On my smallholding - New Year - New Year Resolutions! (From Smallholder)

On my smallholding - New Year - New Year Resolutions!

6:10pm Tuesday 4th January 2011 in Editor's Blog

New Year, new resolutions. I always make some but by the end of the year I can’t always remember what they were! Mostly they centre around organising my time better, spending more time with the ponies and keeping records, all of which, to an extent, I do manage to achieve. Well not perhaps the spending time with the ponies. This year I really do resolve to do this as I have a two year old, er, make that a three year old, who needs some serious work if she is to be the brilliant driving Exmoor that I envisage. Looking back on 2010 I do feel I have made some progress in the bee keeping department with my carefully recorded diary of what I have done, when and why. It really does help to write it down, to get it ordered in your mind and to look back to refresh your memory before you do another hive inspection. This year I really do want to plan my garden better. Last year I managed to begin the deep beds and I want to add to those as they were very successful. I also want to get my poly tunnel up and running and see if it is possible to produce veg all year round. In the light of the recent artic weather I am a tiny bit sceptical about this (so many people have been telling me they could not get their parsnips out of the ground) but I want to give it my best shot. It’s been fascinating reading the stories of people who have made new starts in smallholding and farming, sometimes with the help of grants. There’s not a lot of money out there these days but it’s worth exploring any options and we’ve managed to identify some possible sources. And this year we at Smallholder are resolving to bring you more money saving offers across the smallholding world to help you achieve your aims. This month we have money off a poultry course and a potato day plus three fabulous competitons from winning a complete incubator set up to a Chilli seed collection. Also something that will be very welcome as we are just recovering from plucking our ten table birds, a machine that plucks poultry. Over the next few months we’ll be bringing you more exciting offers and competitions to make your self sufficiency more economical. It’s been snow cold… Smallholders are a hardy bunch but this has been the first time that I really thought I wasn’t going to be able to break the ponies water in the field. With a superhuman effort I did manage to break a hole for them to drink and returned later on with my axe. I am not sure about driving round with an axe at the back of my seat but that’s the only thing that will make a dent in the frozen water. (I can see I might have some explaining to do if I’m ever stopped). Luckily we have big troughs and if worst comes to worst there’s always a water container and a bucket but it makes you realise how hard it is for livestock farmers and smallholders up and down the country. Then there was the nightmare of the poultry drinkers that froze within the hour of giving them fresh water. It’s very hard being a full time smallholder but its even harder trying to fit it in when you are out at work full time. Fortunately I do edit Smallholder from my smallholding which helps, I can nip out in my break, but my heart goes out to everyone worrying about their poultry and animals and working a distance away from their smallholding.

Good news on labelling Better labelling of pork, chicken and lamb could be closer after a recent vote by EU Ministers who agreed overwhelmingly on clear consumer country of origin labelling.

The NFU has lobbied tirelessly for this and this vote brings brings country of origin labelling laws one step closer.

NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: “Clear, accurate country of origin labelling has remained high on the public agenda and has seen comprehensive coverage by the press – and rightly so. Shopping trends tell us consumers want to support British farmers and buy more home-grown and home-reared produce. However the lack of transparency in labelling makes this difficult and it is clear to us that the current guidelines on food labelling simply aren’t working”

The NFU says it believes that labelling needs to provide accurate, clear and relevant information so consumers can make an informed choice. People buying meat and poultry products want to know where the animal was reared so they know exactly what they are eating. Consumers also want consistency in labelling across all sectors and they deserve not to be misled. Today’s political agreement is a big step in the right direction to achieving this they say.

Of course the other way to be sure is to buy directly from the producer and I enjoyed a happy morning at Linton (near Cambridge) monthly Farmer’s Market and came out with a salami of which I am completely confident in its welfare traceability ( a Suffolk farm) and a Welsh cheese plus many other lovely things. I was very interested in the egg producer who was keeping his hybrid hens in a very traditional way on range with separate housing in a paddock – and very good they looked too. Another resolution for me to make – must be more organized about my eggs and make an effort to sell surplus rather than just give them to friends or eat more and more of them! It’s going to be a busy year ahead and I’m looking forward to the challenges – we love to hear from you at Smallholder about your ideas and enterprises so why not email us and let us know what doing.