A Farmers 2020 Lockdown from the perspective of running a Family Farm Stay with No Guests No Income and livestock that cause you still to be busy while some of the UK display their stupidity endangering the lives of others by Not Staying at Home.
So for the whole UK and indeed the World, 2020 has become a very different place to live. Here at Oaks Barn Farm, our guest bookings for the season slowly started to cancel our last set of guests checked out on the 22nd March A London Based NHS Worker and her family, there was uncertainty whether this would go ahead as we learnt that food shortages had already started in London. Thankfully I was able to get across to see my Dad on the 20th March ahead of the possible lockdown to get him prepared for self isolation.
UK Business Closure
On the 23rd of March Borris announced the inevitable business closure for our guest accommodation, and indeed all businesses consideerd non essential this followed his closure of all pubs and restaurant businesses on the 20th March.
Ahead of the outbreak, we had a full and healthy calendar of bookings throughout the year, indeed 2020 was set to be our busiest year since opening our Farm Stay Business back in 2008.
We look forward to welcoming guests once again to the farm and remain open for booking enquiries for the remainder of this season together with 2021 bookings.
Lambing 2020
Our Lambing this year started on the 4th of April with 2 girls, we decided to call them Florence and Nightingale. Livestock feeds are always a priority for us ensuring we have enough in to see us through Lambing, fortunately, our local suppliers Vale Gardens, have remained open and maintained their delivery service.
Our hens have definitely proved to be a good investment as they are supplying us with plenty of eggs, we normally supply these to our farm. Stay guests but not during lockdown.
Producing Quality Food for our Local
Our pigs are growing well, eating and sleeping their way through life, last week we put in a paddling pool in for them to stay cool on hot summer days. This is a joint venture with our Local Pub the Broom Tavern working to put quality locally sourced produce on the table for locals. Our Lamb this year will also feature on their menu.
This long spell of good weather has allowed us to get on with a number of jobs round the farm, re pointing the pig pen, grinding and grouting the patio to name just a few. Spring is also busy in the garden, just this week we got 4 rows of potatoes in all of Sue’s Tomatoes and Chilli plants are in the greenhouse and Our Asparagus is up though sadly will not be eaten as this is its first year and needs to go over before an actual harvest next year.
A call from a contractor for western power saw us take delivery of several loads of wood chip and a 2 year supply of firewood, so cutting and splitting this has taken up much of lockdown slotted in around lambing.
Our NFU business interruption insurance supprisingly does not cover Covid-19 despite it being a Local authority shut down.
Dan’s Oaks Barn Farm Services falls under the Farming Key Worker remit and he is having his busiest year to date with the demand for slurry irrigation being high due to the exceptional wet weather earlier in the year and delays to planting.
Booking Direct
We have written at length about the importance of booking accommodation directly, this ensures that your money goes to your host and is invested 100% in the holiday you are buying.
The upside for us has been working with our guest bookings, some have been able to claim on their travel insurance, others have been able to move their booking to later in the year. Disappointingly yet not surprisingly, 3rd party bookings through Air B&B have been treated appallingly. As their policymaking appears to be driven by a model based on greed, ensuring that hosts and guests are treated badly with the only winner on the toss of a coin appears to be Air B&B Regardless of the call of heads or tails.
Looking to the future and guest bookings going forward, our saving grace has been that we offer self catering accommodation and that each of our properties are self contained so family groups will be able to book with us and maintain social distancing on the farm.
We anticipate there will be a high demand for Staycations once the lockdown period is over, our international guest bookings may decline as Air travel will need to address how social distancing can be maintained and passengers can be safeguarded from contracting Covid-19 as a result of Air Travel.
We have not yet got to the point where booking a Cruise has been an option, but this sector of the Travel Industry will also be hit hard coming out of this.
One good thing that to come out of this situation is the community spirit and support, neighbours have shopped for Dad cooked him meals and this has been replicated worldwide. I believe that our beloved NHS is now safe from ever being sold off and will be instrumental in any voting campaign going forward.
Whatever industry sector you happen to be in, one thing for sure will be the need for change and adaptation to a very different life, living alongside COVID-19 and managing its existence in our daily lives.
