100 not out for the Clarkes as we celebrate a centenary on the Onslow Estate

Grandma and Grandad Clarke

Signs of spring...

March 25th is traditionally known as Lady Day. It's also known as Rent Day. Traditionally agricultural rents were paid on Lady Day and on St Michaelmas Day, September 29th.
Today also has special significance for me. It is 100 years since my grandfather took on the tenancy of Corner Farm, just down the road from Churncote. The Clarke family have been on the Onslow Estate ever since.
As you can imagine, we've seen many changes in that time. The days of milking cows by hand, ploughing and cultivating with horses and threshing corn with a threshing box and steam engine have long gone.
Agriculture is moving into the realms of robotics and GPS guidance, which allegedly is far superior to man. However, it's worth remembering that it requires people to design and input all the data...
Life on the farm at the moment is all about lambing the main flock of sheep, now coming to the end. The weather has been particularly kind to us this year and it's so pleasing to see the lambs gambolling out in the fields.
The spring barley crop has been sown, and at a later date it will be undersown with grasss, so that when the barley is harvested there will be a cover crop of grass which will absorb carbon dioxide and provide a root structure that helps to improve the health of the soil.
This crop is rotated around the farm on a yearly basis.
Easter is only 10 days away and things are gearing up in the farm shop in preparation. With the present Covid restrictions, many people will be eating at home, so hopefully we can fulfil all their needs.
It's very pleasing to see the rates of infection and deaths dropping so dramatically. Hopefully we as a country will soon be back to some sort of normality.
In the meantime, stay safe.
David