There’s been plenty of walking the farm lately. First up was a bit of a tree planting operation.

Since Christmas, around 600 native trees were planted around the farm. I have a new respect for the work foresters do after the job.

A hedge consisting of hawthorn and rowan was put in as a shelter belt and it will take a bit of minding, as it is in an exposed area. I’ve always planted a good few bits of hedging over the years or laid a few hedges. The shelter they provide to stock is invaluable.

Given the coastal location of the farm, the results of hedge planting can be a bit hit and miss. Wind and salt are some challenges and the threat of drought is another. The same survival of the fittest approach I take with cattle is the chosen route with the plants too. It takes time to figure out what grows best and where.

Soil sampling was also carried out before slurry was spread, so I’ll have a handle on where soil mineral levels are for now. Grass covers are in a good place ahead of slurry spreading, although they are a bit strong where the young cattle are. There’s a group of late-calving cows spending the winter out and they are keeping the fields across the road in check. Trying to get young calves over there isn’t easy, so this is a handier way around it.

Since Christmas, around 600 native trees were planted around the farm. I have a new respect for the work foresters do after the job

Storm and fire

We got through storm Brendan fairly unscathed. The most panic it caused here was when a bunch of cattle cards blew away from me ahead of loading. All were rounded up eventually, even if some were a bit damp.

The gales pale in significance when compared to the fires in Australia.

Having seen the scenes from there I’m grateful for the damp, drizzly, climate we live in. The destruction and the scale of it is hard to comprehend.

I’m in touch with a friend who is farming over there and they’ve been OK so far. Making plans to attempt to move stock to safety when possible, not being able to sleep at night properly as you’re unsure when or if the fire will hit your property. It’s nightmare stuff and with a few months of summer to go, they’re not out of the woods by any means.

We got through storm Brendan fairly unscathed. The most panic it caused here was when a bunch of cattle cards blew away from me ahead of loading

Difficult times

Farming is facing its own difficult time at present. It appears to be an easy target these days, even more so since the advent of social media. It would get you down if you let it, but you have to keep remembering there are two sides to every story.

This relatively new medium is powerful. Twenty years ago, no one would have believed you if you told them there would be a way to publicly see how people think. Arguments and opinions are there for all to see on these public forums.

Beef Plan was born of and sails on the social media ocean, but if the Facebook and Twitter commentary from some of its leadership is anything to go by, then it appears the organisation is in rough waters at present.

The comments and videos on social media are there for all to see, so you can make your own judgement on what’s going on, but for an organisation that, for a time in 2019 held so much sway, it now looks like their greatest challenge will be to try and stay together.