Farm Diary

They are not gathering around the gate. Oh no; very happy inside thank you. Wild ducks are having a whale of a time in the grazing fields, splashing in the puddles (large) as they enjoy the spring, and I can see that it could well be the middle of May before cows go out in 2008.

Thank goodness I went to Australia in March, and saw Frank Tyndall grazing 4.5 '“ 5.0 tonne grass covers; I can relax in the knowledge that it can be done, and that as it will be the first round of grazing, the cows will be keen.

Blue tongue vaccine has arrived in the country, and by the time you read this I hope ours may have arrived on the farm.

It has arrived earlier than at first anticipated, and in the 50ml bottles, which makes it cheaper. Once the 28 days have lapsed and we can administer the second vaccination, we will be within a fortnight of immunisation. A sigh of relief all round. Let's hope it all goes to plan.

Subsides are in the news again (are they ever not in the news). As usual, I think it helpful to get to the facts and to bring the subject into perspective.

Are subsidies good or bad? A very difficult question to answer, but on the whole, a good thing if government want something very badly, but then a very bad thing when it has enough!

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette May 7