Neighbouring farmer to the rescue

I recently wrote about the state of our grazing fields in the current drought. We haven’t had a drop of rain here since April. This put paid to our normal practice of rotating the sheep around each field so that they benefit from the re-growth in between. Nothings growing. I’ve already started giving the sheep hay and have continued giving them supplementary feed which by this time after lambing I would have tapered off. I know that many of my smallholding friends are facing similar difficulties.

Luckily a neighbouring farmer noticed my plight and offered, unsolicited, use of a two acre field which “still has some green in it”. What's more, before I moved the sheep he applied fertiliser and irrigated the field so that it would green up further, which it has. All for a joint of our pork in return.

I had to buy an electric fence kit suitable for sheep because the field is unfenced. This did not take long to set up. It will be useful for the future either on my own holding to subdivide fields, or any other land I might have temporary access to in the future. 

We moved the sheep up by trailer in three lots and they have settled well in their new surroundings. I check them two or three times each day which is not onerous as they are barely half a mile away. 

Thank you Anthony.