Spring bringing new life on to the farm
Some people have 50 years experience, some people have one year’s experience 50 times. That’s a saying I first heard at a community farewell for my parents when they were retiring to town from life on the farm.
It was a huge move for them, and their friends in the district honoured them with presentations and speeches.
My Dad was born and brought up Doonhill, inland from Gisborne.
He lived and worked on the farm for half a century, after his army service, and with Mum throughout their marriage more than 30 years earlier. During an evening of many emotions I was glad to return home to be with them and hear the tributes.
I’ve only been at Kaihoka for 20 years since marrying Jock .It hasn’t been one experience repeated 20 times over. We’re into
Last year one lamb from every set of triplets was brought home. The remaining twins grewwell but hand-rearing 80 lambs was full on.
spring now and another season is beginning. Our first lambs were born in the same week as the final draft of last year’s lambs went to the works.
It’s time to take stock, plan, make decisions and look forward. Already six orphan lambs are thriving in a pen, lambs are fostering on to ewes at the woolshed and the spring routine is underway.
It’s easy to repeat the same experience of 12, 24 or 36 months ago.
But one of the great things about farming is always the variety and change, and need to adapt to many factors we have no control over. Winter has been very wet, and it’s still raining. Thankfully there have been few frosts, so soil temperature is already at 14 degrees Celsius and grass is growing. That extra pasture is appreciated as bare patches of porina grub damage show on the knobs.
Thousands of these caterpillars dine on leaves at nights before crawling back underground.
Being so wet, it’s a wonder they’re not drowned, but their life cycle continues. Instead of attacking with spray and expensive chemicals and helicopters there’s a choice to spend money later applying seed to the bare ground.
New opportunities sometimes come along extending our experience. Dairy farm friends decided not to rear their friesian bull calves so I picked some up. Having black and whites in the shed is a novelty for Kaihoka but the figures for the cost of bobbies plus milk powder looked worth the effort. I’m enjoying my twice daily visits with buckets for the boisterous boys.
The calves are quite a different experience from milder mannered lambs on a more frequent feed routine. Now I hope beef prices stay up and markets for weaners are healthy.
Last year one lamb from every set of triplets was brought home. The remaining twins grew well but hand-rearing 80 lambs was full on.This year smaller paddocks have been fenced so our 126 triplet ewes are in small mobs on good feed and are being left to rear their own offspring.
Dad and Mumworked hard to farm more efficiently, increasing lambing percentages, improving production and modifying management. I amblessed, not only with their genes, but also the benefit of being part of their many years experience.
Joyce Wyllie is a Kaihoka farmer