Farming
The continued wet weather through the autumn and winter has affected the establishment of autumn crops. Some fields now have a patch work of well established areas combined with patches of brown where plants have rotted having sat in the wet and cold for what seems live forever.
On a more positive note, the mornings and evenings are now starting to draw out and hopefully ground conditions will improve so we can start to think about planting spring crops and replacing anything that has failed during the winter.
Cover crops sown ahead of spring barley to protect the soil surface and hold onto nutrients are now being grazed ahead of planting. Wheat from last years harvest has been leaving the farm heading to the mills for flour production and malting barley is also leaving for the maltings in east Anglia.
The British White Cattle are currently calving in the sheds by Renegade Brewery. At the time of writing, we have had 2 calves born so far with another 12 expected.
Christmas Trees and Forestry
The 2024 Christmas season was very successful for the estate with record numbers of trees sold. Christmas is a year round job for us and we have already been to fairs across the country sourcing decorations to sell in the barn when it opens in November.
The forestry team have also been out planting trees in the wider woodland. By the time they have finished in March they will have planted a mix of nearly 6000 new hard and softwood saplings.
Community award for the Village Shop
We have always known what an excellent job Eugene and his team do in the village shop, but we were delighted to hear that their contribution to the community has also been recognised by representatives of the Post Office. The shop has been a vital part of the community since the 1600s but Yattendon Estate took over its running and added the Post Office when Edward Iliffe was appointed postmaster in 2014. At the end of January, the team were given a community service award for their contribution to the village and their fantastic customer service for over a decade. Well done to Eugene, Terri, Gloria, Allan and the rest of the team.
