If you were to walk across Shropshire you would come across more different type of rock and soil than if you were to walk the whole of Russia due to the debris left behind by the last ice age 10,000 years ago and Treflach is a microcosm of soil types, from bog at Sweeney Fen to limestone ridges that outcrop hence the different grass that thrive here.
When you walk “the long meadow” or the road verge as you call it, the remnants of the past can be identified. Every field in the township is down to grass, some short leys (sown recently) some permanent pasture(original flower meadow) all managed differently- a smorgasborg of nature for farm animals to thrive.
Cattle are let out of their winter housing at this time of year as conditions allow- on letting out they gallop with joy getting back to their natural environment. Spring grass also known as Dr. Green as it sorts out any ailments- hedges to shelter under and trees to rub on- the very reason why the countryside looks so beautiful is the animals that create the scenery for functional reasons- far from being a green desert the grasses of Treflach hide many herbs even in the more intensive land- dandelion, yarrow, clover to mention but three that bring mineral up from the soil- the recycle of nutrient in a sustainable way.
Grass that has not been grazed during the season is allowed to grow and is cut for hay or silage (grass made with round bales and covered in plastic or put in a pit and made air and water tight to preserve like jam). There is still a few noted fields that when cut let off a smell. In the evening when the dew comes down the “cureing hay” emits an essence so sweet that has not been smelt since Constable painted “The Hay Wain” that gives off the same in art.
Cattle that graze grass have high levels of Omega three, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), B vitamins, vitamin K, traced minerals and magnesium. CLA can not be produced in the human body but increases metabolic rate, boosts the immune system and lowers cholesterol levels.
Typical of you are what you eat just as an animal is what it eats.