UK Agriculture four seasons
Month - December
December
Most dairy cows are artificially inseminated (AI) and semen is kept deep frozen in glass straws surrounded by liquid nitrogen. The use of artifical insemination allows the farmer to choose a tested quality bull with genetic characteristics that, when matched with the cow, will produce offspring with particular traits. A cow could therefore be mated with a bull that improved milk yield, improved milk protein, lowered milk fat and produced a small calf to help ease parturition. Many dairy herds start calving in September and so December is always a busy month with AI.
December
By December nearly all dairy cows are housed indoors. A variety of bedding arrangements are used with some being given individual cubicles for resting, while others live in straw yards. In all cases fresh bedding is routinely provided. Apart from maintaining the comfort of the cow, clean bedding prevents bacterial build up and reduces the risk of mastitis in the cow.
December
Beef systems are usually more extensive than dairy systems and so many beef cows will remain at grass through December. Here, a Charolais bull (behind) has been put with a group of suckler cows. Cows that become pregnant now will calve again in September. Beef cows, unlike their dairy contemporaries are only rarely mated by AI.
December
Sows that are housed outdoors will be fed an improved ration to account for the colder weather and hutches will be amply bedded to provide plenty of insulation for young piglets.
December
By the end of December grass growth will have ceased in all but the mildest conditions and so the farmer may start to supplement early lambing ewes with a cereal nut. Supplementary feeding with a concentrate is only necessary for the last six weeks of gestation where it helps with lamb growth and the ewe's body condition (a precursor to good milk yields). Supplementary feeding with hay may occur at any stage of the winter if grass availability is limited by poor weather.
December
Winter wheat is the UK's most widely grown arable crop but to the casual observer the crop will look the same as barley and oats at this time of year. Around 2 million hectares of wheat are grown each year, roughly twice the area of barley and around twenty times the area of oats.
December
Winter oats, note the tramlines used by the tractor as guidance through the field. During December crop growth will be very limited and apart from the risk of slug damage there will be few agronomic factors of concern.
December
Oilseed rape crops are a major food source for pigeons and the increase in the crop area over the past 30 years is largely responsible for the massive rise in the wood pigeon population. Pigeons can cause enormous damage to the crop, stripping the leaves and destroying large areas of the crop that then become infested with weeds. Control through shooting and the use of noise or visual scarers are therefore essential.
December
In dry conditions farmers take the opportunity to plough ground for spring cropping. Heavier ground is usually ploughed earlier allowing a longer period for the soil to weather. Frost is particularly effective in breaking down clods helping to make a good seedbed for the spring crop and reducing the need for tractor powered cultivations..
December
Red cabbage is now fresh in the shops. Cabbage is often seen as an uninteresting vegetable but its winter hardiness ensures fresh green material at a time when the alternatives are limited. Cabbages were introduced to the UK around 400 years ago and have been nutritionally important since.
December
Brussels sprouts are a popular seasonal vegetable, particularly for Christmas. The Brussel sprout has enjoyed renewed popularity of late as supermarkets have provided the vegetable pre-prepared in convenient microwavable bags.
December
Frost can help improve the soil structure by breaking down ploughed ground. However, as the day warms and the frost comes out of the ground, extremely sticky conditions on bare earth result. This make travel difficult and farmers will avoid field work at this time.
December
Short days and long shadows. Many habitats now receive no direct sunlight.
December
A wild rose in a hedgerow. Berries are an important source of food for birds during the winter months and so farmers will delay any winter hedge cutting until the food source has been consumed.
December
A stool of coppiced sweet chestnut. The wood produced from cutting on a 10 year rotation is chipped and then used as a fuel in a boiler. Britain's woodlands offer a huge resource of sustainable energy that can be derived from coppice but as yet they remain ignored by policy makers.
December
A charcoal kiln shortly after a completed burn. Charcoal has been the primary industrial fuel for most of the last 4000 years only yielding to fossil fuels around 200 years ago. Its production in the UK is completely sustainable, a claim that cannot be made for many imported charcoals which are derived from rainforest clearance.