We hope you have all had a great last week, and that this coming week is even better.
I am a bit slow. I have been concerned about what will happen this spring when “Super El-Nino” arrives. It is here now with a really cold and mixed winter. We are still feeding out, and unsure when this will stop. C’mon, Spring – we need you here! All we know so far is that it will be a windy Spring and Summer. All we can hope is that there will be some moisture there as well.Whilst writing the above, it is worth remembering the statement “the date when grass grows faster than the cattle can eat it is the 10th of September”. Let’s see how that statement stacks up!
We are concerned about the high number of animals we have on hand, and when we can reduce some of these numbers. It really won’t be until the end of December, or mid January, when the meat processors open again.
A journalist has been following our blog, and last week published the most special article about our blog, our farm and our farming philosophy. It genuinely brought me to the edge of tears. It is so beautifully written! Monique – thank you for writing such a special article. It means so much to Keryn and me!
On the Farm
What drives us currently is the temperature, grass growth, rain and wind. We are so worried about potential impacts from the weather. We need the grass to grow more, and temperatures to stay high, with regular rain and little wind. Pretty boring, but that is what will get us through a very difficult period. Time will tell, and I would not be surprised if we have worried too much. It’s better to be prepared, though.
With quite a few calves, it will be time soon to tag them all, and to give those who are old enough a 7-in-1 injection, to cover the calves against any clostridial issues. We are planning to yard and do this on Thursday, and to also weigh all the younger ones.
Anniversary number 54. Wow!! We will go over to Tauranga to a nice seaside restaurant for a special lunch. Whilst we are there we will call in at our contract pie maker and say high to all the special friends we mode over those years!
Last week we spotlit a very special heifer calf, born to our cow, Sunny. Her grandmother was our super-special cow – Storm. One of the names we thought about for the calf was “Stormy”. We were worried, though, that if we called her Stormy we were getting too close to the name of Donald Trump’s only qualified recruit – Stormy Daniels – (“Stormy D”). But in the spirit of it all, we have officially named her “Stormy B” (Brown). She is a lovely wee girl!
This lady is Tamara, and she has calved out a lovely heifer calf, who we have called Trixie. The reason we are so happy to see her calve with no issues was because of an unhappy experience last year. The herd was in a paddock at the end of our farm. When I checked the herd very early in the morning, I found that Tamara had calved BUT the calf must have been spooked at one point during the night and had crashed into the wire fence and one leg got caught in the wire. The poor thing was trapped and getting regular electric fences shocks. When I found her, she was no longer alive – it had been too much!
So it’s so nice to see Tamara and Trixie as a happy little duo. Tamara is a great mother!
That’s all for this week.
As always we thrive on feedback, and would love to hear from you!!
Colin and Keryn