Well, we’ve moved from the hectic festive season with oven-ready geese, turkey, sausages, lamb and beef joints on the market, to the calm after the storm that is January and the New Year.

I was pleased with our Christmas sales; we’re all hoping that this can continue through 2012.

We are attending our regular markets in Church Stretton, Ludlow and farmers’ markets in Craven Arms, Knighton and Bishop’s Castle.

We have successfully begun production from our Solar power projects, before the December 12 deadline and have produced over 850kWatts of power so far.

It seems more individuals and farm businesses will be looking into electricity production on their properties, whether it is from solar, wind or from hydro.

I have been talking to a farmer from Diddlebury who is quite keen on hydro-electric power production.

I’ll be working some figures out on the feasibility of an installation at Strefford Hall.

Phil Preece scanned our ewes on January 3 and we were pleased with the results considering how dry our ground had been since last May.

Only a handful of barrens, of which three were ewe lambs, giving us a lambing percentage of about 170 per cent.

Lambing time should be less labour-intensive, having fewer triplets.

Kim, my wife, will be banned from the lambing shed this year because of the pregnancy and I will be showering and changing at the farmhouse before coming home.

At last we have finished using the bean haulm (straw) to litter the cattle.

The wheat straw does not create as much dust and the cows prefer it.

The wheat straw looks so much nicer, too.

We will be interviewing Harper Adams gap year students tomorrow, trying to find one who will learn from us at the same time as bringing new ideas into the business.

Gap year students can help with looking at your own business, developing new ideas and keeping up to date with current thinking.

David Morgan, Strefford Hall Farm, Craven Arms.

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