A big day at Cefn Garthenor with the arrival of ten beautiful Galloway cattle. They will do a huge amount of good to the land and help significantly with creating a more interesting and biodiverse environment.
I have bought the cattle, consisting of experienced one cow in calf, one heifer in calf and eight more heifers, from David and Alex Weeks, local farmers and Galloway aficionados. I have convinced Robert and Julia, my farming neighbours, together with Rhodri, to help me look after the small herd. I am not around all the time, and while they should be relatively easy care, it is best practice to take a look each day so that any problems are caught early.
My excitement seems to be matched by others too. Rob Parry and his colleague Vaughn Matthews from the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru have come along to support me, as well Caroline Evans and cameraman Meirion from BBC Wales.
With advice from Robert and David, I’ve selected a field near the yard and a barn to settle them into. This should make it easy for me to see them over the coming days, and for them to get to know me. The Galloways will need water, so a trough is required. Whilst testing the troughs around the farm over the last few weeks, I discovered one, an old cast iron and enamel bath, that had been disconnected. So, first thing, before the cattle arrive, I took the pickup over a few fields and managed (not without a struggle … a cast iron bath is not light!) to load it onto the back and get it to the yard. More muscle was on hand to unload, and it was set up by the barn where (Rob’s idea) it would be topped up with rainwater from the gutter.
At 11am on the dot, David and Alex arrived with the first 5 cattle, and with help from Robert and Julia we unload. Those Galloways are fabulous! I’ll let the pictures and video do the talking …
* photo on main blog page courtesy of Vaughn Matthews
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