Blog Post

August on the Farm

Mary Edmondson • Sep 20, 2019

A little bit more about our pigs and the beginnings of harvest

We have had a busy few weeks getting the shop up and running and we would like to say a huge thank you for the support so far, along with the shop opening we have also had a busy few months on the farm.

Some will already be aware that our pigs come in Batches, they are born outside and then arrive to us at around 4 weeks old when they are ready to leave the sows. They arrive in a big group and grow together for 16 weeks by which time some are reaching required size of 110kgs and we select the biggest each week for around 6 – 8 weeks until they have all gone. Once the sheds are empty we call in the troops and clean the sheds and disinfect everything ready to welcome the next group of pigs in. Our pigs currently on farm arrived Mid July so have been here coming up to 4 weeks and are doing well helped along by the warm weather.

Our heavy clay land isn’t suited to keeping pigs outside as it just becomes too wet and waterlogged. Growing them in straw yards is the best solution, as the pigs have plenty of straw to root around in and stay warm, pigs hate getting cold and sleeping in drafts. We are part of both the RSPCA freedom food and the Red tractor assurance scheme so we can be very sure that we are offering the very best care, that we are competent in the care we offer and all the equipment and buildings are of a high standard

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Combining the Triticale

Photo By: Mary Edmondson
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Harvest is under way with all the triticale (a cross of wheat and rye) combined and safely in the shed. It is always a relief when we have been able to make a start, we had the extra bonus of being able to get most of the straw baled and under a sheet before the rain started Tuesday morning. We will be a couple more weeks before we can get the wheat and barley combined with the rain on the forecast for another week, so whilst waiting for that Tom wasted no time in getting the seed cleaned and bagged for next years crop and even made a start drilling the cover crops in between showers.

We are unlike many farms in this area as we are aiming for a regenerative approach, this means that the soil is never bare and always living. The cover crops are being drilled directly into the Triticale stubble so there is minimal soil disturbance, that way we hope to minimise the germination of weeds and keep a good soil structure in place to help with drainage and root development. These cover crops are particularly exciting this year as we are taking part in a trail for Anglian Water.

Anglian Water are looking at working with farmers to reduce the amount of soil, pesticides and nutrients lost from farmland in this region, we have set up a trial next to the farm shop to demonstrate how our style of regenerative farming can be part of the solution. For the trial we have established seven different mixes of crops in the field and we are measuring the beneficial effect on the soil, how well the different species grow and how to manage them as farmers.

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English Longhorns

By PAR002_123 • 03 Aug, 2020

Nine longhorn heifers joined us here at Cranley Barn Farms in Autumn 2019, we chose them because they are a fantastic hardy native breed, small in frame and and grow slowly compared to commercial breeds of cattle. They are suited to being outside all year and are effective grazers growing throughout the winter on grass, clover and wildflower which makes them a perfect match for our plans to change our grazing methods to a mob grazing approach. In January we introduced our Heifers to a new bull named Bill who, we hope, will play his part in providing calves next autumn and winter and also for a few years to come.

Pumpkin Patch

By Mary Edmondson • 20 Sep, 2019

Picture by KATE STODDART-SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHY

Newsletter - Join Us

By Mary Edmondson • 09 Jul, 2019

We don't want to bombard you, we just want to make sure you know whats happening here. So once a month we will send you an email with a meat cut of the month and how to cook it, a brilliant offer to enjoy in the shop and an update on how we are getting on gearing the farm up for regenerative farming. We have an exciting few months with new piglets arriving, harvest fast approaching, grassland coming back in to management and the arrival of the long horn cattle. We don't want you to miss a thing. We are also hoping to host events throughout the farming calendar to provide a hands on opportunity to see what we are doing and an opportunity to learn more about farming and we want you to be the first to know. If this sounds like its for you then please leave your name and email. We promise we won't share your details and you can unsubscribe at any point, to see our privacy policy please click here To sign up to the monthly newsletter click here , or sign up in the shop one day your visiting. See you soon Mary