A farmer’s daybook is where they note everything going on with their herd; milk yields, health, behaviours, emotional states. Our online daybook is where you can keep up to date with the latest goings-on on the farm.
Maya, Miriam and Louisa kicked the year off by attending the Oxford Real Farming Conference.
The farm and garden team have just planted almost a thousand plants on the farm to create a new hedge.
It has long been a policy of Biodynamic husbandry to keep cattle with horns. As well as the aesthetic value, the horns have an important function in the life of the cow.
Your choice to shop directly with your local farms is more important than you may realise.
Approaching the halfway mark in my 2-year placement here at Old Plaw Hatch Farm, the coming of the shorter days has allowed me to reflect on what has been one hell of a ride this past year.
Growing vegetables in a political climate that has very little understanding of how food actually gets from the producer to anyone’s kitchen table (let alone the unpredictability of that same climate) means we are very grateful to the crops that have been successes, and we move on quickly from those that were or are, to put it bluntly, failures. Let me briefly talk you through our growing year so far…
Recently we’ve seen a real surge in new customers and have also noticed that existing customers are coming much more frequently and seem to be doing the majority of their food shopping with us. These changes are rarely down to one thing, and I believe at the moment there are several reasons.
Firstly, because we would really love you to. Of course, at an AGM there is the dry procedural stuff, it’s a legal requirement, but there is so much more. It’s an opportunity to hear directly from the people who grow your food.
The summer is flying by and we have already started to get the first harvests off the fields like onions, potatoes and squash. The Spring was very late this year, however, Summer is not over yet.
Recently we’ve seen a real surge in new customers and have also noticed that existing customers are coming much more frequently and seem to be doing the majority of their food shopping with us. These changes are rarely down to one thing, and I believe at the moment there are several reasons.
Read MoreThe milking parlour is like a bridge between the farm and the dairy. Connecting the pasture and the daily life of the herd to the bottling of milk, cheese and yoghurt making; the parlour is that transition point of receiving this gift from the land and from the cows.
Read MoreMichael Moon has been working as a volunteer at Plaw Hatch Farm since 2009.
Read MoreAs many of you may know, I love food. I still get very excited by the produce coming from the Plaw Hatch garden and never more so than at this time of year. My summer suppers are variations on a theme but almost always involve courgettes, beans and tomatoes. These are my favourites.
Read MoreThe prolonged dry conditions and intense heat have had a significant effect on everyone at the farm.
Read MoreMuch like the strength of one’s coffee, choice of cheddar maturity is entirely personal. We’ll now be cutting our mild cheddar much younger to provide a greater range to our customers.
Read MoreWinston, our Sussex bull, will be 10 years old in August this year. During his time here he has sired nearly 200 calves, many of which have been raised here on the farm.
Read MoreAfter 11 years in the role of Dairy Manager, Tali has moved on to new challenges.
Read MoreSo long, and thanks for all the milk!
Read MoreWith the autumn calving almost finished, newly calved cows are coming back into the milking herd.
Read MoreWe are currently raising three calves in the pen by the cow yard. They receive fresh warm milk twice daily and they are always excited to see the milk bucket arrive. The group consists of one dairy heifer (future milking cow) and male/female twins.
Read MoreAlthough there are two main calving groups for spring and autumn, having a few cows calving between these periods can help to maintain milk supplies at an adequate level.
Read MoreOn Wednesday 8th September, Plaw Hatch hosted the RMPA AGM for members to learn about all things milk.
Read MoreCows don’t only naturally eat grass, they’ll often snack on hedges, trees and other shrubs that they can get to as well.
Read MoreBull calves are a contentious issue in the dairy industry. Herdsman, Robin Hall, explains how keeping dual purpose breeds gives value to these animals’ lives.
Read MoreWe are increasingly talk about the weather becoming unpredictable, but Robin wonders if it always has been.
Read MoreWith the grazing season well underway, milk production is picking up.
Read MoreIn the last month with many calves born and the cows going out to pasture the change in the milk is quite stark. Not only are the herd giving us over double the daily quantity of a couple of months ago, but the qualities of the milk are quite different. The milk is thicker, with more cream and a savoury note that balances the natural sweetness of the milk.
Read MoreRobin and Maya went on an AI course recently which means they can now carry out this important work in-house.
Read MoreThe story of how raw milk became a novel product reveals much about the evolution of our food systems. Robin Hall, Herdsman, tells the story of how processed milk came about. However, the advances in science of the 20th and 21st Centuries and rigorous hygiene and testing mean that raw milk is safe and arguably more nutritious than it’s processed counterpart.
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What we’re doing for our cows and customers.