Our Meat, Our Customers

It has been thoroughly enjoyable delivering our pork to our customers this past week. It is such a pleasure to be able to see the regard they have for local produce, it makes the effort worthwhile. I certainly would not have received the type of feedback I was offered had I simply sold the pigs in a market.

Even better, it is wonderful when you hear people talk of their experience eating our pork. This is the type of dialogue I hope I can develop while improving my stock rearing and meat marketing skills. In addition I am keen to understand the best form of packaging and presentation should we decide to send the pork further afield. One especially attractive solution utilises British wool, wrapped in plastic, together with ice to keep the meat cool.

I spent my first visit to the Fox and Hounds in Ainthorpe listening to Ian Cairns of SAC Consulting discuss rush management. Rushes thrive on poor, wet soils therefore they are well suited to the Moors!

That suitability means they can quickly overtake the more valuable pasture grasses and once established they are difficult to remove. Cattle and sheep can’t help, rushes are bitter and are left behind unless stock are left with nothing else to eat. I was told what I thought was an old wives tale, that cutting the rushes seven times a year would hamper their growth. As it turns out the consultants believe that six times is enough!

We have drained some of our soils, but that action alone has not reduced rush growth. It will however, especially as the weather has been so dry, allow some cutting before the end of the year.

The sheep breeding cycle began again this week when the tup was introduced to the flock. I plan to lamb outside so hopefully the weather will be kind when our new borns are due in May next year.

On a sad note it was Steve Wilson of Cote Hill’s funeral back on the 11^th December. I had seen Steve to wave to many times. On the one occasion we did spend longer talking I caused trouble for his dad! I was supposed to be helping two of our older neighbours and Dennis, Steve’s dad, load the Farndale Show tent into a trailer. Instead Dennis pointed me toward the milking parlour and I was off like a shot! It was great to see Steve working with the cows, it is a wonder to watch them hop up and wait for the clusters to be attached. Outside there was a good deal of mumbling aimed toward Dennis as the senior squad performed the heavy lifting. RIP Steve.

Originally written and published in the Esk Valley News, January 2014 issue.

http://www.eskvalleynews.co.uk/