February has started off so cold and frosty. We deliver 3 cows tomorrow to St Dominick to new Hereford breeders, and wish them success with their Herefords and farm shop.
Badger is improving - but it is taking a while - poor old boy.
The Hereford Breed Journal arrived on the door mat yesterday, and makes good reading in these cold evenings.

January 2012 has been very mild with no frost for the month. On the 21st we had our first heifer calf sired by Lisrace Loyalist V. She is a good calf and born unaided - which is so important.

We wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and Health, Wealth and Happiness for 2012

Poor old Badger has had a bad foot, but, with the help of a professional foot trimmer, he is improving, and we are hopeful he will be back to work in the Spring.
Loyalist has taken on his duties for the time. He is looking well and growing into an impressive lad.

The last of the Hereford cows were housed in the week running up to Christmas. They are better in now.

The windmill is, at last, working at Anhay. It is fantastic to see the wheel on the meter going anti-clock wize!

We had 6 heifer calves and 1 bull calf from the Autumn calving cows.

We weaned and housed the spring born calved the first week in November and the bull calves averaged 50kg heavier than last year.

Well, the summer and autumn have been kind to us this year. Each time the weather became dry and the grass started to suffer, the rain would come again, just in time to keep everything in growing condition.

19th August started combining but now rain stops work! Have also been organising a lorry to bring straw down from Gloucestershire.

10th August  Mr & Mrs David & Jane Trott came to judge the herd competition. We hope they enjoyed their trip to Cornwall.

6th August The best day of the year as we always try to get to the National Hereford Show at Tenbury on the Shropshire / Hereford border.
This year was more exciting than most as David and Jack Wilson came over from Northern Ireland to show a young bull and heifer. We had seen the bull - Lisrace Lumberjack as a calf last year when we visited David's farm and were impressed with him then. Anyway to bring a long story short we bought both the bull and heifer. The heifer is Lisrace Lucy V,  her breeding goes back to Badlingham Curly 92nd. Then we had to get them home and thank a very kind breeder and friend of many years standing - Clive Davis of Westwood Herefords, for helping with the transport.

2nd August we took the bulls away from the cows and heifers so that we don't calve out of season next summer.
July has been a busy time with the holiday lets in full swing.
The grass has grown well and the 2nd cut silage was a good crop and finished by the 10th July.

25th June The last of the 2010 born bulls was sold. All the young bulls sold at an avarage of 13 months of age. We have never had such a good season for sales of both bulls and females.

June saw the Royal Cornwall Show - one of the top 4 shows in the country.
John was judging the Hereford cattle section which was quite an honour as this was the first time a Cornishman had judged the Hereford cattle.
Female Champion and Breed Champion went to a lovely 2009 born heifer- Venen Pansy 73 bred and shown by W Pascoe and Son.
Male Champion and Reserve Breed Champion went to Mr FG, FJ & RP Hawke's senior bull -
Border Lackey E37.

13th May
Lisrace Loyalist passed his TB test today (after the import), and we all sighed  with relief.
Spring has been exceptionally good here in Cornwall. The corn germinated & was up in a week and the grass is plentiful - so different from last year when we were desperate for grass and silage.
Silly season has arrived - with everyone flat out on the silage, and lovely weather for it.

17th April
Looked out of the bedroom window this morning, checking to see if the cattle were OK and thought to my self "What a lovely sight. People buy houses on the view and here we are just taking it all for granted". The new bull Loyalist and his cows, with their babies, were relaxing in the field just outside, among the 'wonderful crop of Dandylions!'
A baby heifer calf born tonight and just making a wobbly attempt to stand as we checked them last thing.

1-14 April
Have been working hard on revamping the garden. Made it twice as big and moved some established Camellias and Wygelias which had out-grown their area and bought many more plants to form borders around the Beech trees. Then we laid over 200 meters of soaker hose which will - hopefully save me watering all the plants. I will let you know how it works in time.
(It was a big mistake;so wouldn't recommend it. Some areas had plenty of water and others had nothing).

8 April
This is an exciting day when we pick out the cows into 2 herds - one group to go with Anhay Petrel 333 and the other group to be with Lisrace Loyalist. The bulls were so delighted to be turned out with their females. Loyalist hadn't been out of his house since his arrival and was so excited, he bucked and jumped and was generally 'full of the joys of Spring'. Then he decided to gallop, but being a big, heavy lad, he was 'all action' and very little speed! An absolute picture!

18 March
Today was the reading of the annual herd TB test and 'thank goodness' all the cattle went clear. Always a worrying time as so many farms have the TB restrictions imposed on them.

 3-22 March
Planting a Beech hedge of 480 2-3' trees around the circumference of the garden. A mammoth task.

8 March
Collected the new bull which we bought in Ireland. He had had a very long journey and was glad to go into a lovely shed of straw and lay down after such a grueling journey.

7 March
Turning out time has come early this year and with such a lovely Spring we decided 'today was the day'; so the ladies which had calved and their babies were turned out to grass. The stock bulls will have to wait a little longer.