ON FARM NATIONAL SNAPSHOT: WHAT’S ON MY PLATE: into the performance data on Jock Hughes, Heifers were artificially them for eventual sale. inseminated in October During December and Longford, Tasmania and cows in November; we Sl follow up by natural joining. January, we’ll irrigate peas, Lambs were weaned mid-to- poppies and grass seed late November. In a tighter crops, apply herbicides season, we wean earlier. The and fungicides and harvest ewes are now on clean-up towards the end of January. duty on any pastures that PROGRESS AGAINST ACTIVITIES have got away, while the LONG-TERM GOALS: OVER THE NEXT lambs are on irrigated fodder We changed our heifer TWO MONTHS: crops: clover and/or leafy management this year, Area: turnips. We’ve also made using more nitrogen on the > weighing lambs and 800ha silage with our excess feed. pastures in autumn to grow marketing Once they’re out of their more grass and avoid the > preparing sale bulls Enterprise: need for supplementary > irrigation management. Breeding seedstock Angus withholding periods from weaning (drench and fly feeding in winter. The idea and Coopworth ewes, treatment), the lambs will be is to minimise fodder and finishing lambs, cropping if it’s related but it’s the first poppies, peas and grass seed weighed routinely and sold have more going straight time I can remember that off as they meet specs. We’ll into the animals’ mouths. In we haven’t had to assist any Jock Hughes be crutching and culling the the past, we had the heifers heifers with calving. I thought info@cludennewry. ewes. We’ll also start going on low pasture covers and with the better nutrition we through the bulls – semen supplemented them with hay, might have had larger calves com.au but this year they were on testing, vet checking and and birthing issues, but it carcase scanning – to feed better pasture. I’m not sure worked the other way. ■ SNAPSHOT: We take a long-term approach large mobs according to a Lynda and with these things. We’ve grazing plan to utilise the been vigilant in monitoring budgeted feed we have. Darcy O’Brien, our pastures. That gives us a We’re also ensuring the Basalt, Queensland great indication going into a water quality and nutrients l dry period of how much feed are at optimal levels for the is available and how many non-growing season. We animals we can carry. have an electronic system We have trigger points, of monitoring how much ACTIVITIES regardless of what the supplement is going in at any OVER THE NEXT Bureau of Meteorology point in time. is forecasting. We make TWO MONTHS: We don’t expect rain for decisions on how much rain the next five months. It’s a > caring for our people we’ve had to date and how really intense time in terms during an intense time Area: much grass is in the paddock. of workload and the number > monitoring production 21,000ha In the past, we’ve sold one thing we have to manage and making sure Enterprise: significant numbers of cattle is people. We have a great we supplement Breeding, backgrounding early to be in a better positionteam on board and we have accordingly and agistment the next season. We try to to keep nurturing them and > focus on soil health take a balanced approach protecting their mindset when over the non-growing Lynda O’Brien and consider the future the workload is demanding. period. lyndajobrien@gmail.com market for certain animals. This means managing That may mean downsizing fatigue, communicating and the breeder herd, but keeping taking breaks. ecological shift to effectively it at a manageable level, prepare our paddocks for SEASONAL CHALLENGES: The non-growing period the rainy season. What feed We’ve had a 1-in-100-year buying smaller grower animals is a great opportunity to they don’t eat they trample drought that has continued forand offloading larger animals. incrementally improve and create a seed bed. three years. Our property was WHAT’S ON OUR PLATE: our soil health; it drives We’re also putting out some lucky to get some rain at the We’re implementing a everything else on-farm. Progardes pasture legume beginning of 2018, which put targeted supplementation Short bursts of dense via broadcast and through us in a reasonable position. program and rotating animal impact provide a real faecal seeding. ■ 15