Late January brought with it Dorset’s obligatory flurry of snow, one can’t deny how lovely the county looks when it is covered in a white blanket, but most farmers were glad to see the back of it. Praise must go to all of the local farmers who helped their communities by clearing the roads and towing stranded cars. I must also compliment Dorset County Council for their sterling work in keeping the main access routes open and passable allowing life to go on in a safe manner.

The snow gives us the credentials to say we have had our winter for 2019 and now it would be nice to progress onto spring. Some farmers must have access to a crystal ball that tells them good weather is on its way, as cultivations have started and the odd bit of muck and fertiliser have been applied, ready to feed the growing grass and crops as soon as the temperature creep upwards. It is certainly visible in some paddocks that the grass is slowly growing and this will be a huge relief to farmers who are running low on forage stocks in the shed, the last thing we need is the Beast from the East making a reappearance in 2019.

If you keep your eyes peeled on the countryside there are other farming signs that show spring is on its way; the earlier lambing flocks and spring calves are in full swing including my small flock of pedigree ewes that are due to lamb in the first week of March. They will keep me busy as well as night lambing for my families’ second batch of ewes for the season.

Meanwhile my day job with Dorset County Show continues and we are bursting into 2019 with a healthy start to the year. More than 20 per cent of our trade stands have applied within three weeks of applications opening which is very promising. 2019 sees an expansion of our team and we are currently recruiting for a Working Showground Foreman, the individual will be responsible for leading our ground team and will be key to delivering the build and dismantle of the Showground. We hope this challenging but rewarding role, which is predominantly hands on but includes aspects of project management and health and Safety, will be attractive to a range of applicants. It is a four to six week contract but we would hope the successful candidate would return year-on-year becoming a permanent fixture in our team. For more information about the role, please contact me via secretary@dorsetcountyshow.co.uk