Looking at the list of projects we had planned for 2009 it struck me how much we have changed course without realising it,
We planned to continue to raise Mutton, increase the flock size and train our own sheep dog.
Well we have increased the flock but have also decided to switch breeds fro the lowland Lleyns to the Hill Radnor Sheep which are a local breed and very rare (about 900 registered ewes). I did buy a sheep dog and her training is ongoing as we speak, she will be 12 months old on the 2 Feb 2010.
I anticipate that we will continue to buy in more Hill Radnor Sheep and gradually reduce the Lleyns.
We sold some of our meat to a local butcher as opposed to selling direct on the markets, this worked reasonably well. Less money but also a lot less preparation time and costs.
The straw bale barn planned for last year has not been completed but planning permission has been obtained and we are still hoping to complete this year.
Training courses were a big part of our plan last year, but we have found them complicated to set up and are still deciding what to do in 2010.
Increasing the bee colonies to more than 100 was in our plan but we had another poor year (3rd in a row) so have stabalised at around 80, am undecided what expansion to go for this year but we are hoping to buy in some different stock of bees with hopefully more ability to cope with our conditions.
One more possible venture for this year is starting a small care farm helping people with rehabilitation and training.
Showing posts with label Straw Bale Build. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Straw Bale Build. Show all posts
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Thursday, 5 February 2009
New projects for this year
During the winter months we're planning future projects to continue developing the business.
1. The continuation of the mutton project we will be selling at more markets and increasing our flock. As a result of this I have decided to buy and train our own sheepdog, not absolutely necessary with our small flock but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time.
2. Continue to develop the training courses we offer, eventually with accommodation.
3. Bed and Breakfast, this has been part of the plan for a long time but we still need to improve the decoration in the house before we invite paying guests. 10 years to paint the walls since the re-plastering isn't too bad is it.
4. Increase the bees to over 100 colonies (including nucs) this year and develop the market for honey.
5. Finally to provide space for all the above projects we are investigating building a Straw Bale barn on our field, for workshop space and animal housing.
These are all long term projects but we hope to see progress on all of them in the coming 12 months.
1. The continuation of the mutton project we will be selling at more markets and increasing our flock. As a result of this I have decided to buy and train our own sheepdog, not absolutely necessary with our small flock but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time.
2. Continue to develop the training courses we offer, eventually with accommodation.
3. Bed and Breakfast, this has been part of the plan for a long time but we still need to improve the decoration in the house before we invite paying guests. 10 years to paint the walls since the re-plastering isn't too bad is it.
4. Increase the bees to over 100 colonies (including nucs) this year and develop the market for honey.
5. Finally to provide space for all the above projects we are investigating building a Straw Bale barn on our field, for workshop space and animal housing.
These are all long term projects but we hope to see progress on all of them in the coming 12 months.
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