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June 2025
Posted Sunday 1st June, 2025
We’re in the midst of our calving season here on the farm, the team have decided to invest in a very neat piece of technology to help aid us. As you know we have little interaction with our cattle as we like them to graze at their own free will and live as natural a life as possible. During times when cattle are due to give birth we like to try and make sure everything is happening as it should be but after a few tricky births and without our knowledge in the middle of the night has led to a couple of unfortunate losses.
The ’Moo call’ device is attached to the pregnant mother’s tail as she nears the end of her pregnancy and going on the tail movements we now are notified when a cow is making irregular movements. The device texts Ben and Shawn to alert them that a specific cow is close to giving birth and may indeed be doing so! Going off GPS it can also give a location so there is no need to search every single field in the middle of the night! So far we’ve had four births using the devices and fingers crossed all have worked in the way we wanted!
We also recently got our flock of breeding ewes and rams sheared. This is an important moment in our farming calendar as the reduction of a year’s worth of wool can help the sheep regulate their body temperature easier during warm periods and it also helps avoid parasite infestations which sometimes make home within.
The wool which many years ago would have been the reason for rearing the sheep is used here on our farm in other ways which you may not expect. The Fordhall Community Land Initiative (FCLI) will be using the wool as mulch in newly planted hedgerows to discourage weeds and provide insulation going into winter months. Any left over after this will be used on boggy pathways across the farm which will allow for greater accessibility in winter months for those wishing to visit our farm and taking one of our trails or walks.
We also use recycled sheep’s wool in our order boxes, not from our own sheep but is washed British wool and is the perfect natural solution to keeping heat out the cold in. Nature has a funny way of knowing best!
