I think it’s fair to say that no one saw Autumn turning out the way it did, and in reflection it has been one of the weirdest seasons we have experienced since moving to the farm. Everything was obviously thrown into the air with the impact of COVID-19 hitting our shores around the middle of March, and as a result of this there isn’t much to report on!
The start of Autumn was set to be a busy one for us, with lots of events and weekends away planned, as typically we are a bit quieter on the farm. But as I was thrown into working from home and the whole country going into lockdown, Autumn turned into a very quiet season for us.
I think the most exciting time we’ve had has been the weekend just gone, where it was the opening of duck shooting season and we spent the weekend at my parents! It was great as my sister is home from London, so it’s been lovely to see her despite everything that is going on!
On the farming front, we have spent most of the Autumn dealing with the rams going out into the ewes for breeding and a dash of re-grassing as well. As we were in a drought till about mid-April, we have been feeding lots of silage out – so there has been a fair few tractor dates over the past 3 months!
Our Angus cattle eating silage
We typically start lambing around mid-July to the start of August as our rams start to go out around mid-March. They will go to the older ewes first and the hoggets are always the last to have the rams. Given the drought we have had, we may also decide not to winter shear again this year and only do main shear at the start of December. This will mean that the ewes will have longer wool to help hold more condition as we head into winter and the start of lambing. I will keep you posted on what we decide!
It is also going to be interesting to see what pregnancy percentages we have when we do scanning at the start of winter. This can be hugely effected by drought, so it will be super interesting to see what happens (fingers crossed for us that it goes well!!).
The lack of rain has been a big concern for a lot of farmers – and even now some regions are really struggling with little to no rain having turned up yet. What has been heartening though, is the response within the rural community of New Zealand with a feed run having recently occurred to the Hawkes Bay. This has been done to help support farmers who are really struggling with no feed.
Our hills have been very dry with the drought
Archie ready for feeding out
Our saving grace for the Summer and Autumn was our turnip crops, which 100% kept our stock happy and well fed. It’s fair to say that without these crops we would have been completely lost, as even now some of our steeper hills are still quite brown.
I must admit that despite the world pandemic I have thoroughly enjoyed working from home. The luxury of being able to ride during my lunch breaks has been my biggest highlight for the last few months. I have been able to really enjoy each ride and it has been a huge comfort amid everything.
Diva after one of our lunchtime rides
Scooby enjoying some time at my parent’s farm
The hardest part of lockdown was most definitely having to venture into the supermarkets for our fortnightly shop. I must admit that it was quite daunting with everyone in masks and social distancing being applied. But we are now at level 2 with a little more freedom and hopefully we return to normal soon!
I must apologise that that there isn’t much to report on, but I think it’s fair to say that everyone is in the same boat! There should be lots to report on at the end of winter as we will have started lambing by then. So expect lots more in the next farming update!
Until next time!
L-J x
