I should shop more widely and only spend where I will give the right signal to the market with my purchasing. But sadly, convenience has a value too, and there is not much choice in Blandford. It also gives me something to rant write about. So much for taking back control, for levelling up and for ensuring fairness in the marketplace. Our mendacious government has squirmed out of allowing parliament the chance to debate the Australian trade deal before the summer recess, and the Tory majority will nod it through. They seem to be happy to see our own food industry slowly strangled to death. And I haven’t even reached the meat and dairy aisles yet…
George farms near Blandford, and writes a regular monthly farm diary on his blog View From The Hill
Smedmore House, one of Dorset’s finest Georgian manor houses, is holding an open day in aid of Wessex Cancer Trust on Sunday 25th September between 2pm and 5pm.
Smedmore House
The house occupies two acres of walled flower gardens, orchards and a Mediterranean garden near Kimmeridge Bay. Guided tours of the house will be led by well-known historian, Dr Philip Mansel, joined by members of his family who are familiar with the house’s history and contents. As well as touring the house you will be able to see where Napoleon sat when he visited St Helena and a display of vintage Morgan Cars. Dr Mansel says: ‘We wanted to do something to help raise awareness and funds for this wonderful charity. Cancer affects many of us and Wessex Cancer Trust is there when people most need support. Smedmore House is a hidden jewel on the Jurassic coast, so please join us for a wonderful afternoon for this most worthwhile cause.’ Tickets are £6 on the door, and house tours are £4.50. Children under 16 are free. Dogs are welcome on leads. Smedmore House is in Kimmeridge, BH10 5PG. For more information and directions visit www.smedmorehouse.com / or telephone 01929 480719.
Hop-timistic owners bring their ear-resistable rabbits to the show – Rachael Rowe has been speaking to rabbit judge Peter Huntley
‘Now, where do I start?’ Peter Huntley has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to judging rabbits. He is the chairman and secretary of the Frome and District Rabbit Club and he organises the rabbit section at Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show. ‘There are agreed standards on rabbits. Each breed has its own standard and regulations – for example, the Netherland Dwarf must not exceed 2½ pounds in weight. We use the British Rabbit Club Breed Standards Book; everything we need is there. ‘If we were in America or Europe, judging would be very different. In this country, we bring all the rabbits out together. So all the red-eyed ones will come out together and line up on a table. The judge picks each one up and examines it. They also look at the rabbit’s condition, including its teeth and health. We look at one rabbit at a time, and the owner gets to see what goes on. In Europe, they don’t see what happens – the judging is done in secret. So for us it’s very user-friendly, having all the rabbits on the table.”
Fancy, lop, fur and rex I knew there were different rabbit breeds but, until I spoke to Peter, I was unaware there are a staggering 95 breeds in the United Kingdom until speaking to Peter. ‘There are four groups of rabbits. We have the fancy section and a lop section. Then there are the fur rabbits like Chinchillas, bred for their fur. And the Rex section has a velvet feel to its fur. At the end of the show, we take the best from each class and put them on a table. There are two judges from fur and fancy and they select the best in the show.’ Rabbit judges stick to the five freedoms when judging rabbits. Peter says: ‘These are freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, injury and disease, freedom to behave normally, and freedom from fear and distress. So we make sure we stick to the five freedoms. We ensure rabbits have enough space and look at their wellbeing.’ Finally, Peter gave some sound insider advice for those entering rabbits in shows. ‘Each judge looks at something different in particular. They go for what takes their eye. So you should always know your judge!’ Unlike cattle, dogs or horses, show rabbits don’t have names officially (although some probably do at home)
Ragwort is a menace to all animal owners, says Andrew Livingston – but he suspects his passion for picking the poisonous plant isn’t popular with conservation groups
“They’re like f**kin’ trees!” Martin, our farmhand, once exclaimed after a day of picking ragwort out in the fields. Every summer as the weather dries up, these weeds explode like a plague over the grass. Having the most beautiful views of Dorset has its downside; the gradient on our land means that we are unable to spray our fields to control the perennial weed (it also goes by the name stinking willie). The reason we pick ragwort is that it is poisonous to many species of animal, especially the horses and cattle that roam our 60 acres. Each individual plant can create 50,000 to 60,000 seeds – if you leave it too long, when next year comes around you have a seriously escalating problem on your hands.
Conservationists hate me It’s a never-ending job. Having spent a whole day clearing just one field, you will come back the next day to find more that you’ve missed or which have sprouted overnight. Despite spending hours walking up and down our own hills turfing them out of the ground, if I ever see others elsewhere while walking my dogs, I pull them out, too. I simply see it as my civic duty. I know the pain that farmers go through to rid their land of this plant. I know that many conservation groups will hate me for declaring it a civic duty – although poisonous to cattle, the plants with their bright yellow heads are brilliant pollinators for bees. Moths and butterflies also use the vegetation for feeding. Unfortunately, I just can’t bring myself to leave them when they spread like wildfire. Poisons in the flowers can cause liver failure, disease and ultimately death. So if an equine friend stinks of vegetation, she probably hasn’t been rolling around with the stable boy in the fields – she’s been pulling ragwort! The weed is now even loved by gardeners, as the three-foot-tall yellow plant stands out beautifully in flower beds. However, the Weeds Act of 1959 imposes a duty on gardeners and landowners to prevent the weed from spreading. A prison sentence Last year the owner of a horse named Diamond was jailed after her horse was found dead in a field. The mare, which was believed to have died of hypothermia, was neglected and left with no additional feed – and with no vegetation in the field, she resorted to eating the ragwort which contributed to her deterioration and then eventual death. For her crime, the woman was sentenced to 20 weeks in jail, fined £878 and banned from keeping animals for life. I won’t lie – it’s a horrible job. But picking ragwort is just one of the many tasks we, as custodians and carers of animals, do to ensure their wellbeing. I don’t mind pulling out a few hundred ‘f**kin trees’ if it keeps our cattle and horses safe.
How do you spot a good egg? Rachael Rowe has been speaking to judge Paul Tory to find out what makes some eggs hard to beat
Paul Tory is chairman of the Dorset and Wiltshire Poultry Society and he organises the judging at Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show. So he seemed the right person to ask what the judges are actually looking for in an egg? ‘The basic principle of egg judging; you are looking at a single egg, three eggs together or their contents. With duck eggs, we always judge three, which all need to be egg-shaped (hold that thought – Ed) and identical in size. There should be no blemishes, and the eggs should be blue. ‘You look at the size, the weight (they should all be the same weight), and you sniff for freshness. ‘When it comes to contents, there are three aspects. First, the yolk should be yellow. The inner white part should be clearly separate and jelly-like. Finally, the outer white is watery. None should be runny – the runnier it is, the worse the egg. The more orange a yolk, the healthier it is. It should also be round and protruding – like a rising sun.’
Pointy, oblong and squat There are some similarities with chicken eggs but also differences from the duck eggs. Paul says: ‘Chicken’s eggs are either white, blue, or brown. The white ones need to be as white as possible – it’s a hard class to win because white eggs show minor defects. There is also a class for one egg of each colour from three different chickens. ‘In all cases, eggs should be egg-shaped with no blemishes.’ I’m left wondering what other shape an egg could be (and the effect on the chicken) when Paul explains that some eggs are oblong. There is also an odd-shaped egg class where you could find pointy eggs, squat-shaped ones and double yolks – and maybe a few oblong ones. And finally, there are individual egg classes: “The winner is a stand-out egg and catches your eye. It glistens without a shine and is not dull.” After talking to Paul, I’m sure I’ll never look at an egg the same way again.
Understanding biennials has led to a nostalgic flower patch full of scent and colour, says flower farmer Charlotte Tombs
Sweet rocket
Biennials were always a bit of a mystery to me before I started to sell my flowers. But they really aren’t that mysterious and once I got my head around the fact that you sow the seed in one year and they flower the next, it’s easy. If you were to plant an annual now, it would flower in late summer – and would be a very disappointing plant rushing to complete their life cycle before the days get shorter and the threat of frost looms. The definition of a biennial is a flowering plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle. Since growing flowers for sale, I have learned that if you sow your biennial seeds now, they are big enough to plant out in the autumn, when they will have the chance to develop and grow a healthy root system to survive the winter, all being well. Then when it warms up again in the spring and the daylight hours increase, they are ahead of the game, ready to start the growing season. They tend to flower when the spring bulbs have finished and before your autumn-sown annuals, filling that lull after the bulbs are over.
Ones to look out for The biennial family of flowers seems to be quite a nostalgic group of plants – think wallflowers, for example. And no, don’t think of those horrid orange, yellow and brown tones like a 1970s swirly carpet. There are some beautifully coloured varieties that really are worth growing. Look for the sunset series, in particular the apricot, although it does seem rather hard to find the seed (which I see as a good indication that it is tip-top!). The sugar rush series is another good variety; they have the added bonus of smelling glorious as you brush past them on a warm spring day. Another biennial to look out for and sow is hesperis (sweet rocket – pictured above); white or mauve and also scented, but a member of the cabbage family so watch out for hungry pigeons (I’m writing from experience – I had to put a net over the bed one year, it took me forever to work out what was eating them).
Some of this summer’s Sweet Williams All images: Charlotte Tombs
Old-fashioned pretty Honesty is another pretty white flower, but resist the urge to pick it and instead wait for its prized seed heads. Peel the papery case off to reveal a lovely silvery disk like a coin – no wonder this plant is often called the money plant. It is very popular for Christmas wreaths and dried flower arrangements as well. Foxgloves are also a nostalgic and popular biennial. The last biennials that I grow myself are in the dianthus family. Sweet Williams – they are a cottage garden favourite for good reason. Easy to grow, they smell amazing and they make great cut flowers too. Look out for a variety called Sooty which makes a nice contrast with the ones that have an eye.As a bonus, they are all great for pollinating insects, too. Another seed to sow and try is wild carrot – you can get a beautiful purple variety. The more common white variety has, in the centre of each flower, a dot of blood red which legend says is a stain from when Queen Anne pricked her finger while making lace. So why not try planting some biennial seeds this month and being a patient gardener? I promise you won’t regret it.
Charlotte offers workshops throughout the year – please see northcombe.co.uk for further details.
One of the most competitive places on the Turnpike Showground is the cattle showing ring – Andrew Livingston explains why
Amy with her Champion Dairy Shorthorn at the 2021 G&S Show
It may seem strange to those outside the world of agriculture; why take a lot of trouble to walk a near one-tonne animal around a field? The answer is that farmers are passionate about their work, whether that is the crops they grow or the animals they raise. One person who knows more than most the rigmarole and the joy of showing cattle is Amy Wonnacott from New Park Farm, Lytchett Matravers. “Some people enter to showcase their breeding and their herd – it can raise the value if and when they sell them. Others just do it for the joy of demonstrating their herd’s potential.” She added: “I treat it as a hobby – it’s time with my cows and very enjoyable days out.” Once again, Amy will be entering the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show. Last year she won first place for her 36-months-and-under heifer in the dairy section, while also picking up three other rosettes on the day. “I am currently in my 13th year of showing. I have won many rosettes, many different championships and have had some amazing achievements. I usually try to attend four or five shows a year. “Gillingham and Shaftesbury is one of my favourites – it’s local for me and I see so many people I know. It has the proper country feel to it.”
The night before the show the cows are put to bed to keep them clean overnight
Trust the process It takes three or four months to get your cattle reading for showing, but, says the 24 year old Puddletown Young Farmer, the hardest part is getting the right animal. “One of the most challenging parts of showing is picking your show team. It’s not an easy job to select who you want to halter train and take showing. “I usually take a walk around different-aged cattle and just look at them. I’m looking at how their body is structured, how well they walk on their feet, how straight their back is and if they look big for their age. Preparation for a show starts early – it is a long process.” Once you have assembled your team, the majority of your time is spent making the animals comfortable being handled and walked with a halter (effectively a dog collar for cattle). The cattle you see at the G&S Show will have been walked every day for the last few months by their human companion. Some handlers play loud music to the cows to get them ready for the noise of the show.
“Some breeds of cows are harder to train than others. I find that Holsteins are the easiest and quickest to train, for example, but the Jerseys and Ayrshires are harder – it’s just in their nature to be a bit stubborn!” Says Amy. In the run-up to the show the cattle are pampered to perfection for the big day. “The lead-up to the show is very busy. We clip them so they have nice short hair. Once they arrive at the show they will get washed again so they are sparkling clean, and put them in their beds to keep them clean overnight. “They will also get their topline clipped to help make their back look even straighter. Finally, they get a last brush and are taken into the ring. They are paraded around the ring at a steady pace with their heads held high. The judge will assess the animals and select first, second or third.”
Amy doing some last-minute clipping ahead of a Jersey class
Pampered cows Champion cow or not, the animals who are shown have a special place in their handler’s hearts. Amy explains: “Once they have become a show cow, especially if they have done well over the show season, they do become one of your favourites from the herd. You have been pampering them for the last couple of months and you can’t help have a soft spot for them.”
