It must have rained because we have been flooded by enquiries for cattle - all very welcome!
However, it does mean we have very few sale stock left. If you are interested in any Shadow Park cattle we urge you to get in touch. Otherwise, we expect our first 2020 calves on the ground from next month and welcome inquiries then.
a matrilineal shadow park lowline group: fifi sitting with her daughters, fiona (l) and Ferrari (R)
You blink… and suddenly it’s mid-2019.
Where does the time go?
At Shadow Park it’s mainly been going to the drought.
Feeding, watering, checking fences, moving paddocks, then feeding again - drought, like farming, is a constant cycle.
We started feeding in May, which is about when we would in a normal year. We always feed through winter to our breeders as we are Spring calvers and it’s vital to ensure mums-to-be keep at their best nutritionally. In a cold climate like the Central West this means supplementing dry feed (for us, oaten hay) to maintain their weights. So even in a good year, we feed.
In a drought year, we feed more, and it costs us more.
We have cut back numbers, not dramatically, but enough to minimise the mouths we’re feeding. More decisions will be made in coming weeks - which isn’t ideal in the falling market but we must focus on animal welfare.
The drought was also a factor in our decision not to attend any of the local shows, but changes to the registration process with ALCA also meant we had no animals eligible for the Autumn season.
Keep an eye on our website - in the next few weeks we will have some pregnant cows for sale, and maybe a couple of others whose bloodlines are no longer in line with our breeding direction.
Until then, remember: each day is one day closer to rain.
An unexpected shower of rain, but no pot of gold unfortunately!
The arrival of Spring is synonymous with babies, and so it is here at Shadow Park.
We have a reduced number of calves this year, with seven on the ground. It has been a big year for the boys - five of them! Given the continued dry and our focus on beef this is unusual but not unwanted.
Have a flick through this year’s maternity ward photographs.
Another year, another Bathurst - except it was weirdly warm and not freezing. Strong winds on Sunday definitely dropped the temperature but nothing on previous years (in 2014 for example, it snowed).
We sold Magnolia, our only 2016 heifer left, so we took two senior girls instead: Zoom Zoom with Pickles and Ferrari with NickNack. Much to our surprise NickNack was perfectly behaved, but his mother acted up quite severely!
Zoom Zoom was a bit testy too and really made herself a handful for Sammi, so perhaps didn't walk as well as we know she could have. The judge still awarded her a Reserve Champion Senior Cow, so we were happy with that!
Lucy Kuipers' delightful junior heifer scooped grand champion Lowline and went on to be declared Junior Interbreed Female, a fantastic result. This makes two years in a row that a Lowline heifer has picked up and Interbreed title!
We will be taking Zoom Zoom and Pickles to Orange Show on the 28th and 29th April, so come and say hi! Pickles is the cuddliest and friendliest calf you'll ever meet, so you won't be disappointed!
Pickles having a cuddle
With the continuing dry spell we have been working to consolidate our herd and have sold all of our current sale stock. We are planning to wean our 2017 drop calves early, so there will be some heifers and bulls available for sale in the coming weeks. However, we are back to our core breeding herd and will not be selling any cows (either dry or with calf at foot) in the near future.
If you are at all interested in any animals you are of course welcome to get in touch so that we can let you know when we have more cattle available at the earliest opportunity.
In the meantime, we will continue to cross our fingers and toes for some rain ASAP!
This photo was taken last week. That faint tinge of green in the far paddock has since been burned off by the continued string of 25 degree + days.
Pickles getting a drink from mum immediately after the Champion Female AOB class.
Whoopsie - I'm back at uni and that's taken over my life a bit but no stress, here is the Blayney Show wrap up!
I'll also jot a few lines about Canberra - i didn't go this year, meaning I (the website/social media/administration/marketing/full time university student) forgot to publish a recount. It was a hot show again, not helped by being crammed into a shed with too many animals and not enough space. The organisation of the show was also yet again pretty useless, leaving the Australian Lowline Cattle Association with no choice but to complain about the way the competitors and their cattle were treated. We were exhibiting a cow and calf - you normally tie the calf up so they cannot drink for a few hours before the class, so that the cow's udder is nice and full. Given we were expecting to parade at 1pm, the calf was tied up at 7am. Normally, even on a relatively hot day with a fairly young calf, this wouldn't have been a drama. Instead, due to numerous planning errors by the Committee, we were not judged until 3pm. This left us with the rather awkward position of allowing the calf to drink, and potentially being marked down as a result - when you've paid $600 in entry fees, you do get the sense that it isn't good enough. But the animal welfare is paramount, and our opinion is that the Committee should've worked out a position or at least communicated with competitors better, because having cattle ready to be shown at 1pm who then have to wait until 4 is not good enough.
Magnolia, Zoom Zoom, and a very tired Pickles on their arrival at Canberra.
Zoom Zoom was shown as a Senior Cow this year for a third place. Magnolia didn't travel well and was not a happy camper at all, and her condition reflected this. We beaten by some excellent examples of the breed, and it is exciting to see the quality being produced by Lowline breeders around the country!
Blayney is a great little show that we have been attending with either horses or cattle for a few years now. It is just down the road from us, a nice easy distance that acts as a bit of a breather after Canberra. We took Zoom Zoom and Pickles, and Magnolia, aware that we would be judged against bigger breeds which is always a bit tricky. This year was no exception; we were Any Other breed and got judged against some Simmentals and Maine Anjous! It was a funny picture watching them all walk around the ring.
Again, Magnolia didn't travel well and refused to eat or drink at the show. It is a shame that she has become such a stresshead, as she was very promising as a Junior Heifer and did incredibly well at Orange Show last year. Zoom Zoom paraded like the queen she knows she is, impressing everyone with her pride and snobbiness (Small Woman Syndrome!). She was very narrowly beaten by the Simmental for Champion AOB Female.
Pickles was the star of the show (again), winning many fans and even getting himself published in the local paper! Him and his mum will both be at Bathurst Show in April, the rest of our team will be confirmed closer to the day.
The team all set up before judging at Blayney.
You've seen our website, you've trawled our hundreds of Instagram photos, and now we have crossed the final frontier and entered Facebook! Give us a like to stay up to date with happenings on the farm, including the exciting things that will be happening over the next few months: including launching our Certified Lowline Beef venture!
2018 is looking to be an exciting, full on year with several shows planned, including Canberra Royal, Blayney and Orange, and potentially some more. We will also be offering a wider range of cattle for sale very shortly so stay tuned!
Hit the link to check out our new page - Facebook
Who said Lowlines have to be small? This is a nearly 4 month old Lowline x Hereford steer. (excuse the thistle!)
Babies everywhere! We have had 11 from 13 expected calves born so far this year, with 7 of those bulls. Some of this year's calves will be available for sale with their dams, please contact us for more details.
Otherwise, enjoy some happy snaps from our babies so far! More photos will be added as the photographer (me) manages to take them!
Orange Show was held on the 14th and 15th of May, and was again another successful outing for the team. It was also somewhat sad, as it was little Monza's last time with us before he headed off to his new home!
As we were the only Lowlines there, we were judged the other small breed cattle. Everyone was well behaved, and came home with wonderful results! It is always so rewarding as small, hobby breeders to be told that your cattle are not only high quality, but are also competitive against large breeds.
Wrap up of results:
The judge was especially complimentary of 9 month old Magnolia, who beat our previous star performer Zoom Zoom for Grand Champion Female! Magnolia then went up against a Brahman cow and calf, Angus cow and calf, Shorthorn heifer and Murrary Grey cow and calf for Interbreed Female. The Shorthorn heifer was crowned champion, but the judges were very impressed with Magnolia, and said they would be excited to see her return in the future as a Senior.
Once again a massive thanks to Logan Andrews for coming along and giving us a hand - espeically for her superb parading efforts with Magnolia!
Orange is our last show for a few months, and with both heifers now in calf, and Monza sold, we will be presenting a whole new team for Molong Show in September! In the meantime, we only have one bull calf still available for sale from last year's drop. If you are interested in acquiring a Shadow Park Lowline please get in contact before you miss out!
Logan in Intermediate Paraders with Zoom Zoom
This year we decided to be ambitious and took four cattle to Bathurst - the most we've taken to a show! While for a while we wondered if we were mad, the results spoke for themselves. Monza ventured to his first show as a junior bull, Magnolia came as a junior heifer, and the two older girls, Ferrari and Zoom Zoom, came for their last forays as senior heifers before they return next year as cows with calves.
Monza was unfortunately the only Junior Lowline Bull at the show, but he still presented himself wonderfully and impressed everyone with his calm, professional temperament. Out of the four of them, he was actually the best behaved! He went up against a 2 year old, experienced bull and while he looked great, the judge gave it to the older bull. Nonetheless, we were very proud of Monza at his first real show!
Magnolia made a return, after her excellent performance at Blayney. She was also the only Junior, and also performed excellently. The two older girls also made us proud - Ferrari is looking amazing, and for a heifer we never thought was that interesting, has really started to surprise us! There were four heifers in the two girls' 20 and under 24 months class, and while we thought they looked good, we were still pleased when the judge pulled Zoom Zoom in for 1st and Ferrari in for 2nd! He was very impressed by Zoom Zoom's conformation and structural correctness, while Ferrari's depth was once again complimented. This meant Zoom Zoom would go in for Senior Champion - which she won, beating a heifer 8 months older than her!
Zoom Zoom then beat little Magnolia for Champion Female. She then went against the Champion Bull, a winner at Sydney Royal, for Supreme Exhibit. Once again, exceeding expectations, the judge picked her! Zoom Zoom then had to go in for Interbreed - where she beat the Senior Female Champions from the Miniature Hereford, Dexter, Miniature Galloway and Miniature Belted Galloway breeds (all cows with calves). To say we were thrilled is an understatement.
In the end, our results were:
Finally, a massive thank you to Sammi Pett and Logan Andrews for helping us out on Friday and Saturday!
Zoom Zoom and Monza in the Sire Progeny Class
Monza with his Champion ribbon
Zoom Zoom with her Supreme Exhibit ribbon
Magnolia with her Champion Ribbon
Blayney was a freezing cold, windy, miserable day - in other words, a fairly typical autumn day in this area! During the hectic early morning washing, Monza managed to hurt himself and as such was left at home to wait for the vet to arrive, so in a last minute decision, Magnolia was thrown on the trailer to ensure there would be enough Lowlines at the Show for us to have our own breed classes.
Massive thank you to Logan for coming and giving us a hand - pictured doing a fantastic job of parading Magnolia
Sounds good on paper - except that poor little Magnolia was barely halter broken and definitely not show ready! Poor thing learnt in the space of a few hours about nose dogs, washing, blowing, show canes, travelling, showing... All the things we usually like to introduce a little more gently! But, true to form, she handled it like a champion. Magnolia was given a first place ribbon for her efforts, and then valiantly went against some older cows for Champion! It wasn't to be, but the experience was great for her.
Zoom Zoom also went, and was much better behaved than she had been at Canberra. She was given 2nd out of a class of 3, with the judge very happy with her size and conformation. This made us very keen for Bathurst in April!
Well - the dust has settled, and I am finally sitting down to tap out a report on Canberra Show.
This year was the first year Angus hasn't attended the show, HSC commitments making it too difficult for him to miss a week of school. Instead, I stepped up to the plate, for my first cattle show in about 5 years!
We took three head - a heifer, Zoom Zoom for the 18 and under 20 months class, and a cow with calf at foot for the over 30 months class - Wigram Sweet Shiraz with Monza.
For our three, it was a big shock. While Shiraz is a seasoned show cow who had previously been Champion Heifer at the 2011 show, and Zoom Zoom had attended the Youth Muster back in January, the mid-30s temps for the first few days of the show really tested them. Seven month old Monza suffered the most, so to keep them cool we tried to keep them outside in the shade or hosed them down when it got really hot.
Monza being a little champion while being patted by just about every kid in Canberra
Show day was Friday - and we were set for a 2pm start in 32 degree heat. The heat didn't help with the girls moods, with Zoom Zoom being pretty naughty in the ring and Shiraz in an extra-grumpy mood due to her full udder and hungry calf! Thankfully they pulled it together enough to score some ribbons for the team. Zoom Zoom was 3rd in her class, with the judge praising her size, and Shiraz was 2nd, Monza being a testament to her impressive breeding qualities.
Interestingly, we were very proud and slightly embarrassed when we found out Shiraz was the third oldest cow at the show, only a few months younger than a Murray Grey and a Speckle Park! Given that she was up against cows half her age of 7 years, her 2nd place was very exciting and impressive.
We now look forward to Blayney Show on the 18th March, a lovely little local show that always has a strong cattle program. Monza is currently being weaned so that he can attend as a Junior Bull, and we will be having a look in the paddock to see who else will make the trip.
Sleepy Moo Cows!
Producing Australian Lowline cattle for beef, show, pets and breeding. We are proud to be small farmers.
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