November,

 We have recently had a lovely crop of wild mushrooms in one of the cow paddocks thanks to the warm humid weather. It's been such a dry year here that forage crop yields have been really poor. The wholecrop Oats were good but the grass stopped growing in July and recent rain has come too late in the year. The maize yielded about 27 tonnes/hectare (11t/acre), which is 12 tonnes (5t/acre) less than we would expect.

 We had 9 inches of rain from 1st January up to the end of October ( we average 26 annually ) which has cost us a dearly. We have had to buy in 28 acres of maize silage, about 50 tonnes of hay and are very short of grass silage, because we have had to feed the cows a winter ration since 10th July. Cost around £20,000 . All this is a direct result of dry weather and the costs come straight of our bottom line, and you wander why farmers are obsessed with the weather.

This year we have had a flock of Lapwings on the farm. It started of with 4 nesting pares living in the maize. I have no idea how many chicks they fledged because they are very dfficult to see. Our residents were then joined by some more and we had a flock of 18 which stayed right up to late October.

The picture is of a hedge with hedgerow Beech trees which we planted 3 years ago. It has survived the drought well and is beginning to provide a food source and environment for the wildlife.

On the cheese front things are going well. We have developed 2 new types of  cheese. Bosworth Field which is a semi hard, crumbly. Called Bosworth Field in recognition of the fact, that in 2010 archeologists, believe they found proof, that Richard III died, in his last charge, in our neighbours field. One of the 23 cannon balls found was in the Dicky Bow meadow, the last field on this farm. Where our cows tranquily graze and chew their cud, in August 1485 there was some nasty fighting going on. The other one is called Battlefield Blue which is a soft blue cheese weighing 250gms.

We have produced these two types of cheese primarily to sell on the Farmers Markets, through local shops and at shows but we are beginning to get interest from further afield.

 A large crop of wild berries is a sign of a hard winter to come, in countrylore. We have yet to see it, but there is plenty of time. The hedgrows are laden with berries this year. Sloes are abundant as are Hawthorn and Dog Rose.

We often receive orders for our cheese to be used for cheese wedding cakes. The size and shape of our cheese fits in well particularly as a base.

Photo: The team with the James Aldridge Trophy for the Best British Raw Milk Cheese 2007.

Billy - tractor driver/stockman

David - Fixer/stockman

Roger - Cow milker/calf rearer

Jo and Me.

Jenny - Lards cheese/packaging/cleaning

David - Assistant cheese maker/Cheese turning

Sue - Sales/packaging/larding.

The cow is Chandra and the calf held by Annie is Greeta.