The first crocuses have come out this week, the winter jobs have been finished and we are getting ready for lambing. This winter we planted more than 1km of new hedgerows and an orchard of 16 fruit trees: local varieties of apple and damson sourced from a nearby orchard group. We also repaired drystone walls and fenced off some ruined buildings in danger of collapse.
Attention now turns to spring and new life. We hopefully start lambing on 12 April, but before then the sheep pens must be disinfected and set up in the shed as a sort of hospital ward for yows who have a difficult birth or find it hard to bond with their lamb. Most yows have a strong mothering instinct and immediately care for their newborns, but we need to have a backup plan for any who struggle.
As I wrote last month, we have been waiting for the other half of a sustainable farming incentive scheme agreement, and thankfully that came through. But the latest shock from the government is that it is closing the scheme. It was only luck that I submitted the latest application when I did (I was going to wait until after lambing, but changed my mind).
Several of our friends and neighbours hadn’t submitted theirs and now are at a loss as to how they will fund environmental work on their farms. A new version of the scheme is supposed to be coming, but to close a funding scheme with no notice (there was supposed to be six weeks’ notice) makes it very stressful for everyone trying to farm in a nature-friendly way.
We have just collected some hens that had been rehomed by the British Hen Welfare Trust. These are ex-commercial hens that will have a home for the rest of their lives on our farm, where they can be ridiculously free range and entertain us with their antics, dust-bathing in the farmyard and digging up the garden. They will also provide the three generations of our family that live on the farm with tasty eggs for breakfast.
• Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at guardianbookshop.com and get a 15% discount
