Author Archives: hoddlecows

Spring skies

Posted on October 9, 2012 by hoddlecows

Despite carrying my camera around the farm with me quite often, I seem to see the best picture opportunities when my camera is not on hand. Thanks to my trusty mobile all is not lost, here’s a few snaps from … Continue reading →

Posted in Cows, Dairy Farming, Pasture, Weather | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weather obsessions

Posted on October 5, 2012 by hoddlecows

It’s easy as a farmer to become obsessed with the weather. At times, I even envy those who have careers which are not so dependent on the weather. I’d love to be able to enjoy a cold, rainy winters day … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Dairy Farming, Pasture, Soil, Weather | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Making life on the farm a little less shocking

Posted on October 5, 2012 by hoddlecows

One of my favorite gadgets around the farm is my remote control electric fence tester. We spend a bit of time messing around with electric fences. Most days we put up temporary electric cords to ensure the cows have just the … Continue reading →

Posted in Pasture, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This soil is alive!

Posted on July 30, 2012 by hoddlecows

There is little doubt healthy soil is critical to a productive farm. Once you ask the question what constitutes a healthy soil and what is the best way to build soil health the debate begins. Soil health has become a … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Pasture | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rare frost.

Posted on July 8, 2012 by hoddlecows

We often get frost in the gullies and lower areas of our farm but only 3-4 times a year do we get frost over all our rolling hills. The morning was a good one, with frost lingering until about 9am. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Dairy Farming, Weather | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Busy season.

Posted on June 26, 2012 by hoddlecows

It’s a busy time of the year at Montrose Dairy, like most dairy farms in our district it’s calving season. I haven’t had much time for blogging of late, I’ve been flat out looking after our stock.  We are enduring our … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Cows, Dairy, Dairy Farming, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pea Souper at Montrose Dairy

Posted on May 31, 2012 by hoddlecows

A foggy morning to finish off a soggy Autumn.

Posted in Cows, Dairy, Weather | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Setting up pastures for winter

Posted on May 24, 2012 by hoddlecows

Heading into winter it is critical we have lots of high quality pasture on hand, pasture growth rates decline as the days shorten and our soils cool down. To manage our pastures we monitor the pasture cover in each paddock … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Cows, Dairy, Milk, Pasture, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Farm Day

Posted on May 22, 2012 by hoddlecows

Farm Day is on Sunday!  We are looking forward to meeting the city family we will host for the day at Montrose. We have taken part in Farm Day for several years and really enjoy helping an interested city family … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Community, Education | 1 Comment

Milk now and mud later??

Posted on May 7, 2012 by hoddlecows

Recent heavy rains have forced us to evaluate how we approach the next six weeks on our farm. Our herd is due to start calving on the 12th of next month and in order to give the cows a break … Continue reading →

Posted in Dairy, Dairy Farming, Milk, Pasture | Tagged , , | 3 Comments