I am often asked for Christmas present ideas for Farming friends. My first suggestion is always a Massey Tractor or a Kubota G23 High Dump LOL… but if you are looking at a machine for your farm, you cannot do much better for your paddocks than a Trafalgar Paddock Hoover.

Nicknamed the Poover amongst Alpaca friends it is a universal piece of kit with a removable dumper truck barrow which being motorised is an absolute boon for when leaf or mini/crab apple removal off the ground… funny how we just never seem to remember to put it on though LOL

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018

As torrential rain and howling gale force winds cross the West, Our Livestock, Clients, friends, family all know how seriously we take our Animal Welfare at all times.

Kensmyth are delighted to announce that we are the first Alpaca farm to have been inspected within the 3 Councils and granted a licence under the new laws coming into force on October 1st under Defra ruling.

The summary below says it all and we are very proud that in all of our decades of breeding, we have never and never will permit our livestock Welfare standards to slip.

It is quite a thing to be inspected by someone responsible for three Councils but I am so pleased with the comments and proud to achieve this.  Thank you to Alison Gardner and Kevin Dunford for permission to use the photos below.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018

 Premises name: Kensmyth – Helen Kendall Smith

Address: Clay Meadow, Cirencester Road, South Cerney, Gloucestershire GL7 6HU

Date of Inspection: 7^th November 2018

Inspection Form – Keeping or Training of Animals for Exhibition (new Defra Law 1^st October 2018)

Licence No – C/18/01388/AEXHIB

Inspecting Officers: Alison Gardner Officer for Forest of Dean Council, Cotswold District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council & Kevin Dunford, Inspector

Licence: first granted to Alpaca Farm

Duration on site for inspection: just under 4 hours

Comments made:

“Excellent practice and set up with a very in depth knowledge of the species. Licence is only being obtained due to persons coming on site for husbandry training etc”

with a gestation of 11.5 months plus and not weaning to at least 6 months, the female Alpaca is pregnant all the time with the new one due and the one at foot so great care is needed in feeding to ensure that all cope with changing temperatures as we approach winter.

sadly, few remember this applies to the equines too – most folk get sheep ready for tupping and flush them in preparation but not everyone remembers that the “lane munchers” and “paddock fertilisers” also require extra TLC when they are pregnant too. Even if in at night and out in the day, the gestation for equines is 11 months with them equably arriving early or going over too…

it doesn’t matter how big – feed according to size but make sure you feed your pregnant mares this winter

I love this time of the year and the Kubota G23 is the best machine to be sat on in the cold wind as you hoover up the carpets of leaves that fall from the trees in the paddocks.

No – it is not a tidying up fettish, it is because leaves left on the grass in copious carpets will prevent the grass underneath growing properly and the toxins from rotting leaves will make the grass underneath unpalateable to all quadrupeds grazing there.

underneath trees once all dropped, it is something that has to be done under good farming practice…

I am being accused of having a Wonky Carrot fettish by my hubby but I REALLY do think that a marketing opportunity has been missed and as folk rush to buy Kevin the Carrot and his family as soft toys, it is undermining the whole situation of the Carrot industry – they are NOT all one size!

and if you are wondering how come I see so many different carrot shapes it is because chopped up finely they are fed to all quadrupeds on farm at Clay Meadow, especially the horses.

but for my followers sake, I will stop banging on about carrots

as we brace ourselves for more Beast from the East weather due, making sure each quadruped on farm has adequate space to eat and keep warm, time to reflect on November beauty which is still all around us…

Do you not think that Aldi have missed a trick in their promotion of Kevin the perfect looking Carrot and his perfect looking wife and children? Carrots are simply NOT like that. with other companies promoting wonky carrots for all and at discounted prices (others obviously promoting them as something superior and packaging them madly too) do you not think that Kevin and his family would have been the perfect opportunity to promote Wonky Carrots?

Aldis Kevin family certainly don’t look like the genuine article do they?

I am sooo behind on news its just crazy busy and we have been taking advantage of the cold snap to Poover the paddocks before the rain comes, weaning is in full swing and Winter is definitely coming…

meantime, a short while ago on the Thursday (best day to go as Adam Henson was there too) we popped to the Farming Innovation Show – yes that is what I look like in the morning having got up, done the livestock and left in my sons capable hands then driven 2 hours to Birmingham LOL

sorry mum but you know I love slippery snakes so I just had to…

Working dogs have to work at Kensmyth, Clay Meadow… just look at that drool at teatime…

from sunrise…

to sunset…

working all manner of livestock LOL

Lest we forget…

attributed to Amy Goodman

today we remember all who suffered in the senseless wars…