Good weather for cows - not so good for the sheep...
Good weather for cows - not so good for the sheep...
Farmer Stuart Luxton reflects on summer 2019
Hello again everyone. I hope you have all had a good summer? The weather has been in general very kind to the farm. It has been a little dry at times, but on a few occasions when things nearly got serious, we seemed to have a nice dose of rain.
Farming can be a funny business. Last year we were desperately short of conserved winter food for the animals. There was very little for sale and what there was seemed very poor value for money. This year we have had record crops, in some cases yields were double, so much that we might have some spare - but it is not worth very much, as everyone else has had good crops too. I guess it’s only market forces.
Our cattle in general have had a very good summer, they seem to fare well when the weather is warm and dry. There was one exception though. One of our new bulls, Sportsman, decided he wasn’t satisfied with a nice bunch of heifers - he wanted to see some cows too. He jumped a gate between fields but caught and tore his penis. The vet thought the damage was serious and only gave him a 15% chance of recovery. A month later, after lots of cold washes and much rubbing of ointment, the prognosis is much better.
After the sad event of loss of Tiny in the spring, we decided to buy some high end straws of semen to use on our best cows this summer. When you are used to seeing a bull working, it is very odd to think that with a couple of emails, you can receive a delivery of genetics from anywhere in the country - or even the world. Nine months later, calves can be born by a bull that has never been near the farm.
The sheep have not faired too well this summer, they prefer it a bit cooler and wetter. Lameness is proving to be a big problem, particularly in the lambs.
In years gone by, there was always plenty of youngsters to help with the physical work of the harvest. Recently this has not been the case, but this year, it was fantastic to have so many willing helpers when it came to the small bales. Joe, Lachlan, Adam, Jacob and even Sophie and Sam lent a hand. Adrian and I both had our 50th birthdays this summer and I joked that this was our last year as we wouldn’t be needed again!
Currently we are looking to replace one of our tractors, as both our two main workhorses are getting on a bit. Our old girl is 17 years old this year. There is plenty of choice, but the big problem is the price. I think that it would be cheaper to buy a small house. The frustrating thing is the new tractor won’t do anything different to the one it replaces.
As is the norm now the shop has been very busy of late, the café area in particular never seems to be big enough. I don’t think it will be too long before we will need to build an extension on the extension!
I do have a sobering thought though - next time I have to write an article for Oke Links, it will be nearing Christmas . . .
I hope you have a lovely Autumn.
Stuart Luxton