101 years ago today, on the 22nd April 1922, the Valuation for the sale of Bradfields Farm from Mr Thomas Rayner to Mr Richard AJ Lambert was drawn up by Messers Ramsey of Rochford. Our great grandfather bought the farm for our grandfather to run. The valuation shows the farm growing a wide range of crops including Lucerne, Wheat, Peas, Spring Oats, Winter Oats, Winter Beans and Roots. The details show that some fields had been cultivated using a steam engine. With the farm came a Chestnut Suffolk Punch mare called Smiler who my father remembers well, and three other horses Gispy, Jumbo and ..read more

On the Farm in March Somewhat delayed, this is what we were up to on the farm during the last month. In February we cultivated the fields ready for the seed to be sown and then March was all about getting the crops in the ground. We use a machine called a drill to literally drill the seed into the soil. Drills can be very hi tech and precise and the details of when and how to drill needs a lot of thought in order to get a good crop. The drill has a hopper where you put the seed. This is Spring Barley going into the hopper. The drill uses a fan to separate the seeds and sends them down a serie ..read more

On the Farm February on the farm is all about getting ready for the spring.  As a livestock farm we want to use all of our nutrient rich cow manure as natural fertiliser for crops we plan to grow but the farmers are not allowed to spread manure on the fields during the winter to prevent runoff into rivers.  We can restart towards the end of February so at the end of the month we will be naturally fertilizing the fields where we plan to grow maize for the cows winter feed.  In the meantime we are getting the other fields that we started cultivating in the autumn ready to be drill ..read more

Welcome to our first blog in some time and apologies for the very long wait from us! When my Grandfather Reg Lambert was young, he dreamt of being a farmer.  His parents decided to send him off to the Middle East to work on the telegraph (morse code) and see the world and forget farming.  He returned to England with malaria and a continued desire to live his farming dream. In spring 1922 he took on part of a small farm called Bradfields.  He kept the farm going through the Depression, the Second World War and numerous other challenging times.  So 2022 should have been a yea ..read more

We had our 4th Birthday on Sunday 28th February and had our first Mini Farmers Market of the year to celebrate it. It was quite a small market to get started again in the current climate with stalls set up in and around the shop and buildings. It was popular though and Flour and Spoon’s bread and pastries were particularly fast in selling out! Thank you to everyone who came along. Now that things are warming up, we will be having mini farmers markets here on Sundays every 4 weeks from 11.00am to 2.30pm, starting with a small one on the 2nd May. We will have some fine local producers of rare b ..read more

While we have recently harvested our crop of barley, we (and the cows) await the new maize harvest that we normally take at the end of September. This is what the maize clamp that held last Summer’s harvest looks like now – nearly empty, all eaten up by the cows along with the barley and other silage during the winter months. Come September this is what will happen to the fields of maize that are now vigorously growing. Harvesting and chopping up… … and putting in the clamp. … and covering over and storing … to be munched by the cows … and repeat. They don’t half eat a lot those cows! The ..read more

Harvesting has been going on at the farm with the crop of winter barley being harvested. It is so called as it is sown in the winter for harvesting the following summer. Once the barley is ready, the harvesting is done with a combine harvester which separates all the grain from the cut straw. The grain is stored in the back of the harvester and, when it gets full, is emptied through a grain shute into a trailer towed by a tractor. The grain is then taken back to a covered barn in the farm where it is stored and used as an important part of the cows’ feeding ration through the year, but espe ..read more

There’s a lot going on in and around the Farm pond at this time of the year. Mrs Mallard had had her second brood of chicks, who are scooting all over the pond. Meanwhile, her earlier brood (who hatched not long ago) are already growing into proper ducks. The moorhen chicks that appeared on Facebook less than a month ago when they looked like this.. Are now all feet (and a little less cute) The Aylesbury white ducks just go on their on sweet way and Mrs white duck likes to have a good old shake There’s usually something going on if you take a peek. The post On Golden Pond appeared first ..read more

On this misty morning it was time for the cows to go out into the fields for the first time this year. It was grey and cool first thing but the girls didn’t seem to mind as they headed out towards the fields. Some of them get a bit carried away and prance about the fields and kick out with their legs. … and after all the excitement it’s time to munch on some fresh grass. The girls will be out on the grass now until the Autumn, but will stay in their covered barn at night until the temperature gets a little warmer. The post ‘Twas on a misty morning appeared first on Bradfields Farm Dairy ..read more

We have intended to re-commence a regular blog for some time. The recent world wide events mean that there’s a lot to cover right now, so now is as good a time as any to re-start. We will try to keep it regular from now though, promise. Many things carry on much as normal at the Farm with the daily routine of milking and feeding. The cows are, of course, oblivious and looking forward to going out very soon onto the grass for the summer. The ground is firming up nicely now that the earlier rains have reduced and there is lots of fresh grass out there in the fields. Our Dairy Shop continues to ..read more