For those who don't know harrowing the fields is an important Spring job to rip out the dead grass and aerate the sward, allowing the younger grass to come through quicker. It also levels out molehills, flattens uneven ground where cattle have trodden up the mud and breaks up and distributes any manure which has already been spread. It has to be done when the conditions are just right - too wet and the tractor churns up the fields leaving tyre marks and a muddy mess, too dry and the dead grass is difficult to pull out. The early Spring sunshine this week has been ideal - you will notice that the fields around the Peak District are gradually becoming beautifully stripped as the harrowing process continues. This process is then followed by rolling to level out the ground ready for the new grass to push through - very similar to raking and rolling your own domestic lawn, just on a larger scale!
The new spring tine harrow has proved a lot easier to transport from one field to another than the old chain harrows as it has folding arms, which also means that you don't get stuck in awkward corners! It is more effective as the tines grip into the ground and are more vigorous than the traditional chains. As the tines are spring like there is less breakage - chain links always seemed to be breaking on the old set of harrows and time was wasted welding them back together. It also saves time as it is wider and because it's easier to handle even on steep upland ground.
The dairy cows have also been out for the first time this year enjoying the Spring sunshine - just like us they love to be out and about when it's sunny - it's a fantastic sight to see them running up the fields, kicking their heels and gamboling about like lambs - you wouldn't believe how agile they can be for such large animals!
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