2
weeks into my WWOOFing now & it feels like I’ve been at this farm half my
life! I arrived just after lunchtime last Saturday and was shown straight to
the field where the hay was being baled. September is very late for bringing in
a hay crop but it was the first 5 days of sufficiently dry weather & there
was a mad rush on to get it all in and under cover before the forecast rain set
in. After a lightening fast round of introductions I took my place behind the
antiquated baling machine pulled by an old Fordson Major tractor to hand
delivered each bale to a spot where it wouldn’t be in the way on the next pass
through the field. There were regular stops to untangle birds-nests of baler
twine after the machine had decided to keep hold of it and pass out loose hay
instead.
I’m beginning to learn that Ben, my host, is a bit of a collector of
ancient bits of kit & it is fascinating to see what appear to be rusty
& apparently abandoned pieces of machinery tugged out of hedges & put
to work, sometimes enhanced by a replacement component from an equally
forgotten looking item near-by. I’ve always been a fan of low-tech machinery on
the basis that it requires low-tech solutions to mend and keep running, which
in turn means its lifespan is limited only by the skill, imagination and
creativity of the operator – attributes that are enjoyable in themselves and discourage
any separation of the worker from the work.
Despite
the pressures of time there was a great atmosphere of people pulling together. The
hay is of course the winter feed for the animals and highly prone to rotting
when wet, so it was of vital importance that the job was completed before the
rain came in – and it was forecast for Sunday. Normally this would have been a
job for two shire horses but the critical need for speed tipped the balance in
favour of the tractor and 4x4. 700 bales were transported off the field &
stacked in the barn in the near pitch darkness. Plus another 500ish on Sunday,
with the first spots of rain landing on the front of the tractor as we reversed
the last trailer into the barn. The sense of relief was enormous. Levels of
tiredness maxed out all-round, but at the evening meal conversation &
jovialities flowed as freely as the cider…
There
is much cross-over between my nature conservation career & work on the
farm, and my tractor, chainsaw & general practical skills are in high
demand. It also looks as though I will be writing a management plan for 20ha of
woodland next door & advising on sources of funding for carrying out
management work. Ha! – pretty much what I was getting paid for a few weeks ago!
I thought that woodland and habitat management consultancy might be one of my income
streams in the future so I’ll be using this as a practice run since the
practicalities of doing it freelance will be very different to writing for, and
from within a professional organisation. Also this woodland will need to
produce usable timber for craft, saw milling and sale and be viable without an army of volunteer labour. Managed correctly this commercial aspect is
entirely compatible with the enhancement of wildlife habitats, & combining
these two elements is something that I find massively exciting since it promotes the value of our native woodlands in a way that is more likely to be recognised by the powers-that-be than their ecological value alone.
I
am happy that I can provide a specialist service, and in return I am grateful
to receive training in working with horses – which is equally specialist, and
hopefully will be a skill of great value to me in the future.
More
on horses in the next post…
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