Silage making

At lunch time the contractors arrived to make silage. The wilted mown grass in the fields is lying in rows so it is picked up by the forager and blown into the high-sided trailers which are driven next to the forager. There are several tractors and trailers who race from field to silage pit and make a lot of dust on their way!

On arrival at the pit they unload the grass which is then pushed up to the top of the heap and driven over to weight it down. When all the grass has been collected it is covered with plastic sheeting over which are placed old heavy rubber tyres. The far side of the pit is supported by a sturdy wall made of old railway sleepers which are held in place with metal pillars.

Over the course of the next few months the grass will ferment in the pit making a nutritious winter feed for the livestock - as long as it doesn't rain before we get the grass in! The whining of tractors will go on into the night as they continue driving up and down, determined to try and finish the job.

This is the first time we have used contractors, having just sold a tractor. Last year we had a New Zealander living with us for three months helping over the busy season and this also made a lot of difference to our work force.