At Glensaugh we are bringing our winter routine to a close.
At Glensaugh we have started calving our suckler cows, the setting up of our biomass enterprise has reached its final stage and, having cleared away a lot of last years timber, we are now ready to fell more.
Winter at Glensaugh is on hold for the time being, slowing down the alarming depletion of our fodder stocks and allowing us to undertake some value-added work alongside our routine chores.
Glensaugh has endured the third period of ice and snow of the winter. This time the cold has been less severe and the quantity of snow much less than in December. The winter routine of feeding and bedding dominates our lives and there is little time for value added work.
Heavy snow began to fall on 25 November since when we have been storm feeding all of our sheep, a task that is occupying virtually the whole working day.
At Glensaugh we are hard at work on our Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) works.
At Glensaugh the season’s livestock work is almost complete as we sell remaining lambs and calves and begin housing stock for the winter. The last of our spring born suckled calves will be sold at Forfar on Saturday.
At Glensaugh we are continuing to market our livestock. The last of the deer calves (2009 crop) have been sold and sheep marketing continues.
At Glensaugh we are continuing to sell finished lambs from grass, always reducing overall stocking density as we move towards autumn.
The first of Glensaugh’s 2010 lamb crop were sold on 18 August and averaged £69 per head. The market remains strong.
Glensaugh has been enjoying a period of calm as staff take holidays and livestock graze peacefully on the hill during this time of plenty.
Glensaugh, like most of Britain, has had a dry season to date, but enough rain has fallen recently to keep grass growing and to interfere with hay and silage making.
Links:
[1] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/28-march-11
[2] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/28-feb-11
[3] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/31-jan-2011
[4] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/17-jan-2011
[5] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/20-dec-10
[6] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/22-nov-10
[7] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/8-nov-10
[8] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/11-oct-10
[9] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/27-sept-10
[10] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/30-aug-10
[11] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/3-aug-10
[12] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/glensaugh/19-july-10
[13] http://mediareleases.macaulay.ac.uk/category/glensaugh-news/
[14] http://www.hutton.ac.uk/about/facilities/glensaugh