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!
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