wbvs58
Well-known member
We have been in a sever drought for the last 12 months, most people around here reckon the previous 12 months were sever drought as well. It was a tough winter but that is what you get sometimes. Water deficit had been building for a couple of years. Most people had run out of stock water as well as household water and were getting it trucked in and destocking as much as possible. Our local town Stanthorpe pop. 5400 has run dry its water storage and is having water trucked in. I have been very lucky whereby my small paddock dams have dried up but my big dam still had useable water for the stock and my 600 acre scrub block next door still had some spring fed surface water and I run the house from a bore.
January and February have been very good rain wise with falls while not massive have been at the right intervals. The response of the grass has been phenominal. From bare paddocks with absolutely nothing for the cows to eat to lush grass as good as I have ever seen it. Things did start a bit with storms earlier in summer but sever heat and a long time between drinks did not produce much. Not big runoff, my main dam is now about 2/3 full, enough for over 12 months. The town water storage has had very little and they are still trucking water in. My feed budget for winter is looking very healthy.
Here are the cows grazing some lucerne (alfalfa). No they didn't bloat. They have been in there for about 4 days now, a lot of other grass further down the paddock and they don't seem to be overfussed about the lucerne.
Here is looking across my daughters dressage arena you can get an idea of how green things are generally.
You may remember a few months ago I lost my Kelpie and great mate Jed, killed by a Dingo. I bought a new pup almost straight away, Ellie. Even though she seems full size now she is still pretty much a pup. Today I had a visitor looking for permission to shoot rabbits on my land. While we were talking Ellie had jumped in the window of his truck, found his wallet and started chewing it and had torn up his pouch of tobacco. Other than being a bit unruly she is coming along very well with the cattle, works with me and is understanding what we are doing like putting them through gates and generally herding them and will take note of the direction I send her. Also she just loves hanging out with me.
Lastly, I posted some photos of a barn I was building for my daughters stables a couple of months ago. Progress has been slow but steady however we are getting there. Just gotta hang the roller doors and fit the trim around them and run the storm water drainage and arrange the final inspection by the council then we start fitting out the stables. It's been a big job for a 68 yr old with only a bit of help from my wife but I am proud of the job I have done on it, possibly my building swansong.
Ken
January and February have been very good rain wise with falls while not massive have been at the right intervals. The response of the grass has been phenominal. From bare paddocks with absolutely nothing for the cows to eat to lush grass as good as I have ever seen it. Things did start a bit with storms earlier in summer but sever heat and a long time between drinks did not produce much. Not big runoff, my main dam is now about 2/3 full, enough for over 12 months. The town water storage has had very little and they are still trucking water in. My feed budget for winter is looking very healthy.
Here are the cows grazing some lucerne (alfalfa). No they didn't bloat. They have been in there for about 4 days now, a lot of other grass further down the paddock and they don't seem to be overfussed about the lucerne.
Here is looking across my daughters dressage arena you can get an idea of how green things are generally.
You may remember a few months ago I lost my Kelpie and great mate Jed, killed by a Dingo. I bought a new pup almost straight away, Ellie. Even though she seems full size now she is still pretty much a pup. Today I had a visitor looking for permission to shoot rabbits on my land. While we were talking Ellie had jumped in the window of his truck, found his wallet and started chewing it and had torn up his pouch of tobacco. Other than being a bit unruly she is coming along very well with the cattle, works with me and is understanding what we are doing like putting them through gates and generally herding them and will take note of the direction I send her. Also she just loves hanging out with me.
Lastly, I posted some photos of a barn I was building for my daughters stables a couple of months ago. Progress has been slow but steady however we are getting there. Just gotta hang the roller doors and fit the trim around them and run the storm water drainage and arrange the final inspection by the council then we start fitting out the stables. It's been a big job for a 68 yr old with only a bit of help from my wife but I am proud of the job I have done on it, possibly my building swansong.
Ken
