Tag Archives: Pasture

Plans sometimes need to be changed

Waking early most mornings to collect the cows for milking I sometimes head off in the dark thinking here we go again, ground hog day.  But what I love about my job is each day is different and as much … Continue reading

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Winter milestones

  Winter can be hard work on a dairy farm, wet, muddy, cold, windy and short days.  It’s not all bad though, I love the crisp winter days and I must admit part of me enjoys the cold fronts which … Continue reading

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Sun setting on another season

The Montrose Dairy farming calender revolves around our herds calving date. Our herd is a seasonal calving herd, which means all the cows calve in one batch over a few weeks. This calving period is timed to match the seasons … Continue reading

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ANZAC Day

This morning I milked the cows as many Australians gathered for dawn services to  remember and reflect. I always find ANZAC morning particularly poignant, in the quiet of predawn (as I collect the cows for milking) the gravity of what happened … Continue reading

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Record heatwave matched and more to come

Record heatwave matched and more to come March 10, 2013 from The AgeWe always expect a bit of early autumn hot weather, like usual when the weather turns hot my thoughts turn to cow comfort. Keeping our cows cool is … Continue reading

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Time to get our crap sorted

Our cows like the vast majority of dairy cows in Australia live in pasture 365 days of the year. Living in the pastures means most of the cows’ manure goes directly on the pasture, providing nutrients to grow more grass. … Continue reading

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Straight into summer

There is often a lot of tractor work to be done on our dairy through spring. Silage to be harvested, pasture renovation work, summer crops to sow and all this tractor work is usually wrapped up with the end of … Continue reading

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A single gram of farming soil will contain more than 10,000 different species of micro-organisms.

Look after the soil physical and chemical properties and the soil biology will look after itself. That was the key message I took from a recent soil biology forum I attended. “The diversity of micro-organisms in soils is far larger … Continue reading

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Weather obsessions

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

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Making life on the farm a little less shocking

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

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