Winter Months For Smallholders

As the winter months start to draw in, many smallholders, like myself, will be wondering what the next few months have in store. I am praying that we won’t be inundated with torrential downpours month after month, soaking the fields time after time without giving them a chance to dry out in between.

The winter of 2023 followed a wet summer, and the ground was already saturated before the winter weather had even set in, making it one long and arduous time. Many smallholders and farmers were in despair. Saturated fields mean poor crops and terrible conditions for livestock. Having only six acres of land meant that it wasn’t possible to move my animals around as much as I would have liked to, and, as I also own equines, the heavy hooves made the wet conditions even worse.

It was a terrible time, but one that taught me a number of invaluable lessons. The most important one is preparation. Being prepared for all eventualities is a must when caring for animals. Filling the barn with hay and feed when the route is accessible by tractor is far easier than trying to do the same job when the ground is drenched and only a quad can get through if it is lucky.

During the summer months, however wet they may be, checking the fencing and gates is more pleasurable than carrying out the same tasks in gale-force winds and torrential downpours. Likewise, it is important to ensure that areas that are well-used can cope with footfall when the ground turns muddy.

Animals inevitably congregate near gates where they expect to be fed, making these areas a quagmire. Using your time wisely over the fairer months and pre-planning when the weather is mild really pays dividends. I spent the summer laying gravel around the gates where the donkeys, ponies and sheep congregate. I invested in some slabs that my husband and I laid between the paddocks to the stables and barn to ensure that we could access the area, whatever the weather brought us. It was time well spent, and this year, I am pretty hopeful that we won’t experience the same problems as we did last winter.

You can find Allison on Instagram countryliving_writer or visit her website here