Finally the rain has arrived, plus TB clear and success at Sedgemoor Sales.

Well it’s been a while since our last post here, but gosh have we been busy! Firstly and most importantly we need to say a belated thank you to our amazing volunteer Tom, who moved on to an exciting adventure in the north of Scotland at the beginning of the summer. Without Tom we wouldn’t have been able to get the Pantry going, not to mention all his help on the farm! We wish him the very best of luck and are looking forward to seeing him again when he comes back down south.

We have been lucky to have had a whole string of lovely volunteers over the summer, with Wwoofers joining us from France, Germany and the US as well as a few locals coming to help out for a day per week. Thanks to Noa, Helena, Perla, Max, Ylian, Fabian and also Karla who is with us at the moment! We have really enjoyed our time with all of you.

Thanks to our Wwoofers of 2025 (so far!)

Looking back over the summer the biggest feeling is one of relief that the grass is finally growing. It has been the driest summer we can remember, with about 5 days of rain in as many months. Somehow the animals have thrived under these conditions - the lambs have grown really well, and the cows have lovely, glossy coats. However, we have been feeding the cattle hay out in the fields for the last 6 weeks, which is a real worry as we try to plan how much hay we need to tide us over the winter months. 

With so many weeks passing since our last blog, we’d have to write pages and pages in order to bring everyone up to date, so we’ll stick to the highlights!

Incoming weather! If you look closely you can even see some new grass growth...

Despite the drought, the garden is growing very well. We’ve got pumpkins starting to ripen, and peppers slowly turning red, while cold weather greens have been planted out ready for the autumn and winter months. The tomatoes are finally starting to slow down, but have grown so well!

The sheep have really done well this summer, somehow producing robust and healthy lambs with no indications of worm burdens, very little orf, no fly strike, and no foot problems. We’re not saying this out of pride, as we don’t want to tempt fate, but we’re thrilled considering the conditions we’ve had over the last few months. The Shetlands are also thriving, and we’ve been spending time with our volunteers sorting their fleeces so that we can get them washed and carded so that they can be spun into yarn. We also had a momentous “first” for us - we took one of our Shetland rams, Gannow Wood Asterix, to Sedgemoor rare breeds sale, in the hopes of selling him on as a breeding ram. We had low expectations, this being our first sale, and he’s never been to any shows, and normally they sell better if they’ve placed at a county show. There was a great number of other fine rams and ewes, and yet overall trade seemed down, with average sales of around 200 guineas for a ram. Yet against the odds, Asterix managed to win over the crowd and he was sold to a lovely Somerset family for a whopping 650 guineas! We wish Asterix good luck in his new home. 

Asterix (right) made us very proud!

We’re also feeling very happy with the cows, as just this week we had our 6 monthly TB test, and as everyone will know, we are always nervous during this test. However, they all passed with flying colours. No suspicious lumps, which could indicate future reactors. With a clear test, we will hopefully be able to sell our young, home-bred bull, Alexander, and a few of our breeding stock. It’s important for rare breed farmers to occasionally sell breeding stock to other farms to help diversify blood lines, making the herd more resilient.

Our cafe and farm shop, The Pantry, has become a real asset to the farm, allowing us to share our farming story and sell our produce direct to local customers. It’s really growing in popularity, and we’re thrilled that it’s becoming a welcome community space for people in our local villages. Please do drop in if you live locally or are passing by as we love to have a chat!

Who's this come to visit us?

On the wildlife front, we’ve seen all sorts this summer! The owl box is still inhabited by 2 barn owls, who we were lucky enough to see three times this week. We’ve also spotted fallow deer in the woods, alongside the muntjacs and roe deer. The swallows are still with us, flitting amongst the cows and sheep to snap up the insects the livestock disturb. It won’t be long though before they leave us for sunnier climes. The heron has also returned, and spends much of his time stalking around the orchard and field 11. It’s such a pleasure being able to see such a variety of wildlife supported here on our farm.

In terms of upcoming events, we are very excited to say that we will be attending the Stockwood Autumn Festival on the 21st of September (a Sunday). Many of the units here will be open, along with other local crafters, children’s activities, an apple presser, live music and more. The event starts at 10am, and runs until 3pm. We will have the Pantry open for coffee and cake, as well as the opportunity to buy our beef and lamb. We will be serving Rush Farm burgers from our trailer, and running tractor rides. What better way to welcome in the autumn months than a fun day at the farm?!

We also have some very exciting news coming up next weekend, but you'll have to wait and see what it is... Make sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to find out!

Until next time,

The Rush Farm team

New friends!