Good afternoon,
Blimey, it is August already. The weather this summer has been disappointing - both personally (seasonal affective disorder should be limited to the winter months…) and for the cattle.
We’re known as a beef farm, but really we’re a grass farm. Our game is converting sunshine into food, via grass and we go about it by building soil health, and trying to mow / graze / leave it at the exact right time according to the weather forecast - there should be a support group for anyone relying on the weather forecast at the moment.
The grass growth cycle produces deliciously lush pasture filled with digestible cellulose in spring, but an unpalatable & undigestible woody stem once it has set seed. Grazing & mowing starts the cycle again, so we get several crops each year.
This year, the wet spring meant the cattle went out much later in the grass cycle so the quality wasn’t what it should have been. They don’t eat as much when it doesn’t taste as good, and what they do eat is higher in fibre and lower in starch so they loose condition and take longer to finish. They are also late calving this summer, which we think is because of the grass quality earlier in the summer.
We’ve had plenty of rain since the very dry June and the grass is growing nicely again. Now we want a spell of glorious late summer sunshine… don’t we all!
Trenchmore Suppers
Join us next Friday evening for the first of our farm to table suppers…
Welcome drink
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Classic beef tartare with wagyu fat tacos
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Slow cooked beef with pressed potatoes and seasonal Shrub veggies
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Summer fruits with cream and toasted almonds
Vegan & GF available, pre-book only