Three days late, but here goes...

[regolith]

I've just finished the last miking for the season - sorted the cows out, dry cow therapy for those that needed it, bomb-washed the milking plant and will scrub and bomb-wash the vats tonight when the water heaters are at full temperature again.

I was going to stick a bunch of photos up but right now I need a shower and food. I've been drying groups since 12 Feb according to pasture availability and finished the season milking 25% of the herd - 74 cows. Cows start calving - it all starts again - on 27th July.
Maybe. I don't have a new farm to take the herd to yet. Still looking. Learned recently that the previous sharemilkers (who I was never allowed to meet) were also forced off the farm before the end of their contract.

I had to completely alter the grazing plan yesterday because the farm owners put fertiliser on the paddocks the cows were due to graze today.

And I don't think this post is going anywhere, because either a cat has knocked the phone off the hook or someone has just cut my phone lines or ... something.
Hmm. I'll go have that shower. Wasn't the cat. All phones are dead.

 

[regolith]

This should have been posted on Sunday. I've been over helping my sister move house the last couple of days - phone lines had been fixed when I got back, so I don't know how long they were out for.

Here are the milkers, a herd of 74 relaxing about three hours after milking - I was only milking once daily as there wasn't enough feed on farm to continue supporting 2xdaily milking after it turned dry in January:

115 is licking 4's flank! No, it is *not* what it looks like.

Bringing a group of dry cows down from the back of the farm - raising a dust cloud:

 

[regolith]

Paddock 55 18 April:

Running from Paddock 55:

to Paddock 56 20 April:

Paddock 56 21 April:

Paddock 57 22 April:

183 looking for attention:

 

[novaman]

That sure is some pretty country!

 

[hillsdown]

I hope you find a place soon Regolith.. Do you have any recourse in your contract against the owner.

 

[regolith]

I hope you find a place soon Regolith.. Do you have any recourse in your contract against the owner.

Thanks.
A number of people recently have been advising me to take them to court - phone around lawyers till I find someone who'll take the case. The 'mutual' termination agreement specifically disallows either party taking the other to court.
I do have a full paper trail concerning the events that led to my signing that 'mutual' termination. Part of their threats I've been told by my lawyer can't be carried out... but I'm not prepared to risk it, because again, it would be the cattle that suffered. People telling me they can't legally do a thing has never stopped them before.

 

[GMN]

That is some rough terrain, hilly, pretty though-what will you do if you cant find a place to milk when they freshen? Sell them?

 

[kickinbull]

Regolith,
Are you still on CT? I was wondering what happened in your situation.

 

[regolith]

I'm still around/back, whichever you call it (didn't have internet access for several weeks).

I sent the cows out grazing for six weeks, the cats to a boarding house, myself and farm dog slept in my truck. I'd had to sell some of the cows in May to help fund the grazing fees.
About a fortnight after I left I got a call from a farmer I knew, his son needed someone to shift his dry cows while he took a break, potentially continuing to a full-time job. I'm still here, job comes with a cottage and I was able to go and get the cats at the beginning of July.
Most of the heifers that I didn't sell are with my employer's herd here, 28 of my best cows leased to his father and the remainder of the herd leased to other farmers.

Unfortunately, my cows lost weight at grazing and will have started calving 30 - 50 kg underweight - far worse than last year.
I'm currently looking for another sharemilking position for next year. Financially, this has hit me hard and I may still need to sell more cows. Including yearling heifers, I still own 280 in numbers but have lost the majority of the heifer calves that would have been born to my herd since late July.