One of my favourite breeds of sheep is the Hampshire Down. I’ve had a soft spot for them ever since, as a child on my parents’ smallholding in the mid-1980s, I bought my first ram, a Hampshire with the impressive pedigree name of Pockthorpe Colonel. I’d heard about him on the local smallholders’ grapevine (which worked just as efficiently as the internet does today!), an aged tup belonging to a shepherd in the next county, and destined for slaughter as he’d outlived his usefulness in a commercial flock. I phoned the chap and made arrangements to go and have a look. By coincidence, on the morning of the day we’d set, I picked up a magazine that my mother had been reading and found an article all about the man I was going to meet. Little did I then realise what far-reaching consequences all this would have on my life.
When we arrived at the farm, at the pre-arranged time, the shepherd was nowhere to be seen. I subsequently learned that it was quite typical for him to be at least an hour late for any appointment. I agreed to buy the ram for what he was worth to kill, and the shepherd, on asking where we lived, immediately offered to deliver him, free of charge, in a day or two. It later transpired that a former girlfriend of his lived in our village.
Having my own ram suddenly elevated my status within the local smallholding community, and before long I was getting requests from other flock owners wanting to bring ewes to run with him. One thing led to another, until I found myself doing quite a few shepherding jobs for the small-scale sheep keepers in the area, and helping out with the communal dipping, which was always a bit of an event.
Bu hikaye Country Smallholding dergisinin May 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Smallholding dergisinin May 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The Secret World Of The Honey Bee
Who knew that honey bees are the best builders? Nicola Bradbear from Bees for Development reveals how they build their parallel wax combs with extraordinary accuracy
Tip the light fantastic
The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers
The legacy of The Good Life
The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Tools of the trade
In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs
Buying on a tight budget
As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities
Crazy for crafts
In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures
Game on
A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century
