AFTER a week of chilly breezes the temperature seems to be rising just a little.

So far March has been a fairly dry month, coming in "like a lion", but the forecast seems to suggest that it will not go out "like a lamb".

The drier conditions have enabled field work to be carried out unhindered for most of the month.

One operation completed on Manor Farm was the spreading of lime onto an over-wintered stubble field due to be planted with forage maize.

We regularly have soil samples tested and this particular field was found to have a pH below 6 , so needed an application of lime to raise it a little. Forage maize requires a pH of between 5.8 and 7and has a high demand for nutrients in early growth, with the aim of quick germination and rapid unhindered early growth.

The optimum pH varies for different crops but maintaining a balance between soil nutrients is important as they can interact with each other, with too much of one stopping others from working.

It is also important to know the physical properties of the soils in each field , such as texture, organic matter content and potential rooting depth. Richard has just had two new tyres put onto the back wheels of one of our tractors.

Mid-week, the in-calf heifers and our young Angus bull, named Examiner, were moved from a new grass ley to some permanent pasture.

On this occasion they were rather frisky, so it was a rather energetic event. Fortunately Ryan, Ian, Richard and myself managed to guide them to their new surroundings after a few speedy adjustments to the direction of travel – a few cow ponies would have come in handy.

On Stowell Farm most of the ewes with their new-born lambs are out grazing parkland, with only a small number waiting to give birth. It has been a very busy month making sure all the sheep were in the best possible health before they were turned out onto grass. One very important task has been to make sure all the lambs received colostrum (first milk ) as soon as possible after birth. This will give them antibodies to protect them from certain diseases as well as a nutritious meal to give them a good start in life.

Towards the end of the week, as fewer lambs were being born, Kevin was able to to do some field work. He sprayed a field of over-wintered stubble with a herbicide to kill all the weeds in preparation for the planting of spring barley. He has also put some fertiliser on to his winter oilseed rape, barley and wheat.

At the end of the week I had a long chat with Adele, who told me that their last cow had calved, so no more calves till the autumn.

She also told me that Steve had bought a new hedge-cutter and had managed to find a small second-hand tractor to be used with a scraper to clear slurry from the yard. The fields to be planted with forage maize have been spread with some slurry from the store and none of their cattle have been turned out yet, due to the wet ground and lack of grass.

The new Angus bull on Chuggaton Farm has settled in well. His name is Regal Papa and was bought a few months after we bought Examiner, originating from the same farm.

I have recently been working at Roves Farm, helping to host classes of primary school children. We take the children for a tractor ride, a walk to look for signs of spring, give an introduction to the farm animals including, cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry, then meet all the pets.

Hopefully the children left the farm knowing a little more about where their their food comes from.