Australian Talk.

[townfarmer]

Ken

Pigs are ripping our place up every night as well. We haven't seen or heard one yet but they seem to be active every night even close to the house. I've no idea where they are during the day. Probably hidden away in some heavy timber. I was thinking of building a pig trap but i doubt for the amount of effort it will have any impact on numbers.

Have you used SAV genetics before? What is their frame score like in comparison to most Australian angus genetics?

Dale

You mentioned you have registered cattle. I'm interested to hear your plans with that. Are you building a stud?

Andrew

 

[wbvs58]

Andrew I only have one other SAV cow that I bred but most North American genetics are similar to Australian with frame score as most Australian bulls are Nth American sired. I am impressed with the calving ease of those Thunderbird calves already on the ground and from the EBV's should grow pretty impressive. I have seen Thunderbird yearlings being sold during Beef Week at Guyra last year and they were the first to be sold at that studs open/ sale day last year so had plenty of eye appeal.
Ken

 

[burglar]

Hey Andrew,

I only have 4 stud cows. Ken found them for me from Wattletop who he has bought from previously. No plans for a stud at this stage, from what I can tell I travel way to much to do it properly. The plan is to just increase the quality of the commercial herd with heifer calves and if I get a special bull calf i'll keep it, sell it privately or give it to a relative.

Still just a hobby for me, but enjoy seeing such nice cattle on the property.

Cheers
Dale

 

[townfarmer]

Dale
Will you register the heifer calves of those 4 stud cows? I'd like to buy a few registered cows as well. Like you I have no intention of operating a stud but I'd like my kids to have the option to halter train a calf and take it to a show.
Ken
I hope the rest of your heifers calve problem free. What sort of forage cereal are you thinking of planting with your new seeder?

Andrew

 

[burglar]

Andrew,

I don't plan to No, but I believe you can down they track as both parents are registered. If you're interested in buying some you might want to talk to Ken. I think he still has last years heifers over there. Not 100% on that.

Cheers
Dale

 

[wbvs58]

Andrew I have 13 heifers from last year still with the cows in the tin mine next door. I will be getting them out in about 2 weeks I plan on keeping about 8 of them and will be selling the balance. They are all registered. Let us know if you are interested. The ones I am keeping I'll be inseminating in September.
Ken

 

[townfarmer]

Ken

Those registered heifers sound tempting. Angus cattle certainly make sense in our area with so many good breeders around. I keep going back and forth between the idea of angus cattle or a less mainstream breed. Currently we're looking at lincoln red cattle. There's a breeder down at glen innes I've been talking to. I'm thinking I'd like to buy a couple of his old breeders as 3 in 1's. after having scottish highland cattle we've gotten accustomed to having cattle different to everyone else around.

We're getting a new horse in a couple of weeks and I wanted to get some big bales of Rhodes grass. Do you know of any available locally?

Andrew

 

[wbvs58]

Well if your interested Andrew just let us know and you can come and have a look. The prices will just be around current market rates. It will be sometime next week that I'll get them out of next door and once home here the ones I am not retaining myself will be shipping out fairly quickly.
You really have to go down onto the coast for the Rhodes grass. Dale's cousin Grant around at Applethorpe would be the best locally here for hay.
Ken

 

[townfarmer]

Is Grant the guy on Roesller avenue just before Applethorpe with the fodder business running out of a big shed? If so I have met him and his wife before. They seem like a really nice couple. I initially need Rhodes grass hay because the horse we're getting has been on Rhodes grass and we need to gradually wean him off it over a couple of weeks once he arrives.

I'd love to visit your place sometime Ken and see your cattle and setup. I'll be down for a week or so in school holidays. If you're around we might find a time that works then.

Andrew

 

[wbvs58]

Yeh sure Andrew, I'll be around just let us know when school holidays are on. I live in my own little world here.
Ken

 

[burglar]

Andrew,

Grant has a bunch of stuff over there at the moment, including some Rhodes bails. I buy lucerne and oaten hay from him too. He has the shed full of Winter stock right now so lots of options.

I'll pop over to Ken's when you're in town too. Be good to meet you mate.

Cheers
Dale

 

[Suzie Q]

I am another who has been busy. I now volunteer one afternoon a week at the Salvation Army and it is amazing how quickly that day comes around. It seems I was only there yesterday and then I am going again.

We have been working on my Case tractor. It broke a rocker which is on the back and apparently quite unusual. To get to that one part we had to take off the fuel tanks, the tyre and everything. It is mostly back together again now and I was able to drive him. Hubby was still going to do an oil change and change the air filter and then he should be finished.

A huge frost a couple of days ago. No frosts at all and then a really bad one way up past the house. It even frosted the water hyacinth, however I doubt it would have killed it. That would just be too easy.

We have started feeding again. 3 round bales a week at the moment and square bales during the week. We still have a few paddocks gated off which I might start putting them in for a couple of hours a day.

 

[wbvs58]

I have been closely watching my heifers and now have 6 of the 7 calved, so far 5 out of 6 bull calves and they all look pretty impressive. I have had to help 3 of them with a pull, very hard to know whether you are interfering or not but I suspect I may have ended with a dead calf or two if I didn't interfere although they would have got them out in the end. I think I have fed them just a tad too well so I will save myself a bit of money on next years. The last one is close to calving and is huge so I will keep a close eye on her. I will have 7 out of 7 to AI sires so that gives me a good start with overall success rate on the cows.
I have been spending a bit of money of late, not to mention the feed I have been pumping into them. I have bought an old Bedford tip truck a Grasslands sodseeder and then last week a Marshall Multispread belt spreader. I had 29 ton of lime to get rid of so bought the spreader. If I sell some bulls at the end of the month I may get another load or two of lime. I plan on getting a fair bit of stuff out, I just gotta make some of these poor performing paddocks perform, especially with the weather outlook this year, every bit of rain has got to count. The new spreader is certainly well worth having, it makes short work of it and is very even, does not get clogged up if I happen to pick up some clods of grass when loading it.
Hey Andrew, I have sent you a PM a few days ago and see that you have not read it in case you haven't noticed. It is just regarding those heifers if you are interested. I was going to ship them today but will hold off until next week if you are interested.
Ken

 

[Suzie Q]

Another calf yesterday morning so that makes 16 so far.

Everything is now dead because of the frost, except for the clover. I left it too long to put them in the paddocks for 2 hours, I should have started before the grass died. Never mind I am putting them in for 2 hours now when I am home.

They say it is supposed to rain today. No sign of it yet.

 

[jilleroo]

Well I bet its nice and cold down there on the granite belt this morning. It's nice outside here but very cold in the office where I'm supposed to be doing the books.
We're feeding CS and M8U to the 50 or so cows and 240 heifers that we've got here. We're starting them on hay later in the week as well as a product called TruGraze instead of the M8U. The TruGraze is coming from Mackay and we'll feed it in rollers. The roo population here is still huge and they've contributed greatly to the demise of the last of our grass. Pigs pressure the homestead and shed area every night, they're starving. We need to get amongst them more, a mob of about 30 thunders off down the creek in a cloud of dust if you ride down there. The roos broke into the hay shed night before last - its the big wallies who have the muscle and cheek, not the reds and greys.
We've got permission to go onto a council reserve adjoining our northern place and will put 200 cows and calves there after we run an electric tape around two sides of it - quite a distance but we've done it a number of times before. A job I'm participating in later in the week I'm told. They should be okay there for a couple of months. Hopefully they'll stay behind the fence.

Some of you may have heard about the stagecoach accident in town earlier in the week. How scarey for the passengers! Anyway the other coach is still plying the route, loaded with punters, none of whom seem to have been put off by the incident.
The owners have a number of teams of horses and it was one of the more experienced teams that went over the bridge, grey percherons. A plastic bag flew up in an eddy of wind and got caught on the winkers of one of the lead horses. The owner driver has a broken arm, his brother in law who was riding shotgun has a broken leg, and several passengers are still in hospital locally.
If you're ever in Longreach, make sure you see their old time tent show, a real hoot. Kinnon & Co.

 

[Havinago]

Hi all hope all is well. Just an update on my situation we just sold nearly all our steers in one go to a private buyer for pretty cheap while they are in good condition. Had a fair bit of rain at our place no frost yet so thought get the head count right down spell it for 3 months then start all over again doing it right this time. They came in around 350-400 kgs which isnt bad considering. Learnt alot from this 1st attempt next steers will be crackers Stay safe everybody, cheers.

 

[wbvs58]

Yeh Jillero we have had a nice drop of winter here, a bit more like what I remember when I first came up here. It was El Nino conditions then too. The last couple of winters were after good summers where the soil was still waterlogged and winter had good rain up to the end of July. I think the moisture in the ground acted as a big heat sink and it took just that much more to get a good frost. These cool mornings are beautifull, when the air is still it does not feel cold, your feet stay dry as everything is frozen. The creek either side of the causeway is starting to freeze over of a morning now and that hasn't happened for a few years now. I have noticed when I have a shower now I do not use much cold water as the gas HWS only raises the temp and the tank water starts off pretty low. My pipes haven't frozen yet but I don't expect them to as they are pretty well insulated.
I am well into calving now with pretty good results. I have had 12 calves, all to AI sires with a few more to go. The last heifer I found on Tuesday morning with feet hanging out so got her up and they were back feet so I had to put the puller on and it was a very difficult pull at about Dr Franks puller's limit. The calf was dead, weighed 47.5 kg, needed to be born the day before but with no head to engage the pelvis there is nothing to stimulate the contractions. I have been feeding the heifers just a bit too much.
Of the 12 calves 8 have been bull calves so will have no shortage of bulls for the 2016 bull sale. Another 17 to go and about 5 of those will be to AI sires so I am very pleased with the results.
Things around the place have started to look like a real tough winter just this week. I often wonder what the cows are living on when I drive past their paddocks. I guess they nibble down the love grass and rushes a bit, certainly they could not get much more on the closely cropped ground.
I had Andrew (Townfarmer) out here Monday and had a look around. Dale came over too and it was nice to catch up. No doubt Andrew will say something when he gets back to Brisbane.
I am pleased to here of your plans Havinago, the fact that you are going to have another crack at it is great. It sounds like you got a fair bit of experience from your first dip into it.
Jilleroo I think that molasses mix is what I tried a bit with the cows in the tin mine, it seemed OK, I think it was 40% sour and I felt that could have been a bit lower so that their intake would be a bit higher.
Ken
Ken

 

[burglar]

Got our first Stud Calf today. Wattletop cow AI'd to Regent Bull gave as a nice heifer. She'll be the first heifer I have kept as we start to increase the commercial herd quality. 3 other calves from the breaside property have come too, a fair bit smaller but nice healthy calves none the less.

Cheers,
Dale

 

[jilleroo]

Ken, calves are always harder to pull backwards arent they, going against the hair I think. Havent pulled a calf for a long time - almot forgotten how! Our new molasses tanks are in place and the TruGraze stuff comes on Tues. We still have one M8U overhead 5000gal tank but the other one is collapsing in. We've got 1000 round and big square bales on hand and a heap of rhodes grass coming from up north near Townsville when its cut. So that's about as prepared as we can be. We've begun feeding hay here, our northern cattle are ok yet but our 400 agistment cows will be in trouble very soon. Still working out how we'll tackle that problem, our agistment seeking attempts having yielded nothing.
Got rid of a horse today, a big very snorty chestnut gelding who was only eating feed. He can really scat and would be unbeatable in adult gymkhana events, if he didnt buck you off, so gave him to a young bloke doing horsebreaking. He's broken in but I had to drop a rope on him to catch him - I'm getting a bit old for that sort of stuff.

 

[jilleroo]

Hope you go better next time around Havinago, using all your newfound experience. Good judgment comes from bad experience I always tell myself! Congrats on your first stud calf Burglar - may there be many more to come...