Muck Spreading

With the 1st Nov rapidly approaching, it was time to get the farm yard manure spread on the haylage field.  In Westmeath you cannot spread dung or store it in a heap on the field between 1st Nov and 15th Jan, farming by strict calendar date makes no sense but 'thems the rules'!

In the organic farming system it is our most important way of replacing nutrients, and this has rotted down nicely over the summer.

Christopher is the tractor driver in this photo, and you can see the spreader throwing the manure out onto the field.

A section of field with manure spread on it, and behind a piece that has yet to be done.

Christopher unhitches the spreader and then fills it from the pile with the grab on the tractor. 

Imagine how long it would take to do this by hand!

The finished field. The well rotted manure will now disappear into the field over the winter and will hopefully give us better grass next spring.