…and why we’ve gone political. The following was inspired by yet another politician lecturing the poor on the dietary choices…and some fellow farmers jumping on that bandwagon. As farmers ourselves, we understand the desire for folk to choose our food. But they have to be able to, don’t they? This is one of the thingsContinueContinue reading “Food Poverty…”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Farming & politics. Do they mix?
For years as a freelance artist and arts manager, I told myself that I needed to keep politics out of my business. But it was a lie I told myself: as a young actor, I had a hard time auditioning for jobs that included selling the new brand of toothpaste to people who hoped itContinueContinue reading “Farming & politics. Do they mix?”
Regenerative Farming
First published in the Kyle Chronicle, Winter 2020/2021 edition Farmers who use regenerative agriculture techniques accept that wildlife will share some of our harvest with us The ewes helping us clear overgrown willow at the edge of the woods. © The Hirsel UK farming has been in the news a lot lately. The combination ofContinueContinue reading “Regenerative Farming”
Partners
We talk a lot about how our sheep are partners in the farm’s regeneration. This is what we’re talking about: when the sheep first arrived, this copse was impenetrable. They started pushing in through it, and bedding down at the edges at night. We thought, at first, that we should get in there and clearContinueContinue reading “Partners”
The wheel turns…
…and five years have passed. We’ve been working this farm together five years this month. Although Donald and his family moved here when he was 11, he never saw himself as choosing a farming life, and it wasn’t until his mum needing someone to help care for her coincided with a transition in his ownContinueContinue reading “The wheel turns…”
Progress looks like this
So, this came today. Our ‘authority to start work’. Basically, the final step in our approval for the Agri-Enviroment Grant we submitted last year. And it changes so much for the farm – we are so excited! It’s not just about the money either, it’s what that money will do, and what our success inContinueContinue reading “Progress looks like this”
Happy 2019!
So, here we are, at the start of a new calendar year, and for the Hirsel, a new year too. Different farms will count the year from different starting points, but for us, it begins now, as we start planning for the next life-cycle to begin needing our care. Seeds need ordering, delayed indoor tasksContinueContinue reading “Happy 2019!”
The Tatties (just in time for the) Holidays
The tatties are here! The Hirsel’s first vegetable crop available for sale, these Cara’s are great all around tatties, and are available in sizes from small to ginormous. They were grown without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers…but we’ve skipped the ‘certified organic’ paperwork, saving us the extra hassle, and saving you money: you get themContinueContinue reading “The Tatties (just in time for the) Holidays”
The other side of the coin
It’s amazing how time flies on a farm – it’s been nearly 7 months since Donald wrote ‘The Yorlin’s Sang’. I laugh – a little wryly – when I read that he was looking forward to the snow melting …we were to be hit by the ‘beast from the east’ the following month, and buriedContinueContinue reading “The other side of the coin”
The Yorlin’s Sang
One of the wonders of the Hirsel is the growing population of birds that are attending upon us through all the seasons. Through the decades, Mum had made a habit of planting trees and bushes, here and there, to encourage our feathered neighbours and visitors. It was a part of her life that entertained herContinueContinue reading “The Yorlin’s Sang”
The Hirsel 