The winter season has delivered higher than usual rainfall, and a cold June brought some frost, which burned some of our stockpiled feed. Thankfully, the cover crops have thrived with ample winter grasses, brassicas, and legumes to finish the cattle.
Egg production also slowed in the cooler temperatures. Combined with the egg shortage, demand was exceeding supply for a while, but thankfully, this is starting to ease. We introduced two new flocks in winter, and they are now happily producing plenty of eggs – more than we have had all year. There should be plenty of omelettes on the menu again soon!
Winter also saw the start of calving. The farm is dotted with lots of babies – always a joyful sight. 2025 will be the last year of our year-round calving operation as we are moving to a specific joining season. In recent years, 70% of the herd has chosen to calve in June/July/August. We are going to push this back slightly to July/August/September/October months to coincide with better calving conditions and feed availability. We will reassess this in 2026 and decide whether to shorten it. A shorter, more intense season is easier to manage, and we are also trying to breed an animal that can cope with our conditions. If they do, it proves they are the right genetics for our environment.
This winter, we conducted an extensive assessment of the cattle using the Classic Livestock Management System. The system measures the hormones and fertility of the cows and bulls, as well as meat tenderness. With a growing consumer preference for tender meat, this information is crucial for our ongoing selection of genetics for the herd.
Thanks to two very handy Argentinian backpackers, Manuel and Catalina we have had some extra help on the farm this winter. Manuel has farm experience and has helped us finish some long-overdue fencing as well as plenty of other farm tasks. We now have optimised electric fencing across the entire property. Catalina has been assisting Holly with the egg pick, as production has increased.
The next project is a shed extension. We are about a third of the way there. Hopefully, it will be complete in time for the next Forage Farms update!
