Twelve-year-old Ben Padwick lives on a farm near Leicester, owned by The Co-operative Group and managed by his dad. He keeps a regular diary for First News of life on his family’s farm.

"It’s all change on the farm again and autumn is well and truly here.

The weather has been a bit of a problem at times but, at last, all of the oilseed rape and wheat has been planted and is growing well.

The turkeys seem to get bigger by the day but still enjoy playing on the swings and see saw. Mum said they love it when the school children visit. As soon as they see the coach they all come running across to the fence to see what’s going on. The school children pick sunflower heads to throw into the field and the turkeys all hurry around to peck at the seeds.

Field Fares, small thrush-like birds from Scandinavia, have been spotted on the farm already and is apparently the sign of a hard winter.

We quite often see a buzzard circling over the school field and, last week, when Mum went across to the bio barn, the partridge were all hiding under the porch, probably trying to avoid becoming the buzzard’s lunch!

The biggest change for us is that, after 22 years working for the co-operative group, Dad is leaving and will be working on a farm over in Norfolk. It’s a really important time for my brother, George, as he is taking his GCSEs next year so, for the time being, Mum, George and I will be staying here in Leicester and Mum will continue to run the school visits. We still get to see lots of wildlife though – like a squirrel who was burying his nuts in our flower pots and a fox who visited our garden."