Hi everyone, welcome back to our blog feed. We hope you are all keeping safe and well. This week we are back with another ‘What’s on at the Farm’ series where we bring the farm to you virtually. This week we are catching up with Bampfield Farm, a delightful farm and self-catering accommodation site located near to Barnstaple. Lynda and Neil who own and run Bampfield Farm are missing their guests this time of year but being farmers, they have still had lots of work to do. Keep reading to discover what has been happening on their farm this springtime.
What has been happening on the Farm
At Bampfield Farm they have a herd of 250 dairy cows who have just had their 6 week holiday (rest from milking). Their herd began calving in February and through March and April, providing Lynda and Neil with 180 calves to look after! These young heifers are fed milk in the fields with the farms new feeding system which can be seen photographed below.
As they grow, Lynda and Neil will gradually wean them off milk onto grass and cereals. Bampfield’s cows are in the field eating grass for 290 days of the year. Neil measures the grass on the farm each week to ensure he has enough grass to feed the cows. This is because their cows eat 22 tonnes of grass a day! That means in a week they will eat 154 tonnes of grass, amazing.
Lynda and Neil’s cows produce around 40,000 litres or 70,390 pints of milk each week for the Arla milk co-operative. So when you eat cheese or pour milk over your cereal say a big thank you to all your British farmers.
As well as the cows, Bampfield Farm supplies a huge amount of free-range chickens to supermarkets across the country. Lynda said, ‘Alongside other farmers, we are proud to be doing our bit to keep the nation fed’.
What else have they been up to
As well as looking after all the animals on the farm there have been a few extra things that Lynda and Neil have been up to. They have started a new vegetable plot where they are busy growing lots of new scrumptious vegetables. If you have any tips for growing vegetables or fruit be sure to let us know. They have also been painting all the cottage windows and walking around the farm with a camera taking shots of animals, flowers, wildlife and sunsets to share with all their guests. Lynda has also been trying new recipes to keep the farmers fed as they continue their work providing food for the nation. Lynda has also volunteered in her local community to deliver bread, milk and flowers to vulnerable residents in her village. Finally, Lynda and Neil have joined their church family for services on Zoom. It truly is amazing the way people have become so innovative during this time to enable some activities to continue.
A final note from Lynda, ‘ When this challenge is over our farm holiday co-operative will be here to welcome you back into the countryside. I am sure you will join with us as we celebrate and appreciate our food as well as the environment which we strive to look after for the nation’.
Further Information
We hope you have enjoyed today’s ‘What’s on at the Farm’ series blog all about Bampfield Farm. If you wanted to learn more about what they do at Bampfield Farm head over to their page on our website. Furthermore, if you want to catch up with the rest of the series click here.