Snow has finally arrived (From Craven Herald)

Snow has finally arrived

10:46am Thursday 9th February 2012 in From The Farm By Liz Hird

All last week the “men at the Met” were predicting a wintry weekend and late on Saturday morning it started. All morning it had felt like snow, that muffled, dead sort of feeling – cold, but not quite as cold as it had been – and as I drove back up the dale from Kettlewell tiny grainy white flecks were blowing in the wind.

The decision to cancel Skipton Farmers’ Market was made on Saturday. It was a difficult call, but probably the right decision. Apologies to all regular customers.

Stuart, Eddy and David brought the moor sheep down into the home fields over the weekend as they had been struggling to get up with the bikes, and the depth of snow on the top meant the sheep were finding it difficult to get to something to eat. They never look happy being down in the bottom at this time of year. Once fed, they just sit and stand around among the remains of the hay or silage, chewing and cudding, waiting for the gate to open to let them back up onto the top. I think they will let them back today, as yesterday there was a good thaw and when Stuart and I got back late yesterday afternoon a good deal of the moor was clear of snow.

No markets at the weekend meant I had the chance to get some housework done and also some long-overdue paperwork, but I will need far more than a couple of days to get on top of everything.

One of the jobs I did was renew my membership to the WFU (Women’s Food and Farming Union). I have been a member for a number of years now and have supported many of their campaigns.

One of their current campaigns, spearheaded by the Staffordshire branch, is the Women’s Land Army Tribute. The aim is to raise enough funds to erect a permanent memorial during 2012 in the National Memorial Arboretum.

The Women’s Land Army was formed during World War One. The Land Girls, as they became known, worked on the land, freeing the male workers to go to war. In the Second World War, by 1943, there were some 80,000 young women working in every aspect of agriculture to feed the nation. With their uniform of green ties and jumpers and brown felt slouch hats, they worked from dawn to dusk each day, milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting crops.

The Women’s Timber Corps, also known as the “Lumber Jills”, worked tirelessly in the forests to provide timber for the war effort, felling trees, sawing timber and sharpening saws.

The WFU, which was founded in 1979, has branches all over the UK and is a voluntary organisation committed to promoting an understanding of, and confidence in, all aspects of quality British produce.