It's been a while since we had an update and I can't apologise enough. Life for everyone is hectic but life on the farm (no matter the size) is another issue altogether. I have friends all over Australia with cattle and the last six months has been tough. Friends in NSW spent $5000.00 seeding & fertilising their farm for winter feed, only to have it wash away in the recent rains. Another friend on the NSW/Vic border has had to sell all his cattle because they can no longer afford feed. A friend in northern Vic had a fire on a lease block. Thankfully no cattle were killed, but it means a dispersal sale to reduce numbers because of the loss of feed. And SA are in a crippling drought.
We are so very fortunate here in our little piece of Gippsland, that we were able to get enough pasture rounds that I've not been buying feed other than for the show team. I also have two paddocks that have been left to spell until calving.
Winter in Gippsland always requires feeding hay until usually August when the spring grasses are starting to come through. The cows, have been going through a bale a week and I hope that doesn't increase too much as we change numbers with calving.
At Glenstrae, we prefer to use their natural cycle and do artificial insemination (AI) then, rather than using drugs and fixed time programs. Skarlotte especially does not appear to handle the programs using drugs and needles as she stresses so much. We did AI on Skarlotte 19/04/2025 and are waiting for a confirmation of pregnancy. If she is pregnant, she will be due to calve early 2026.
In other farm news .... Kenzie is due 15/06/2025 so I have brought her to the house paddock in readiness for calving. While moving her, I looked at Willa who I believed to be due 28/07/2025 and decided not to bring her home as she still had a little while to go before calving and could wait another week. Except .... the next morning, while sitting on the verandah with a cuppa, I looked over the frosty paddock and saw my neighbours dog. I thought it was weird he was out, but on second glance realised while it was the right colour, it was the wrong shape ....
Willowdean surprised me with a little calf. Definitely not premature, but in fact a perfect healthy little heifer, Aberdean (Abi). I will need to DNA, which will confirm how in fact I managed to get my dates so wrong. But the good news in all of this is Kenzie now has a mentor for her upcoming delivery, and the calves will be a lot closer together in age than I first expected.
Until next time!