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New Stour & Avon, November 5, 2021
Farming & Environment
A Day at the Farm... Columnist 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 co-farmers, young people and adults alike, to help bring about a sense of well-being and self-worth that many have never experienced before’. If you are familiar with the lyrical content of Heigh-Ho, the song happily trilled by Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, you’ll have a pretty good idea how I spent my latest day at the farm... digging was very much on the agenda. It turns out that digging can be immensely satisfying. Thanks to a team of half a dozen or so CoFarmers, we worked quickly. There were a few distractions and diversions – a sheep got into the duck pen which caused a bit of a kerfuffle, Bluebell the pig managed to get caught on the wrong side of a fence, and Mollie the horse called by to say hello in an obvious attempt to take her mind off the imminent arrival of the farrier. There was the usual steady SMALL BALE MEADOW HAY £5.00 a bale, 20+ delivered FOC. Small charge for fewer, or collect nr Hinton Martell. Tel/text Vicky 07860 489719
with Tiffany Fleming
stream of passing ducks, chickens, and alpacas, but otherwise the morning passed without incident, unlike my Friday shift in the farm shop... I offered to cover the shop for a couple of hours and no
playlist – which included a good measure of Jason Derulo – at a fair volume. After playing a 20minute set, Navid announced that it was time for home. He vanished as quickly as he had appeared and my quiet afternoon was restored, or so I thought! Almost immediately, a loud beat rang out,
accompanied by impeccably timed clapping, and a decent rendition of We Are Family by Sister Sledge. Will, one of the farm’s best-known characters, was getting into his Friday groove and taking us on the journey with him. All around the farm, voices spontaneously joined in with the singing. Sharon, the farm’s awesome office administrator, appeared highmeadfarm.org.uk Pictures: TIFFANY FLEMING
sooner had I arrived than a tall young man in a high-vis jacket burst enthusiastically through the door announcing: ‘it’s OK, Security is here’. Security (aka Navid) produced a CD player and set about entertaining me with a DJ-style 2 Stables plus 2 acre field for rent. (2 further stables and acreage maybe available) Hazelbury Bryan. On Secure Farm £200pcm 07734 059190 Fine Equine Hay & haylage bales near Milton Abbas. 01258 880558/ 07789376588
Farm Fact I had assumed that digging was done purely to alleviate compaction. However, according to the RHS, the other major benefit is that the micro-organisms found in soil need air for respiration and metabolism. There are five different types of soil microbes: bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. Each of these microbe types has a different job to boost soil and plant health.
