1.7 and a New Calculation to Ponder

Back in February this year I found myself asking how the equation for quantifying the amount of gravel required for an area had been discovered. And did it work? So far so good; a 14 tonne load was dropped by lorry last week and has been steadily moved by wheel barrow to lie on top of a special mat that allows rainwater to drain away, while preventing any weed growth.

One of our neighbours is selling his Moor Sheep. He was considering their value and mulling over an equation he had heard of.

As opposed to sheep grazing his fields Moor Sheep, which you'd be hard tasked to tell apart from his others, acquire special significance based on a little observed, yet traditional shepherding technique. Hefting has been carried out for generations in various parts of the country, especially in the Lake District. Over decades sheep from certain farms with common grazing rights would always be led to a defined area of land off the farm. Over time the ewes would pass on the area to their lambs and this knowledge would pass through generations of offspring.

The technique and the knowledge bank of the hefted flock was badly damaged by the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. A DEFRA report (http://tinyurl.com/ckrsudn) also details market pressures which have meant the decline of the practice. Still, locally, sheep that run on the Moor acquire a unique value:

market value + £8 + 10% of market value

But the question that needs answering first is: what is market value? And which market, Malton, Ruswarp..? Just a small amount of latitude for disagreement there.