A fresh start

It may still be cold, but February heralds plenty of new beginnings

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It’s hard to love February, a month that is always freezing and often foggy. There’s also the old country weather lore about ‘February fill ditch’, which generations of farmers used to swear by with its prediction of enough rain or snow to overwhelm dykes, drains and trenches. That ancient folk tale is still a pretty good rule of thumb, but despite the less than brilliant weather, February is an important month for thousands of modern-day farmers like me. The ground may well be frozen hard, but it’s the perfect chance for repairs and renovations around the farm. After all, drains, troughs and fences don’t mend themselves! If we’re lucky with the weather and the temperatures improve as the month goes on, then slurry spreading can get underway. Meanwhile, the