Day forty seven..
This morning Steve, from B&B Tractors, returned to give us a live demonstration of the Trimble on-board GPS systems. The Trimble GPS system provides positioning solutions enabling agricultural users to be more productive by revolutionising their work processes in the field. Trimble uses GPS, lasers, optical, and inertial technologies, as well as wireless communications and application specific software to provide complete solutions that link positioning to productivity. (<-that's the techy bit) So Steve talked us through the welcome screens and icons on the home page and settings that can be edited for the task in hand. We were then let loose around the yard at Home Farm in a 'field' scenario. In tractor mode, we first selected the headland icon along with the plot A to B program. As we started off in the tractor, the screen plotted where we were going and was recording our journey. We selected A as we set off and when we approached the opposite side we plotted the B range - as this would allow the system to work out the guide lines within the field. Upon return to the start of the headland the system is ready to plot the course for the tractor to take. As the tractor is turned and reaches the closest line the steering wheel icon becomes active - once activated the steering is taken over by the trimble system - which is very weird! It uses sensors (either built in to the tractor or bolted on - for a cost of £17,000) to control where the tractor is going. This leaves you to control the speed and watch the screen and monitor and adjust the equipment on the back of the tractor accordingly. It is a very modern way to farm, and one that is growing in popularity as farmers strive to get the maximum yield for the least output!
This afternoon we started off by looking at lambing time; health and safety, the signs of lambing and the shepherds lambing bag! When a ewe is ready to give birth there are some tell tail signs that you should be looking out for in order to keep an eye on the ewe and make sure the birth is successful - you would not want to intervene with the lambing process unless absolutely necessary, where there is a problem in the birth process and the life of the lamb and ewe is at risk. Signs of lambing include restlessness, moon gazing (head tilts towards the sky), water bag (placenta) emerges from the vulva and separation from others. Upon signs that she is about to lamb, a ewe can be left for approximately half an hour before you investigate that all is well, but if she is a gimmer (a young ewe, usually its first lambing) then this should be left for up to an hour while she finds her feet.
We then moved on to Dairy Production in the UK.. and started off by learning what the terminology means! For females; At birth are called Heifer calves, Female heifers over one year old are maiden heifers (unmated) and in-calf heifers (if pregnant), a barren cow (one that is no longer breeding) is barren or farrow and a dry cow (stopped milking for current lactation) is a dry cow or yeld. And for males; at birth are bull calves or a bullock if it has been castrated - bullocks can also be referred to as steers or stirks, store cattle - those to be fattened off later, veal - those reared for slaughter at a young age and bull beef - is beef from an entire male. A year in the life of a dairy cow means that it has to produce a calf as the milk is a by-product of this process. The cow lactates (to secrete or produce milk for 10 months of the year. Most cows are artificially inseminated (AI) as this gives farmers cheaper access to top quality bulls! Cows can calf all year round, however there is a premium paid for milk in the summer now to encourage an even supply (a cow is 'dry' for two months before giving birth). Interestingly! - for when we are told that milk is bad for us - Full fat milk has a butter fat content of around 3.6%, semi-skimmed at 2% and skimmed at 1% so there is much less in milk than many other products on the market (low fat cheeses and yoghurts for example) and there isn't actually much of a drop between full fat and skimmed! however - those drinking semi or skimmed suggest that they cant go back to full fat because it tastes too chewy!
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