Back to Blog

Weekly Notes - 22nd July 2021

It has been quite a busy week on the farm this week with the team doing BCS, the first springer drafts, N intake animal sampling, and fitting the new Allflex collars!Key decisions this week include:- While the number of springers is low we are running the cows in one mob and they are getting MgO and DCP dusting. We will split these out into kale and fodder beet groups after the next draft and stop dusting the DCP to the kale cows.- We reallocated cows to wintering mobs so now have an early calvi...

Weekly Notes - 8th July 2021

With 20 mm more rain in June than last winter plus 10 mm already in July conditions across the farm are wet. Most of the crop paddocks are holding up OK but we have been using the wheat straw in the worst ones to provide a drier lying surface for the cows.Key decisions this week include:1. Focusing our attention on calving and springtime. Key pre-spring items on our list include:o Pulling together our springer paddock plan and how we will draft up mobs. Heifers will be managed in a separate spri...

Field Day July 2021

Lying times on crop - what is being achieved? GHG footprints of our farmlets details on our emissions reductions, Missed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Weekly Notes - 25th June 2021

The farm team and cows have been enjoying a couple of settled weeks on farm but that might change in the next few days. Our contingency plans for wet soil conditions include moving paddocks, rolling out the wheat straw to provide a more comfortable lying surface and adjusting our back fences to provide access to better areas that have already been grazed. From a feeding perspective, we have additional baleage in the feed budget and this will be used as required.Key Decisions this week:• adjust...

Weekly Notes - 10th June 2021

This week marks the start of measurements in the two paddocks in the Hedgehope-Makarewa Catchment crop establishment method pilot study. Cows will be on these paddocks for about a month so the tech team will be busy with soil measures and behaviour devices that have been put on 140 cows.Key decisions this week• measure the distance to the feeding face in each crop paddock so we can check our feed budget and slow the cows down through the kale paddocks by adding in more baleage if needed.• Co...

Weekly Notes - 3rd June 2021

Cows are now all well settled onto crops but the fodder beet animals are still transitioning to their final winter allocation. We now have 12 wintering mobs across the farm so the farm team are definitely keeping busy. Once the fodder beet cows are fully transitioned life will be a little easier as we are currently adding additional baleage to these mobs each day.Key decisions for this week:• Pasture walks and weekly meetings with notes will now be fortnightly• 2 mobs were moved from their e...

Wintering from a cow's perspective Telford presentation May 2021

Missed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Field Day March 2021

Nitrogen loss under crops, lying times and cow welfare, do cropping techniques make a difference, farmer tactics for wet weather management.Missed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Field October 2020

Update on Winter grazing action group, changes to national water quality framework, winter behaviour trial and lying times, nitrogen loss under cropMissed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

July 2020 Virtual Field Day

3 years of Kale vs beet wintering - what do we know? Farm Update? Calves are smaller when born from cows who winter on fodder beetMissed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Field Day Farmers Forum March 2020

Missed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Field Day October 2019

Missed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Field October 2018

Missed getting to the Field Day?  Download our handout in the link below...

Field Day 15 March 2018

Download our Field Day notes here...