My mind has never been CLEARER! The biggest relief and weight off my shoulders. Last season was the nail in the coffin and a good time to bow out of full-time farming. I honestly did not have the mental capacity or energy to continue…… (that burnt-out feeling). Physically I still had it in me, but […]
Well, we got through winter, but it was a push. I used a bit of PKE to keep the cows topped up just prior to calving. Calving was quick, with a start date of the 20/7 and all over by 28/8. No cows lost and only two still born calves which I felt was a […]
It’s a great relief to finally have made the decision and be able to talk about it now. YES, my parents and I are putting on a 50/50 sharemilker for next season 2023-2024. Has it been a hard decision to make…… NO. To be honest, there’s a combination of reasons but we feel this is […]
Every season is different and so farming is always a moving feast of jobs and planning. It never fails to keep me interested and motivated to anticipate the next required moves. With three cuts of silage in the pit, followed by some baleage before it got too dry, I feel reasonably secure against the vagaries […]
Spring has sprung and not before time. Calving has been over for a week, 3/9/21, as I write this. Bringing calving forward five days has given me a good head start on last season but has put pressure on feed available. Growth rates of 11 kg DM/ha through late winter, July / August contrasted with […]
In my last blog I was talking about getting a third cut of silage. Well, the weather was good, so I started filling the second pit. I then managed a fourth cut, which I baled as it was off half the saved area. I saved the rest as standing silage and am just grazing the […]
Strange how life can be thrown a curve ball by a bug. We went from planning a holiday to hunkering down on the farm and making face masks! The Waikato Times ran an article from the French Embassy about travellers stranded in NZ. We replied to their request for help and then received a large […]
I’m not going to mention the “C” word at all as I strive to focus on something other than what has been on the minds of most New Zealanders for the past 4 or so weeks. Today is the 21st day of lockdown and once again I extol the virtues of being a person of […]
The way things are going it is going to be a long summer. Feels like it started last November! My rainfall records show last year as the third driest on record, with annual rain 300 mm below the average. Going back to 1992 my records show a year like this about every 10 years on […]
Welcome to 2020. The beginning of a new year and all the promises, plans and New Year resolutions that we are all bound to keep and break, some of us more one way than the other. I find the Christmas season is always so enjoyable, with so much happening throughout December, culminating in a very […]