By Marijke
It’s the first day of September 2024 and we are delighted when the contractor rings in the afternoon to suggest that he might harvest our combi crop of barley and peas before it’s dark.
Barley and peas are fed to our dairy cows in the milking parlour when they come in for milking. They each get between 0.5kg and 1kg of rolled grain depending on the animal and time of year.
They all love it and some of the smart cows like Sky or her daughter Sita have figured out how the mechanics work to serve themselves with an extra helping. This keeps the milker on his toesJ!
It’s the first grain crop from our new fields on ÉriuFarm and it was sown in good time at the very beginning of May. Some of our local supporters have helped stirring and spraying horn manure (prep 500, one of the biodynamic field sprays) on the May bank holiday. During the growing season it was visible that the peas were looking happier. As a legume they live in symbiosis with bacteria in the soil. This special relationship can fix nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil.
The harvest is a full three weeks later than in other years and I think it’s clear that we can relate that to the lack of warmth and sunshine we all “suffered” this year. With 1.5 tonnes per acre, we are grateful for the full trailer that is safely tipped into the shed before the autumn rains arrive!
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