As the corona virus became an imminent reality, it was no surprise that milk and eggs were among the basics that many families rushed to buy, said NFU president, Minette Batters. (Farmer’s Guardian 9 June 2020)
And yet despite widespread emergency restrictions, social distancing measures and labour shortages, British farmers still continued to provide enough of these essential products for customers.
To show support for our milk producers there were campaigns on social media drinking symbolic pints of milk #pintofmilkchallenge and a mental health initiative encouraged sharing a milk drink in #milkyourmoments.
Here in Overton the first cut silage went ahead in May after a very dry spell. The pictures show the ‘tedder’ machine (green) which spreads the grass out to dry . The rake (red) puts the grass into swaths. The forage harvester picks up the grass and shoots it into the trailer for the ‘ferrier’ to drive it and tip it into the silage clamp.It is here that the buckrake takes it all and ‘builds’ it in the clamp. The clamp is then sheeted up and weighted down, a big job!
The Home Farm were equally stepping up operations and put in place a delivery system of their wide selection of meats and ready meals, fruit and vegetables and difficult to find items such as flour. Their imaginative ideas continue with a monthly menu which can be purchased for easy cooking at home. They have a thriving Facebook page, “Home Farm Overton”.
These photographs below are a re affirmation of the cycle of nature that we need, animals and humans need to be fed, we have to hope things will get better and a new normal can be found for our future well being.
