A Sad Farewell and some Happy Events

RIP Kerry Cow 

For over twelve years Kerry cow has been a firm favourite with the visitors at Longdown, not only because she was such a quiet animal who enjoyed all the attention, but she was a real film star having worked with Nick Knowles in Animal Rescue and also in Heinz soup and PG Tips advertisements. Kerry cow was very special to Dawn and I as she was the last remaining family member of the Deerleap herd of Holstein cows, which originated at Longdown in 1977 when we had a large dairy herd. We had been hoping that Kerry was going to produce a calf to carry on the herd's name, however, just before she was due to calf, she died of Grass Staggers - another name for magnesium deficiency. This is caused by a lack of magnesium in the grass, which in turn affects the cow's nervous system causing sudden death. It was quite sad to see how Fudge, her Jersey cow friend, pined for Kerry, pacing the field and bellowing day and night.

On a much happier note, Kylie had to turn into a midwife unexpectedly on the day of our Vintage Rally as FiFi, our donkey, decided it would be a good time to give birth in front of a very large group of visitors. As we debated if FiFi required a helping hand, or to let nature take its course, we noticed a young girl collapsed on the floor in front of the large group of visitors who had gathered to witness the birth. We think that the sight of this natural birth had proved too much for the little girl. As I went to the young girl's assistance, Kylie looked horrified. "I have never foaled a donkey before". she stuttered. By the time I had completed the first aid, FiFi had produced a healthy young girl foal with a helping hand from Kylie. I'm not sure who looked the most exhausted - FiFi or Kylie! And guess what? We named the new donkey Emily, after the young girl who fainted. Do come and see FiFi and Emily at the Farm and take a look at the birth video on YouTube.

Look out for the New Forest Tour buses which start their service from Sat 28th June. We have a bus stop right outside the farm gate where you can hop on and off at hourly intervals using the red route bus. There are three routes around the forest - each inter-linking with each other, meaning you can reach the whole forest on one bus ticket per person. Show your valid New Forest Tour Bus Ticket at admissions to receive 20% off entry to the Farm (cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer). See The New Forest Tour website for further details about the tours.

 
Our annual Vintage Rally was great success once again with perfect weather conditions. There were many different tractors and engines on display, as well as all sorts of working attractions such wood sawing machinery and a crane. The children's tug o' war is always a highlight, and this year didn't disappoint with the children ending up as victors (with a little help from Shaun the Sheep!). The tractor parade was great too. Horse-drawn wagon rides took place alongside tractor rides, and the Victorian kitchen produced some tasty biscuits, which I simply had to sample on a regular basis - just quality control, you understand!
   

At last, our Pygmy goats have produced some kids: one giving us a set of twins and the other a single boy.
The pictured twin Pygmy goats were named Hugo (left) and Maisey (right) after we launched a competition on Facebook. These little kids like to show off as they chase around their paddock, making it extremely difficult for our visitors to take photos of them. It's all a lot of fun for the little kids - both human and goat variety!

Hope to see you soon, Farmer Bryan.

TERRIFIC TRACTORS AND PIE-EYED IN THE PIGSTY!

Our Vintage Tractor Rally was a great success – well, at least on the Saturday with record numbers of people attending and enjoying the sunshine, and the exhibitors showing off their pride and joy. The craft stalls were kept busy and the atmosphere was terrific; just like a good old country show. The forecast for the Sunday was simply diabolical: wet and windy all day. Now, I do not have much faith in modern technology and computer forecasting, but unfortunately, this time, the weatherman was spot on - it rained and rained and rained; the yards flowed like a river! However, those who did turn up, really did enjoy themselves and had an added bonus of being able to watch a sow farrow down (give birth) in front of them - a total of 7 piglets popped out whilst they were watching. I was a little surprised when I received an invitation to join Dame Mary Fagan (Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire) to a reception. Normally I only receive invites to Farmer club meetings or the local gardening club! Evening suit was the dress code. Dawn soon put me in my place when I asked if she could wash a pair of overalls, and followed on with a statement that haunts me: “You know that you will have to wear a tie?”. Now it takes a wedding or funeral for me to put on a tie, and normally it’s ripped from my collar at the first available opportunity! However, I did as I was told and dressed up for the occasion and was pleased that I made the effort, as it was a very enjoyable evening. It was staged as a thank you to all the New Forest Show members who had made the Queen’s visit to the Show such a memorable occasion - and guess what? I kept my tie on all evening! Once a year, all the cattle, including calves, have to be tested for Bovine Tuberculosis. This dreadful disease has hit the headlines in recent months, as all farmers who keep cattle are very concerned at the alarming rate that TB is spreading throughout the country. It won’t be long before it will affect all the cattle in the New Forest. There is no vaccine licensed to control this disease, so permission has been given to cull badgers in certain areas of the country, as they are believed to be the main carriers. There is a great deal of public debate on the matter at the moment, unfortunately there’s not enough data and true facts available for a judgement to be given. At least all our cattle have been given a clean bill of health for another year. Pigs and goats are leaving Longdown gates each day to all parts of the country and their new 'forever homes', as we reduce our stocks for the winter season. Other open farms are keen to take on some of our goats as they know that they are ‘people-friendly’. Likewise, smallholders are keen to have our pigs. Some animals have travelled to Wales and the West Country, others have headed East to London and Essex, but please do not worry; we will still have plenty of animals left on the farm! Ashurst Community Group held an ‘Apple Day’ where apples are pressed to make into juice or cider. This meant that there was a surplus of apple pulp, which was binned up for the pigs’ breakfast. As the pigs love this pulp, and I was feeling very generous whilst I was feeding them the next morning, each animal received double their normal dietary requirements. It wasn’t until an hour or so later that I noticed that there were no pigs in the outside run! Then it suddenly dawned on me that this pulp was still fermenting! Well, there were 50 or more pigs flat out indoors making some horrific snoring sounds! That lunchtime there was still hardly a pig to be seen for the pig feeding session, and as the staff frantically tried to wake them up, I kept quiet……..

As we close during the whole of November, we will be working hard to make sure that Father Christmas likes his new surroundings in the Straw Den area, which will be where the Longdown Farm Christmas Barn is sited. He has requested lots of animals and plenty of things to keep the children occupied - and most of all a nice warm Grotto. Hopefully we can sort all this out before he arrives on December the 8th. See our website for further details.