Combining 2022
Louisa Ellerker
Over the last few weeks, we have been bringing the oat harvest in. Currently we grow our grains in land parcels off the farm in Standen and Chailey so not many people see this happening! Transporting the combine from place to place is one of the fun logistical starts to the harvest. We have a 1995 Massey Ferguson combine harvester which is still small enough for Maya to navigate up the winding roads to Standen, unlike most modern combines which are so large they need a fleet of escort vehicles. This year the combine needed a few repairs, which is where Richard Evans’ web-like network of machinery suppliers never fails to impress us. It is probably one of the most dusty, itchy, and sweaty jobs we do, as oats are an incredibly dusty grain. Yet the satisfaction of seeing a full trailer of homegrown oats to feed our pigs and chickens and give milking parlour snacks to our cows throughout the next year makes it totally worth it and we have a lot of fun doing it too!
