Another Day and the farm is looking green

This morning was one of those times when you realise just why it is you put up with all the crap farming can dish out. I was up the back of the farm digging strainer holes (yes we did another 30 today, 22 tomorrow and where finished) when I spotted a log nearby and stopped for a cup of tea. I pored the tea, looked up and there it was. The sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky, I could smell the wet earth from the 20 mm of rain the night before, the sun was glistening on the canola leaves, I could see the surrounding farm land all the way to the Stirling ranges and all I could hear were the birds in the trees nearby.

Then my bloody phone rang, as if on cue just to spoil the moment.

But it was a great moment, even for the small time it lasted...

Another Day and 15mm Rain

It rained tonight. The biggest fall this year. Normally by now I would be complaining that we have had too much rain and we can't spray the crops. This 15mm makes nearly 30mm over the past week. I feel things are starting to turn around and we should have some good feed by the end of July.
I spoke to a good friend who works in a government department today, as he was wanting some advice on transporting ewes and lambs from the north of the state to the south coast. The state is in category two drought emergency, which means that the government can direct its staff to assist farmers directly in managing there stock. They are trying to get some protocols up for transporting stock, particularly ewes with young lambs at foot. At the moment it is illegal to transport stock 30 days pre lambing or lambs under 10kg. Due to animal ethics concerns, (the stock suffering where they are) this has been relaxed. The conditions are so bad up north that the stock will just have to be moved to where there is green feed.
As much as I might seem to complain about the lack of rain, I am very thankful for what we have had.

Another day fencing

I dug 30 holes today and cemented a strainer in each one. Not a bad effort if I say so myself. Each hole is 4 feet deep (holes are measured in feet, Why? because to measure the depth of a hole you place the shovel in the hole, place a mark on the handle at the top of the hole , then place the shovel on the ground and placing one foot in front of each other measure the length from the shovel tip to the mark on the handle. Thus feet are the most practical way of measuring holes.) and each strainer is 7 feet long by about 1 foot wide and made from white gum tree trunks. This may sound like a monotonous and boring day but it is quite refreshing to get out in the cold and do a whole day of physical work after spending the last week in meetings looking out the window wishing you where somewhere else.

More grain comming

Today I ordered another 50 tonnes of wheat to feed the sheep. When I ordered the last 50 tonnes, I was sure it would be the last. But the sheep are still hungry and it's now getting too cold to grow any feed so the gain will have to keep flowing. The sheep are looking good and the lambs are fit and well, so it's not all doom and gloom. It's just not right somehow than you work so hard the year before to grow and sell the grain and then find yourself buying it back 6 months later. As I finish this post I can hear Jenborg warming the milk for the lambs. They will soon be happy, tails flapping and heads bobbing.

Rain at last

13 mm of rain has fallen over the past few days bringing much relief to the very dry pasture and crops. More rain coming on Wednesday, I hope it buckets down. We need it. This is our second dry year in a row and we are getting sick of feeding sheep in the winter. Nothing however like it is up North where they havn't had any rain for two years.
We have two pet lambs at the moment, Tippy and Bickie. Both abandoned from there mums. It's just the season we are having. If a ewe thinks she can do better without the lamb she will just walk away. It doesn't happen very often, just natures way of surviving I guess. Cinderella and Za-Za love them, and they make great pets. I made them a little house out of the wood shed today instead of doing the cementing as mentioned in the last post. It is Sunday!

geez i feel tirexd today. i nearly fell asleep at the table when we had guests for dinner. after a week away attending meetings and conferences and now stopping, it seems as though i have hit a brick wall.
today i am going to brave the outdoors and do some cementing work in preparation for jenborg to do some mosaicing in the garden.