Spring Part 1.
Well, this has been a start to spring that will go down in the farm diary for years to come. Winter in comparison was quite mild, according to our own rain collection data June, July and August were on par with previous years. I guess it’s all about the timing of it though. Our pasture covers were marginal throughout the entire winter period and we had pinned our hopes on some form of a normal spring.
Well, here we are, arctic blasts, snow in parts of the country, frosts and biting southerly winds, not to mention the 130 mm of rain we had 48 hours prior. I know, in comparison to some of you your conditions have been demoralizing and heart breaking to say the least and my heart goes out to you all. But here in the Waikato, well to be honest, we aren’t used to a lot of this upside down weather. We grow grass in a mild temperate climate!!
Speaking of grass, it’s been growing in spurts, we were on track (of sorts) late August going into September then something changed, the weather got cold and wet and hasn’t stopped really. Having spoken to other farmers around our district morale is quite low. Rising costs, staff shortages, and compliance regulation increasing are really taking their toll on us all. A few days of sunshine would actually make all the difference to us and to our grass growth rates, as most of us are now heading into mating and we all know how a wee bit of sun can change the format of our coming season. In the meantime, I plan on getting some good rest and clearing my head. Some time preparing the boat for the summer holidays usually gets my mind elsewhere before I need to get that ‘game face’ on and head into another demanding part of our season.
Spring Part 2.
We managed to get that sunshine and just like magic the grass grew, cows cycled, and lo and behold we are going to make silage..first cut. Getting crops in is a bit of a struggle this year. The ground was too wet and like everyone it has to be in the ground this week. Personally, I don’t stress too much about it, I’ve let the contractor know we are ready and we keep in touch on a bi-weekly basis.
Spring Part 3.
And we got them in! Fertiliser on, and it has rained. There were a few hiccups along the way, nothing too costly, but we are better for it and it’s noted for next season. After 32 days AI the bulls are out and we are now on auto-pilot, weekly pasture rides, feed budget adjustments, second herd test done, and with this glorious soft rain along with our spring fert this will get us through until Xmas. It has been a trying few months but we are on track for the season and let’s hope it’s a bit of a normal one this year..!!
