Now is the time when we start thinking about the next breeding season, and preparing the ewes for meeting the boys. We vaccinated all our new breeding ewes against abortion this month. Unfortunately enzootic abortion is becoming more common, so we took the decision to spend quite a lot on the vaccines in the hope that it saves us money in the long run by reducing our losses. A lot of the time you are gambling in farming, gambling with the weather, with market prices, or with vaccines and medication. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you really don’t know if it made any difference whatsoever!

We also put lick tubs in the fields for the ewes, containing minerals necessary for fertility. We need them to be in peak condition in the run up to tupping season, to ensure they produce strong, healthy lambs.

We also got our first batch of meat back from the butcher at the beginning of the month, and delivered it locally. We sold all 4 almost immediately, and sent another 4 in at the end of the month, all pre-ordered again. Hopefully we can keep up this level of custom in the future!