Calf born

What a busy morning! T noticed first thing that a heifer was on calving so brought it in from the field. He couldn't find his calving rope so went to borrow one from his neighbour who came along with his son to help. Luckily he did as the calf was breach as well as being upside down and B was able to calve it down with a live calf! They then had to hang it over a gate to get it to breath by itself. It is still alive with the help of an injection to strengthen its heart together with colostrum which T was able to milk from the heifer and then was fed by tube into its stomach. It will be fed again tonight and the little bull seems much perkier so fingers crossed it will survive and be standing up in the morning!

Meanwhile the FABL inspector (Farm Assured) arrived and sat in the kitchen for a couple of hours inspecting all our records in great detail. For instance when we sprayed such and such a crop on a particular day what was the wind speed? When a carrier comes to collect a load of grain do you note what the lorry was carrying just before? Have you noted what dates you washed the trailers and combine harvestor etc etc. And of course all the cattle passports and medical records. Finally we have just to send three items of information to his office and then will have passed. It is very difficult to sell farm produce now without a FABL or similar quality label.

FABL is the little Red Tractor label one often sees on British produce in the supermarket. The man was a mine of information on other farms, his area covering the south-west and Wales. He told us about a farmer near Cardigan who sells his milk to a certain milk company and so it has to travel to Hampshire to be processed and then some of it comes all the way back again to be sold in the corner shops in his area! When we had a dairy our milk was sent up to London to be consumed.