Any other harvest widows out there?!

[Lala1980]

Hello. Lonely and frustrated harvest widow would love to chat/vent with other farmers' WAGs...

Hey saggy. DH (and this is his opinion as a dairyman who thinks of cows rather than horses, so he's a hay perfectionist) thinks the hay is shit because it's "gone over".

I'm over the moon with the hay he's produced off two of our fields, because the first cut is mostly dead grass and stalks and is indeed, very, very poor quality compared to "normal hay". It's perfect for my cobs & lusitanos because it has no nutritional value, so I can feed masses of it in bulk without limiting them. and hopefully they'll loose weight because they put on weight with fresh air.

Other fields have produced some absolutely cracking hay- it all depends on the leys we have down. Our rye grass leys have shot up and are stalky and crappy, Whereas our traditional meadow leys are fabulous because there is still a lot of green growth in them. Second cut will probably be better. if we can make it

There will be a LOT of hay about, just not brilliant quality, so if you're looking for rocket fuel, then you'll struggle, if you're looking for "bulk", then you probably won't.

And "wuffling" - Gentleotter will correct me, but I think it's the coloquialism in her area for turning hay. :)

Morning!

Yes, wuffling is turning hay. I don't wuffle as it is done here with an ancient Davie Brown with no cab and it gives me the Fear.

The hay here is not too bad this year as we are later than everyone else, shorter growing season and yay for this week of sunshine as another week of rain would have seen it go over. The other fields were turned into either silage or haylage.

I think the price of hay and straw will go up this year. Potatoes certainly will as it has been a dreadful year for them and yields are well down.

I´m not a farmer, just wanted to say...this thread is fascinating! You all work so hard while I sit around moaning about my office job

Straw prices will definitely go up because the corn yields are down because of the weather. I think wheat is hitting £190/T whereas this time last year it was around £150/T.

DH was up at 4am twat because his poxy bloody alarm woke me up to go and spray. I'm on rowing up duties later because he wants to get a 10 acre field baled today so he can do 30 acres tomorrow before the rain. DFIL is hay turning and has already arrived and drunk 2 cups of coffee

BornStroppy - welcome. :) TBH, it's not so much a "job", it's a way of life. You just get on with it, because it needs to be done and no-one else is there to do it. Farmers are "obsessive" and don't stop from dawn until dusk. You get so used to it, you just don't notice any more.

And there are many perks (as well as downsides), although the majority of people wouldn't see them. Being able to watch young hares boxing in the spring on your hay fields, red kites hunting, being able to manage your farm for wildlife as well as commercial farming (we have 4 species of bats on the farm, for e.g., as well as yellow hammers, sky larks, cuckoos, lapwings and red kites). And one winter, DH was lambing out early one morning and saw the northern lights! (We're in Wales).

Oh, dh casually mentioned we are doing the shearing tonight after the bailing.

We have a small flock of fat Wensleydales. Massive sheep. I am in two minds whether to get a wool cheque from the Wool Board or have it processed into spun yarn.
It is difficult to find a decent mill and the only ones I know are either in Cornwall or Orkney.

It has been lovely to meet you all!
V.sunny here but dp and his dad in major panics as ground too wet and combine will sink.
Wheat and barley still in the ground and the boys are talking about it not being cut as malting barley but I dont know what that means! Dp's dad says its the worst harvest in his lifetime... we're in Wiltshire.

Ps rape and some winter barley cut dried and stored before the rain.

Lala - malting barley is the absolute best quality you can get. If it is too wet then it goes as feed barley. The drying costs are astronomical.
Our barley/ oats last year came in around 27/29 and had to be dried to 16. This year, the oats never grew at all but the (feed) barley is plodding on. Our harvest will not start for a few weeks yet.

Lala - not being cut as malting barley (I'm going with a wheat analogy here so please someone correct me if I'm wrong) means you still cut it but you can't sell it as malting barley - just as barley therefore you lose the premium paid for malting.

E.g. we grow feed wheat; cheap and cheerful to grow. Others grow milling wheat which has higher input costs therefore you rely on the premium paid for milling to make it viable/profitable.

Straw is going to go up in value this year. Not only a wheat yields looking on the pants side but very few farmers will bale and sell because 1) they want to get on and get next yrs crop in and haven't got time to faff about waiting for balers and 2) compaction is the enemy and this year is not a good year to have stuff running all over the wet ground.

My "the fear" moment is coming up later today. We'll be pushing up the rape in our oldest smallest shed and it's quite a skill not to reverse the JCB into the back of the shed in attempt to get the heap to such a height that Dad and DH don't moan. Every year I have a close moment, one year I'm going to do it!

gentleotter can you do anything with the spun yarn yourself?

quiettiger my favourite time on the farm is on a summers evening when it's all sunny and calm and just beautiful and you just see at early dusk an owl hunting along the ELS margins. Makes you feel at peace with the world!

bornstroppy a farmer can out moan an office worker any day - they always have something to moan about. Heard the old one about the farmer that goes to the prostitute but he doesn't have much luck......first it's too dry.......then it's to wet............then he can't get the damn machinery started!

Wheat/ oats for milling have to be dried to 6.

freerangelady - there will be 30 fleeces and I bring to spinning what Keith Richards brings to wallpaper design.
I have tried Lanark many times but they are hopeless.

Yes, farmers would win gold in the Moan Olympics.

The Fear moments are many. We have a very steep hill and the tractor tips to almost tip over point. It is insane and I drive past that bit with my eyes shut.
Falling into rabbit/ mole diggings is scary too. The ground just gives way and the tractor drops. I think I swallowed my own tongue the last time it happened.

Moan Olympics! I like it!

I sometimes think I have the best of both worlds - faming life at home and demanding career at work. And other days I feel like I have the worst! I am most frustrated by his ability to be able to say "I won't be in til 11 tonight because (insert reasonable farming activity)" but because I am entirely responsible for the DCs, I don't get to have the same flexibility at work because it has to be planned as a military operation. So my work sometimes has to suffer because I HAVE to pick DCs up from school/childcare etc.

Does anyone else have a farming husband but their own off farm career and manage children as well? There is a possibility that I may be offered the business I work in to buy in the next 2-3 years and I am wondering if we are biting off more than we can chew!

Lol @ the fear! The old chap that owned our yard bought himself a nice shiny David Brown tractor, and promptly removed the cab. It had a new clutch, and apparently the first time he tried to drive it the from wheels left the floor! He gave himself the fear, and it's been sitting in the back of the barn ever since!
As for malting barley, I live near the maltings at Mistley. On a clear day, the Horlicks smell is overpowering! I love it!

Thanks for the hay info. We've been offered mediocre hay at £25 a bale and straw at £10. Farmer Bob who I caught up with this morning, reckons that the straw is a bargain, but that there will probably be loads of our type of hay, --pony fodder/crap hay) for less than that price, so we're going to hold out!

Thanks for the hay info. We've been offered mediocre hay at £25 a bale and straw at £10. Farmer Bob who I caught up with this morning, reckons that the straw is a bargain, but that there will probably be loads of our type of hay, --pony fodder/crap hay) for less than that price, so we're going to hold out!

Proper laughing at the thought of popping David Brown wheelies but can smell The Fear.
Had a Bat out of Hell album cover moment on the David Brown and vowed Never Again. The clutch was glued with hen poo unpredictable and the wuffler was turning. I nearly got wuffled.

I think being wuffled sounds quite nice! That's what we call it round here, when a horse nibbles you with its lips looking for treats! or the stallion snuffles your leg to see if you're up for a shag! It's. Great term for turning the hAy though, especially if you are doing it the old fashioned way with the horse drawn swath(er)!
I got the fear when the ransomed steam thrasher turned up! Far to many flappy belts and bitey moving parts!

Saggy - I wOuld love to see an old horse powered farm! I often think about what life was like on our farm in olden times. Our neighbour is nearly 90 and remembers horses on his farm.

Lady - I'm interested to what others reply too I don't have kids yet but I do have my own career off dh's farm )albeit on my farm). I know dh and my dad think I'm secretly playing at farming but my mum and I seriously think I can run the business. I guess the best of both is that we try to combine the business. I get really torn about this, I spent a long time as an independent career girl but I always wanted a family in the country. Now I've got that, I love the idea of it but the lack of independence scares me. How old are your dc? Is it a business you can employ people to help you out in?

Free, I'd imagine it was every bit as hard as farming is today, just on a smaller scale! In my time I planted potatoes by hand, turned hay and cocked it with a pitch fork and carted muck! --amongst other things. Farmers back then must have had backbones of steel!

I love watching the traditional ploughman with his two Clydesdales at the annual ploughing match. It must have been hellish hard work and slow going. We still have bridles up in the bothy where they have hung untouched since the 1970s. There is something very poignant about them although my friend told me to give them a good going over with neatsfoot and they would be fine.

Lady and freerange- have you spoken to any other women in a similar situation to yourselves? There is a Rural Businesswomen's network and they might be worthwhile voicing your concerns, the pros and cons, viability etc

There is Bailer Adoration going on in the farmyard. I have come in to sulk.

For sale or to swap:
Feral little boy. Won't put his pants on and has stuck advertising gonks about his person but is wearing wellies. Talks incessantly.
Willing to swap for a pot of jam.

Link to WIRE Rural businesswoman network.

Thanks Gentleotter - will have a look into that later.

I know one or two women farming in their own right but not many. Most of my farming wife friends have quite young kids and either don't work or do something small on the husbands farm. None seem particularly ambitious for either themselves, their DH's or their farm. Nothing wrong with that of course but surely there's a middle way somewhere!

Pah! Clydesdales! Suffolk Punches are what you want!
One man and two horses could plough one acre in a day apparently!

Thanks for the link Gentle; you KNOW you aren't as interesting as a new baler!
I think my problem is I know I'll be taking on a massive responsibility. I am already a salaried partner but been sort of offered the whole lot to buy when the current equity partner retires in a few years. This means I would own the whole lot, have about 12 employees and be responsible for everything.

I keep thinking that I wouldn't even be questioning my ability to do this if I were a man!

freerange It's very hard as (generalising horribly) farmers are generally not your "new man" type and often consider children, and babies in particular, to be "women's work". I am happy to be told that I am wrong in this and that other farming DH's are happy getting stuck in with the nappies and bottles but its not my experience. The unpredictability of farming ("the tractor's broken; there's something calving; the herdsman's off sick;" etc) means that somebody has to reliably be able to look after the children. Our situation is made slightly worse in that we don't actually live in the farmhouse, it's still occupied by PIL and we are in a cottage down the lane, so DH can't even look up at night without me being at home. If your DH is a bit more modern than mine, he might be more amenable to taking some responsibility sometimes! (Although, if he thinks you are "playing" at farming, maybe not!!) My DCs are 3 and 5, so life is a lot easier now. Would you get a lot of help/childcare from your PILs or Mum? My PILs refused to help when they were babies and I really needed it because I was going mad but are a lot better now that DCs are potty trained/talk/eat normally/can "do" things!

Happy to swap your DS for my DD Gentle?

We manage it Freerange in that DH & I do it as a 50/50 partnership. He makes all the "practical" decisions, i.e. what crop, where, but we discuss it all and make joint decisions as I have degrees in agricultural/conservation management.

I do all the admin and finance side, including the SFP applications etc, and we are in the process of taking our farm business from a "family subsistence farm" (PIL did the whole money in=money out with not too big an overdraft and were tighter than a ducks arse) to a fully profitable/self sustainable agricultural business with farm investment, diversification and expansion.

I'm very lucky in that DH is very open to new ideas & although has "traditional" farming ideas, sees me very much as an equal - I have equal say, although he has final call on the crop rotation.

Although, DH does have a health disrespect for "book learning" as he put it. We found a farm management plan I wrote for an upland farm for the final year of my degree. When he read it, he was crying with laughter. His best comment was, "Only you would have 200 cows on 120 acres, no staff and spend £72,000 on dry stone walling and £63,000 on fencing!" In my defence, I was using a lot of grants and I was only 20! and thought I knew it all