March on the Farm

Most of the cattle are still enjoying a lazy life in their various barns as it has been too wet over the past few weeks to consider putting them out to pasture. Instead of straw bedding we are now trialling wood chip bedding, made from the Corsican pine felled in Moon Wood over a year ago. So far so good, especially as straw bedding is becoming more expensive and harder to come by.

A group of the White Park cattle has been outwintered over the past months and is now very contentedly grazing on National Trust / Wiston Estate land by Warren Hill, northwest of Washington village. On 5th March the first of our calves this year was born there to Vanessa, a four year old heifer, sired by Wytch Mallard, our White Park pedigree bull.

At the end of February we sent two Aberdeen Angus steers and two Aberdeen Angus heifers to the Primestock market at Hailsham. They fetched a good price per kilo and were headlined in the market newsletter the following week as “Dr and Mrs Martin’s quality Aberdeen Angus”.  One was bought by Shaun Hutchins, the renowned butcher in Partridge Green.