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!
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