Mrs Down's Diary

Today John has rung a contractor to come and help with the ploughing. The horse power on their vehicle is greater than ours, and they pull a five-furrow plough. We pull a four-furrow implement with less oomph in our big tractor.

The plan is for John to start mole ploughing the fields ahead of the plough. The 'tunnel' created by the mole plough supports the main drains in the field, allowing water to drain off faster and helping to aerate the soil. He is hoping that with the water ballast in the front tyres, he will not be skidding around on top of the land trying to get a grip to pull the mole.

We are also waiting for another contractor to come in and clear a dyke running alongside one of the big blocks of land that backs onto a main drainage board dyke. The only equipment we have on the farm to clear out dykes is a dyking shovel. Not mechanically driven. Man powered.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette October 8