2009 has been a quietly successful year with rams being sold from the farm to both commercial and breeder flocks. Again a number of smaller flocks have been started, or grown in size, through the purchase of our quality ewe lambs. They value the genetic and pedigree information available, their health status and the “after sales” service. We have retained a good number of these ewes for ourselves to supplement our flock and allow our normal rigorous culling as genetic improvement is just so rapid.

Lambing to date has been, fortunately, pretty uneventful. Just over 60 ewes provided a hundred lambs (166%) in September, with another 70 odd lambs from the remaining 35 ewes (200%) due in December. As we have used EID since the start, we are already ahead of the regulations due in January 2010.

Semen from two of our rams was exported to the USA in 2007. Their progeny are now to be seen in flocks across America and Canada. Blackdown Luther L7 is now providing semen for the USA because of this success, and he has already put lambs onto the ground at home. See the “KbarK” link at Our Friends for more detail.

Maintenance continues with traditional hedge laying and coppicing, re-ditching and stock fencing. We have aerated all our fields this year with a Canadian roller/slitter and it does look as if surface drainage has improved. Plans are in hand for a wind turbine to power the farm, with some electricity left over for the nation – depending upon planning approval overcoming local “NIMBYism”. Trough and yard water is now fully provided from our well through a pumped water storage system. Not self sufficient yet – but moving in that direction.