NOT much farming has been done by myself and Richard during the last week. Most of the time has been spent at The Royal Bath and West Showground, near Shepton Mallet, on stewarding duties.

On two days Ian's wife Jenny was and additional steward, with farming friend Barbara helping on another day .The weather was mainly cloudy , with a rather chilly breeze , which became quite blustery at times. The evening before the show it rained quite heavily,fortunately it was followed by a a strong wind , which dried the ground well. There were quite a few changes to the show layout this year , which meant that we were located on the Main Lawn , behind the grandstand. The Village Church , Guide Tent and School moved with us , soon becoming familiar with their new position. There were plenty of activities for children at these venues and the ornate bandstand was used for a full programme of entertainment which included a steel band , a military band including a lady who also sang some rousing songs , singing groups and Morris Men . We were also entertained by a theatrical group called "The Slinkies "! The old Village Green area was a food hub , with a large marquee canopy standing over the green, filled with tables and chairs where people could take their food and listen to a variety of live bands. The showground was buzzing with activity and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

During the week on Stowell Farm 1,100 sheep were shorn . These were the rams, ewe lambs (lambs born spring 2015 ), the ewes that lambed late and a number of older ewes. There were 4 shearers lead by Martin , who completed the job in a day. All wool is sold through the Wool Marketing Board , which supply the large wool sacks , collected when full of fleeces and taken into storage prior to sale.. Wool prices are lower this year in a tough global market, with prices ranging from 61p/ Kg to £1.18/Kg depending on the breed of sheep with coarser wools suffering more. Chinese interest has seen an increased demand for fine and medium wools , with fine wools from Llyens and Texels expected to average £1.02 p/Kg. The carpet wool market is tougher due to the price boundaries being pushed by retailers and an increased use of polypropylene.

On Manor Farm Ian has had an eventful week. A puncture in the tyre of the stock trailer had to be repaired and the vet was called to put a protective shoe on the hoof of a lame cow. Then without warning a military helicopter flew very low over the milking cows , causing them to become distressed . Whilst Ian was in the field trying to pacify them it flew over a second time at which point they stampeded through the fences, almost knocking Ian over. Our vet had to be called to treat 2 cows with leg injuries and check two that subsequently aborted. Then one morning later in the week there were two separate incidents in and around a barn of straw, during which time bales were damaged and electric fences broken , but luckily none of the cattle escaped.

Before the Bath and West Show I did manage a walk to see the young heifers that had been turned out a few days earlier . It was an afternoon with a little more sun than of late and the heifers looked very contented in their new surroundings. On route I passed alongside a field of wheat , which I noticed it was well in ear . Our recently planted maize has also germinated , with rows of plants producing a green haze across the fields, but an abundance of weeds in one field meant that Ian had to spray the crop with a herbicide.