In farming, it's a careful, slow process; you're always planning far in advance, and in many ways, autumn is the start of the farming year.
We're very much thinking ahead to spring and even to what lambs we'll have to sell in the late summer. The outcomes of our decisions today will affect the number and quality of lambs we have to sell next year.
After their pre-breeding health check the rams, or tups, were put to the ewes last week, which will mean lambing will start on 15th April next year - 147 days for the sheep's gestation. The rams will serve roughly 80 ewes each across the breeding season, which lasts for six weeks - they're going to be busy boys!
As you're out and about across Matson Ground and the Lakes in autumn you might notice the rams in the fields sporting a harness. This holds a coloured crayon, which marks the sheep's back once it's been served. This helps us keep count of how many sheep each ram has served - it's a very handy planning and monitoring tool. The crayon colour is changed every week from yellow and orange to red, through to green, blue and lastly black. So we'll know when the sheep will lamb, with the yellows lambing first in early April, through to the blacks in May.
The cattle are moving into the winter grazing, where we've got reserves of grass to see them through the coming months. The native breeds are happy outside all year round.
Let's hope these coming months don't bring any early winter storms and we can all enjoy some glorious, bright, dry days.
If you see me and my team out at work, don't hesitate to stop for a chat.
Pete
