Spring on Burlerrow Farm is a wonderfully hectic time of year.
Miscanthus is the main focus. We have 120 acres of our own plus over 500 acres of other growers’ crops to harvest and the weather plays a key role. The crop grows as a perennial and as temperatures drop in the late autumn the plants begin to draw the nutrients back down below ground into the rhizome, effectively allowing the main body of the plants to die back and begin to dry out.
It is this natural process, drying out the spongy core of the plant, that gives Miscanthus its natural, ultra absorbency and it is our unique manufacturing process that best exposes this core to make our high quality, low dust and super absorbent Burlybed Original.
It is early spring when the crop is at its driest that we begin watching the weather and planning ahead to ensure a run of good, dry weather for cutting and bailing our crop and that time is right now.
Primetime for harvest just so happens to be the same time of year that our 900 Highlander ewes are lambing and our 70 South Devon cattle are due to calve. Busy doesn’t really cover this time of year for us but with our absolutely brilliant, hardworking team we crack on through it. There is something incredibly satisfying about a full barn of Miscanthus ready to become Burlybed Original and fields full of happy and healthy livestock.
We wouldn’t have it any other way!
Photography: Aerial Cornwall (https://aerialcornwall.com)