MOST days during the last week were dry, with the exception of Thursday, when it rained nearly all day depositing a grand total of 19.5mm (about three quarters of an inch).

The timing of the rain was just right as first cut silage making on Manor, Stowell and Chuggaton Farms was completed in the dry.

The first process in the making of silage is cutting the crop. On Manor and Chuggaton farms the crop was grass, but on Stowell farm lucerne was harvested.

After cutting, the green crop was left to wilt for 24 hours, to reduce the moisture content just a little before it was ensiled. The crop was then collected into manageable rows,using a large rake, before the forage harvester was ready to begin it's work.

On all three farms a contractor was employed to do the forage harvesting and here we also used contractors to rake up and work on the clamp. The forage harvester collected the grass and chopped it. During this process an inoculant of a lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) was added to the crop, to boost the numbers of these naturally occurring organisms, to help the fermentation.

Ian, Ryan and Richard spent their time taking the grass to the barn in large silage trailers, where the tele-handler operator layered it up into a well compressed wedge shape.

Removing as much air as possible will produce favourable conditions for the anaerobic bacteria to begin breaking down the sugars in the crop. As the lactic acid bacteria begin to work, acids will be produced, so lowering the pH until it reaches between 4.3 and 4.7 after a few weeks.

It took just two-and-a-half days days days to cut, wilt and put the grass from 120 acres into the silage clamp. It was then covered with a large plastic sheet and weighed down with old tyres so that no air could get in. Hopefully we have produced the best possible conditions for fermentation to take place, to give us a high quality fodder for our cattle next winter. Lucerne is a little more difficult to make into good silage, as it has a low sugar content, so adding a bacterial inoculant is recommended.

It does however have a high yield once established and is high in calcium and protein, so less high protein supplements are needed.

Following silage making it was time to do more field work. Kevin and Ian had to finish spraying a fungicide on some of the cereal crops, while on Manor and Chuggaton Farms there was an opportunity to spread dirty water from the slurry stores onto some of the freshly cut fields. Ian has also put some nitrogen fertiliser on all the cut pasture.

On Stowell Farm, the sheep are still the focus of the workload.

The early lambs, born in January, have been weighed to check whether any of them are ready for sale. The lambs, born from the beginning of March onwards are being vaccinated as they become over three weeks old, which is when passive immunity given to them via colostrum begins to wane.

They are given two doses four to six weeks apart, to protect them against pasteurella and a number of clostridial diseases. Pasteurella is the biggest sheep killer, with the organisms which cause the disease being widespread in soil. It is often when the sheep are stressed or in bad weather that disease can occur. Even if the lambs survive it can do untold damage to their lungs.

At this time of year, the ewes have thick fleeces and the weather is becoming warmer, so they are treated with a fly repellent, at the same time as the lambs are vaccinated, to prevent them getting fly strike.

It will not be long until the Bath and West of England show takes place, where I will be stewarding the Village Green section of the show. I always enjoy the show, which has some added attractions this year, including our daughter Melissa with her Shetland Pony Performance Team, racing in the main arena each day.