This Farming Life - November in Castlefarm

Jenny Young

Yippee one more month milking, before we dry off for the winter.

At the beginning of November we bring our cows indoors for the winter. For the next two months they will sleep indoors on straw bedding and will be fed a diet of silage, which is wilted grass that we cut and put into a pit or baled earlier in the summer.

As the cows drop in milk yield they will be dried off, ie we will stop milking them. Up to now they have been yielding on average 16 litres of milk each per day. This relatively high yield is due to the fact that we are supplementing their diet with an organic dairy ration. They are due to start calving down at the beginning of February, so they will need a break from the parlour.

We have closed off the grass paddocks for the winter, although there is still some growth. Grazing in wet weather results in poaching of the land and generally damages the grass sward. As the cows calve down from February they will return to the pastures.

So for the next few months we farmers at Castlefarm plan on recharging our batteries, sleeping longer and preparing for the spring!

Castlefarm Shop opens every week normally on a Friday or Saturday but you need to sign up to facebook, emails or text alerts to keep up to date with opening days and farm specials. To receive our newsletter and news of new products by email please sign up to our email, or text updates or like us on facebook. Castlefarm Shop, Narraghmore, Athy, Co Kildare, Email jenny@castlefarmshop.ie, log onto www.castlefarmshop.ie or telephone 087 678 5269

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