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RARE BREEDS SURVIVAL TRUST  WE NEED YOUR HELP Any donation, no matter how small will help us fund essential conservation work. Please Help.  DONATE NOW Visit our website Follow us on Twitter  Like our Facebook Page  April 2015 Open Farm Sunday- a reminder Don't forget Open Farm Sunday will be happening on 7th June 2015. It is a great opportunity for rare breed farmers to show off their livestock and methods and for the public to learn more about the world of farming in general and rare breeds in particular. If you are planning to take part in Open Farm Sunday, let RBST know and details will be included in a listing on the website. To take part, you can register at www.farmsunday.org. If you would like RBST promotional material and collection bucket stickers, please contact harriet@rbst.org.uk.  Protecting the future of our pigs          Currently all of the pigs on our 2015 Watchlist are in urgent need of help. A combination of economic and export regulation changes are thought to have contributed to the significant decline in pig breeding; as many people are simply giving up as they cannot make money in the current situation. Although encouraging breeding and establishing breeding programmes is an important part of our conservation work, I am sure you all understand that due to current circumstances, we are unable to do this on a large scale. But, we still need to make sure that these breeds are safe from extinction. Collecting genetic material for our Gene Bank will ensure that we have a genetic record and available resources to carry out essential conservation work in the future. Without this, our rarest breeds could suffer problems with inbreeding, genetic drift and potentially be lost to extinction forever. We need to fund semen collections from rare breed boars to make sure our pig breeds are safe from the threat of extinction. Each collection costs £3,000 and since 2002, RBST have been undertaking this work jointly with the British Pig Association to establish a dual gene bank of semen for our rare breed pigs. Our collections of boar semen mirror each other and are stored in separate tanks to ensure the best security of the semen. The joint venture enables our two organisations to collect from more boars than we could individually, and ensure it is stored in the most secure way and used to the best benefit of the breeds. If you can help fund this work by making a small donation, it will be greatly appreciated. Photos: Oxford Sand and Black Sow and Piglets by Oxford Sandy and Black Pig Society and British Lop Sow and Piglets at RBST Approved Conservation Farm Park Church Farm  Call for candidates This year’s Board Elections are fast approaching and will see two posts open for nominations. The Role of a trustee in any charity is a vital one: trustees carry out the function of and have similar responsibilities to directors of commercial organisations. The role, which carries with it specified legal obligations is defined by the Charity Commission of England and Wales, which states: “Charity Trustees are the people who form the governing body of a charity. Depending upon the wording used in the charity’s governing document they may be known as trustees, directors, board members. They are responsible for controlling the management and administration of a charity. The great majority of trustees serve as volunteers, and receive no payment. They should work together as a team, and have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of a charity, ensuring that it is solvent, well –run and delivering charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been set up.” RBST is very keen to hear from new candidates, regardless of age. Looking to the future direction of the Trust, the Board has reviewed the skills and knowledge of the continuing trustees and has identified that it would be of great benefit for prospective trustees to have some specialist knowledge and /or qualifications in one of the following fields:- Legal/ Charity Governance Direct Marketing /PR/ Fundraising Financial/ Accounting Knowledge Business Management Experience of engaging with young people Scientific/ Genetic knowledge To help prospective candidates obtain a better understanding of what the role of the trustee is, the Board has drawn up a job description and person specification which outlines both the legal requirements and the type of personal attributes to the work of the Trust. It goes without saying that one requirement is a passion for the work of the charity and an understanding of the issues surrounding rare breeds, together with a willingness to devote time and effort working as a member of a team whilst contributing an independent perspective. RBST is aiming to broaden the knowledge and experience base of its trustees and as such is also looking for candidates with experience outside of the rare breeds/livestock sector; this could be in the form of business management and finance, charity law or fundraising. If you are interested in finding out more about what the role of the RBST Board member involves, the full job description and person specification are available through the RBST offices at Stoneleigh. To find out more about the legal responsibilities attached to the role of a trustee, visit the charity commission website.     Young Shepherd at Countryfest - 30th- 31st May 2015 West Morland Agricultural Society- County Showfield, Lane Farm, Crooklands, Near Kendal (Near Junction 36,M6).    This year RBST are holding a special Young Shepherd weekend at Countryfest, there will be workshops, demos and competitive classes to get you all ready for the competition running throughout the summer. Find out more by following this link.  Grazing Advice for Meadows  Did you know that hay meadow species diversity is increased when grazing and cutting are combined, rather than cutting alone?  Grazing animals can also take the place of a hay cut on sites where access is difficult or equipment is hard to obtain and native breeds of cattle, sheep or ponies can have a hugely beneficial effect on species richness.    The Coronation Meadows project is able to offer advice and support on grazing through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's Field Officers, Ruth Dalton (North) and Richard Broad (South) - this could take the form of a phone chat, site visit or even a training session.  If you're already carrying out grazing with native breeds and would be willing to host a farm walk with a discussion on the benefits of conservation grazing, please do contact Ruth or Richard. If you are interested in learning more about conservation grazing, follow thislink and see our available courses. Ruth Dalton  E: ruth@rbst.org.uk  T: 01539 816223 Richard Broad E: r.broad@rbst.org.uk  T: 07772 007399

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The charm of bottle-feeding hungry orphan lambs soon wears off when you find yourself being permanently shadowed by noisily bleating lambs wherever you go!
The alternative is to invest in a ‘milkmaid’ system. Not only will this give you some peace, but is also much healthier for the lambs as they will feed ‘on demand’, taking little and often as they would from the ewe, rather than gulping a whole bottle-full in one go!  There are two types available – a simple bucket with teats delivering cold milk replacer, and electrically heated systems delivering warm milk, which is generally more readily accepted by the lambs.    
For further information on ewe and lamb welfare during the Spring, see our DVD programmes 'Sheep on Your Smallholding' for expert advice on sheep husbandry and welfare.
Make sure your buy a copy of the Spring edition of Practical Sheep, Goat & Alpacas Magazine, which has a comprehensive checklist of everything you need to know about rearing healthy lambs - written by Carole Youngs of The Smallholder Series.
        

		...things to remember when incubating eggs Select clean, even shaped, undamaged eggs Ideally incubate within a week of being laid Let shipped eggs rest for 24 hours before setting Mark the eggs with an X on one side and a O on the other side so you can see when they have all been turned Allow the hatched chicks to dry out and fluff up in the incubator before moving them to the brooder

       

There's plenty to do on your smallholding during April. Here are some top tips from our 'Things to Do' pages - available on our website.

• Sheep - record birth weights and ‘ease of lambing’ scores – this information is invaluable for selecting replacement breeding ewes for future years.
• Chickens - if you find soft-shelled eggs, or eggs with misshapen or rough shells, it may be a sign of nutritional imbalance, disease or stress.
• Pigs - periodically oiling their skin can also help keep it in good condition.
• Vegetable garden - keep up weed control; 5 minutes with a hoe now will save hours later in the season.
• Horses - if the pasture has taken a bit of a battering over the winter, now is the time to undertake any patching or re-seeding.

Keep up with all your smallholding tasks with our comprehensive guides to sheep,chickens, pigs ,the vegetable garden and equines. Just click on an image below.
          

Article of the Month
Happy Feet - Combating Lameness in Your Sheep
Moredun Health Bulletin
Ticks and the Diseases they Cause
NADIS Health Alert
Nematodirus in lambs & IBR
Farming in the News
Flower-friendly farms boost
bee populations
Recipe of the Month
Rhubarb and Custard Cake



           

Eggs, eggs and more eggs...
Well, it is Easter!
New Potato and Chorizo Tortilla

Homemade Mayonnaise
Scotch Egg Pie
Spaghetti Carbonara
Baked Egg Custard Tart
         
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.
  

View this email in a web browser               Spring is here at last and March sees new life emerging all around your smallholdings and farms. It's very satisfying to start planting up the vegetable plot (watch out for those late frosts though) and for those of you who have already lambed, being able to watch the lambs chasing each other in the fields. So, time to brush off the winter cobwebs and get on with the many jobs that Spring brings us.                   ...easiest plants to grow in your vegetable plot Salad leaves - sow directly in the ground from March Courgette - sow undercover in April Spinach - sow year round Potatoes - chit in February, plant end of March Dwarf French Beans - sow undercover in April                 There's plenty to do on your smallholding during March. Here are some top tips from our 'Things to Do' pages - available on our website. Sheep - now is the time to separate the single-bearing ewes from the multiples so that you can feed each group appropriately during the critical late-stage pregnancy (for March/April lambing flocks). Chickens - a herbal favourite of hens is oregano - sow some seeds on a windowsill or in a propagator, and they'll enjoy it all summer long. Pigs' housing should always be completely waterproof, a wet pig can quickly become chilled. Vegetable garden - nip weeds in the bud before they overrun you - keep the hoe busy throughout the season Horses - it’s important to keep your horse at the right body condition, a weigh tape is useful, but by regularly getting ‘hands-on’, you’ll be able to assess his level of body fat more accurately Keep up with all your smallholding tasks with our comprehensive guides tosheep, chickens, pigs ,the vegetable garden and equines. Just click on an image below.                       Article of the Month Is Grass Enough, or Should I Supplement? Moredun Health Bulletin Bovine Virus Diarrhoea (BVD) Green Farm Diary Waiting for the mud to dry up NADIS Health Alert Parasite control of lambs / pasteurellosis / lungworm Farming in the News Safety when walking dogs near livestock Recipe of the Month Colcannon with Poached Egg and Streaky Bacon - great comfort food!                           Delicious ways to use up the cuts from your lamb meat box. Rolled Shoulder of Lamb with Stilton and Cranberry Stuffing   Lamb Chump Chops with Yoghurt & Mint Roast Rack of Lamb with Crushed Potatoes Mustard Crusted Breast of Lamb Lamb Shanks in Red Wine                     Feedback We 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 Bulletins Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for weekly smallholding news.