Life on a Family Farm in the Yorkshire Dales
When people think about farming, they often picture sunny fields, tractors and cows happily grazing in the sunshine.
Sometimes that's exactly what it's like.
Other times it's pouring with rain, you've got a broken water trough, a fence that's somehow fallen down overnight and a list of jobs that's getting longer rather than shorter.
That's farming.
No two days are ever the same
One of the reasons we love farming is that no two days are identical.
Some mornings start with feeding cattle.
Others start with moving livestock.
Sometimes it's fixing machinery.
Sometimes it's making hay while the weather finally gives us a chance.
Then there are the days where absolutely nothing goes to plan.
The weather decides more than we do
Most businesses can make a plan and stick to it.
Farming doesn't really work like that.
The weather has a habit of changing everything.
A dry week can suddenly become a wet one.
A field that's ready today might not be tomorrow.
Sometimes all you can do is change the plan and crack on.
Looking after livestock comes first
The cattle don't know if it's Sunday.
They don't know if you've got visitors coming.
They definitely don't know if you've planned a day off.
They still need feeding.
They still need checking.
They still need someone keeping an eye on them.
That's just part of the job.
It's the little jobs that fill the day
People often imagine farming as driving tractors all day.
In reality, a lot of time disappears into the jobs nobody really notices.
Repairing a gate.
Checking water troughs.
Moving feed.
Replacing a broken fence post.
Tidying a yard.
Loading straw.
None of them are exciting.
All of them matter.
Every season brings something different
One of the best things about farming is that the year is always changing.
Spring brings new grass and longer days.
Summer is full of silage, hay and trying to make the most of good weather.
Autumn means preparing for winter.
Winter is about looking after livestock through the toughest months of the year.
The jobs change, but there's never really a quiet season.
Why we wanted to start this blog
We know most people don't have the chance to spend time on a working farm.
That's exactly why we wanted to create this blog.
Not to tell people how farming should be done.
Not to complain.
Just to show what life is actually like.
The good days.
The frustrating days.
The moments that make us laugh.
And everything in between.
We're proud to call the Yorkshire Dales home
We're lucky to farm in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.
The views are incredible, but farming here comes with its own challenges too.
Steep fields.
Dry stone walls.
Changing weather.
It's hard work, but we wouldn't swap it.
Thanks for following along
Whether you've found us because you're buying our beef, you're interested in farming or you've simply stumbled across our little corner of the internet, thank you.
We hope these blogs help you understand a little more about farming, where your food comes from and what life at Flatts Farm is really like.