Heatwaves and haylage - the hard road to self-sufficiency


This all the haylage Tom and Chloe took off from the Church Farm fields in June. They took 120 bales of a 17 seed mixture herbal lay. 

One of the big aims of Church Farm has been to be fully self-sufficient, which means growing all the food that the herds will need over the winter. But sometimes, the weather doesn’t cooperate. 

With the heatwaves this summer, what was to be the second cut of haylage - about 150 bales worth - was lost to the heat. Tom says: “you know I don't want to sound like that grumpy weatherman again - because I’m not - but it's been a real bugger! 

This loss has meant that Tom has had to buy in locally sourced haylage to keep the herds in good condition over the colder months.

 

Red deer eating haylage