September
Workshop preparation & repair of machinery:
The farm uses a range of different tractors and other machinery. In September the students return to college and prepare the forage harvester ready for maize silage. This involves servicing and checking it over to make sure that it is ready to start the harvest at the end of the month. The farm is also about to plant cereals at this time of year, and machines like ploughs, power harrows, discs and drills have to be prepared.
Maize harvesting:
The students do maize harvesting at the end of the month. The crop has been growing in the fields since May and has reached around 2.5 metres in height. The college has its own forage harvester, which is self-propelled, and the silage, which it cuts, is collected in large trailers and taken to the dairy to be stored in clamps. It will then be fed to the cattle during the winter.
Autumn cultivations:
Autumn is the time when the land has to be prepared for planting crops for the following year. The stubble from the previous crop has to be ploughed into the ground and then the land is worked to create a good seedbed. The farm has a range of machines that are used to do this. These include discs, power harrows, cultivators and rollers. The students carry out a lot of this work using several of the farm tractors to pull the heavy machinery.
Calving:
The dairy herd starts calving in the autumn to ensure a good supply of milk during the winter months. Each cow has one calf per year and milks for 305 days. She has 60 days dry in which to rest and build up her reserves for the next lactation.
The Friesian cow is pregnant for approximately 285 days and may have a pure bred calf or a cross bred calf.
