East Essex Smallholders Chitchat Headline Animator

CONTACT EESG

To Contact EESG
Please Email:
Danielle.Perkins@yahoo.co.uk
or 07854595640

Saturday, 25 April 2015

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The Smallholder Series
Spring SaleSpring Sale
shop
For a limited time, we are holding a Spring Sale on all Smallholder Series DVDs. We are offering a massive 20% discount until the end of April 2015 - a potential saving of up to £25.90. Programmes included in the offer are the 'Sheep on Your Smallholding' series at £16.40 per title / £59.20 for the set of 4, and 'A Guide to Sheep Butchery' at £12.40.
UK delivery included.
Smallholder Series DVDs
The DVDs are only available at the discounted price from our online store. In May, the DVDs will revert back to their standard price of £20.50 for the 'Sheep on Your Smallholding' titles (£74 for the set), and £15.50 for 'A Guide to Sheep Butchery'.
Order now while stocks last!
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FeedbackWe really appreciate getting feedback from our customers - your views on our DVDs, suggestions for articles you'd find useful / helpful, and how you initially heard of us.
You can leave feedback by emailing us - see the feedback page on our website.
Weekly BulletinsFollow us on Facebook and Twitter for weekly smallholding news.
Social network links
www.smallholderseries.co.uk

DIY SMOKER EASY AND CHEAP

DIY SMOKER EASY AND CHEAP

I built my smoker using two plant pots the burner inside  is a stainless steel bucket and the exterior wood  pot in is made of old pallets

Shared By Donna Perkins
Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-SMOKER-EASY-AND-CHEAP/

Wednesday, 22 April 2015


CONTENTS
DO IT NOW
Count earthworms
 
Earthworms are vital to the turnover of organic matter in the soil and the mixing of organic and mineral components as they feed on soil organic matter and leaf litter.
The best time to observe or count earthworm populations is early to mid-spring or after the soil has wetted up in autumn.
HOW TO...
Increase white clover levels

White clover not only fixes nitrogen in the soil but it has a higher protein and mineral content.
This crop also increases intake of forage by stock and increases. 
Cutting date
The stage of growth at which the crop is cut will have a big influence on the feed value the silage will have.
EVENTS
Grassland UK
Come and meet EBLEX at  the Grassland UK show where we will have a joint stand with DairyCo and the British Grassland Society.
7 May
9am-4pm
Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet 
Make better silage
The Better Returns Programme is running a series of events to look at better ways of making silage.
11 May: Staffordshire
12 May: Gloucestershire
19 May: Buckinghamshire
26 May: Sussex
28 May: Cornwall
Call the events team on 01904 771211 for more details.
PROFIT FROM GRASS

In the latest edition...
 
Northumbrian beef and sheep farmer, Angus Nelless, talks about managing grass for his ewes and lambs.
And Liz Genever
discusses what grass can provide.
RESOURCES
 
 
Welcome
The EBLEX Grazing Club is for all beef and sheep producers who want to:
- Improve grass yields and quality- Improve animal performance off grass- Cut production costs- Make more money
Our newsletter is full of topical information, ideas and suggestions on how to achieve these objectives.
As with any club, members can share and swap ideas on how they make the most of grass.
And we’d love to hear what you think, so join in with the Grazing Club discussion on Twitter using #grazingclub or email us.
Dr Liz GeneverEBLEX livestock scientist

Adam Woods, BETTER Farm Programme Manager at Teagasc, provides tips and advice on how to grow better grass.
The focus of the programme has been to encourage producers to think about the areas they can control such as the use of grass, kg of output and veterinary costs. 

A new online resource, Healthy Grassland Soils, has been produced to help grassland farmers manage the soil on their farm more effectively.
It's been co-funded by DairyCo and EBLEX to ensure producers have the tools to study soil properties then choose the best, and least, damaging management practices.
There is an array of information including advice on soil biology, videos and downloads.

Improving soil structure and conserving biological activity has been proven to support better plant growth, forage quality and thus profits. It can also minimise the negative impacts on the environment which can follow poor soil management.

Pete Woolston has had a few issues with some of the fields he has re-seeded over the last year.
The Rutland Grazing
Discussion Group joined him on his Northamptonshire farm to discuss the need to understand what the right grass is and managing re-seeds.  

John Pawsey has brought a flock of 250 NZ Romney sheep onto his organic Suffolk farm to try to combat black-grass.
He invited a group of farmers to discuss the cultural methods of black-grass control. And Dr Stephen Moss from Rothamsted Reserch  presented the research and progress made with regard to black-grass control.

Balance in the sward
In a grass sward there is always a balance between grass growth and death. The graph shows that maximum grass production is reached at covers between 1500-2500kg DM/ha, which equates to around 5-12cm.
After this point the dying leaves deprive the new leaves of sunlight, which leads to an increase in leaf death and a decline in overall production.
Grazing at optimum points and resting pasture when cover is down to 1250-1500kg DM/ha can optimise grass utilisation and sustain a quality sward.

© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2015
EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
EBLEX, AHDB
Stoneleigh Park
Kenilworth
Warwickshire
CV8 2TL
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   IN FOCUS
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Kim Everett explains how she and her husband Simon were helped by the Woodland Trust to plant trees on their smallholding in Kent
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Growers are now able to extend the season for growing strawberries, says Brian Callaghan
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