WE’VE finally let our milk cows out to grass to graze for a couple of hours a day so they can get used to the change in their diet.

We used to let them out all day but we tend to leave the cows in on a night through summer so they can get enough intake of dry matter, which is extremely important to allow their rumens - the first section of their stomachs - to work to their full capacity.

We tend to ‘strip-graze’ our pasture fields using a portable electric fence which is moved every day to give the cows fresh grass and to minimise grass from being wasted.

We’re also on with jet washing our drain on our low lying land which is a very worthwhile job because the drains often end up with soil and silt in the pipes. If the water can find a way through without any blockages, it makes a big difference to the ground.

We’ve also been buying replacement cows this last week from a local herd dispersal and they have settled in and are milking very well.

The young farmers have returned from Torquay intact with fabulous stories about the AGM, and it’s also that time of year when field day is fast approaching so there’s lots to be done.

Andrew Long farms at Ulverston