NEWS

• Deer Survey
  
  
Many of us in the area have been experiencing increased sightings of deer or their evidence over the last few years. This spring seems to be particularly noticeable in that there has been a lot of damage to our gardens, seemingly those that are nearest the woodland areas.

In order to ascertain the broader extent of the deer's increasing range we are conducting a survey. It is hoped that as many local people as possible will join in and provide even simple data. To this end we have put up a board in the entrance hall of the Brockweir Village Shop and would like people to mark with a pin if they have seen deer, their spoor or actual damage. There is also a clipboard if anyone has the time to provide more details. Placing a pin will take less than a minute and would be very helpful.

After a month or so of collecting material we will analyse the information and report our findings - so watch this space!



• Grassland Management
  
  Following two very demanding years for the project, earlier this year we took a hard look at the way we manage things. In those two years we had not been able to provide as good a service as we would have liked, chiefly because of extremely difficult weather conditions.

  We have now negotiated a new arrangement with our partners in the Monmouthshire Meadows Group, so that we can concentrate efforts on our own side of the Wye Valley.  We have agreed a new way of sharing our resources. They now have ownership of one of the two tractors, the Massey Ferguson 135, whilst we have retained the Alpine tractor. They also now have the tedder, the minibailer and its wrapper. And crucially, they have their own contractor, on their side of the valley, enabling John and Robert to concentrate efforts on our side. The decision to offer the minibailer to Monmouthshire was not taken lightly, but we felt that we could offer a significantly more efficient service by using John Childs’ own bailer, which produces large round bails, and covers a given area much more quickly than the minibailer.

  Despite a good early start to the year, as June progressed and the haymaking season approached the weather took a turn for the worse. This was the year we had been promised a barbecue summer, but a run of more than two dry days simply didn’t occur during July and August. In order to make hay we need to start with reasonably dry ground, and then we require about five days to cut and then turn the hay to dry it, before rowing it up and bailing. A further complication is that as the summer progresses and the days get shorter, there is less daytime drying time, and additional time for night dew to form. All of which helps to explain why placing an order to have a field cut and bailed is not the same as booking a plumber, say, to come to your home to do a job. The plumber can usually offer you a date when he will start, and you can expect him to turn up then. But of course agricultural contracting, with its dependence on the season and the weather, doesn’t function like that.

  However, after all that gloom and doom about the weather, the dry weather in September has allowed us and others to catch up with much of the hay making.
  
  For a full report see the latest Newsletter in the Publications section.