was too wet, now too dry!

What a difference a few months make, in March I was complaining about endless rain and now here we are in July with back to back sunshine. Whilst I’m certainly not complaining about the sun, it is causing a few problems here on the farm, obviously we are not the only farmers affected and we are fairing better than most. It is worrying when high prices for straw are already being quoted and feed that would be reserved for the winter is already being fed to hungry animals.

The glorious weather means harvest is getting underway early this year, which is a real bonus.However, the new plants and seeds simply won’t germinate without a bit of the wet stuff. Fields are beginning to look brown and the grass is shrinking and not regrowing. The only plant that is thriving at the moment is ragwort, it is a bumper year for the stuff in the fields and on the roadside. When it is green, it tastes bitter, so the ponies naturally leave it alone. The real danger comes when ragwort turns brown and dry and it actually becomes far more deadly to livestock. Because of the ragwort getting out of control, we have moved a small herd of ponies off their moorland grazing into a regular field —something we would normally never do! However, because the sun has dried up the ground  there is very little goodness left in the grass.. The silver lining is that laminitis won’t be a problem for them this time around.

The heat is tough on everyone, and all the animals are feeling a bit of heat stress at the moment, especially with the flies being such a nuisance. It has been three years now since we said goodbye to the dairy cows, and while I still miss them terribly, I am secretly relieved they don't have to suffer through this intense heat.

Our chickens have also been making the most of the shade, spending a lot of time inside the big coops. We have decided against using the smaller, private coops for now, as they simply get too hot and its too confined for them.

The dry weather also brings an increased fire risk. A combine harvester locally recently caught fire, and we've had a couple of wildfires in the area too. Thankfully, our local fire crews have responded incredibly quickly and have managed to bring them under control before they spread further. Thankfully, they're nothing like the devastating fires we've seen in France, Spain and even parts of the UK.

Best of all, our guests have been making the most of the glorious sunshine and thoroughly enjoying their summer holidays the only disappointment has been, not being able to have campfires. It's such a shame because, perhaps more than I realised before, they create a lovely social atmosphere in the evenings. However, with everything so dry, it's simply too risky and it would be irresponsible of us to have them.
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A huge advantage this year has been the roll-up windows on our tents. Being able to let some air circulate through the tents has been a lifesaver in this heat and has made it more comfortable for guests. The gas hobs have also been a real bonus, making that all-important morning cup of tea or coffee much easier, without having to light the stove and add even more heat to the tent.

Let's hope we get a little rain soon – enough to help the farm, but not enough to spoil everyone's summer holidays. Perhaps just at night!

Maddy x