Farming & Environment

Farming & Environment A day at the farm

with Tiffany Fleming

Tiffany Fleming is a volunteer at High Mead Farm in Longham, Ferndown. High Mead Farm is a working farm run to promote the benefits of engaging with animals, soil, and nature. They ‘create purposeful roles for our cofarmers, young people and adults alike, to help bring about a sense of wellbeing and self-worth that many have never experienced before’.

Spring has well and truly sprung at High Mead Farm, and although we are due another cold snap, we have all been relishing the sunshine and making the most of the warmer ground; perfect conditions for planting. Peas have been our crop of choice this week, with the first rows sown. The horticultural team is already harvesting the first spring crops: spinach, spring onions, mangetout and kale, available freshly picked by request at the farm shop. Our hens and ducks are also evidently enjoying the warmer weather by prolifically laying, so much so that, for once, we have more eggs than customers. A rare event indeed! Luckily, with the completion of our training kitchen and a very generous donation from Ferndown Golf Club which is funding the upgrade of our fire alarm system, we will soon be able to make the most of any surplus food stock by teaching our CoFarmers to cook using the produce they harvest. I’m told that duck eggs make for super light sponges and are perfect in pastry making too. I can’t wait to taste-test the results. As the warmer days remind us that summer is on the way, we are thankful too for a kind donation from Ferndown Town Council, who are covering the cost of completing a shower room for our less mobile Co-Farmers. In summer, the team tends to get hot and dusty, and it is a welcome relief for our hard workers to be able to shower off before returning home. Weeds, like the sun, are making a strong comeback and they are keeping our team of Co-Farmers, staff, and volunteers very busy indeed. This year we are varying our home grown produce and in addition to the usual seasonal veg, which will shortly include peppers and lettuce, we are going to be growing more fruit. The Co-Farmers are very much looking forward to planting new fruit canes, gifted by the team at JP Morgan. Better still, JP Morgan are sending a team to help us plant them too! Spring also signals the first of our staff and volunteer trips

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Pictures: TIFFANY FLEMING

out - a day-visit to Exbury Gardens, a 200-acre informal woodland garden in Hampshire. Unfortunately, I missed the trip, but I have heard much about it. The opportunity for our team to take time out and recharge their batteries is much needed, particularly as the winter has been hard work. On the subject of hard work, in my next column I will be able to report on Julie Richardson, friend of High Mead Farm. Julie is running the Bournemouth Bay Run on behalf of the farm – Julie, thank you. We’re with you every step of the way Julie!

There’s still time to help out with New Forest litter pick

You still have three days left to take part in the New Forest Spring Clean! The litter pick takes place every year and is part of the national Great British Spring Clean from Keep Britain Tidy. This year it’s running until Sunday, April 10. You can pledge to pick up as much litter as you can, during the campaign and new Forest District Council can lend equipment for groups of up to 30 litterpickers. More details are available from: keepbritaintidy.org/ and newforest.gov.uk/litterpicking.

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Deaths & In Memorium

KELLY Hubert John ‘John’

Anne would like to thank everyone who attended John’s funeral, for the cards and kind words and also donations to the Salvation Army. Please accept this as a personal message of thanks to all. Urgently wanted COWS COWS COWS

To receive top price for all barren cows. Brookfield Livestock Marketing Limited. Payment on the day of purchase. Haulage arranged 07811 381 159