Farming Folk of MN assemble!

[Scrowy]

Just because it annoys me that the rural living topic appears to be populated by people who clearly have no idea what rural actually means.

I know there are loads of us on here. It's our connection to the outside world during the long lambing and silaging nights. Our 'keeper awaker' on nights where you have a cow calving.

So here is the thread for general farming chit chat. Would be nice to have a rough/vague idea of area/farming type and breeds.

Also happy for non farming folk to join in and ask questions about anything farming and food related.

I'm Scrowy. We have a hill farm in the Northern Lakes and we are beef and sheep farmers. Mainly swaledales and Lim xs

[Wolfiefan]

Loitering with intent! Nosy.
Moved from very urban area to much more rural about ten years ago and I bloody love it! Have friends in farming. Huge respect for the incredibly hard work (often for unappreciative customers like massive supermarkets that just want "cheap")
Hankering after a field. Just one! To allow mahoosive hound safe space to run.

[Scrowy]

gladmyou like living rurally.

Supermarkets eh, can't live without them but they do have have a much bigger impact on farming than they should do.

I had a cracking bit of beef from our local farm shop the other day, the same joint would have cost a £3-£5 more to buy in Sainsbury's. Just goes to show how supermarket 'cheap' isn't actually always passed on to the customer.

Just tapping my toes waiting for @WellErr and @Derxa to turn up and keep me company too

[MissMurielStacy]

Hi I'm Muriel, we have an arable farm of 1100 acres of wheat, oilseed rape and beans in the East Mids. I also work on a free range egg farm.

[Scrowy]

MissMuriel welcome!

We have a few laying hens. Out of interest how does the hen poo get cleaned off eggs commercially? I've read that you shouldn't wash eggs but it's a bit icky cracking hen shitty eggs into the frying pan in a morning...

[MissMurielStacy]

@Scrowy the pooey eggs get taken out when we grade them, are washed and sent as seconds. The eggs are very clean on the whole.

The eggs from my own hens I give a wipe with a damp sponge or wash them under the tap just before I use them.

[MissMurielStacy]

Sometimes I don't even wash them. A bit of dirt shit doesn't hurt anyone

[Patriciathestripper1]

Pat here living in rural Ireland near the sea, moved here from uk 10years ago, we Have 8 acres and just got another 8 away from home, not sure what to do with it but is good grassland and Dh wants cows but we know nothing about them.
We have sheep, pigs ducks and chickens (for eggs) and horses.
Grew all out own veg for a while but became too time consuming. Are trying again this year.

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

My dream is to own our own smallholding!! We currently rent on a working farm and have done so for the past 4 years although we are just in the process of buying somewhere and it means back to town life but eventually....hopefully! I love it (not so much the lack of broadband! Dongle is so slow and tooway is too expensive) and dont miss civilisation at all. I really admire farmers we have lots pf friends locally that own farms and the work is exhausting!! Im in east anglia.

[BrassicaBabe]

Rural here. Details of farm not important, but translates as having a DH who is working or asleep! 😆

And I say rural, but village life and in laws on door step gives me the rage. Not rural enough for me! 😄

[Scrowy]

I don't think I know of a single farming family where there isn't issues with inlaws. Such a complex and emotional business relationship.

The threads occasionally pop up on MN where within seconds i am thinking this must be farming and I'm usually right.

[fourpawswhite]

Evening, signing in.

Hill farmers wife, Scotland. Sheep, sheep, sheep, cows, goats, horses, dogs, chickens, contracting, diggers, holiday cottage, wee bit B and B when pushed. I also have another job but cater lambings, shoots, work lambings, help other busy times when I can.

Family farm, dh and BIL and SIL and ahem, retiredin laws. No other neighbours for about five miles.

[Scrowy]

Evening fourpaws what breeds of sheep/cows if you don't mind me asking? (Sorry I'm clueless about anything else!)

It's funny how tourism and farming seem to go hand in hand these days. Not necessarily natural bedfellows but these are the times we live in. Much like how pubs and food weren't always a 'thing' but now it is the norm.

[fourpawswhite]

Absolutely scrowy, B and B is a bit tricky because house usually full of people but cottage is a big part.

Sheep are blackies, mules and meat link crosses. We have about 4000. Plus lambs and hoggs.


Cows are salers and Hereford about 120. We used to have limy cross but they were crazy......also have Angus crosses.

[Scrowy]

We have a little dabble in Herefords. Such a lovely gentle breed.

I roll my eyes at some of the inlaw issues on MN. Nothing in comparison to the normal/standard FOG of farming inlaw issues. I think it's because they usually live very close by and are involved in work and family life so heavily.

[dairyfarmerswife]

Hello! Dairy farm in the west midlands here. 300 cows, spring calving. I'm chief calf rearer/accounts/admin and general assistant.

Love it but currently knackered after rearing 130 odd heifers. Calving over thank goodness but a little way to go before they are all weaned.

[OfficiallyUnofficial]

I'll just park myself here for a bit and join you all. I work in farming and family has arable land but I'm not hands on on the mucky end

My local is generally populated by tractors and lads who really should have gone home for a quick scrub up before settling in if that's counts. I'm in Yorkshire.

[fourpawswhite]

So true. I sometimes think I could fill aibu with Inlaw issues. Mil on doorstep, smile and wave is my motto.
SIL and I are really really close, thank god. It wouldn't work if we weren't. Don't get me wrong we both have our moments but she's my best friend. Just as well because her kids half live in my house so I think she would miss me if we fell out. We are just able to say I am grumpy today, leave me be.

[Scrowy]

dairyfarmerswife we only calve 80 but even that is tough going. 300. Blimey

Do you use any kind of software package for herd/ flock management or do you keep things 'simple' and input to BCMS directly and keep paper records. I'm weighing up options at the moment.

[Patriciathestripper1]

Yes totally agree mil are a minefied.
I never pretend I can bake/cook better even when i know I can and any advice she gives me is always received with a smile

[twinkletoesimnot]

Lovely idea - Hello everyone.
30 pedigree dairy cows of our own, and dh milks cows for a living.

[jennyyard]

Arable farm in south of England over here. Sadly I can't afford to live near my parents now but still get the low down regularly!

[dairyfarmerswife]

scrowy it's full on but over for another year now - I grew up on a sheep farm so it's a bit like lambing to me, I'd hate to be all year round calving. There's 4 and a half of us though, plenty of staff!

I use the Shearwell data app for calf registration and weight recording and I'm playing with migrating the med records across too. The rest is a combination of the computer programme linked to the milking Parlour which is a bit out of date and lots of excel spreadsheets!

I'm lucky, my in-laws retired and moved 25 miles away when we got married. Still help a lot but the distance is useful (for dh too I reckon )

[Ladyflip]

Hello!

Dairy farmer's wife here. I also have a proper full time job but am still dragged into fetching in cows and other odd jobs. Inlaws insisting on living in the farmhouse whilst we are cheek by jowl in the cottage.

There used to be some lovely threads on here called Harvest widows. Anyone remember them?

[GinGeum]

Hellooooo! Arable farmers here. Roughly 2000 acres and mainly cereals. Used to have dairy but now just have a few lingering cows for grazing. OH also does biogas plant farming for another farm.

No MIL issues here - we spend a lot of time together so I can only imagine how miserable life would be if we didn't get on well!

[dairyfarmerswife]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2944148-AIBU-to-think-that-the-UK-cannot-afford-farmers?msgid=69462544#69462544

Anyone fancy coming to help on this thread?!