NEWSLETTER ARTICLES
Training days on Tir Gofal farms
On the 23rd May, our farm hosted an arable option training day, run on behalf of CCW by IGER..
The day started with coffee followed by a number of interesting presentations on the benefits to both farmer and environment of the various arable options.
Lunch followed with about 15 of us perched round the conservatory avoiding the children’s toys. I had opted to prepare the food, which seemed to go down well – especially the chocolate cake! Making it had made me acutely aware of how difficult it is to source all British ingredients for even the simplest of meals.
After lunch, we made our way round our 3 field arable rotation – we are paid for one unsprayed winter stubble following a spring sown cereal which may be in any one of the 3 fields. We have wide grass margins round all 3 fields but again are only paid for one. This results from our inability to predict what we would grow where over the next 10 years when our management agreement started. Hopefully, by year 5 we can add the other fields and get some payment for those too. This year we have 2 fields of oats and one of Swedes – a total of 15 acres.
This discussion was all very practical and included a simple demonstration of soil pH testing. I have certainly altered my plans of future crops as a result of the day. All though our arable rotation is rather small and amateur compared with some other Tir Gofal farmers attending, the discussion was as much aimed towards their enterprises as it was to ours and everyone seemed to be satisfied with the day.
Everyone had drifted off by about 4pm well fortified with tea and left over cake
The IGER staff were excellent and I look forward to attending future training days on other people’s farms.
Anna Zakharova, Ty-Brith
