Our next open day on 6th July will be great – We are holding a ‘Farm-ily’ Fun Day with FREE tractor & trailer tours every hour (dependant on demand and availability) around the farm & estate. Come and see the cattle and deer (and some calves!) and find out more about what goes on here on the farm. There’ll also be some FREE kids activities in the roundhouse.
As well as the ‘Farm-ily’ fun, our walking trails will be open to all and we will also be hosting another mini farmers market with produce available from The Gleeson’s Good Life, heritage fruit and vegetables from Top Farm Enterprises, artisan loaves from Vines Bakery and home-made preserves from Heather’s Kitchen.
We are also hosting 2 FREE guided walks. Places are limited so please book your place(s) online!
Refreshments and hot & cold drinks will be available all day from The Very Cool Coffee Bus and The Ginger Pig. We can’t wait to see you here!
It was super to welcome Zoky Woodfired sauna here at the weekend. The retreat day organised by Sarah Hardy held on Saturday was a great success and all participants left with a feeling of having been on a weeks holiday! Catch Zoky sauna around Lincolnshire& beyond – why not have a solstice sauna at Huttoft – here’s the link to book!
Our first mini farmers market was very well received alongside the wedding fair, with runners, visitors and couples enjoying the grounds here. The sun shone and the safari tent and arboretum looked stunning with many couples looking around, speaking to suppliers & hopefully getting inspired to hold their wedding here. Thanks to all the suppliers who attended this event!
Amy Lauren Weddings,FAB Bar, Steve the Food Dude, Shelley Wills at Larkspur Ceremonies, Emma Lane Designs, Fran from WildatHeart Tipis, Tim from FloorfillersEntertainment, Sue from Finishing Touches, Ricci from Your Moment Photography, Osh Gosh Gowns, Wilderness Ways, Zoky Saunascape, The Gleeson’s Good Life, Top Farm Enterprises, Bread & Cheese, Heather’s Kitchen,Venison!
Earlier this year during the parkland restoration project we identified several trees that would be suitable to make some benches. These trees were felled, cut to length and taken to Dan Emerson sawmill in Horncastle where they were cut into beams. After a period drying, they were carefully shaped into benches and sanded before positioning in ‘the view’ where many couples choose to have their celebrant ceremony. We love them and they are a beautiful addition to the wedding venue here & are very locally sourced!!
Elsewhere we have been busy mowing, strimming, trimming back grass on the verges, tidying overhanging branches on walks and within the grounds of arboretum and Old Hall Lawn ready for our events & weddings here.
May madness! It’s been lovely to talk and share our venison with you this month – whether you came to the Lincs Makers Artisan Market, Outdoor Festival launch at Gunby Hall, Louth Farmers Market, Waddington Food & Drink Fayre or our Celebrating the Outdoors Open Day at the weekend.
We are now stocking up ready for events at the end of June, although we still have a good range of venison joints including fillet, haunch & sirloin as well as some prime lean mince and burgers available. To place an order for collection from the farm office please ring Tina on 01507 578236
At last we have had some rain! 27mm of rain fell in May with 26mm of this in the last week. Couple this with an exceptionally dry April and we have had crops struggling in the lighter/sandier areas of the farm. These crops have lost tillers on the plant as there was not enough moisture to support more, as each surviving tiller produces a seed head this means less seed heads therefore lower yield. There is a photo of a poor area below.
Spring crops especially sugar beet have struggled to germinate in places but now we have rain they should catch up quite quickly given the warm damp conditions. In the more forward areas of sugar beet we have used a tractor and hoe to pull up weeds that are growing between the rows of beet. This reduces the reliance on herbicides and will pull out any “weed” beet that is growing between the rows.
Our SFI and Countryside Stewardship agreements has been renewed for another year, every year we have to declare what we have done and what we plan to do the following year. This requires some office time and thought as to how best fit in the environmental benefits we bring to the local area and combine this with viable areas of production. These schemes are vital for the financial viability of the farm and fit in well with our regenerative practices going forward.
This is also the time of year where we plan ahead for next year’s rotation, we try not to grow more than 2 crops of wheat or barley in a row before planting a break crop such as Oilseed Rape, Beans, Sugar Beet or Grass. This approach gives higher yields and adds diversity into the rotation, spreads risk and helps spread the workload at harvest as different crops come ready at slightly different times. We are introducing some quality wheat varieties that will hopefully be used in bread making and biscuits if they meet the specification. These require some more attention to grow that a lower quality animal feed wheat but are more valuable to sell.
We have also made our first cut silage that will be used to feed the cattle and deer this coming winter. This is made from a mix of grass, clovers, and herbs in what is termed “herbal ley.” This diversity of species provides more protein and better quality silage. It is not quite as high yielding as a straight grass mixture but requires a lot less fertiliser to grow as the clover fixes nitrogen from the air and puts it into the soil where the other species can use it.
The next big job on the farm will be harvest and due to the weather this spring it is looking like it will be slightly earlier than usual. The preparation for harvest has started by getting the combine serviced and ready to go. Trailers have been serviced and brake tested so we know they are safe. It is vital for farms to be safe especially when everybody is busy and on the road a lot at harvest.
The calving season has begun! So far we have seen about a dozen calves in the mums’ favourite hiding spots of long grass and nettles. Luckily, red deer are very good at giving birth independently but we check the deer enclosures at least twice a day to ensure that all is well with the calving hinds.
We have been struggling with grazing; the lack of rain has prevented grass from growing quite as much as it ordinarily does at this time of year which also hampers nutrition levels. As the historic parkland that is home to our deer is protected we are unable to apply fertiliser to help with grass growth. Thankfully the recent rainfall has helped.
As mentioned on the farming update, our first cut of silage was good quality and we now have over 400 bales stock & stacked ready for the winter. After baling by Fricks the bales were very quickly & efficiently moved by Neve & Jamie before the crows had a chance to peck them & break the wrap and reduce the quality of the feed. Good work team!
Reared here on the farm, professionally butchered & packaged for us by local butchers and labelled here, we deliver direct to your door in our veni-van across Lincolnshire, freshly frozen venison is also available for delivery nationwide!
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