An Introduction I am sure that regular walkers in the village have been through the Polehanger Farm River Woodland at some point, but even if you have yet to pass through, or are new to the area, I want to share with you the plans we have for the woodland over the coming months. But […]
The Polehanger Farm River Woodland Read More »
Many of us appreciate the local area using the footpaths that criss-cross our countryside. With Spring arriving, there will be the chance to make the most of longer and warmer days, budding and blossoming plants, and the wide array of birds, insects and mammals that can be observed out in the open. As the opportunities
A Guide to Using Footpaths Through Farmland Read More »
Unfortunately, this year we fell victim to a surprisingly rare occurence of a field fire. Considering the required dry conditions for harvest this is only the third time in my lifetime that I can remember a harvest time fire and this is by far the most destructive. The fire took hold on the field known
Polehanger Field Fire Read More »
Weather . . . or not BBC website weather summary on 4th November. “One of the warmest October months on record gives way to a mild start for November. It will turn colder as we move through the month and this will bring some night-time frosts. It looks set to be a rather unsettled month
A complex issue: GM Crops Read More »
Weather . . . or not I’m sure I will have mentioned this before (if so I can’t recall when) but I often say to friends visiting from abroad that ‘we don’t have climate, only weather’: and so it has proved to be these last few weeks, especially the one straddling the end of September
Rhino: a month in the life of an Oil Seed Rape plant Read More »
That was a quick two months. Summer stuttering and stumbling into autumn almost unnoticed. I like September and October. A time of harvest, ‘mellow fruitfulness’ and new beginnings (as far as next year’s autumn sown crops are concerned at least). It’s also the start of the domestic rugby season, though I haven’t played for a
Crop Rotation: Oakley gives way to Rhino Read More »
Weather or not Remember my comments a month ago; and remember also that I am writing a month before you read this. How do you remember the weather in June? We had a week away in Devon in the middle of the month and that county was rapidly rehydrating whilst we were there! There was
Weather or not Today (6th June) my heart is singing (quietly to itself, you understand) like the blackbird in the rain in our garden. We have had the best part of 20 hours of steady rain which, together with a couple of decent rains a week or so ago, at last brings some welcome relief
Global Food Shortages Read More »
Weather or not The very dry weather continues. Only 12” have fallen since the beginning of September 2010. This is very bad news for crops in this area, particularly those sown in the spring. Our winter wheat is suffering and we estimate a potential yield loss of 25% as I write, and it’s likely to
Weather or not Provisional Met Office rainfall figures show that March 2011 was the driest for 60 years across the UK and for 100 years in some parts of eastern England. At the moment rainfall distribution is following last year’s pattern of a very dry spring which brings challenges on the farm (see below). How
Farming and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Read More »