Saturday, June 28, 2008

The sun always shines in Taranaki

Except for when it doesn't.
The dark line above is where the herd (70 cows) walked off the paddock in pouring rain two days ago. Having walked to the shed and back to the paddock often enough to make mud at the other gate also, they ran back to the paddock this morning over that same line of black. Just before it started raining. Now they're stuck, because that black line is called 'mild-moderate pugging'. They can't access either gate to the race without causing 'severe pugging' which means the grass on that area grows at half rate for the next several months. They're grazing against the gate into the next paddock (today's grazing - evidently these images were taken yesterday).
A few minutes later...
I is a wet cow.
And a wet Jersey grazing in the momentary sun.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Books

Looks fascinating, but you know what Touchwood? I can so do arithmetic.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Life-Cows-Rosamund-Young/dp/1904871119

http://www.touchwoodbooks.co.nz/New%2005/secretcows.html

To be a little less sarky (and because I might want to find this link again):
Touchwood books farming, gardening, tree - lots of things rural.
They had *SPIDER* books at Fieldays.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Working dog

First calf

No calf piccies - number Nine calved in the afternoon 10 June 2008, seven weeks before her due date. She's giving about 12 litres milk a day so far, is almost over the irrestistable temptation to bash the farm dog about and has stopped pining for the wee fella.
Nine is a four year old crossbred J12F4, in good condition. The early calving will probably compromise her production for this coming season but all other factors are good - if she gets in calf early this spring she could go on to excellence the following year.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Rain

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