Should have been day 33..
Last day of term, and to finish the week there was an optional trip, so I opted out! With the intention to make a start on one of my three assignments, due in after the Christmas break!
Here's to lots of home work.. Hohoho and a very merry Christmas fellow farmers.
Friday, 13 December 2013
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Thursday December 12, 2013
should have been day 32..
i'm afraid i didn't make it in to college today for a practical morning and lecture afternoon because my gorgeous little farm cat reappeared after going awol two weeks ago and needed veterinary assistance in sending her off to dreamland.
the very nice vet lady said it looked like all the falling over and loss of balance and head shaking was being caused by a potential brain tumour.
however, at 25 years young, fc1 had before today had a rather good innings, caught lots of mice and outlived every other animal at cf!
to fc1 x
i'm afraid i didn't make it in to college today for a practical morning and lecture afternoon because my gorgeous little farm cat reappeared after going awol two weeks ago and needed veterinary assistance in sending her off to dreamland.
the very nice vet lady said it looked like all the falling over and loss of balance and head shaking was being caused by a potential brain tumour.
however, at 25 years young, fc1 had before today had a rather good innings, caught lots of mice and outlived every other animal at cf!
to fc1 x
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Wednesday December 11, 2013
Day 31..
So, we started off the day learning a little more about the pH requirements of soil and how to work out the amount of lime required for a number of different scenarios using the brack 2010 soil analysis results and a lime requirement chart. This chart referred to testing soils at 20cm as this is the average depth of rooting crops! pH is important for the farmer, ensuring the nutritional element is maintained. Plants need three key minerals; nitrogen, phosphate and potash and as the plants take up nitrogen as nitrates this results in the vegetative stage of plant growth, the phosphate helps develop and maintain the roots and the potash is required to produce the fruit (seed) so by carrying out routine pH tests deficient minerals are determined and can be added.
Our machinery tutorials turned in to the big fat Christmas quiz! With lots of questions covering this years lessons!!! High scoring winners received sweeties from the sweetie tin, and overall winners then choose two teams for a 'give us a clue' contest using photographs of different farming implements, actions and regulations! (We lost by half a point)!!!
This afternoon we returned to sharmens farm to carry out some more dis-budding on a new batch of calves. Horned cattle can cause major problems on a farm, with risks for herdsmen - as the horns can cause serious injuries and other livestock - calves often bully others and cause them harm so removing the horns has benefits for both humans and cattle. Preventing horn development is much better and easier to do the earlier it's done when calves are smaller and easier to handle and when they have smaller horn buds - that are easier to remove and less likely to grow back. We followed the same routine as last time, pushed the calf into a corner of the pen and injecting an anaesthetic in to the nerve above the eye and below the horn and waited about ten minutes before testing the horn area with a needle prick to ensure that the horn area was deadened. Once confirmed, we then used a hot iron to burn and destroy the horn-producing tissue around the horn bud and removing the bud itself before leaving the iron on for three seconds to seal around the area. Each calf is then sprayed with terramycin spray to prevent an infection from occurring!
So, we started off the day learning a little more about the pH requirements of soil and how to work out the amount of lime required for a number of different scenarios using the brack 2010 soil analysis results and a lime requirement chart. This chart referred to testing soils at 20cm as this is the average depth of rooting crops! pH is important for the farmer, ensuring the nutritional element is maintained. Plants need three key minerals; nitrogen, phosphate and potash and as the plants take up nitrogen as nitrates this results in the vegetative stage of plant growth, the phosphate helps develop and maintain the roots and the potash is required to produce the fruit (seed) so by carrying out routine pH tests deficient minerals are determined and can be added.
Our machinery tutorials turned in to the big fat Christmas quiz! With lots of questions covering this years lessons!!! High scoring winners received sweeties from the sweetie tin, and overall winners then choose two teams for a 'give us a clue' contest using photographs of different farming implements, actions and regulations! (We lost by half a point)!!!
This afternoon we returned to sharmens farm to carry out some more dis-budding on a new batch of calves. Horned cattle can cause major problems on a farm, with risks for herdsmen - as the horns can cause serious injuries and other livestock - calves often bully others and cause them harm so removing the horns has benefits for both humans and cattle. Preventing horn development is much better and easier to do the earlier it's done when calves are smaller and easier to handle and when they have smaller horn buds - that are easier to remove and less likely to grow back. We followed the same routine as last time, pushed the calf into a corner of the pen and injecting an anaesthetic in to the nerve above the eye and below the horn and waited about ten minutes before testing the horn area with a needle prick to ensure that the horn area was deadened. Once confirmed, we then used a hot iron to burn and destroy the horn-producing tissue around the horn bud and removing the bud itself before leaving the iron on for three seconds to seal around the area. Each calf is then sprayed with terramycin spray to prevent an infection from occurring!
Friday December 6, 2013
Day 30..
Selling a tractor or buying??? Today in machinery lesson (slight change to the timetable) we were given a tractor brochure and looking through it discussed the significant points, what were the usp's, what was #salesbanter!!! And what information it gave us that was techy. New terminology to me included CVT which stands for Continuously Variable Transmission which is most useful with regards to applications and flexibility because the transmission can change seamlessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values! And Semi Powershift - which means there is a manual option and it is the transmission whereby a tractor that can be shifted two or more speeds without clutching, must be clutched to shift ranges! The brochure we viewed was for a range of massy ferguson tractors with slightly different engine sizes and therefore which one to choose depends on what jobs you need it to do for example lots of field work, or road work etc.
This afternoon we were split in to teams and sent off to research a specific part of growth in grass ready to give a talk and discuss our findings to the rest of the group later. My team included dale and joe and we had to research the male parts of a grass flower incorporating stamens and pollen. our research started off in the library but we then resorted to the internet. I managed to find a diagram in my notes and copied this with all the significant parts relating to the male function, while the boys noted down information relating to stamens and pollen. As a class, each group read out their findings while others took notes and when it was our turn the diagram was displayed on the whiteboard so that we could explain more about the male processes.
It is significant to note that grass growth occurs in two separate phases vegetative and floral and for best livestock management grass in this vegetative stage is far more productive with higher yields per hectare!
Selling a tractor or buying??? Today in machinery lesson (slight change to the timetable) we were given a tractor brochure and looking through it discussed the significant points, what were the usp's, what was #salesbanter!!! And what information it gave us that was techy. New terminology to me included CVT which stands for Continuously Variable Transmission which is most useful with regards to applications and flexibility because the transmission can change seamlessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values! And Semi Powershift - which means there is a manual option and it is the transmission whereby a tractor that can be shifted two or more speeds without clutching, must be clutched to shift ranges! The brochure we viewed was for a range of massy ferguson tractors with slightly different engine sizes and therefore which one to choose depends on what jobs you need it to do for example lots of field work, or road work etc.
This afternoon we were split in to teams and sent off to research a specific part of growth in grass ready to give a talk and discuss our findings to the rest of the group later. My team included dale and joe and we had to research the male parts of a grass flower incorporating stamens and pollen. our research started off in the library but we then resorted to the internet. I managed to find a diagram in my notes and copied this with all the significant parts relating to the male function, while the boys noted down information relating to stamens and pollen. As a class, each group read out their findings while others took notes and when it was our turn the diagram was displayed on the whiteboard so that we could explain more about the male processes.
It is significant to note that grass growth occurs in two separate phases vegetative and floral and for best livestock management grass in this vegetative stage is far more productive with higher yields per hectare!
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Thursday December 5, 2013
Day 29..
Flashdance eat your heart out.. Today we we're let loose with an Electric Arc welder.. This method of welding uses an electric arc to melt the metal whereby the current flowing into the circuit can be manually changed (between a range of 25 to 250 amps) to create more / or less heat in the arc. We got kitted up; leather apron and gauntlets (gloves) goggles and a welding mask then watched a demo of how to get the arc lit and create the molten pool thus creating the weld! It was then time to have a go ourselves, we took 5/6 electrodes (arc sticks or rods) - covered in a flux coating to protect the surface from the atmosphere, and entered individual welding booths. Here we took a metal tile and simply had a practice at striking the arc and welding! i took a few goes to get going as it was quite difficult to strike! and the rod kept sticking to the metal plate! however i did get the hang, and tried to make some straight lines!. It was a little scary, and the knack is to go quite slowly moving the rod downwards to get the molten pool flowing and gently from side to side to create a nice ripple effect! both of these techniques were quite difficult for me as a first timer! But i then moved on to joining two small pieces of the same metal together to see how well and deep the molten pool penetrated the metals to fuse them together. The flux leaves a top layer called a 'slag' so this is removed by chipping it away to reveal the weld. Once cooled in a bath of water, i used a hacksaw to saw the welded metal in two to discover how deep the molten pool of metal was - i.e. was the join showing of the two joining pieces? - i had made a slight pool with a little weld on top but did not quite go as deep as half way! i will try harder next time! and we also got to keep our pieces as souvenirs!
Our theory topic this afternoon was worming and parasites.. there are three major diseases in sheep that are caused by worms; Tape worms and liver fluke; roundworms and lungworms so it is necessary to treat the animal with wormer to prevent an attack which can be fatal. Parasitism - is the association of two organisms, one of which is the parasite that nourishes itself at the expense of the other called the host, but usually without destroying it! It is important to note that the adult parasite produces the egg while inside the body of the animal but the eggs do not reach maturity unless they have been passed out of the body first and sustained a period of life outside, so because they live on the grass (after coming out via feces) the animal ingests the parasite while grazing and thats how they build up and attack the animals insides. Good husbandry and grassland management is key to reducing a worm attack, worming animals as they enter new grazing pasture and by mixed grazing where possible, allowing other animals on to graze the same grass - as worms are susceptible to their hosts and therefore do not remain active in another animal.
We then moved on to the calving season of a suckler herd and discussed different reasons that would have an effect on what you do and when such as the type and situation of the farm - much harder for a hill farmer than a lowland farmer for example; availability of labour - where it is busier during the harvest period for example; feed supply - with more being needed during the winter months; when to sell the calves - ensuring you aim for the right market and availability of buildings - whereby infrastructure needs to be in place for calving and rearing to produce a good quality end product! As two groups we discussed these points and listed the advantages and disadvantages accordingly.
Flashdance eat your heart out.. Today we we're let loose with an Electric Arc welder.. This method of welding uses an electric arc to melt the metal whereby the current flowing into the circuit can be manually changed (between a range of 25 to 250 amps) to create more / or less heat in the arc. We got kitted up; leather apron and gauntlets (gloves) goggles and a welding mask then watched a demo of how to get the arc lit and create the molten pool thus creating the weld! It was then time to have a go ourselves, we took 5/6 electrodes (arc sticks or rods) - covered in a flux coating to protect the surface from the atmosphere, and entered individual welding booths. Here we took a metal tile and simply had a practice at striking the arc and welding! i took a few goes to get going as it was quite difficult to strike! and the rod kept sticking to the metal plate! however i did get the hang, and tried to make some straight lines!. It was a little scary, and the knack is to go quite slowly moving the rod downwards to get the molten pool flowing and gently from side to side to create a nice ripple effect! both of these techniques were quite difficult for me as a first timer! But i then moved on to joining two small pieces of the same metal together to see how well and deep the molten pool penetrated the metals to fuse them together. The flux leaves a top layer called a 'slag' so this is removed by chipping it away to reveal the weld. Once cooled in a bath of water, i used a hacksaw to saw the welded metal in two to discover how deep the molten pool of metal was - i.e. was the join showing of the two joining pieces? - i had made a slight pool with a little weld on top but did not quite go as deep as half way! i will try harder next time! and we also got to keep our pieces as souvenirs!
Our theory topic this afternoon was worming and parasites.. there are three major diseases in sheep that are caused by worms; Tape worms and liver fluke; roundworms and lungworms so it is necessary to treat the animal with wormer to prevent an attack which can be fatal. Parasitism - is the association of two organisms, one of which is the parasite that nourishes itself at the expense of the other called the host, but usually without destroying it! It is important to note that the adult parasite produces the egg while inside the body of the animal but the eggs do not reach maturity unless they have been passed out of the body first and sustained a period of life outside, so because they live on the grass (after coming out via feces) the animal ingests the parasite while grazing and thats how they build up and attack the animals insides. Good husbandry and grassland management is key to reducing a worm attack, worming animals as they enter new grazing pasture and by mixed grazing where possible, allowing other animals on to graze the same grass - as worms are susceptible to their hosts and therefore do not remain active in another animal.
We then moved on to the calving season of a suckler herd and discussed different reasons that would have an effect on what you do and when such as the type and situation of the farm - much harder for a hill farmer than a lowland farmer for example; availability of labour - where it is busier during the harvest period for example; feed supply - with more being needed during the winter months; when to sell the calves - ensuring you aim for the right market and availability of buildings - whereby infrastructure needs to be in place for calving and rearing to produce a good quality end product! As two groups we discussed these points and listed the advantages and disadvantages accordingly.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Wednesday December 4, 2013
Day 28..
So, back to the lessons, where we started our morning of with new soil man Mark, who took us off in to Southill Close to conduct a test of the fields pH level and lime requirement. Working in groups we worked on the 'W' basis of five sample points to test throughout the field using soil samples from approximately 20cm below the surface. We then used a barium sulphate kit on each sample adding the sulphate, and drops before shaking vigorously then allowing to settle so that the pH reading could be established using a pH indicator card. We noted the results on to a table and will discuss our results in next weeks lesson.
We then started to look at the different types of welding most common on farms during our machinery lecture whereby the three most commonly used are Oxy-acetylene, Electric Arc and MIG welding. The differences being that oxy-acetylene requires a mixture of the gases - oxygen and acetylene to produce the molten metal; electric arc relies on the heat generated by the electricity 'arcing' to melt the metal and MIG - which stands for Metal Inert Gas, uses inert gas to melt the metal. Welding is the principle of using similar metals and melting the joint in to one homogeneous piece, this is particularly useful around the farm yard to fix broken trailers for example. Other techniques similar to welding include soldering - the form of using lead as a 'glue' and brazing - which uses brass as the 'glue' element.
This afternoon in our practical we went off to the ewe lambs to give them a 2ml shot of Heptavac P - a vaccine that is used to control pneumonic pasteurellosis in sheep of all ages as well as to control systemic pasteurellosis in weaned fattening and breeding sheep. This is the first one of two injections that they will receive with the next in 4 to six weeks time. To inject we grabbed a handful of hair, pulling it upwards, so that we could inject just under the skin - for the best distribution of the vaccine.
This method is called a subcutaneous injection where the needle is slid into the base of the skin that has been pulled into a 'tent' like shape.
Each ewe then received a purple dot to show it had been injected. While we had all the ewe lambs penned in we also carried out some routine health checks - by turning the sheep over and checking feet. Overgrown cleats were trimmed down with a pair of foot trimmers and the debris removed from the middle before letting them out again.
So, back to the lessons, where we started our morning of with new soil man Mark, who took us off in to Southill Close to conduct a test of the fields pH level and lime requirement. Working in groups we worked on the 'W' basis of five sample points to test throughout the field using soil samples from approximately 20cm below the surface. We then used a barium sulphate kit on each sample adding the sulphate, and drops before shaking vigorously then allowing to settle so that the pH reading could be established using a pH indicator card. We noted the results on to a table and will discuss our results in next weeks lesson.
We then started to look at the different types of welding most common on farms during our machinery lecture whereby the three most commonly used are Oxy-acetylene, Electric Arc and MIG welding. The differences being that oxy-acetylene requires a mixture of the gases - oxygen and acetylene to produce the molten metal; electric arc relies on the heat generated by the electricity 'arcing' to melt the metal and MIG - which stands for Metal Inert Gas, uses inert gas to melt the metal. Welding is the principle of using similar metals and melting the joint in to one homogeneous piece, this is particularly useful around the farm yard to fix broken trailers for example. Other techniques similar to welding include soldering - the form of using lead as a 'glue' and brazing - which uses brass as the 'glue' element.
This afternoon in our practical we went off to the ewe lambs to give them a 2ml shot of Heptavac P - a vaccine that is used to control pneumonic pasteurellosis in sheep of all ages as well as to control systemic pasteurellosis in weaned fattening and breeding sheep. This is the first one of two injections that they will receive with the next in 4 to six weeks time. To inject we grabbed a handful of hair, pulling it upwards, so that we could inject just under the skin - for the best distribution of the vaccine.
This method is called a subcutaneous injection where the needle is slid into the base of the skin that has been pulled into a 'tent' like shape.
Each ewe then received a purple dot to show it had been injected. While we had all the ewe lambs penned in we also carried out some routine health checks - by turning the sheep over and checking feet. Overgrown cleats were trimmed down with a pair of foot trimmers and the debris removed from the middle before letting them out again.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Tuesday December 3, 2013
Farm duties continued..
Today we started off on the farm by feeding round the cattle.. One of the bulls is being fattened up so he is being fed on nuts and barley, as well as a little roughage - silage, and his ration will be increased gradually to help him put the weight on but not get too fatty.
We also fed round the housed Lincoln Red cows at Durdham farm, again with nuts, barley and silage. The females housed here are all in calf and are due to give birth in January, so in a few weeks time some calving pens will need to be built, which we may or may not be involved with. But hopefully we will get to see some calving in the coming weeks!
We then had to move some sheep to a new field, so phoebe and I herded up the flock and walked them to their new pasture a couple of fields away. This just offers them some fresh pasture for nutrient content. And we also put two new mineral licks in the field, because this is a great way for them to get the vitamins and minerals they need during the winter months when the grass offers less.
There were then a few winter maintenance jobs that needed doing, so we got underway rubbing the mud clods off a borrowed disc cultivator (as this is being returned to its owner) and a power harrow that was stood in the yard. In the meantime Neil had pressure washed the plough down, as all the ploughing has now been completed, so once cleaned the mouldboards (the shines silver parts that go down in to the ground) were covered in silicon gel - a lubricant to help protect the mouldboard, and the remainder of the plough doused in a mix of engine oil also used as a protecting agent as the plough will now be stored over winter.
We finished our day a little early as all our jobs were completed! Oooooh but I am nursing a really swollen wrist... Think it was the bolts fault from yesterday! Not good.
Today we started off on the farm by feeding round the cattle.. One of the bulls is being fattened up so he is being fed on nuts and barley, as well as a little roughage - silage, and his ration will be increased gradually to help him put the weight on but not get too fatty.
We also fed round the housed Lincoln Red cows at Durdham farm, again with nuts, barley and silage. The females housed here are all in calf and are due to give birth in January, so in a few weeks time some calving pens will need to be built, which we may or may not be involved with. But hopefully we will get to see some calving in the coming weeks!
We then had to move some sheep to a new field, so phoebe and I herded up the flock and walked them to their new pasture a couple of fields away. This just offers them some fresh pasture for nutrient content. And we also put two new mineral licks in the field, because this is a great way for them to get the vitamins and minerals they need during the winter months when the grass offers less.
There were then a few winter maintenance jobs that needed doing, so we got underway rubbing the mud clods off a borrowed disc cultivator (as this is being returned to its owner) and a power harrow that was stood in the yard. In the meantime Neil had pressure washed the plough down, as all the ploughing has now been completed, so once cleaned the mouldboards (the shines silver parts that go down in to the ground) were covered in silicon gel - a lubricant to help protect the mouldboard, and the remainder of the plough doused in a mix of engine oil also used as a protecting agent as the plough will now be stored over winter.
We finished our day a little early as all our jobs were completed! Oooooh but I am nursing a really swollen wrist... Think it was the bolts fault from yesterday! Not good.
Monday, 2 December 2013
Monday December 2, 2013
Farm Duties..
Today Phoebe and I were at Home Farm for a 9am start on farm duties - this is a rotational basis where all students spend two days a term working on the farm outside of the scheduled timetable.
This is so that we can get even more hands on experience of an everyday working farm and be put to use at the same time.
Our task today was to carry out the dredging of the muck heap drainage system, to allow the effluent to move through it and in to the 30,000 litre tank buried in the small woodland adjacent to the muck heaps.
Our morning session seemed to go quite well, we got stuck in - removing each of the 4 bolts on each grate along the drainage channel with a socket and ratchet, before scooping out the mucky debris that had fallen in through the grooves and cleaning the grate before laying it back down and moving on to the next one.
However, the afternoon session felt a bit more tough as the bolts were a bit more tougher to remove, with us even having to chisel away at concrete and stones that were stuck down the side wells! In fact there was one that we just could not shift!
A good days work but not completed - we finished at 4 o clock as the light had almost gone on us! And a perfect winter job!
Today Phoebe and I were at Home Farm for a 9am start on farm duties - this is a rotational basis where all students spend two days a term working on the farm outside of the scheduled timetable.
This is so that we can get even more hands on experience of an everyday working farm and be put to use at the same time.
Our task today was to carry out the dredging of the muck heap drainage system, to allow the effluent to move through it and in to the 30,000 litre tank buried in the small woodland adjacent to the muck heaps.
Our morning session seemed to go quite well, we got stuck in - removing each of the 4 bolts on each grate along the drainage channel with a socket and ratchet, before scooping out the mucky debris that had fallen in through the grooves and cleaning the grate before laying it back down and moving on to the next one.
However, the afternoon session felt a bit more tough as the bolts were a bit more tougher to remove, with us even having to chisel away at concrete and stones that were stuck down the side wells! In fact there was one that we just could not shift!
A good days work but not completed - we finished at 4 o clock as the light had almost gone on us! And a perfect winter job!
Friday, 29 November 2013
Friday November 29, 2013
Day 27..
A literal field trip... We started our afternoon with Julia who took us to halloughton field to demonstrate real life soil profiles. There were three holes already dug for us to investigate the three major horizons (that make up a soil profile) - the surface horizon, the subsoil and the substratum. And each hole displayed different profiles due to a few factors - water logging, compaction and organic matter. We were also able to determine the soil texture by carrying out a field test, by picking up a small aggregate of soil and rubbing it between the thumb and index finger. Using a chart we were then able to follow yes and no answers to what the soil felt and looked like to establish that in this case the soil was siltloam! We finished here as quite a lot of soil was being distributed by some members of the group at others!
We then moved on to grass growth with dom. There are two constituents of grass - water and carbohydrates, and using some basic information we had to work out the percentage of dry matter according to the following: if a yield of a field is 65t/ha at 17% DM what is the DM yield (this is some basic mathematic work that we should be able to carry out at farmer dudes) so to work out the answer is; 17 divided by 100 times'd by 65 to get 11.05!
To ensure your grassland is the optimum it can be with regards to livestock systems it must be maintained, however there are some factors outside the farmers control, such as the weather, steepness of land, altitude, rough or stony terrain and aspect (north/south). On the flip side there are some things that can be carried out, such as fertilising (for low fertility), drainage, weed control, compaction correction, acidity enhancement, low stocking ratio and grazing control.
To sum it up; you need to know how your grass grows!!!
A literal field trip... We started our afternoon with Julia who took us to halloughton field to demonstrate real life soil profiles. There were three holes already dug for us to investigate the three major horizons (that make up a soil profile) - the surface horizon, the subsoil and the substratum. And each hole displayed different profiles due to a few factors - water logging, compaction and organic matter. We were also able to determine the soil texture by carrying out a field test, by picking up a small aggregate of soil and rubbing it between the thumb and index finger. Using a chart we were then able to follow yes and no answers to what the soil felt and looked like to establish that in this case the soil was siltloam! We finished here as quite a lot of soil was being distributed by some members of the group at others!
We then moved on to grass growth with dom. There are two constituents of grass - water and carbohydrates, and using some basic information we had to work out the percentage of dry matter according to the following: if a yield of a field is 65t/ha at 17% DM what is the DM yield (this is some basic mathematic work that we should be able to carry out at farmer dudes) so to work out the answer is; 17 divided by 100 times'd by 65 to get 11.05!
To ensure your grassland is the optimum it can be with regards to livestock systems it must be maintained, however there are some factors outside the farmers control, such as the weather, steepness of land, altitude, rough or stony terrain and aspect (north/south). On the flip side there are some things that can be carried out, such as fertilising (for low fertility), drainage, weed control, compaction correction, acidity enhancement, low stocking ratio and grazing control.
To sum it up; you need to know how your grass grows!!!
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Thursday November 28, 2013
Day 26..
And off to the field we go.. We began the day in Parklane Close with our trusty two furrow reversible ploughs ready to plough on!
Parklane Close is a rather unusually shaped field, so the group the day before had to decide where to actually begin ploughing - looking for a headland as a guide - however there are no straight hedges / bounderies so the plan was to start in between previous tram line markings and today we were able to come in and continue working across the field.
But first we needed to ensure that the ploughs were set to a working depth of 9 inches (ideal for this clay soil type and crop growing). The furrow is measured just after it has been started measuring the back furrow and the front furrow depths (which should be the same). However, there was a slight discrepancy as the back was slightly deeper, therefore we had to lengthen the guide wheel initially in order to correct the depth. We then measured the link arms to ensure they were the same operating length and again there was a difference so the movable link arm was shortened or lengthend accordingly.
With the plough correctly set up we could commence ploughing, continuing the furrows and gradually curving round the contours of the field lengthening the run to the next set of tram line 'markers'.
Today i learnt a lot about the draft control - the previous group had found that on some runs some of the top soil was being brought up by the plough but unsure why, today andy explained it may have been caused by too much draft control whereby the machine was over compensating when the ground level changed - thus pushing the plough down further. The ideal scenario is for the draft to maintain the ploughs set up as you go over different terrain ensuring that the furrow remains constant, however, if you move the draft lever down whilst ploughing - you must remember to move it back up as you pick the plough up at the end of your furrow because one - the plough does not pick up out of the ground far enough and two - because there is not enough room to turn the plough over (reversible) ready to start the next furrow! (slight blonde moment!)
This afternoon in lectures we further investigated Bovine TB and Anthrax - which are two very important diseases in cattle and have to be dealt with under strict reporting and regulation procedures in order to prevent a pandemic! Anthrax is very nasty and can creep up without much warning - it is usually the case that a cow can be fine one minute, but be found dead the next. If you find a dead cow, that ordinarily was fine, and is bloated and has bloody discharges coming out of available orifices then Anthrax should be considered and a vet called immediately.
Likewise, Tuberculosis is a chronic contagious disease (slow developing) and can affect humans as well as animals. bTB (Bovine Tuberculosis) infects cattle in two ways; the respiratory system and the digestive system and it can be spread in the air so easily infecting a number of other animals (a big carrier of the bacteria is badgers). Cows develop a short dry cough in the first stages, but this develops in to a far more painful cough as well as loss of appetite and diarrhoea.
The significance of this disease means that cows are tested annualy by a vet who carries out a skin test. Two injection sites are selected on the neck and the two folds of skin measured with a caliper measuring tool and the measurements recorded. These sites are then injected with avian tuberculin on the upper one and bovine tuberculin on the lower one. After 72 hours the measurements of the folds of skin are taken again to determine if there is TB present (if the measurement is over 4mm bigger then the cow is said to be infected).
This is a notifiable disease under section 88 of the Animal Health Act 1981 and can also be fatal in humans so must be adhered to!
And off to the field we go.. We began the day in Parklane Close with our trusty two furrow reversible ploughs ready to plough on!
Parklane Close is a rather unusually shaped field, so the group the day before had to decide where to actually begin ploughing - looking for a headland as a guide - however there are no straight hedges / bounderies so the plan was to start in between previous tram line markings and today we were able to come in and continue working across the field.
But first we needed to ensure that the ploughs were set to a working depth of 9 inches (ideal for this clay soil type and crop growing). The furrow is measured just after it has been started measuring the back furrow and the front furrow depths (which should be the same). However, there was a slight discrepancy as the back was slightly deeper, therefore we had to lengthen the guide wheel initially in order to correct the depth. We then measured the link arms to ensure they were the same operating length and again there was a difference so the movable link arm was shortened or lengthend accordingly.
With the plough correctly set up we could commence ploughing, continuing the furrows and gradually curving round the contours of the field lengthening the run to the next set of tram line 'markers'.
Today i learnt a lot about the draft control - the previous group had found that on some runs some of the top soil was being brought up by the plough but unsure why, today andy explained it may have been caused by too much draft control whereby the machine was over compensating when the ground level changed - thus pushing the plough down further. The ideal scenario is for the draft to maintain the ploughs set up as you go over different terrain ensuring that the furrow remains constant, however, if you move the draft lever down whilst ploughing - you must remember to move it back up as you pick the plough up at the end of your furrow because one - the plough does not pick up out of the ground far enough and two - because there is not enough room to turn the plough over (reversible) ready to start the next furrow! (slight blonde moment!)
This afternoon in lectures we further investigated Bovine TB and Anthrax - which are two very important diseases in cattle and have to be dealt with under strict reporting and regulation procedures in order to prevent a pandemic! Anthrax is very nasty and can creep up without much warning - it is usually the case that a cow can be fine one minute, but be found dead the next. If you find a dead cow, that ordinarily was fine, and is bloated and has bloody discharges coming out of available orifices then Anthrax should be considered and a vet called immediately.
Likewise, Tuberculosis is a chronic contagious disease (slow developing) and can affect humans as well as animals. bTB (Bovine Tuberculosis) infects cattle in two ways; the respiratory system and the digestive system and it can be spread in the air so easily infecting a number of other animals (a big carrier of the bacteria is badgers). Cows develop a short dry cough in the first stages, but this develops in to a far more painful cough as well as loss of appetite and diarrhoea.
The significance of this disease means that cows are tested annualy by a vet who carries out a skin test. Two injection sites are selected on the neck and the two folds of skin measured with a caliper measuring tool and the measurements recorded. These sites are then injected with avian tuberculin on the upper one and bovine tuberculin on the lower one. After 72 hours the measurements of the folds of skin are taken again to determine if there is TB present (if the measurement is over 4mm bigger then the cow is said to be infected).
This is a notifiable disease under section 88 of the Animal Health Act 1981 and can also be fatal in humans so must be adhered to!
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Wednesday November 27, 2013
Day 25..
Today started off with a health and safety recap as this is extremely important when working in and around a farm yard, whereby even getting in and out of a tractor should be thoughtfully considered - using the three point contact method, to ensure that any risk of tripping and falling out of the tractor is minimised.
This lead to risk assessments, the requirements and the information required to carry out risk assessments around the farm yard and while at work in a field. We were shown a number of real life farm yard scenes and had to fill out a risk assessment form noting the risk, the consequence of the hazard, what precautions were already in place, what further precautions and or steps needed to take place along with a realistic time frame. It is important to only list those items that are achievable otherwise upon an inspection you will have failed to properly comply with regulations!
This afternoon we undertook some routine sheep flock checks - looking over the ewes as they enter their third cycle of heat, where after being with the rams should all have now been mated. We changed the raddle markers on two rams, as this will show up those ewes that have been caught on later cycles and consequently picked up by these later rams.
The ram who was lame last week was still visibly lame, so he was caught and the foot checked over again. A week on and the foot seemed to be no better, it was very swollen and had a bloody discharge. The foot and lower part of the leg were very tender to the touch and clearly causing the ram some discomfort.
He was injected with more painkiller to relieve the immediate pain, but following additional investigation, dom believed the ram could have some sort of growth in his foot causing the swelling and bleeding, and that a vet should be called in this instance.. Will update with further news as received.
We then carried out some general husbandry, removing two rams from ewe flocks as they have now finished maying, and relocating them to a small holding paddock.
Then, we choose two ewe lambs from the young flock, and brought them back to home farm for the night in a make shift pen - ready for the schools nativity plays over the next couple of days, where real life animals have star roles!!! Ho baa ho
Today started off with a health and safety recap as this is extremely important when working in and around a farm yard, whereby even getting in and out of a tractor should be thoughtfully considered - using the three point contact method, to ensure that any risk of tripping and falling out of the tractor is minimised.
This lead to risk assessments, the requirements and the information required to carry out risk assessments around the farm yard and while at work in a field. We were shown a number of real life farm yard scenes and had to fill out a risk assessment form noting the risk, the consequence of the hazard, what precautions were already in place, what further precautions and or steps needed to take place along with a realistic time frame. It is important to only list those items that are achievable otherwise upon an inspection you will have failed to properly comply with regulations!
This afternoon we undertook some routine sheep flock checks - looking over the ewes as they enter their third cycle of heat, where after being with the rams should all have now been mated. We changed the raddle markers on two rams, as this will show up those ewes that have been caught on later cycles and consequently picked up by these later rams.
The ram who was lame last week was still visibly lame, so he was caught and the foot checked over again. A week on and the foot seemed to be no better, it was very swollen and had a bloody discharge. The foot and lower part of the leg were very tender to the touch and clearly causing the ram some discomfort.
He was injected with more painkiller to relieve the immediate pain, but following additional investigation, dom believed the ram could have some sort of growth in his foot causing the swelling and bleeding, and that a vet should be called in this instance.. Will update with further news as received.
We then carried out some general husbandry, removing two rams from ewe flocks as they have now finished maying, and relocating them to a small holding paddock.
Then, we choose two ewe lambs from the young flock, and brought them back to home farm for the night in a make shift pen - ready for the schools nativity plays over the next couple of days, where real life animals have star roles!!! Ho baa ho
Friday November 22, 2013
Day 24..
Pka - fields assigned!! My teams winter field is Sheepwalk West and our spring field is Stathams Close.. To be continued!!
Our first lesson was soil characteristics with Julia. This started by determining the difference between soil type and soil texture (its still confusing!) Basically, soil texture is the components of sand, silt and clay and the structure is the arrangement of these particles! However the component of a soil is made up of the minerals (sand, silt & clay), organic matter (including soil organisms), water and air!
We then had Dom for grassland and discussed the differences between rough grazing, permanent pasture and rotational grazing. In summary;
Rough Grazing - is uncultivated land used for grazing livestock (unimproved land) Usually hills & moorland.
Permanent Pasture - the term for perennial or self-seeding annual plants maintained through several years of grazing (human improvement).
Rotational Grazing - Herds and flocks systematically moved on to fresh grass, or, sown every few years as part of an arable crop rotation as a 'grass break'.
Pasture - grassland used to graze animals / livestock and for cutting (silage).
Meadow - is a piece of grassland used mainly for hay / cutting.
Ley - the term for a piece of land that is seeded and left to grow with grass and clover good for 1 & 2 year silage cuts.
Sward - this is short grass held together by its roots.
Turf - this is the surface layer that is also held together by its roots (similar to the sward).
Pka - fields assigned!! My teams winter field is Sheepwalk West and our spring field is Stathams Close.. To be continued!!
Our first lesson was soil characteristics with Julia. This started by determining the difference between soil type and soil texture (its still confusing!) Basically, soil texture is the components of sand, silt and clay and the structure is the arrangement of these particles! However the component of a soil is made up of the minerals (sand, silt & clay), organic matter (including soil organisms), water and air!
We then had Dom for grassland and discussed the differences between rough grazing, permanent pasture and rotational grazing. In summary;
Rough Grazing - is uncultivated land used for grazing livestock (unimproved land) Usually hills & moorland.
Permanent Pasture - the term for perennial or self-seeding annual plants maintained through several years of grazing (human improvement).
Rotational Grazing - Herds and flocks systematically moved on to fresh grass, or, sown every few years as part of an arable crop rotation as a 'grass break'.
Pasture - grassland used to graze animals / livestock and for cutting (silage).
Meadow - is a piece of grassland used mainly for hay / cutting.
Ley - the term for a piece of land that is seeded and left to grow with grass and clover good for 1 & 2 year silage cuts.
Sward - this is short grass held together by its roots.
Turf - this is the surface layer that is also held together by its roots (similar to the sward).
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Thursday November 21, 2013
Day 23..
Today we were let loose to take a plough to pieces.. Ok, so not the whole plough! But one shear (the section containing the mouldboard, heal, tail piece, plough point, wing and shin) and one disc coulter and adjoining skim coulter.
The purpose of this practical session was to remove the pieces that are the parts that wear out the most when the plough is in full working use. Each element plays a significant part in ploughing the ground, for example the landslide firms up the corner of the furrow, consequently each part has a little or a lot of contact with the ground and depending on the conditions and set up will undergo wear and tear. Parts that wear down the most are attached separately making them easy to replace.
We began by spraying some penetrating oil (wd40) over the nuts and bolts as this would make them easier to undo. Working from the outside, we used various tools including round ended spanners and a ratchet and sockets to work the nuts off the bolts, but when we found this difficult we had to think about the leverage and increase the length of our tools either by using an extending pole or another spanner - being careful that these did not slip. As a couple of the nuts and bolts were in awkward places, where the socket was too big to fit, we did use a soft ended mallet to tap the spanner to work the nut loose - this is an example of doing the job in reality!
Each piece was then cleaned with a wire brush before being reassembled.
This afternoon began disgusting reproduction in the ewe and ways to manipulate the processes in order to change the date of lambing, for example if you need to provide lamb year round in your farm shop. Ewes are seasonally anestrous meaning that they come on heat when the number of day light hours begin to drop. Therefore you can 'trick' the ewe in to dispersing melatonin (which happens when it goes dark) leading to the ovulation process. The methods include sponging - inserting sponges doused in hormones into the vagina, melatonin - increasing strengths of melatonin released via a 'soluble glass' insert in the ear, housing - bringing them indoors and gradually making it pitch black, teasing - adding a vasectomise dram into the ewe flock (unlike a castrated male, this one will still produce testosterone and all the other male hormones required to bring the female on heat) and flushing - putting the ewes on fresh pasture two weeks before the ram is introduced as this ups the nutritional status and improves fertility. And don't forget the ram.. It is important to ensure the ram is fit and healthy so he can keep up his side of the process.
We then moved on to the grass beef systems - looking at 18 and 24 month programs. This is where your herd will benefit from either one (18 month) or two (24 month) grazing periods providing a better end product due to the variety of feeding on offer - grass, silage and concentrates.
18 month - 24 month-
1st winter rear. 1st winter rear
1st summer graze 1st summer graze
2nd winter finish 2nd winter store period
2nd summer finish on grass
For those utilising the 18 month program, it is important to get the animals finished over the second winter because there will be no spare grazing the following year - when the new stock will be grazing. And for those on the 24 month system the 'store' period is crucial.. Here you can ration the feed, giving the animals just enough to maintain themselves, as this reduces winter feeding costs without affecting growth rates at the later stages. When the animal is reintroduced to the second grazing period they are able to get up to finish weights due to compensatory growth - the ability to gain weight by utilising their food better! The system you use simply depends on your circumstances - amount of grazing available, money to buy in extra feed etc.
Today we were let loose to take a plough to pieces.. Ok, so not the whole plough! But one shear (the section containing the mouldboard, heal, tail piece, plough point, wing and shin) and one disc coulter and adjoining skim coulter.
The purpose of this practical session was to remove the pieces that are the parts that wear out the most when the plough is in full working use. Each element plays a significant part in ploughing the ground, for example the landslide firms up the corner of the furrow, consequently each part has a little or a lot of contact with the ground and depending on the conditions and set up will undergo wear and tear. Parts that wear down the most are attached separately making them easy to replace.
We began by spraying some penetrating oil (wd40) over the nuts and bolts as this would make them easier to undo. Working from the outside, we used various tools including round ended spanners and a ratchet and sockets to work the nuts off the bolts, but when we found this difficult we had to think about the leverage and increase the length of our tools either by using an extending pole or another spanner - being careful that these did not slip. As a couple of the nuts and bolts were in awkward places, where the socket was too big to fit, we did use a soft ended mallet to tap the spanner to work the nut loose - this is an example of doing the job in reality!
Each piece was then cleaned with a wire brush before being reassembled.
This afternoon began disgusting reproduction in the ewe and ways to manipulate the processes in order to change the date of lambing, for example if you need to provide lamb year round in your farm shop. Ewes are seasonally anestrous meaning that they come on heat when the number of day light hours begin to drop. Therefore you can 'trick' the ewe in to dispersing melatonin (which happens when it goes dark) leading to the ovulation process. The methods include sponging - inserting sponges doused in hormones into the vagina, melatonin - increasing strengths of melatonin released via a 'soluble glass' insert in the ear, housing - bringing them indoors and gradually making it pitch black, teasing - adding a vasectomise dram into the ewe flock (unlike a castrated male, this one will still produce testosterone and all the other male hormones required to bring the female on heat) and flushing - putting the ewes on fresh pasture two weeks before the ram is introduced as this ups the nutritional status and improves fertility. And don't forget the ram.. It is important to ensure the ram is fit and healthy so he can keep up his side of the process.
We then moved on to the grass beef systems - looking at 18 and 24 month programs. This is where your herd will benefit from either one (18 month) or two (24 month) grazing periods providing a better end product due to the variety of feeding on offer - grass, silage and concentrates.
18 month - 24 month-
1st winter rear. 1st winter rear
1st summer graze 1st summer graze
2nd winter finish 2nd winter store period
2nd summer finish on grass
For those utilising the 18 month program, it is important to get the animals finished over the second winter because there will be no spare grazing the following year - when the new stock will be grazing. And for those on the 24 month system the 'store' period is crucial.. Here you can ration the feed, giving the animals just enough to maintain themselves, as this reduces winter feeding costs without affecting growth rates at the later stages. When the animal is reintroduced to the second grazing period they are able to get up to finish weights due to compensatory growth - the ability to gain weight by utilising their food better! The system you use simply depends on your circumstances - amount of grazing available, money to buy in extra feed etc.
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Wednesday November 20, 2013
Day 22..
Tyre construction - that's how we stared the day! Relating this to a tractor, tyres are an important part of the job because the tyres and wheels must be suited to the type of work you are going to carry out. Along with different wheels such as dual, cage, row crop and low ground pressure, the purpose is to get as much traction as possible for the tractor to work most efficiently. Cage wheels are usually made of metal and added to the outside of the rear wheels. They are slightly higher than the rear wheel so as not to touch concrete, on a road for example, but when working in a field as the ground softens, these wheels then support the weight of the tractor. We then had a 'show and tell' with nuts and bolts! Remember the nut is what screws on to the bolt! There are numerous types of nuts and bolts, big and small! But once again, there are specific ones for specific jobs. We then had an introduction to spreaders and sprayers and began by distinguishing the difference between what is sprayed and spread and for what purpose..
Pesticides (to kill)
= herbicides (weeds) = molluscicides (slugs, snails) = insecticides (insects) = fungicides (fungus)
Fertilisers
= N (nitrogen) = P (phosphate) = k (potassium)
As well as sulphur, and trace elements such as zinc and magnesium.
In our afternoon practical session we went to a field of lambs to administer them with Animax bolus - this is a mineral 'pill' designed to give them a booster to their system, as they are currently not good doers - slightly under nourished, poor quality. first the flock was herded in to a penning system and generally health checked over, we then sent them through the crush to carry out the administration. This was done with a dosing gun designed to fit down the back of the throat (over the back of the tongue). Sheep over 30 kg received two bolus pills and anything under just one (these are big tablets in the shape of a bullet). The bolus is slotted in to the stainless steel holder and pushed down to the trigger point, with the other hand you open the sheep's mouth placing your thumb over the tongue, but leaving room for the gun, when far enough down you press the trigger to release the bolus which should then end up in the rumen depositing the nutrient as required. Each sheep that received a treatment also received a coloured mark for tracking purposes.
We then went off to check on two rams that have been lame for a few days. Ram one was still lame, he was turned over and a small swelling was visible in his near fore foot, the treatment here was to inject 8cc of an antibiotic medicine - 4cc in each of the big back leg muscles (this spreads out the fluid). All four feet were then sprayed with purple spray (antiseptic) as an extra precaution. This ram will be monitored and re-administered with medicine in five days if required as it was a 'long lasting' treatment. The second ram was easy to catch because he was very lame on his near hind. Once tipped over there was a very visible abscess type wound, foot rot was ruled out because there was no significant smell, the cleats were cleaned up, but the foot sore to the touch, so here 10cc of antibiotic was administered, again half in each back leg muscle and all feet sprayed. But as we let him go it was very apparent that this wound was causing pain so Dom decided that we also should inject this ram with a pain killer, as this would give him almost instant relief. This was one shot in the behind muscle! The painkiller medicine will need to be administered daily for a few days but the antibiotic is long lasting, so five days before any more (if required). Hopefully they are both now on the mend and can carry on with the job! in hand...
Tyre construction - that's how we stared the day! Relating this to a tractor, tyres are an important part of the job because the tyres and wheels must be suited to the type of work you are going to carry out. Along with different wheels such as dual, cage, row crop and low ground pressure, the purpose is to get as much traction as possible for the tractor to work most efficiently. Cage wheels are usually made of metal and added to the outside of the rear wheels. They are slightly higher than the rear wheel so as not to touch concrete, on a road for example, but when working in a field as the ground softens, these wheels then support the weight of the tractor. We then had a 'show and tell' with nuts and bolts! Remember the nut is what screws on to the bolt! There are numerous types of nuts and bolts, big and small! But once again, there are specific ones for specific jobs. We then had an introduction to spreaders and sprayers and began by distinguishing the difference between what is sprayed and spread and for what purpose..
Pesticides (to kill)
= herbicides (weeds) = molluscicides (slugs, snails) = insecticides (insects) = fungicides (fungus)
Fertilisers
= N (nitrogen) = P (phosphate) = k (potassium)
As well as sulphur, and trace elements such as zinc and magnesium.
In our afternoon practical session we went to a field of lambs to administer them with Animax bolus - this is a mineral 'pill' designed to give them a booster to their system, as they are currently not good doers - slightly under nourished, poor quality. first the flock was herded in to a penning system and generally health checked over, we then sent them through the crush to carry out the administration. This was done with a dosing gun designed to fit down the back of the throat (over the back of the tongue). Sheep over 30 kg received two bolus pills and anything under just one (these are big tablets in the shape of a bullet). The bolus is slotted in to the stainless steel holder and pushed down to the trigger point, with the other hand you open the sheep's mouth placing your thumb over the tongue, but leaving room for the gun, when far enough down you press the trigger to release the bolus which should then end up in the rumen depositing the nutrient as required. Each sheep that received a treatment also received a coloured mark for tracking purposes.
We then went off to check on two rams that have been lame for a few days. Ram one was still lame, he was turned over and a small swelling was visible in his near fore foot, the treatment here was to inject 8cc of an antibiotic medicine - 4cc in each of the big back leg muscles (this spreads out the fluid). All four feet were then sprayed with purple spray (antiseptic) as an extra precaution. This ram will be monitored and re-administered with medicine in five days if required as it was a 'long lasting' treatment. The second ram was easy to catch because he was very lame on his near hind. Once tipped over there was a very visible abscess type wound, foot rot was ruled out because there was no significant smell, the cleats were cleaned up, but the foot sore to the touch, so here 10cc of antibiotic was administered, again half in each back leg muscle and all feet sprayed. But as we let him go it was very apparent that this wound was causing pain so Dom decided that we also should inject this ram with a pain killer, as this would give him almost instant relief. This was one shot in the behind muscle! The painkiller medicine will need to be administered daily for a few days but the antibiotic is long lasting, so five days before any more (if required). Hopefully they are both now on the mend and can carry on with the job! in hand...
Friday, 15 November 2013
Friday November 15, 2013
Tis day 21..
Arrived late morning to two of my other PKA team members and tried to choose a field for our project. We struggled slightly as we do not know what the other teams have picked so we are hoping for Stathams Close. Once confirmed we will print out a picture of the field and carry out the 'mapping'- listing significant factors such as ditches, access, pylons etc.
We then had our first lab practical this afternoon, and were issued with our FE lab coats! (No expense spared). In groups we chose a soil sample (A, B, C or D) then had to determine what type we had picked. An amount was placed in a mortar and pestle where we ground it down for a few mins. It was then weighed before splitting the particles using the sieve method. After shaking the sieve for a few minutes, the top container retained the gravel particles so this was weighed and removed from our starting weight. Each of the next three compartments were also weighed and the weights recorded according to sand, silt and clay. We were then able to calculate the percentage of particles and work out the overall soil type using the classification table.
During the rest of the (somewhat chaotic) afternoon, we started off by sorting out the newly returned butchered lamb parts for lamb packs (being a vegetarian, I sort of let Amy sort out our box of meat! Later we were given our work experience assignment and asked to do a mock letter applying for a job. We will need to complete one in our assignment so utilising the course, including practical lessons and lectures, will enhance our applications in mock and real life scenarios. We then had a visit from sue sutton, to give us some additional input on how to write up our assignments, giving up some pointers with regards to spelling, grammar and layouts etc. I seem to have a bit of an apostrophe concern so I will try and correct this throughout the course..
Arrived late morning to two of my other PKA team members and tried to choose a field for our project. We struggled slightly as we do not know what the other teams have picked so we are hoping for Stathams Close. Once confirmed we will print out a picture of the field and carry out the 'mapping'- listing significant factors such as ditches, access, pylons etc.
We then had our first lab practical this afternoon, and were issued with our FE lab coats! (No expense spared). In groups we chose a soil sample (A, B, C or D) then had to determine what type we had picked. An amount was placed in a mortar and pestle where we ground it down for a few mins. It was then weighed before splitting the particles using the sieve method. After shaking the sieve for a few minutes, the top container retained the gravel particles so this was weighed and removed from our starting weight. Each of the next three compartments were also weighed and the weights recorded according to sand, silt and clay. We were then able to calculate the percentage of particles and work out the overall soil type using the classification table.
During the rest of the (somewhat chaotic) afternoon, we started off by sorting out the newly returned butchered lamb parts for lamb packs (being a vegetarian, I sort of let Amy sort out our box of meat! Later we were given our work experience assignment and asked to do a mock letter applying for a job. We will need to complete one in our assignment so utilising the course, including practical lessons and lectures, will enhance our applications in mock and real life scenarios. We then had a visit from sue sutton, to give us some additional input on how to write up our assignments, giving up some pointers with regards to spelling, grammar and layouts etc. I seem to have a bit of an apostrophe concern so I will try and correct this throughout the course..
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Thursday November 14, 2013
Day Twenty..
A workshop start to the day - which consisted of removing a tractor wheel, fixing a puncture and replacing the wheel, ok, so we actually removed a wheel and put that one back on and then fixed some punctures on the 'dummy' poorly tyres - but we got the gist! When jacking up a tractor assess the potential dangers; ensure the ground is flat and even, ensure the handbrake is on and put the tractor in a low gear. Put wooden blocks round the wheels keeping contact on the ground and put a supporting jack or block in place - to catch the tractor should the jack fail. If the jack is metal and the tractor surface is metal place a wooden block between the two surfaces to reduce the risk of it slipping. Lift the wheel so that it just clears the ground. Once off, you need to remove the tyre from the rim, but make sure the tyre is deflated fully first. We then unseated the wheel beads from the rim using two metal tools with lips at each end that hook under or over as required. We then added air back into the tyre to help locate the puncture and marked it/them with a chalk cross. The air was let back out and the puncture repair kit used to fuse a new rubber layer on top. With the tyre still flat it is worked back inside the wheel - starting at the valve end, and the bead then put back in place on the rim - carefully with the two lever tools. The tyre was then lifted upright ready for the air to be pumped back in - checking the manual for the correct PSI - in this case 20 was sufficient. When the wheel is ready to be put back on the tractor it is useful to use a torque wrench as this will only move to the desired Nm (Newton Metres) which is selected on the lever. carefully lower the tractor back down, remove blocks and job done.
This afternoon, we started by discussing the various issues that can affect breeding in sheep, including Barreners - those who do not get in lamb, Dystocia - those that sustain problem lambing, Prolapse - when the cervix is pushed out, Agalactia - the lack of milk to feed young, Twin Lamb Disease (pregnancy toxaemia) - where the ewes energy requirements exceed their energy intake, Abortion - Enzootic abortion is highly contagious, and 99% of infection at its highest at lambing time, and, generally a Poor Mother - where the ewe is totally disinterested in the young. It is very important therefore to follow a good management programme with your ewes, because if a ewe is not able to reproduce, then it is not worth anything more than slaughter value! We continued our livestock lecture discussing more diseases that affect farm animals, their systems and where there is a cure - what to do! * Good note * where a farm animal needs rehydrating, following a bout of diarrhea for example, you can provide them with a home made drink consisting of 1 Pint of warm water; 1 Tablespoon of Glucose (or ordinary sugar) and 1 Teaspoon of Salt - this is a great pick me up and can be given to calves 2 to 3 times a day for a couple of days while antibiotics get to work!!!
A workshop start to the day - which consisted of removing a tractor wheel, fixing a puncture and replacing the wheel, ok, so we actually removed a wheel and put that one back on and then fixed some punctures on the 'dummy' poorly tyres - but we got the gist! When jacking up a tractor assess the potential dangers; ensure the ground is flat and even, ensure the handbrake is on and put the tractor in a low gear. Put wooden blocks round the wheels keeping contact on the ground and put a supporting jack or block in place - to catch the tractor should the jack fail. If the jack is metal and the tractor surface is metal place a wooden block between the two surfaces to reduce the risk of it slipping. Lift the wheel so that it just clears the ground. Once off, you need to remove the tyre from the rim, but make sure the tyre is deflated fully first. We then unseated the wheel beads from the rim using two metal tools with lips at each end that hook under or over as required. We then added air back into the tyre to help locate the puncture and marked it/them with a chalk cross. The air was let back out and the puncture repair kit used to fuse a new rubber layer on top. With the tyre still flat it is worked back inside the wheel - starting at the valve end, and the bead then put back in place on the rim - carefully with the two lever tools. The tyre was then lifted upright ready for the air to be pumped back in - checking the manual for the correct PSI - in this case 20 was sufficient. When the wheel is ready to be put back on the tractor it is useful to use a torque wrench as this will only move to the desired Nm (Newton Metres) which is selected on the lever. carefully lower the tractor back down, remove blocks and job done.
This afternoon, we started by discussing the various issues that can affect breeding in sheep, including Barreners - those who do not get in lamb, Dystocia - those that sustain problem lambing, Prolapse - when the cervix is pushed out, Agalactia - the lack of milk to feed young, Twin Lamb Disease (pregnancy toxaemia) - where the ewes energy requirements exceed their energy intake, Abortion - Enzootic abortion is highly contagious, and 99% of infection at its highest at lambing time, and, generally a Poor Mother - where the ewe is totally disinterested in the young. It is very important therefore to follow a good management programme with your ewes, because if a ewe is not able to reproduce, then it is not worth anything more than slaughter value! We continued our livestock lecture discussing more diseases that affect farm animals, their systems and where there is a cure - what to do! * Good note * where a farm animal needs rehydrating, following a bout of diarrhea for example, you can provide them with a home made drink consisting of 1 Pint of warm water; 1 Tablespoon of Glucose (or ordinary sugar) and 1 Teaspoon of Salt - this is a great pick me up and can be given to calves 2 to 3 times a day for a couple of days while antibiotics get to work!!!
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Wednesday November 13, 2013
Day 19..
Back in the classroom, a morning of land based machinery (following our farm related crossword puzzle) - firstly the plough. We watched a video on how to set up the tractor and plough for optimum performance then discussed the various factors of ploughing, such as the front to back weight distribution 40:60 adding weights to the front is usually in the form of ballast called wafer weights. However, some tractors have one solid weight, so it is very important to get the ratio right or you will incur massive loss of traction. We then moved on to the hydraulic system - an operation that is carried out by pressure transmitted through a pipe by liquid, such as water or oil. The operations include power steering, fore-end loaders, 3 point linkage, external spools (tipping trailers etc) and controlling internal functions such as, PTO clutch. We actually covered this system in great detail, so I need to revise my notes and learn all the technical jargon! But for starters, let's remember that an open circuit system applies to a gear pump and that a closed circuit system applies to a piston pump!
Our afternoon practical started on our walk to the sheep field. The grazing field that we crossed contained a lot of clover, which Dom explained was a good nutrient provider, both for the animal grazing and by being utilised back in to the soil as the plant absorbs nitrogen and ammonia. Without constant grazing, this field is prone to chickweed - A weed that grows in cold conditions, including winter and can also affect cereals, sugar beet and other arable crops, but sheep are happy to eat it off.
We then herded in a group of ewes for condition scoring. This was a group already been tupped but the new ram was in with, to pick up any 'left overs'. Today we used the sheep handling system called the race - which fits up to ten sheep in it in a queue. This allows the first sheep to receive healthcare checks and any injections to administered easily as they get 'wedged' in to the treatment area. But it also secures a group that can be conditioned scored easily too! So, keeping a tally on scoring sheets we then carried out the three basic checks - the hand width across the sheeps back, (feeling for the amount of meat, bone and fat), a feel of the tail (for size) and a general overall look. With this information a score was given and recorded, thus gaining the average condition score of the small herd. As we left the farm, we also had a quick look over the Lincoln reds who were all eating happily!
Back in the classroom, a morning of land based machinery (following our farm related crossword puzzle) - firstly the plough. We watched a video on how to set up the tractor and plough for optimum performance then discussed the various factors of ploughing, such as the front to back weight distribution 40:60 adding weights to the front is usually in the form of ballast called wafer weights. However, some tractors have one solid weight, so it is very important to get the ratio right or you will incur massive loss of traction. We then moved on to the hydraulic system - an operation that is carried out by pressure transmitted through a pipe by liquid, such as water or oil. The operations include power steering, fore-end loaders, 3 point linkage, external spools (tipping trailers etc) and controlling internal functions such as, PTO clutch. We actually covered this system in great detail, so I need to revise my notes and learn all the technical jargon! But for starters, let's remember that an open circuit system applies to a gear pump and that a closed circuit system applies to a piston pump!
Our afternoon practical started on our walk to the sheep field. The grazing field that we crossed contained a lot of clover, which Dom explained was a good nutrient provider, both for the animal grazing and by being utilised back in to the soil as the plant absorbs nitrogen and ammonia. Without constant grazing, this field is prone to chickweed - A weed that grows in cold conditions, including winter and can also affect cereals, sugar beet and other arable crops, but sheep are happy to eat it off.
We then herded in a group of ewes for condition scoring. This was a group already been tupped but the new ram was in with, to pick up any 'left overs'. Today we used the sheep handling system called the race - which fits up to ten sheep in it in a queue. This allows the first sheep to receive healthcare checks and any injections to administered easily as they get 'wedged' in to the treatment area. But it also secures a group that can be conditioned scored easily too! So, keeping a tally on scoring sheets we then carried out the three basic checks - the hand width across the sheeps back, (feeling for the amount of meat, bone and fat), a feel of the tail (for size) and a general overall look. With this information a score was given and recorded, thus gaining the average condition score of the small herd. As we left the farm, we also had a quick look over the Lincoln reds who were all eating happily!
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Friday November 8th, 2013
Day 18..
Following the news that john, our Friday teacher, was to be off for a month through stress this was never going to be a good end to the week!!!
As a mature student attending this course, I have to date managed to keep away from the most immature of the group, but that all changed when three girls and myself had to choose other members of the class to become study groups for our pka (practical knowledge application) and although I didn't pick him, i ended up with 'boy wonder'.
So, after doing absolutely nothing to prep for our pka time, such as discussing fields mapping techniques, crops and cultivation methods, and having a farm walk (in the rain), I am left wondering if you can fail the course for not completing your pka studies?!?!?
Not my best brack day...
Following the news that john, our Friday teacher, was to be off for a month through stress this was never going to be a good end to the week!!!
As a mature student attending this course, I have to date managed to keep away from the most immature of the group, but that all changed when three girls and myself had to choose other members of the class to become study groups for our pka (practical knowledge application) and although I didn't pick him, i ended up with 'boy wonder'.
So, after doing absolutely nothing to prep for our pka time, such as discussing fields mapping techniques, crops and cultivation methods, and having a farm walk (in the rain), I am left wondering if you can fail the course for not completing your pka studies?!?!?
Not my best brack day...
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Thursday November 7, 2013
Day 17..
Overalls on first thing for a mechanical practical session - time to service the tractors! But first we had an introduction to all the tools available on our trollies, because you absolutely need to use the right tool on the right job. We split in to groups with a tractor each and removed the casing to get at the parts that we were about to change. We started with the engine oil, with the drip tray and some containers underneath ready to catch the oil when released. Next we changed the oil filter using a strap wrench to carefully remove the old one out of it's fixing. New oil was added, allowing it to settle before checking the level. The boys removed the fuel filter and then brogan and myself fitted the new one, cleaning the glass bowl and lining up all the new rubber seals then attaching it back in place (lefty lucy and righty tighty was confusing until we learnt to watch the direction of the bolt instead!). We then opened one of the bolts on the out pipe at the back of the filter so that the air could escape as the fuel was then pumped back round the system. I then started the engine, with a few revs, listening to the tickover and that it wasn't missing - ensuring no air in there! We finished off by greasing every 'nipple' that we could find! Old oil deposited in a drum for recycling and recepticals thoroughly cleaned - job done.
So, animal husbandry this afters started with being given our next assignment - sheep production systems and flock health (weekend ruined) then discussed condition scoring. This is imperative to keeping sheep - from breeding and keeping stock to selling to the different markets - export, supermarket and butchers. The correct condition also enhances a sheeps fertility and therefore the whole lambing process, from a good birth to providing colostrum required when the lamb is first born.
We then moved on to sheep diseases, but to be honest I think I will need to go over this more, to take in all the potential diseases, prevention and cures!
Oooooooooooooooh we also had a quick maths lesson incorporating some sheep, a silage pit and winter feeding! Calculating feeding rations is important, they are used at different stages of a sheeps life - for example when lambing and being finished, so basic maths is a must. And I can now remember how to calculate a volume of something by working out the area first! (I am learning yay!)
Overalls on first thing for a mechanical practical session - time to service the tractors! But first we had an introduction to all the tools available on our trollies, because you absolutely need to use the right tool on the right job. We split in to groups with a tractor each and removed the casing to get at the parts that we were about to change. We started with the engine oil, with the drip tray and some containers underneath ready to catch the oil when released. Next we changed the oil filter using a strap wrench to carefully remove the old one out of it's fixing. New oil was added, allowing it to settle before checking the level. The boys removed the fuel filter and then brogan and myself fitted the new one, cleaning the glass bowl and lining up all the new rubber seals then attaching it back in place (lefty lucy and righty tighty was confusing until we learnt to watch the direction of the bolt instead!). We then opened one of the bolts on the out pipe at the back of the filter so that the air could escape as the fuel was then pumped back round the system. I then started the engine, with a few revs, listening to the tickover and that it wasn't missing - ensuring no air in there! We finished off by greasing every 'nipple' that we could find! Old oil deposited in a drum for recycling and recepticals thoroughly cleaned - job done.
So, animal husbandry this afters started with being given our next assignment - sheep production systems and flock health (weekend ruined) then discussed condition scoring. This is imperative to keeping sheep - from breeding and keeping stock to selling to the different markets - export, supermarket and butchers. The correct condition also enhances a sheeps fertility and therefore the whole lambing process, from a good birth to providing colostrum required when the lamb is first born.
We then moved on to sheep diseases, but to be honest I think I will need to go over this more, to take in all the potential diseases, prevention and cures!
Oooooooooooooooh we also had a quick maths lesson incorporating some sheep, a silage pit and winter feeding! Calculating feeding rations is important, they are used at different stages of a sheeps life - for example when lambing and being finished, so basic maths is a must. And I can now remember how to calculate a volume of something by working out the area first! (I am learning yay!)
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Wednesday November 6, 2013
Day sixteen..
Break over, back to work slash the classroom!
So, now that we are all masters of tractor engines, it was time to take it up a gear and move on to what comes next!?!? The clutch and the gearbox..
The clutch separates the gears from the engine but works in conjunction with the gearbox - selecting the correct gear for the task, by way of the required amount of power. Power being a combination of speed and torque (the turning force <- learn this word and meaning!) and is the rate at which energy is converted in to work.
Power is measured in watts or kilowatts or horse power as it was known, therefore 1 hp = 0.76kw. Torque is measured in Nm (Newton metres) whereby 1m to 1kg = 1 Nm. Torque peaks at low engine speeds and power at high engine speeds (the techy info!)
We then moved on to the different transmissions; pneumatic, electric, hydraulic and mechanical and how these systems work around the tractor and what they do :-
Electric - lights, motors, switches, solenoids, batteries, monitors (typical tractor battery 12v DC)
Hydraulic - three point linkage, tipping etc
Mechanical - PTO (power take off), fan belt, timing chain etc
Pneumatic - less popular in agricultural machinery, but could be used to put air in tyres for example
After a morning of theory we went off to our afternoon practicals, today we went to check the 'fat lambs' (those being prepped for lamb packs). The sheep were herded in to the penning system - despite dex the dogs attempts to chase them all away! The ewe lambs were given a quick health check and any dags removed - remember what that is.. The rather poopey clogged up dirty bums! Not a nice job but someone's gotta do it right! They were turned away and the remainder were then checked by Dom to see if they passed the fat lamb test - feel across the back and tail test, if lucky (!) these were marked and also then health checked and dags removed, ready for the inevitable!
Dom will keep an eye on one of these lambs as it was lame, and you can't send a lame lamb to slaughter (it could be deemed that there is an infection, and that this has spread up the leg and possibly further). So it's feet were trimmed as they were pretty overgrown and hopefully this will ease it's walking.
Back at the workshop the equipment was washed, clippers and trimmers, and greased ready for next time (a good shepherd looks after his tools). Another day done.
Break over, back to work slash the classroom!
So, now that we are all masters of tractor engines, it was time to take it up a gear and move on to what comes next!?!? The clutch and the gearbox..
The clutch separates the gears from the engine but works in conjunction with the gearbox - selecting the correct gear for the task, by way of the required amount of power. Power being a combination of speed and torque (the turning force <- learn this word and meaning!) and is the rate at which energy is converted in to work.
Power is measured in watts or kilowatts or horse power as it was known, therefore 1 hp = 0.76kw. Torque is measured in Nm (Newton metres) whereby 1m to 1kg = 1 Nm. Torque peaks at low engine speeds and power at high engine speeds (the techy info!)
We then moved on to the different transmissions; pneumatic, electric, hydraulic and mechanical and how these systems work around the tractor and what they do :-
Electric - lights, motors, switches, solenoids, batteries, monitors (typical tractor battery 12v DC)
Hydraulic - three point linkage, tipping etc
Mechanical - PTO (power take off), fan belt, timing chain etc
Pneumatic - less popular in agricultural machinery, but could be used to put air in tyres for example
After a morning of theory we went off to our afternoon practicals, today we went to check the 'fat lambs' (those being prepped for lamb packs). The sheep were herded in to the penning system - despite dex the dogs attempts to chase them all away! The ewe lambs were given a quick health check and any dags removed - remember what that is.. The rather poopey clogged up dirty bums! Not a nice job but someone's gotta do it right! They were turned away and the remainder were then checked by Dom to see if they passed the fat lamb test - feel across the back and tail test, if lucky (!) these were marked and also then health checked and dags removed, ready for the inevitable!
Dom will keep an eye on one of these lambs as it was lame, and you can't send a lame lamb to slaughter (it could be deemed that there is an infection, and that this has spread up the leg and possibly further). So it's feet were trimmed as they were pretty overgrown and hopefully this will ease it's walking.
Back at the workshop the equipment was washed, clippers and trimmers, and greased ready for next time (a good shepherd looks after his tools). Another day done.
Friday, 25 October 2013
Friday October 25, 2013
Day 15..
Assignment deadline: machinery and soil - handed in!!!
The structure of soil is where we began today, so what is that you may ask - well, in Emma definition it is the way the soil particles are help together.. These particles being sand, silt, clay and gravel. The technical term for soil structure being how individual soil granules clump or bind together and aggregate, and therefore, the arrangement of soil pores between them. A soil structure is worked out according to grade, class and type of aggregate.. Will need to look over notes to learn all of these.
A grass plant is made up of a culm, node, internode, stolon and tiller. And, the roots are fibrous. A leaf blade is usually long and narrow, with parallel sides and veins which taper to a pointed or blunt tip. The part of the grass plant properly known as the flower, is actually composed of many small flowers hidden, except at flowering time, within scales or bracts. The structures containing the flowers are called spikelets.... Ok, so I'm not that clever to know all this yet, I'm quoting from my notes.. But that's good revision surely :)
Moving on to uk crop production, the main uk crops are winter and spring wheat, winter and spring barley, oil seed rape, maize, winter and spring oats, potatoes and sugar beet. It's very interesting to learn how much of each goes into either the human food chain or back in as animal feed.. I will finish my table and learn a bit more about this!
That's all for now, it's directed study week now!!!! Whoop whoop see you in a week
Assignment deadline: machinery and soil - handed in!!!
The structure of soil is where we began today, so what is that you may ask - well, in Emma definition it is the way the soil particles are help together.. These particles being sand, silt, clay and gravel. The technical term for soil structure being how individual soil granules clump or bind together and aggregate, and therefore, the arrangement of soil pores between them. A soil structure is worked out according to grade, class and type of aggregate.. Will need to look over notes to learn all of these.
A grass plant is made up of a culm, node, internode, stolon and tiller. And, the roots are fibrous. A leaf blade is usually long and narrow, with parallel sides and veins which taper to a pointed or blunt tip. The part of the grass plant properly known as the flower, is actually composed of many small flowers hidden, except at flowering time, within scales or bracts. The structures containing the flowers are called spikelets.... Ok, so I'm not that clever to know all this yet, I'm quoting from my notes.. But that's good revision surely :)
Moving on to uk crop production, the main uk crops are winter and spring wheat, winter and spring barley, oil seed rape, maize, winter and spring oats, potatoes and sugar beet. It's very interesting to learn how much of each goes into either the human food chain or back in as animal feed.. I will finish my table and learn a bit more about this!
That's all for now, it's directed study week now!!!! Whoop whoop see you in a week
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Thursday October 24, 2013
Day 14..
A machinery morning, recapping on the fuel system and pin pointing the components on a real tractor instead of a picture - it's so much easier to work out where the fuel goes when you can follow the pipe work! We had a reversing practice session going into man made barns (some cones and wooden pallets!) then carried on hitching and un hitching tractors to a power harrow and a two furrow plough via the three point linkage system.. Team AmyEm absolutely nailed it!
A classroom afters, we began with a more detailed look at foot problems in sheep, focusing on scald and footrot - two very painful reasons why a sheep might be lame. So, if you see a lame sheep it is better to catch it as soon as possible, find the cause, treat it and prevent the risk of any infection spreading across the rest of the herd. Just like humans, animals can get sick too - from bacterial infections and viruses to moulds and yeast attacks, so ensuring your animals health and welfare is vital, with just a 1% rise in temperature being a very serious issue.
* revise and learn the body temperatures of animals *
Cow - 38.5 to 39 oC
Dog 38.2 to 38.7 oC
Horse 38.0 to 38.2 oC
Pig 38.2 to 40.5 oC
Sheep 39.5 to 40.5 oC
And we finished off the day investigating the cereal beef system - also known as barley beef, as that is what's mostly fed! Calves (the boy ones) born to the cereal beef system are usually weaned at 5 weeks old and will be housed indoors on their rapid growth plan between 10 and12 months. They have a 'zero grazing' diet - hence the name and that is to ensure the rumen is developed well so that it can carry out a good FCR - feed conversion ratio, producing a good quality carcase as the end result.
Roll on tomorrow..
A machinery morning, recapping on the fuel system and pin pointing the components on a real tractor instead of a picture - it's so much easier to work out where the fuel goes when you can follow the pipe work! We had a reversing practice session going into man made barns (some cones and wooden pallets!) then carried on hitching and un hitching tractors to a power harrow and a two furrow plough via the three point linkage system.. Team AmyEm absolutely nailed it!
A classroom afters, we began with a more detailed look at foot problems in sheep, focusing on scald and footrot - two very painful reasons why a sheep might be lame. So, if you see a lame sheep it is better to catch it as soon as possible, find the cause, treat it and prevent the risk of any infection spreading across the rest of the herd. Just like humans, animals can get sick too - from bacterial infections and viruses to moulds and yeast attacks, so ensuring your animals health and welfare is vital, with just a 1% rise in temperature being a very serious issue.
* revise and learn the body temperatures of animals *
Cow - 38.5 to 39 oC
Dog 38.2 to 38.7 oC
Horse 38.0 to 38.2 oC
Pig 38.2 to 40.5 oC
Sheep 39.5 to 40.5 oC
And we finished off the day investigating the cereal beef system - also known as barley beef, as that is what's mostly fed! Calves (the boy ones) born to the cereal beef system are usually weaned at 5 weeks old and will be housed indoors on their rapid growth plan between 10 and12 months. They have a 'zero grazing' diet - hence the name and that is to ensure the rumen is developed well so that it can carry out a good FCR - feed conversion ratio, producing a good quality carcase as the end result.
Roll on tomorrow..
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Wednesday October 23, 2013
Day thirteen..
Perhaps missing the Southwell turn off and heading off to Doncaster was a sign!!!
Who wants to be a millionaire was how we started our machinery lesson, with a host of machinery related questions including lots of mathematical ones.. It's not that I hate maths - I'm just not good at remembering how to do it! (Suffice to say, I didn't win a mill). We then did some engine recap before moving on to the inner workings of the fuel system. Very useful for the tractor assignment, although I have already done mine now..
We then had a session on the health and safety aspect of working on a farm and more importantly on and around farm machinery.. Lets not forget that the rops system (roll over protection structure) is designed to protect you should you have the misfortune to tip over.. But did you know that most people forget that in such a situation you should brace for the impact using the steering wheel and hang on to it ruddy tightly! Because if you do not, then you are more likely to be thrown all over the place and can then end up dying from your internal injuries!
Nice thought....
Pm practicals meant we could go back to the dairy farm and dis-bud another eight calfs.. These were approximately eight weeks old, so just little stumps to remove.. But that's when I went all wimpy!!!! Seriously, last week was a doddle, went in pen, injected, dis-budded, sprayed antiseptic, done! Today, oooooooooooooooh I got the right girly wobbles - first injection ok, next one slightly misaligned so Dom had to move the fluid to the right place with his thumb so that it could work! Ok, so I did learn how to hold one correctly today for another person to work on, so that's good - but when it came to disbudding....... Well, it took me ages, I didn't like it, I couldn't do it, I didn't like it again, then Dom had to step in when I couldn't 'flick' the bud away!!! I mean come on... Man up emma!! I will try...
Even later pm, get a text off Rachael, "what's organic soil" I reply what you writing about organic soil for on your soils assignment, I haven't... Her response "it's in question one" DOH so it is, I better just pop my computer back on!!!
Perhaps missing the Southwell turn off and heading off to Doncaster was a sign!!!
Who wants to be a millionaire was how we started our machinery lesson, with a host of machinery related questions including lots of mathematical ones.. It's not that I hate maths - I'm just not good at remembering how to do it! (Suffice to say, I didn't win a mill). We then did some engine recap before moving on to the inner workings of the fuel system. Very useful for the tractor assignment, although I have already done mine now..
We then had a session on the health and safety aspect of working on a farm and more importantly on and around farm machinery.. Lets not forget that the rops system (roll over protection structure) is designed to protect you should you have the misfortune to tip over.. But did you know that most people forget that in such a situation you should brace for the impact using the steering wheel and hang on to it ruddy tightly! Because if you do not, then you are more likely to be thrown all over the place and can then end up dying from your internal injuries!
Nice thought....
Pm practicals meant we could go back to the dairy farm and dis-bud another eight calfs.. These were approximately eight weeks old, so just little stumps to remove.. But that's when I went all wimpy!!!! Seriously, last week was a doddle, went in pen, injected, dis-budded, sprayed antiseptic, done! Today, oooooooooooooooh I got the right girly wobbles - first injection ok, next one slightly misaligned so Dom had to move the fluid to the right place with his thumb so that it could work! Ok, so I did learn how to hold one correctly today for another person to work on, so that's good - but when it came to disbudding....... Well, it took me ages, I didn't like it, I couldn't do it, I didn't like it again, then Dom had to step in when I couldn't 'flick' the bud away!!! I mean come on... Man up emma!! I will try...
Even later pm, get a text off Rachael, "what's organic soil" I reply what you writing about organic soil for on your soils assignment, I haven't... Her response "it's in question one" DOH so it is, I better just pop my computer back on!!!
Friday, 18 October 2013
Friday October 18, 2013
Day twelve..
An afternoon with john stapleton - which got underway with the principles of plant science!
"The branch of science concerned with the formation, nature, ecology and classification of soil"
Soil, is commonly referred to as sand, silt and clay depending on the size of its particle diameters and a great learning tool is the soil classification triangle - we had to create one of these in class and then work out some soil types according to the amount of sand, silt and clay in each example. Good little exercise.
We then started to look at some typical types of grasses found in the uk including the key species; perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, hydrid ryegrasses, Timothy, cocksfoot, red fescue and meadow fescue. We looked at the structure of some grasses, but this information wasn't really sinking in! We then began making a table of all the main qualities and structure of the key grasses but the internet connection was rubbish - so for homework this just needs finishing off.
We finished off our session by discussing the main agricultural crops grown in the uk; what their main uses are and any applicable by-product uses, whether in the agricultural feed industry, human food consumption or other use.
We also added an entry on to the brackenhurst online farm map, the boys wrote up the ploughing and discing in wiles close and on behalf of the *enda ladies* I uploaded our store lamb work carried out at sheep walks east last week.
Word of the day "vernalisation" - a period of cold weather required by certain crops which enables them to grow, for example winter barley.
We ended the day with a group tutorial - brack agric tops ordered :)
An afternoon with john stapleton - which got underway with the principles of plant science!
"The branch of science concerned with the formation, nature, ecology and classification of soil"
Soil, is commonly referred to as sand, silt and clay depending on the size of its particle diameters and a great learning tool is the soil classification triangle - we had to create one of these in class and then work out some soil types according to the amount of sand, silt and clay in each example. Good little exercise.
We then started to look at some typical types of grasses found in the uk including the key species; perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, hydrid ryegrasses, Timothy, cocksfoot, red fescue and meadow fescue. We looked at the structure of some grasses, but this information wasn't really sinking in! We then began making a table of all the main qualities and structure of the key grasses but the internet connection was rubbish - so for homework this just needs finishing off.
We finished off our session by discussing the main agricultural crops grown in the uk; what their main uses are and any applicable by-product uses, whether in the agricultural feed industry, human food consumption or other use.
We also added an entry on to the brackenhurst online farm map, the boys wrote up the ploughing and discing in wiles close and on behalf of the *enda ladies* I uploaded our store lamb work carried out at sheep walks east last week.
Word of the day "vernalisation" - a period of cold weather required by certain crops which enables them to grow, for example winter barley.
We ended the day with a group tutorial - brack agric tops ordered :)
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Thursday October 17, 2013
Day 11..
Practical sessions back on so it was off into the workshop first thing. We started off by sticking labels on to what we thought were the right places of a tractor engine diagram. I didn't know them all yet as I haven't quite got there in my assignment! But I was able to name a few and then explain what I thought they did or what their functions were, there were a lot more bits and pieces to the engine than I thought there would be, but the more we do this section the more I hope to remember.
We then saw an old cam shaft part and a pistern and Andy explained how these worked together and explained the 4 stroke engine procedure; intake, compression, explosion, exhaust (or put another way; suck, squeeze, bang, blow!)
We were then let loose on a tractor! Whereby we learnt about the three point linkage system, how to assemble and disassemble again, in the correct order. The tractor must be lined up square and as well as keeping an eye on the centre line up, the left link arm is also a guide to line up correctly with the implement - this is because that is the fixed arm and cannot be altered later!. Once lined up, you connect the left (fixed arm) first, followed by the right link arm (with can independently be adjusted), then connect the top link arm to the tractor and implement - using either a linchpin or an r clip fastening. Then away you go!
Remember, always put the tractor in neutral if someone is about to connect things up behind! Oh connect the hydraulic hoses should your implement require so!
Pm lessons were livestock lectures and today we were discussing shepherding before moving on to feeding different cattle on silage, from how it's made and stored to how much to feed and when. We then covered a bit on notifiable diseases - and why we need to notify certain authorities when an animal gets a particular disease. The defra website is a useful place to get more on this subject as there are quite a lot of applicable criteria.
Interestingly, FMD (foot and mouth disease) isn't actually a fatal disease and the cow can recover (although it will probably loose condition and have poor milk production for the rest of its life), therefore the reason for culling is largely due to the economical impact of the virus spreading further and further and devastating more farms and farmers, and subsequently having an impact on import and exported meat as well as general market trading as a country as a whole! Food for thought..
Practical sessions back on so it was off into the workshop first thing. We started off by sticking labels on to what we thought were the right places of a tractor engine diagram. I didn't know them all yet as I haven't quite got there in my assignment! But I was able to name a few and then explain what I thought they did or what their functions were, there were a lot more bits and pieces to the engine than I thought there would be, but the more we do this section the more I hope to remember.
We then saw an old cam shaft part and a pistern and Andy explained how these worked together and explained the 4 stroke engine procedure; intake, compression, explosion, exhaust (or put another way; suck, squeeze, bang, blow!)
We were then let loose on a tractor! Whereby we learnt about the three point linkage system, how to assemble and disassemble again, in the correct order. The tractor must be lined up square and as well as keeping an eye on the centre line up, the left link arm is also a guide to line up correctly with the implement - this is because that is the fixed arm and cannot be altered later!. Once lined up, you connect the left (fixed arm) first, followed by the right link arm (with can independently be adjusted), then connect the top link arm to the tractor and implement - using either a linchpin or an r clip fastening. Then away you go!
Remember, always put the tractor in neutral if someone is about to connect things up behind! Oh connect the hydraulic hoses should your implement require so!
Pm lessons were livestock lectures and today we were discussing shepherding before moving on to feeding different cattle on silage, from how it's made and stored to how much to feed and when. We then covered a bit on notifiable diseases - and why we need to notify certain authorities when an animal gets a particular disease. The defra website is a useful place to get more on this subject as there are quite a lot of applicable criteria.
Interestingly, FMD (foot and mouth disease) isn't actually a fatal disease and the cow can recover (although it will probably loose condition and have poor milk production for the rest of its life), therefore the reason for culling is largely due to the economical impact of the virus spreading further and further and devastating more farms and farmers, and subsequently having an impact on import and exported meat as well as general market trading as a country as a whole! Food for thought..
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Wednesday October 16, 2013
Day 10..
Another change to the timetable this morning meant that we had our second 'school' trip today as we loaded onto a brack bus and headed for Newark livestock market!
Not a very busy market day but there seemed to be money to be made and money to be spent!
We watched the 'fat cows' go through (that's them who are not going to live to see another day! :( ) with various breeds on offer.
The auctioneer talks in another language, so from what I think I could make out price wise, the following are some of today's lots;
Dex bull 412kg @ 150p
Lim bull 498kg @ 206p
BBX bull 758kg @ 218 1/2 p
SD bull 777kg @ 153p
*NTU* Red bull 613kg @ 208p
Also for sale were a few pens of pigs and a few pens of sheep - selling at a pen rate of £75 based on an average weight of 55 1/2kg (tbc!)
The afternoon saw us team up for a practical session disbudding calves on Ian's farm (back down the road in the brack bus..
This is a dairy unit with calves at various different stages around the farm. Disbudding is the removal of the growth that turns into the horn and is primarily removed for safety - to stop them harming themselves, other cows and us!
We start by catching the calf in question holding its head and leaning into its body to hold still, then it receives a shot of anesthetic above each eye just in the grove most prominent as this will numb the area to be worked on. I had a go at this and the only worry was when the cow shakes it's head as you don't want to drop the needle. After around 10 mins we tested the horn area with a 'prick test' using a needle point to make sure it can't feel anything. Then it's time to remove the bud with a disbudding iron - heated up to 700 degrees this has an opening at the end and this is used to deaden the nerve endings and to cap the bud by flicking it off! I did have a go at this but I was a little hesitant! Initially you have to ensure the area around the bone area is deadened, you then wiggle it around to get a good shape all of which helps to ensure no growth can take place, then you leave the machine on for 3 seconds at the end to seal the job. This area is then sprayed with an antiseptic spray to help stop any infection getting in.
One calf down for me.. Plenty more to practice on!
Another change to the timetable this morning meant that we had our second 'school' trip today as we loaded onto a brack bus and headed for Newark livestock market!
Not a very busy market day but there seemed to be money to be made and money to be spent!
We watched the 'fat cows' go through (that's them who are not going to live to see another day! :( ) with various breeds on offer.
The auctioneer talks in another language, so from what I think I could make out price wise, the following are some of today's lots;
Dex bull 412kg @ 150p
Lim bull 498kg @ 206p
BBX bull 758kg @ 218 1/2 p
SD bull 777kg @ 153p
*NTU* Red bull 613kg @ 208p
Also for sale were a few pens of pigs and a few pens of sheep - selling at a pen rate of £75 based on an average weight of 55 1/2kg (tbc!)
The afternoon saw us team up for a practical session disbudding calves on Ian's farm (back down the road in the brack bus..
This is a dairy unit with calves at various different stages around the farm. Disbudding is the removal of the growth that turns into the horn and is primarily removed for safety - to stop them harming themselves, other cows and us!
We start by catching the calf in question holding its head and leaning into its body to hold still, then it receives a shot of anesthetic above each eye just in the grove most prominent as this will numb the area to be worked on. I had a go at this and the only worry was when the cow shakes it's head as you don't want to drop the needle. After around 10 mins we tested the horn area with a 'prick test' using a needle point to make sure it can't feel anything. Then it's time to remove the bud with a disbudding iron - heated up to 700 degrees this has an opening at the end and this is used to deaden the nerve endings and to cap the bud by flicking it off! I did have a go at this but I was a little hesitant! Initially you have to ensure the area around the bone area is deadened, you then wiggle it around to get a good shape all of which helps to ensure no growth can take place, then you leave the machine on for 3 seconds at the end to seal the job. This area is then sprayed with an antiseptic spray to help stop any infection getting in.
One calf down for me.. Plenty more to practice on!
Friday, 11 October 2013
Friday October 11, 2013
Day nine..
Rain stops plough play! So it's off to play with some sheep instead!
Today we were on hand to help sort out some lambs for market (sad I know), it started by rounding them into our penning area but that proved too much for two or three who were really weak little things, and Dom ended up fetching them from the field in his car (with his handbrake still on) and we put them in a separate pen away from the others.
We got underway by sorting them in to two new groups, those for market this weekend and those to be kept for finishing off for lamb packs. This was relatively painless with the funky sheep handling system - catching them, letting them out the side door or letting them out forwards. Which door they went out of depended on how much 'meat' was felt across the back, how much of a handful there was from behind and a general eye over - undertaken by the farm bailiff Neil.
Within the 'fattening up' pen 8 of the best looking ewes were marked as keepers to be retained by the farm and then they were all let back into the field.
In the market pen the lambs were checked for dags (poopy bums) and cleaned up where necessary. One was found with fly strike (maggots round the back end) and these were removed and some antiseptic spray applied. We then had to put tags in their ears.. One in each - one is the farms unique identification number and the other is used to tag that particular sheep. I had a go at this using a sheep friendly ear piecing machine that punches the tag straight through the ear.. Being a girl I did wonder if this was hurting them but my method was the quicker the better! And that seemed to get the job done! These were then loaded onto the cattle trailer and taken to the farm where they will stay until morning.
Neil then returned to collect the poor doers and will see if they respond to some extra vitamins and minerals, if not I'm afraid they will be put out of their misery!
The collection of sheep included rouges, mules, beltex and something else that I can't remember! But rest assured lil lammies.. I'm still a vegetarian and you'll not end up on my dinner plate x
Rain stops plough play! So it's off to play with some sheep instead!
Today we were on hand to help sort out some lambs for market (sad I know), it started by rounding them into our penning area but that proved too much for two or three who were really weak little things, and Dom ended up fetching them from the field in his car (with his handbrake still on) and we put them in a separate pen away from the others.
We got underway by sorting them in to two new groups, those for market this weekend and those to be kept for finishing off for lamb packs. This was relatively painless with the funky sheep handling system - catching them, letting them out the side door or letting them out forwards. Which door they went out of depended on how much 'meat' was felt across the back, how much of a handful there was from behind and a general eye over - undertaken by the farm bailiff Neil.
Within the 'fattening up' pen 8 of the best looking ewes were marked as keepers to be retained by the farm and then they were all let back into the field.
In the market pen the lambs were checked for dags (poopy bums) and cleaned up where necessary. One was found with fly strike (maggots round the back end) and these were removed and some antiseptic spray applied. We then had to put tags in their ears.. One in each - one is the farms unique identification number and the other is used to tag that particular sheep. I had a go at this using a sheep friendly ear piecing machine that punches the tag straight through the ear.. Being a girl I did wonder if this was hurting them but my method was the quicker the better! And that seemed to get the job done! These were then loaded onto the cattle trailer and taken to the farm where they will stay until morning.
Neil then returned to collect the poor doers and will see if they respond to some extra vitamins and minerals, if not I'm afraid they will be put out of their misery!
The collection of sheep included rouges, mules, beltex and something else that I can't remember! But rest assured lil lammies.. I'm still a vegetarian and you'll not end up on my dinner plate x
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Thursday October 10, 2013
Day 8..
With a chill in the windy air it was time to wrap up a little warmer today, the coat only just fastening over the overalls!
Anyhow, it was back to the field for some more ploughing practice.. Tractors checked over and ploughs greased, revving to go.
Today's hiccups included a broken handbrake, a gear stick stuck in reverse and a sticky guide wheel! We ploughed on regardless..
Oooooh and someone yesterday reported me for bad driving - pulling out of a field far too fast - me and fast exactly!!! At least I know which one of us got that totally wrong!
With a chill in the windy air it was time to wrap up a little warmer today, the coat only just fastening over the overalls!
Anyhow, it was back to the field for some more ploughing practice.. Tractors checked over and ploughs greased, revving to go.
Today's hiccups included a broken handbrake, a gear stick stuck in reverse and a sticky guide wheel! We ploughed on regardless..
Oooooh and someone yesterday reported me for bad driving - pulling out of a field far too fast - me and fast exactly!!! At least I know which one of us got that totally wrong!
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Wednesday October 9, 2013
Dayyyyyyyyyy 7..
Let's get down to business - assignment handed in!!! (Not looking forward to the feedback)
So, following instruction from doms text, it was a 9 am start at the workshop "suited and booted" where we were to begin our ploughing introduction (for those never done it before, of course).
We started with a tractor component refresher where thankfully we all remembered something, then we set about our machines for the day - three big un's un two smaller ones! (I'll learn what the tractor models are honest) then in convoy we headed for whiles close our lovely stubble 'play', sorry teaching field..
Brogan started us off with a furrow set to approximately 8 inches, which for the clay soil type was ok'd by Andy, and with that she headed in a straight slash rather wobbly first line.
I have never undertaken such a task but after learning the ropes of a new tractor (the controls are always on the move) I hitched the revs up, and while on the move, lowered the plough down.. Then wheels guided by the previous run I followed the furrow all the way to the headland, three point turned, flipped the plough over and set off back again.
It can be quite scary, just how far the tractor tilts, as one side runs in a furrow and the other remains on the high ground, but with my rops in place (roll over protection structure aka cab!) I remained cool calm and collected back to the other side of the field. I may not have had the best ploughing technique but it was jolly good having a go!
And for even more field cultivation, how about discing - a much easier way to plough as it does not require as much time and effort, we all had a go at this too, but as this was lower down the field the four wheel drive tractor struggled sometimes, so when that happened it was all about engaging the diff lock for much better traction (but don't forget to take it off when you turn at the end!).
A good days work in the field me feels and with a few entertaining furrows - one the wrong way and one not ploughed at all - the moral of the days lesson was enhanced - anyone can drive a tractor but it takes a certain someone to operate it!!!
Let's get down to business - assignment handed in!!! (Not looking forward to the feedback)
So, following instruction from doms text, it was a 9 am start at the workshop "suited and booted" where we were to begin our ploughing introduction (for those never done it before, of course).
We started with a tractor component refresher where thankfully we all remembered something, then we set about our machines for the day - three big un's un two smaller ones! (I'll learn what the tractor models are honest) then in convoy we headed for whiles close our lovely stubble 'play', sorry teaching field..
Brogan started us off with a furrow set to approximately 8 inches, which for the clay soil type was ok'd by Andy, and with that she headed in a straight slash rather wobbly first line.
I have never undertaken such a task but after learning the ropes of a new tractor (the controls are always on the move) I hitched the revs up, and while on the move, lowered the plough down.. Then wheels guided by the previous run I followed the furrow all the way to the headland, three point turned, flipped the plough over and set off back again.
It can be quite scary, just how far the tractor tilts, as one side runs in a furrow and the other remains on the high ground, but with my rops in place (roll over protection structure aka cab!) I remained cool calm and collected back to the other side of the field. I may not have had the best ploughing technique but it was jolly good having a go!
And for even more field cultivation, how about discing - a much easier way to plough as it does not require as much time and effort, we all had a go at this too, but as this was lower down the field the four wheel drive tractor struggled sometimes, so when that happened it was all about engaging the diff lock for much better traction (but don't forget to take it off when you turn at the end!).
A good days work in the field me feels and with a few entertaining furrows - one the wrong way and one not ploughed at all - the moral of the days lesson was enhanced - anyone can drive a tractor but it takes a certain someone to operate it!!!
Friday, 4 October 2013
Friday October 4, 2013
Day 6...
So, not sticking to the normal timetable yet, my first lesson did not get underway until 12.30 which meant I could spend the morning working on my breeds/livestock assignment (I literally started it as there is plenty for me to research and learn to enable me to answer the questions) I fear it's going to be a busy weekend..
Today's topics included the principles of plant and soil science, grassland management and agricultural crop production. Although we received just a preliminary introduction to all of these subjects today, I think the work load will dramatically increase here! And in theory this section of the course will link seamlessly in to other areas giving us a real insight in to how many farm practices lend themselves to other processes and vice versa... Watch this space.
Our first tutorial consisted of cake in celebration of Rachael's 21st birthday! I'm now wondering if we are going to get treats every week?!
5 o'clock finish and week two complete :)
So, not sticking to the normal timetable yet, my first lesson did not get underway until 12.30 which meant I could spend the morning working on my breeds/livestock assignment (I literally started it as there is plenty for me to research and learn to enable me to answer the questions) I fear it's going to be a busy weekend..
Today's topics included the principles of plant and soil science, grassland management and agricultural crop production. Although we received just a preliminary introduction to all of these subjects today, I think the work load will dramatically increase here! And in theory this section of the course will link seamlessly in to other areas giving us a real insight in to how many farm practices lend themselves to other processes and vice versa... Watch this space.
Our first tutorial consisted of cake in celebration of Rachael's 21st birthday! I'm now wondering if we are going to get treats every week?!
5 o'clock finish and week two complete :)
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Thursday October 3, 2013
Day five...
Left even earlier.... Arrived in bramley car park just after 8! Defiantly not late today... Under 19 yo's went for their student safety talks, the remaining oldies (yep me) had a workshop lesson on a lovely Massey Ferguson model. Sides removed, Andy got us looking for parts of the tractor we could remember from the main component lesson. Each part then described in much further detail with functions and purposes discussed and explained. To become a good tractor driver one must also be able to effectively and efficiently operate the machine... I found this lesson really interesting, having never really looked under a tractors hood before!
We congregated back at the workshop for another 'field' test... But as a consequence of the previous days rain.. Field day ruled out.. So we split back up in to our two working groups where it was our workshop practical session, so as a refresher for those missing earlier, we re-capped on the tractors main components where thankfully I remembered a few notes from earlier... I know there will be a lot to remember with regards to machinery, but I thoroughly enjoyed my first taster!
Once the Massey had her clothes put back on, we headed outside to the yard to have a practice of hitching up and reversing a trailer - practice makes perfect after all.
** fuel from priming pump goes to filter which then goes to the fuel injection pump * psi = pounds per square inch * pre cleaner * driven tyre pattern * pick up hitch = hook * pressure in fuel pump 25,000 psi **
Our afternoon lectures were classroom based and we covered quite a lot from undertaking sheep production to promoting animal health to farm livestock husbandry... Lots to take in of course, as I do not have all of the relevant experience, but interesting all the same. There are many breeds and I will need to learn these for tests that crop up in the next few weeks, and of course a major note to point out with all this talk of livestock and farming is that as a vegetarian!!! I am continually learning about rearing animals for what they were originally designed to do - providing meat and meat by-products.. This I am taking in my stride!
Full on days learning! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and a reminder that I have an assignment that needs doing and handing in next week.. Homework indeed..
Left even earlier.... Arrived in bramley car park just after 8! Defiantly not late today... Under 19 yo's went for their student safety talks, the remaining oldies (yep me) had a workshop lesson on a lovely Massey Ferguson model. Sides removed, Andy got us looking for parts of the tractor we could remember from the main component lesson. Each part then described in much further detail with functions and purposes discussed and explained. To become a good tractor driver one must also be able to effectively and efficiently operate the machine... I found this lesson really interesting, having never really looked under a tractors hood before!
We congregated back at the workshop for another 'field' test... But as a consequence of the previous days rain.. Field day ruled out.. So we split back up in to our two working groups where it was our workshop practical session, so as a refresher for those missing earlier, we re-capped on the tractors main components where thankfully I remembered a few notes from earlier... I know there will be a lot to remember with regards to machinery, but I thoroughly enjoyed my first taster!
Once the Massey had her clothes put back on, we headed outside to the yard to have a practice of hitching up and reversing a trailer - practice makes perfect after all.
** fuel from priming pump goes to filter which then goes to the fuel injection pump * psi = pounds per square inch * pre cleaner * driven tyre pattern * pick up hitch = hook * pressure in fuel pump 25,000 psi **
Our afternoon lectures were classroom based and we covered quite a lot from undertaking sheep production to promoting animal health to farm livestock husbandry... Lots to take in of course, as I do not have all of the relevant experience, but interesting all the same. There are many breeds and I will need to learn these for tests that crop up in the next few weeks, and of course a major note to point out with all this talk of livestock and farming is that as a vegetarian!!! I am continually learning about rearing animals for what they were originally designed to do - providing meat and meat by-products.. This I am taking in my stride!
Full on days learning! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and a reminder that I have an assignment that needs doing and handing in next week.. Homework indeed..
Wednesday October 2, 2013
Day 4...
After an epic journey in - 2 hours sat in Ralph - everyone met at the workshop with the plan to get out in the field.. But due to the good ' ol British weather we were unable to do that and the plan reverted back to the classroom timetable (for the time being anyway). So back in tg1 we had a presentation on the construction of a tractor. Everyone had a go at naming the main components and then each was described and discussed in further detail. Four pages of notes taken (lots to learn).
Pm consisted of us being split into two working groups - girls AND boys not g's v's b's - and after a bit of bribery group one (with me in it) headed off to have an afternoon of sheep practical...
Sheep rounded up
Sheep penned
Sheep generally observed
Then came the dirty work, in turn we had a go at turning a sheep over, my first ever go, then it was a three t check - teeth, teats and toes!!!
We were then kitted up ready to 'drench' six sheep each... 20 mg of stuff administered orally with a buddy marking each one on the back of the head with a dot to confirm done.
Claggy behinds were cleaned up by dom and we then returned the rather wild herd back to their field for some much needed grazing relaxation.
Cool day with lots of new things experienced!!!
After an epic journey in - 2 hours sat in Ralph - everyone met at the workshop with the plan to get out in the field.. But due to the good ' ol British weather we were unable to do that and the plan reverted back to the classroom timetable (for the time being anyway). So back in tg1 we had a presentation on the construction of a tractor. Everyone had a go at naming the main components and then each was described and discussed in further detail. Four pages of notes taken (lots to learn).
Pm consisted of us being split into two working groups - girls AND boys not g's v's b's - and after a bit of bribery group one (with me in it) headed off to have an afternoon of sheep practical...
Sheep rounded up
Sheep penned
Sheep generally observed
Then came the dirty work, in turn we had a go at turning a sheep over, my first ever go, then it was a three t check - teeth, teats and toes!!!
We were then kitted up ready to 'drench' six sheep each... 20 mg of stuff administered orally with a buddy marking each one on the back of the head with a dot to confirm done.
Claggy behinds were cleaned up by dom and we then returned the rather wild herd back to their field for some much needed grazing relaxation.
Cool day with lots of new things experienced!!!
Friday September 27, 2013
In the style of big brother.. Day 3...
I'd like to say we saw the return of the lovely sue sutton but two days previously she cracked the whip and made us undertake our maths and English tests, so as she handed us our awful results (in my case definitely) it was rather worrying what might happen next... But actually she is on our side and gave us an introduction to getting ourselves organised! Noted!!
Before lunch we were introduced to the brand new on site library, which actually I found to be very nice! It's full of books (of course) but provides a versatile and relaxed atmosphere to undertake some much needed research.
It was then time for an afternoon stroll... Ok, the technical term was "farm orientation" where we were given a farm field map and a check list and three hours! All went well for about the first seven fields anyway... Then I think we took a wrong turn, admitted defeat and turned back on ourselves... At least we were out in the great outdoors!
Week one... Complete :-)
I'd like to say we saw the return of the lovely sue sutton but two days previously she cracked the whip and made us undertake our maths and English tests, so as she handed us our awful results (in my case definitely) it was rather worrying what might happen next... But actually she is on our side and gave us an introduction to getting ourselves organised! Noted!!
Before lunch we were introduced to the brand new on site library, which actually I found to be very nice! It's full of books (of course) but provides a versatile and relaxed atmosphere to undertake some much needed research.
It was then time for an afternoon stroll... Ok, the technical term was "farm orientation" where we were given a farm field map and a check list and three hours! All went well for about the first seven fields anyway... Then I think we took a wrong turn, admitted defeat and turned back on ourselves... At least we were out in the great outdoors!
Week one... Complete :-)
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Thursday September 26, 2013
Day two...
"Meet at the buses to go to Flintham Ploughing Match" that was the time table instruction and after meeting Rachael and Phoebe in the car park that's exactly what I did.
The girls and Gary got the smelly bus, but off to the show we went and with friends of flintham badges adorned it was off to explore...
From the man with an owl on his shoulder to the vintage tractor show to the craft tent selling fudge to the horse drawn and tractor driven ploughs it provided something for everyone.
And with extra special ringside shenanigans - an ode to the queen in her carriage, conversation and laughter... It was a fab first trip as an agri student!
"Meet at the buses to go to Flintham Ploughing Match" that was the time table instruction and after meeting Rachael and Phoebe in the car park that's exactly what I did.
The girls and Gary got the smelly bus, but off to the show we went and with friends of flintham badges adorned it was off to explore...
From the man with an owl on his shoulder to the vintage tractor show to the craft tent selling fudge to the horse drawn and tractor driven ploughs it provided something for everyone.
And with extra special ringside shenanigans - an ode to the queen in her carriage, conversation and laughter... It was a fab first trip as an agri student!
Wednesday September 25, 2013
Day one...
A collection of joe public gathers for a day of welcome talks at the brackenhurst campus (now forming part of notts uni) as they embark upon the two year extended national diploma in agriculture...
Me being one of them!!! "What am I doing" I think to myself on the rather long journey to the Southwell destination, but as I look for tg1 I bump into Rachael - also on the lookout for the same classroom and together we take our seats...
Course intro, health and safety intro, student support intro done. Initial tractor driving assessment done. Maths and English test!!!!!! done. Day one complete.
(I made it through!)
A collection of joe public gathers for a day of welcome talks at the brackenhurst campus (now forming part of notts uni) as they embark upon the two year extended national diploma in agriculture...
Me being one of them!!! "What am I doing" I think to myself on the rather long journey to the Southwell destination, but as I look for tg1 I bump into Rachael - also on the lookout for the same classroom and together we take our seats...
Course intro, health and safety intro, student support intro done. Initial tractor driving assessment done. Maths and English test!!!!!! done. Day one complete.
(I made it through!)
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