Winter Solstice-ish

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!