Field Notes: Spring at Longbrook Farm

I always love spring on the farm, and the last few weeks have been full-on (in the best possible way).

The biggest change is that most of the cattle are finally back out grazing after winter housing. After months inside over winter, turning them back out is one of the best jobs of the year, and it means we are now going around all the fields daily to check on welfare (and make sure they're all where they're supposed to be, there have been no escapees this year... so far).

Warrior is also now back in with the Longhorn cows which, all being well, means we should hopefully have plenty more Longhorn calves arriving in around 9 months’ time. We’ll be sharing scanning updates and eventually calving updates over on our social media over the coming months if you’d like to follow along.

Elsewhere on the farm, maize drilling has now wrapped up for another year. The maize is used alongside grass silage to feed the cattle over winter, and now comes the waiting game for some much-needed rain to get it growing properly. Sam walked it all yesterday and it was starting to chit, and the rainfall we've had all day today will hopefully give it the moisture it needs to establish.

The dry conditions this spring have been a real talking point locally and across the farming industry. Sam was recently featured in Farmers Guardian discussing the challenges the dry weather has created for drilling and establishing crops this season.

We’ve also recently welcomed Tom to the team as Assistant Farm Manager. Tom brings a huge amount of experience, a real passion for farming and animal welfare, and shares our enthusiasm for building a progressive farming business here at Longbrook.

On the beef side of things, it’s been an incredibly busy few weeks too. Orders have been coming in thick and fast recently, and we’ve been having some exciting conversations with local restaurants, private chefs and shops about potentially stocking Longbrook Farm Beef in the near future, which is something we’re really excited about.

Our latest carcass is also now ready for butchering after hanging for 28 days, and we’re currently taking pre-orders for fresh beef boxes and bespoke cuts. Rib-eyes, ribs and larger roasting joints in particular are often reserved before the butcher has even finished cutting, so if there’s something specific you’d like, it’s always worth getting in touch early. Looking ahead, Father's Day is on the horizon, so we'll be doing some Father's Day boxes (I'm thinking steaks and a roasting joint) in due course.

As always, thank you so much for supporting our farm, following along with life at Longbrook and continuing to support local farming near Oundle, Peterborough and the surrounding villages.

Emma

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