Wark Farm

Picture above: Moss, our sheep dog, doing his share of work.

Stories from the farm July 2023

There seem to be rather a lot of hats in my life. Some of course are tangible, we get a good bit of breeze that needs deflecting hereabouts and in these recent summers a bit of sun shading has been deployed too. I was rather thinking of the metaphorical hats though, those that go with roles. Some days it seems like I have quite a stack teetering up top as I flit (though that makes it sound far more graceful than ever it is) between my functions as a farmer, a butcher, a conservationist, a pie maker, a food retailer, a business owner, etc. It can be a bit of a task keeping them balanced, certainly practically speaking, and some days they do take a tumble as the limits to being to two places at once are tested past breaking point. After which of course there's nothing to do other than finish jumping up and down on them in frustration, shake them out and put them back on.

Somewhat more complicated is mentally balancing out the ebb and flow of priorities between these hats. As all things are connected, advancing one will always have an impact on others and in making these judgement calls the debates that go on in my head at times for days and weeks would give a United Nations session a good run. Oh for a life with a single well-tailored headpiece.

All this has been in my mind over the last week or two as the publicly aired antagonism between the agricultural industry and the 'green movement' appears to have reached new and, to me, disagreeable heights. Laugh, cry, boil with frustration; I feel all of those in response to things I have read on both sides of the debate. As a paid up NFU member and a landholding partner of a rewilding network we have no easy home on one side or the other. Perhaps we need to add a tin hat to the collection. As I compare the national debate to my internal ones, there are no easy answers, polarity certainly can't easily be blended. I suspect the answer, if we get there, will simply be complex. As complex and varied as land and biology and humans and just as liable to flux. If only we could resist the urge to simplify. A single hat just isn't enough.

UPDATED ORDER FORM:

The July order form is now updated and online. You can find the link below.

Our regular customers already know that it's first come, first serve for our delicious meat cuts that are not only full of flavour due to the breeds we use and their grass/herb diets, but also free of nasties such as pesticides and antibiotics. You can find all the info on the order form, including more info about the specials of the month.

As ever please get in touch if you have any queries.

Best wishes

Laurel & SaM

July 2023 Order Form