News from the farm – March/April update

Uploaded on behalf of Donald Barrie, Farm Manager, Glensaugh

March and April are busy months at Glensaugh: cows calving, crossbred ewes lambing, and towards the month end our Scottish Blackfaces, better known as “blackies” also lamb. Good weather helps these jobs, but even more important is animal nutrition. The importance of making good quality silage cannot be over-stressed: well fed animals produce more milk and are better able to rear their young. Our crossbred ewes are now out to grass with their lambs [photo], and cows and calves will follow as grass supply improves.

The spring workload is shared by all staff members, including Finlay our lambing student who was with us for three weeks. The workload also includes tree planting and muirburn. Our Woodland Grant Scheme planting is (nearly) complete, augmented by pockets of oak, native Scots pine, downy birch and juniper on the Cairn Burn, forming communities of plants which will help to attenuate peak water flow. Further attenuation will be provided by “leaky dams” [photo] made from small roundwood harvested from one of our windblown stands of larch. Burning rank moorland vegetation [photo] is done to remove overgrown stands of heather and create age diversity in the sward. Burned ground quickly recolonises with plants and insects, as well as providing grazing for Blackface ewes.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.