Lucy Bates

This is pretty much what January looks like round my house 🔥

Grand Pewsey #thatchingstraw gathering of thatchers and growers from far and wide. Working together on machinery solutions to keep the material coming. Huge amount of experience & skill in the room, lucky #wiltshire! Thanks @HistoricEngland for organising.

@Jakedrum @GreenAcres_Farm @ofgorganic @UKGrainlab @Brockwell_Bake Bakers, thatchers, farmers- hook up! This variety forms part of the thatch crop, but the grain often goes cheap as feed after small batch threshing. Pinch point may be funny non-combine harvest requirements? Reaper binder, stooking etc. It can be worth it, honest!

@ljblucy @GreenAcres_Farm @ofgorganic @UKGrainlab I think it was bred for both (@Brockwell_Bake has the full sp), as a milling wheat that also works well for thatchers. What a brilliant concept. You can eat it (well tasty) under the roof it helped to build!! #smartseedbreeding

I don’t always put the results of my baking out for all to see cos frankly it’s been a bit hit and miss. 😵‍💫 
But, these loaves are blooming knockouts. 👀
 Sourdough bread made with organic Maris Widgeon wheat gown & milled @GreenAcres_Farm, about 20 miles from our house. 😎

@LavingtonSchool Hey, what about Chloe, and Izzy Seavers?? They both worked extremely hard and hit these marks!!

Happy day- picking up 20kg Red Chaffed Yeoman from Fred Price Gothelney Farm. Bulked up from small sample over 3 years to grow on in Wiltshire: hope is a variety to work for both #thatching and #bread @UKGrainlab

A joy to jolly at this positive event @Groundswellaguk... Thanks All & here's to taking forwards the sentiment & intent. Particularly struck by the NI commitment to baseline asap.

@scienceheather @HarperAdamsUni Congrats! X

The job advert for my maternity cover is out. I'm not a listed contact in the ad but any questions feel free to get in touch. Job Opportunity @HarperAdamsUni: #Lecturer in #Entomology (fixed term up to one year). Deadline 16th June. jobs.harper-adams.ac.uk/AW818

@LEAF_Farming So sad and so shocking. All our loving thoughts and condolences to Caroline's family and colleagues. What a woman!

It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our beloved CEO Caroline Drummond MBE, who passed away yesterday. Caroline transformed LEAF from small beginnings 30 years ago to where we are today. There are no words to express how much she will be missed.

A funeral today for dear friends. Happy harvest, time flies by.

@AndyGuy1963 @LEAF_Farming @MeganWhatty @LEAFchief @PenwithLP Agapanthus of course! Really glad to hear it's gone well.

The end of my week in #Cornwall is fast approaching and I've met some fascinating farmers and seen some new (to me) crops as well. Does anyone recognise the crop in the photo? No prizes but lots of credit if you can identify it! Its all been about #LEAFMarque!

First night shift... what a one to pick! Take care Trowvegas 🎆 #wiltshire #bambulance

@TheHillsCountry Our home of 14 years (plus more recent office extension) most cosily insulated with thermafleece!

Serious piles of insulation stacking up to go into make a cottage energy efficient. Hopefully wool products will be made to reach the same thermal efficiency and rigidity as this stuff in time. Someone will tell me that there is such a thing…

Dearest #thatching world, huge thanks for your care and kindness following tools theft in #wiltshire. Will today picked up his teacher Ivor Steel's full kit from his widow Ange. Also NFU paid out in full for all else. Will completes ECA 🚑 training next week. Love life 🌾❤

@WhitacreBespoke @copseworker Yay sure is... his hands never ever been this clean! Good so far though- happy to be out in the world with more people. Lots of transferrable skills like driving silly loads, awkward lifting, on the spot first aid, dynamic risk assessment. Study bit quite hard. Very proud!

@WhitacreBespoke @copseworker That is so kind, thank you. Ironically Will has just set about retraining as an ECA ambulance driver, with thatching getting hard on bod. Still needs kit for backup both financial & emotional, but luckily not a weekday emergency. A dear friend left him some in Bulgaria so 🤞

Whole thatch kit stolen in yard breakin last week from Coulston, Westbury. Hooks, legget, needle, knives, wire kit, kneepads ffs! Precious tools made & gifted. Black tin box, green tarp top. If anyone offered knockoff kit please call it in. So sad. #Wiltshire #thatching

@ThatchAdvice @c_dodson_thatch Thanks both. Have DMd. Best to all.

@c_dodson_thatch @ljblucy Send us an email with details and contact number. We will call and see see what we can do

@youngthatching So crap, not even valuable stuff to anyone else. Genny, blower, diesel etc gone too but that's all just stuff, tools include things from now departed friend & teacher, very sad.

@ljblucy B@stards!!!

@dr_andy_wilcox @EntoProf @HarperAdamsUni All our thoughts and care to family, colleagues and many many students. I feel extremely lucky to have had even briefly the benefit of his aphidious insights.

Hello all. I am so very sad to report the death of Professor Simon Leather, @EntoProf Simon died peacefully last night. Simon’s wife, Gillian, asked me to announce on Twitter as this was such a big part of his life. I will post the funeral details once I know. @HarperAdamsUni