Firstly, we would like to apologise for not putting together an October newsletter – the autumn newsletter never seemed to get to the top of the ‘to do list’! However, here we are doing the first one of 2008 – lets hope it’s not the last for this year!!!

We would like to take this opportunity of thanking all our customers for making Christmas the best so far – hope you all enjoyed your Christmas fare with our beef and lamb.

Back to the end of last year - harvest came and went, with not too many hiccups. Oilseed Rape, Winter Barley and Winter Wheat were all sown during August, September and October.

The rams (tups) went out with the ewes for five weeks on 25th October to start the sheep year all over again.

Cattle that could come in to their winter quarters were brought in during November – a bit later than normal but helped by a dry October. Unfortunately, January has started as December finished – a tad wet underfoot. 

The sheep were scanned this week (week beginning 14th January) and numbers in-lamb much the same as past years, with only 9 sheep out of 300 not in-lamb. Lambing is due to start in the middle of March, although we had an early Christmas surprise with the very early arrival of a lamb in the middle of December! Mother and baby are both well and enjoying being inside.

In any spare moments, we have been completing our beef and lamb storage premises – visitors are welcome, but a telephone call prior to arrival would be helpful and possibly save a wasted trip, as we are not always around the farm buildings.

New news – due to the continued success of our foray into Fife Farmer’s Markets, we are taking the plunge, and will be attending Dunfermline Market (the second Saturday of each month) as well as Kirkcaldy Market (the last Saturday of each month). We continue to look forward to meeting both old and new customers. Please come along and say hello. Pre-orders for collection at the markets can be made on-line, please see our web-site order form.

We are continuing to develop product lines such as steak pies and mince rounds, baked and packed locally at FC Lonie Bakers, Aberdour. Fred and Sheila use all Dalachy Beef mince and stew in the pies they make and sell in their baker shop on the High Street, Aberdour. We have also added Lorne sausage packs to our product list.

Unfortunately due to increased costs incurred to Dalachy Beef, we have had to make the decision to have a small price rise. Dalachy Beef prices have remained unchanged since October 2006 so hopefully you will all understand that there has to come a time when product prices have to rise.

Colin’s Simmental herd continues to expand with the addition of another heifer bought in November – Cairnview Lerica. He is looking forward to showing her when the showing season starts in May. Tigra and Vendetta, two of Colin’s bull calves, will hopefully be sold for breeding at the beginning of May. He is spending any spare time he has preparing them both by training them to walk on a halter – not an easy task when you are talking about a three quarter tonne bull!!!