LAMBING has started at SRUC’s Kirkton and Auchtertyre farms and thankfully the rain has stopped and the sun is shining. Long may it continue.
The grass has started to grow and we are expecting the team from Soil Essentials to come and take soil samples any day. These samples will be analysed to check the pH and nutrient levels of the soil. We will then spread lime at the required rate to neutralise the pH and apply artificial fertiliser to improve nutrient levels. With the soil now reasonably dry, we should be able to get some ploughing done and then a bit of re-seeding when the risk of frost reduces.
We have been sorting out the hoggs - last year’s ewe lambs - which had just come home from their winter holidays. We put them in a shed for a few days to train them to eat concentrated feed, something you would think would come naturally but hill sheep can be thrown to eat from a trough so this is the best stage to persuade them that it is a good idea.