Lovaton Farm News

Good riddance 2012 !

Lovaton Farm — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:59:26 +0000

What a truly hideous,soggy miserable year which I didn’t think could get any worse but then on the 31st December water appeared from everywhere, never seen any thing like it here before.Anyhow, goodbye 2012, hello 2013 , and now we have snow which covers up the mud, so things are looking alot brighter already!

Nothing much to report apart from the mad rush of preparing and delivering Christmas orders , along with keeping the stock well fed and happy.At this time of year life is pretty much putting feed into one end of an animal and clearing up from the other end , endless bedding up and cleaning out.
The ewes will be scanned on the 1st of February and we are also TB testing that week, so a lot of fingers will be crossed for good reults all around.

Ella has careers evening coming up next week at college but no mention of becoming a farmer!
she doesn’t do mornings .
Will let you know how things go first week of Feb

Slugs sorted!

Lovaton Farm — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:59:44 +0000

The wheat is at last poking it’s head up in the very wet fields but after todays rain it might well change it’s mind and go back down again. If slugs can’t swim there won’t be many of them left by morning as the fields are sodden.
Daffodil, one of our Dexter cows has had another set of twins, two little girls. She had a set last year as well, so a very productive cow.They are all snug in the barn.
We have put dear fencing around our newly planted woods, so the deer are not amused. We planted 400 oak, maple ,rowan and ash. lts hope the Ash trees survive.
Can’t believe it’s December next weekend, theres still time to get orders in for Christmas.
Christmas will be great fun this year with a two year old in the house but big brother (16) is the one who gets most excited!
Have sold most of the lambs now thankfully, although the prices weren’t as good as last year , we decided you can’t finish lambs on water and feed will be expensive, so they have gone.

Rams and wheat in

Lovaton Farm — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:40:52 +0000

Last Saturday we managed to plant the wheat, well most of it anyway, still the bottom of the field to do when it is dry enough. All we can do now is sit back and watch the slugs and crows have their share and hope the rest doesn’t rot!
The rams went in yesterday and spent most the day hiding in the hedges,to avoid the rain, so lambing will start off slowly. Aiming to lamb at the end of March, just a few days earlier than usual but I have to make the most of my helpers , who will be on holiday from school/college.
Christmas meat orders coming in now, so it can’t be long, how scary is that?
We had to bring the pigs indoors yesterday because even pigs have a limit of how much mud they can handle.

What a difference a week makes !

Lovaton Farm — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:58:31 +0000

A week a go Tuesday, Simon and I drove down to the Eden Project to the Taste of the West Awards. It was a glorious day, the sun was shining and we were clean and tidy ( despite having a wardrobe malfuction and a bad hair day)
This Tuesday, it was so foggy and damp I could have gone around the farm blindfolded and seen more. A week ago I wore shoes , this week it was wellies and filthy leggings. I was mucking out and bedding up pigs and instead of a gourmet lunch at the Eden Project I was destined for a cheese sandwich ( but we didn’t have any cheese).
Ginger, had 13 piglets today so between the two sows there are 22 spotty and stripey piglets.
Finished 6 ish tonight as I was sorting out lambs for market tomorrow. We are trying to sell all we can before we run short of grass and have to feed them concentrates.
The rams go in with the ewes next week and they can’t wait!

Taste of the West Awards 2012

Lovaton Farm — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 20:42:57 +0000

I know it’s only been eleven months since I last wrote but I’m back with good news!
This year we entered seven products into the ‘Taste of the West Awards’ and won three Golds, two Silver and a Bronze.
Our T -Bone steak then went onto to win ‘Best of Meat and Poultry’ and ‘Champion Product’. We are thrilled to have won these awards and when I’m battling to get across a field in the wind and rain , asking myself why? am I doing this, then these awards make it all seem worthwhile.

Milly our Saddleback had 9 little piglets this afternoon, spotty ones and stripy ones.
Will write more soon, don’t want to get to carried away on the first night.

Lovaton Farm Strikes Gold

Lovaton Farm — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:58:20 +0000

We celebrated at the Visit Devon Awards last night having won two of the Food and Drink Devon Gold Awards for our Dexter x Devon Sirloin steak and Gloucester Old Spot dry cured bacon.
The Awards recognize the very best of produce from Devon and our steak and bacon was described by the judges as being ‘full of flavour’ and ‘available from a good range of local outlets’.
This follows our success at the 2011 Taste of the West Awards where we received an award for each of the seven products entered.
We are delighted to win these awards and would like to thank all our loyal customers for their support and hope they continue to enjoy our meats.

Regular updates??!

Lovaton Farm — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:10:54 +0000

Can’t believe the last one was January! well 8 months have passed and the weather is still dark,wet and miserable and it’s August!

As usual the weather is as predictable as me burning tea every night- as soon as you hear the first combine you know that rain is in the air.As much as we need rain to help the grass grow we really could do with a little less of the stuff landing on the straw which is waiting to be baled.
While we wait for the sun to return to dry the straw ,we have Chagford Show to enjoy. We went down this evening to set up the stand,and hopefully will have a fun day there tomorrow. Okehampton Show was great success for us last week , but a very long week preparing for it!

We also had great results from the ‘Taste of the West Food and Drink Awards’this year . We entered 7 products and won 2 Golds, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze awards for our beef,pork and lamb.
We have started to sell the lambs born this spring, Blackspice one of our Dexter cows calved this morning and Iggy our pet piggy has 10 piglets.

The B&B has been really busy with guests from all over and a lovely couple have just arrived to stay for two weeks, so hopefully the sun will come out for them ,if not for us!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lovaton Farm — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 21:19:48 +0000

Happy New Year to all of our customers!and to anyone else who may be reading this. Hope you all had a Happy and healthy Christmas.
Our Christmas was not a healthy one(bad colds) and if you call defrosting water pipes all over Christmas a happy event ?!

Glad to say we have made it to the New Year with running water from the taps and now all across the fields,as we have had so much rain. At least in the cold weather the fields were dry.

Summer must be on the way with the B&B bookings coming in. The weather is sure to be better for those arriving in June.Having had Ben last year we have plenty of baby equipment for those wishing to come and stay with a baby, ie baby bath/toys/ spare clothes!

The ewes are due to be scanned on the 10th February, at which point we will know how many lambs are due or not.This is when we discover if the rams were working or sleeping!
Anyhow, thats about it for now, as nothing much as happened apart from surviving the snow and frosts, and you all know about that!

Winter starts all over again!!

Lovaton Farm — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 22:06:09 +0000

The cows are back in!
Monday was spent getting the cows that are due to calf over the winter into the sheds so that they can have their calves on a lovely nest of straw. Which is exactly what ‘Katie’ one of our Dexter cows did that very night. A little boy!
Our little boy Ben is not so little now and is beginning to get about, so is never where I leave him!
My other son has just reminded me that it is only 52 days until Christmas, and Christmas meat orders are coming in each day.
The B&B is still going, with guests still enjoying the delights of Dartmoor, in the glorious weather we have been having.
Off to get some sleep now before Ben awakes. He hasn’t yet realised that the clocks have changed, so thinks it’s Ok to get up at 4.30 am!

Special Delivery

Lovaton Farm — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:18:34 +0000

Another Special Delivery

Buying free range meat by mail-order from Lovaton Farm has always been convenient, but now you can guarantee you order will be with you before noon. We try our hardest to get our meat to your doorstep as quickly as possible, and now there is less waiting around, and less time spent in transit, so your meat arrives in perfect condition.