little jobs on the hobby farm

From Spring’s Green to Summer’s Gold

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As surely as the sun rises in the morning, spring slips to summer. The flush of green has turned golden, with the grass rapidly setting seed and going off. The paddocks feel different now—still beautiful, but carrying that familiar hint of dryness that reminds us the hot months are here.

The bull has enjoyed his time on the Rock Farm. He bonded well with the girls, and even though it took him a little while to get used to the layout of the farm, he happily followed the cows through the gates. Watching him settle in has been a quiet pleasure, one of those small farm moments that mark the rhythm of the year.

Our minds have now turned to summer preparedness. We’ve tested the fire pumps, refreshed ourselves with training at the RFS, and even attended our first fire of the season. It was a stark reminder that the landscape is shifting quickly. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, stay alert, and hope for a gentle summer. That balance between readiness and optimism is part of life out here, and it shapes our seasonal routines.

Some genuinely exciting news hit the cattle industry in NSW this week with the approval of virtual fencing technology. Described as a smart watch for cows, it uses GPS and audio cues to guide stock without the need for physical fences. For producers, it opens the door to new grazing strategies, improved pasture management, and far more flexibility in how we move animals across the landscape. It’s early days, but the potential is enormous, and it’s encouraging to see innovation that supports both animal welfare and land stewardship. More details can be found here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-14/virtual-fencing-legalised-nsw/106128536

We will be looking at purchasing a virtual fencing system in the new year. Whilst our place has lots of small paddocks, this will allow us to managing our grazing more precisely, establish more trees without the need to construct expensive tree guards, and more effectively manage severe weather events such as flash flooding.

Summer may be settling in, but there’s always something new to learn, something to prepare for, and something to look forward to on the Rock Farm. As we wrap up another busy year on the Rock Farm, we’re grateful for the small wins, the lessons learned, and the steady rhythm of life on the land. From our family to yours, we wish you a peaceful Christmas and a safe, gentle start to the New Year. May the season bring good rain, good company, and plenty of reasons to smile.

A Cold Winter Settles In On The Rock Farm

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Life on the Rock Farm has well and truly settled into winter. With no meaningful pasture growth during autumn, we knew it was going to be a long season of feeding our cows. Sporadic rainfall hasn’t done much to improve the soil moisture profile around the district—and with a run of spectacularly beautiful, but bitterly cold frosts, whatever warmth remained in the soil has now disappeared. The grass may have turned green, but it’s yet to start growing.

Pastures in our district remain in the bottom 10th percentile for growth this year. (See: https://www.farmingforecaster.com.au/southeast).

We quickly used up the last of our pasture hay and had to buy a truckload from irrigated country north of here. With our tractor still out of action at the time, our challenges mounted when the carrier also experienced mechanical breakdowns. On the very last day before we completely ran out, the new lucerne finally arrived—and our wonderful neighbours came to the rescue. A massive thank you to Jeff, who brought his tractor and saved the day!

Jeff helped load a few of the large square bales onto the back of our BRT Myrtle, making it much easier to feed out. It didn’t take long for the cows to associate Myrtle with breakfast! I now have a new appreciation for how an ice-cream van driver must feel pulling up to a beach on a hot summer day—the cows come running, kicking their heels in the air at the sound of the truck.

We’re now feeding daily, which has become a very early morning ritual, as I’m currently working regular Monday to Friday hours. It’s actually one of my favourite parts of the day—and the dog agrees, especially enjoying the early starts.

The Rock Farm has become part of the backdrop to a busy schedule. I’m reminded that some jobs must be done immediately, while others can wait. Leaks in the water trough system need urgent attention, as do trees fallen across tracks. Other tasks have taken a back seat—waiting either for warmer weather or for me to return to shift work.

We’re thrilled to have our tractor back after a full engine rebuild. Dan from Direct Diesel Truck and Tractor Repair sourced a rebuild kit—including new pistons and liners—after the head gasket failure. It’s amazing how indispensable an old tractor can be. I hadn’t realised just how much I missed having it available until it was gone. Dan’s work was absolutely top-notch, and I couldn’t be happier.

Meanwhile, our house renovation continues to inch forward. The support from local plumbing and electrical services has kept the momentum going. Huge shout-out to Sam from Prime Plumbing Yass and Andrew from APL Electrical, who’ve helped keep the build ticking along while I’ve been tied up with work.

As winter rolls on, we’re reminded that life on the land is full of challenges, but also full of community, resilience, and moments of quiet joy. Whether it’s the early morning feed runs, the clatter of hooves chasing Myrtle, or the steady progress on the house, there’s always something to be grateful for. With spring on the horizon, we’re looking forward to warmer days, greener paddocks, and whatever the next chapter brings for the Rock Farm.

Oh and calves… hopefully lots of calves!

Thanks for following along with our journey — stay warm, and take care until next time.

What autumn break?

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As we have slid into autumn, our hopes for an autumn break didn’t eventuate. Passing storms missed our property by literally hundreds of meters. Driving through puddles just a short distance from home, with wipers on, turned into not-quite-damp dust on our driveway. It was almost worse to find not even a trace of rain in the gauge. We are by no means alone—much of the south-eastern part of the country is desperately dry, despite the record rains and floods that affected Queensland just a few weeks ago.

Any chance of the grass growing this winter has all but gone. The first frost signals the end of the growing season. With little grass remaining, we have commenced feeding our remaining cattle.

Feeding has been a little more difficult with the tractor still out of action. Thankfully the Not-So-Little Helpers still turn up occasionally. They get press ganged into helping me roll the remaining round bales into the trailer for feeding out.

We delayed purchasing hay with the tractor broken, but eventually had to order a truckload. It should arrive by the end of the week. In the two weeks since ordering, prices for hay delivered on-farm have gone up another 25%. Thankfully, our wonderful neighbours will bring their tractor over to help us unload. This should see us through until spring.

The good news is that, according to local folklore, as Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills with water, it brings wetter weather. This should set us up for a reasonable spring. Watch this space!

Our decision to sell the weaners early seems to have been sound. Cattle prices in the local area have dropped dramatically as producers seek to reduce numbers. Apparently, there is strong demand further north to replace losses from the floods and take advantage of the good rainfalls. The money from the sale of our heifers didn’t last long—it went on the hay!

One advantage of the dry weather is that the little dam in our garden dried out. For many years, I’d promised Jo a jetty. I even managed to construct the deck a while back. Running fast out of excuses—and with the youngest Helper back from university—we got it installed, much to the one remaining chicken’s satisfaction. Result: one happy wife… and chicken!

Thankfully, the fire danger period ended without any major fires in the district. That said, there were a few smaller fires that threatened houses later in the season. With the eldest Helper now a fully fledged member of our local brigade, we went to a couple of these fires. Despite the serious nature of the work, it was a lot of fun working with this chap!

It was great to have both boys home to celebrate Mother’s Day. The youngest Helper came back from university in Sydney for the occasion. We slow-cooked a lamb shoulder in the camp oven, which was delicious. Dinner was followed by a wonderful night catching up over a few beers. These moments are all too precious now that both these fine young men are making their way in the world.

The farm has taken a back seat this year as we continue to renovate our home. Sadly, my updates on the blog have also fallen behind. The house is progressing (slowly). We’ve moved on from demolition and are now rebuilding subfloors and getting our plumbing repaired and roughed in. Between feeding the cattle and working on the house, I’ve also taken on a new project at work. It’s filling my days—and my cup. But it doesn’t stop us from taking time to just pause and hang out with the cattle to re-set every now and then.

All in all, it’s been a busy few months, but we’re getting through it—one job at a time. The support of family, neighbours, and the Helpers has made all the difference. With a bit of luck and some rain, we’re hopeful the season ahead will be a little easier.

Summer on and off the Rock Farm

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One of the things I love most about the Rock Farm is how much the landscape changes from week to week. This summer has been particularly dynamic—starting with dry, poor conditions but transforming into a green-tinted vista after a few refreshing summer storms. Sadly the green is fast turning back to brown as we have missed follow up rains.

Our cows and their calves are all in excellent condition. As January comes to a close, we’re fortunate to still have plenty of ground cover and grass in the paddocks. Many of our neighbours, both to the north and south, have had to destock due to a lack of feed. I’m relieved we made the decision 12 months ago to significantly reduce our herd size (see here: Comings and Goings in an Unusual Season). That choice has eased the strain on our pastures and made this season much more manageable for both us and the cattle.

One unexpected benefit of downsizing the herd was the chance to take a short Christmas break. With an extra bale of hay in the paddock and a full dam of water (thanks to Lou’s help: Dry Times Present a New Opportunity), we headed north to spend Christmas with family. The road trip was great fun, made bittersweet as the boys start forging their own paths as young adults. The boys flew home early from the Gold Coast, leaving Jo and me a few days to ourselves. We camped by a swimming hole east of Armidale which were lucky enough to share with a pair of platypus. We had three relaxing nights in our swag before slowly making our way back home.

Meanwhile, our vegetable garden has adapted to the season’s changes. The raspberry season was short but delicious. Luckily, our peas, beans, tomatoes, red cabbage, and cauliflowers survived our holiday, and we’re now enjoying the fresh bounty in our kitchen.

The weather has brought its challenges. While the Bureau of Meteorology hasn’t officially declared a La Niña, the conditions feel markedly different since Christmas. Summer storms have delivered patchy rain and strong winds. Our nearby village lost several trees, but we escaped the worst and we’ve only had some minor clean-up tasks. Myrtle, our big red truck, continues to prove her worth, helping me spread green waste in old gullies. It’s rewarding to see the soil stabilizing and vegetation returning to once-bare patches.

Managing weeds remains a constant challenge on the farm—a timeless battle for farmers. I have a great chipper that is my primary tool for dealing with isolated thistles. A few hours of work (who needs a gym?) allows me to stay on top of most areas.

Slashing has been my go-to method for controlling large areas of thistles. Unfortunately, my tractor is currently out of action. (A whole other story). This means I am falling behind on my thistle control.

Walking the paddocks with a chipper offers more than just weed control; it’s an opportunity to inspect the pastures closely, clear my mind, and get some exercise. I’ve been especially pleased to see dung beetles at work, rapidly breaking down manure. Their activity is a promising sign of healthy soil—and healthy soil means healthy cattle.

I prefer mechanical methods for weed management over chemical solutions, though my approach often depends on the time I have available. Large areas of thistles. are easily managed by slashing, but more persistent weeds like Serrated Tussock and African Lovegrass need to be chipped out by hand. Unfortunately, I also have to contend with St John’s Wort and Sweet Briar—neither of which respond well to slashing, pulling, or chipping, despite my best efforts and experiments.

The real challenge lies in staying on top of these weeds to avoid using poisons altogether. While herbicides might be effective against the weeds, I can’t help but worry about their potential effects on my health and the health of the soil biota around the sprayed plants. For me, maintaining a balance between effective management and preserving the integrity of the land is an ongoing—and deeply personal—commitment.

As each season brings its challenges and rewards, life on the Rock Farm continues to teach me resilience, adaptability, and gratitude. From managing livestock and nurturing the soil to tackling weeds and adapting to shifting weather patterns, every task reinforces our connection to the land and my responsibility to care for it. The journey isn’t always easy, but the satisfaction of seeing healthy pastures, thriving cattle, and the fruits of our labor makes it deeply fulfilling. With each passing week, the landscape reminds us of its power to change and renew. I love it.

Spring Calving Challenges on the Rock Farm

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Calving is one of my favourite times on the Rock Farm. We started a little earlier than normal this year – driven by our desire to have a holiday late last year. Thankfully with the unseasonably warm August, we are getting through it ok. After losing a maiden heifer to bloat a couple of months ago, we are down to 11 cows, but we suspect two are dry.

Calving hasn’t all been smooth sailing. It never is. One of our cows had twins. Relatively unusual in cattle, survival of the second calf is extremely rare. And we learnt why. It’s because cows can’t count!

Twins were born to cow Grey Girl. I swear she didn’t realise she had two calves to look after. She seemed surprised to find her calf in front of her, and then, by the time she turned around it appeared behind her again. What started comically almost ended in tragedy. The first morning following their birth, we could only find one calf – pushed through a hinge-joint the fence into the neighbour’s. After quickly reuniting this calf with mum grazing nearby, so commenced a desperate search for the other – with no success. We feared the calf had either frozen overnight, or had been taken by wild pigs.

With downcast hearts, we eventually returned towards the house, only to find at the opposite end of the paddock, tucked into a sunny spot the other twin.

We separated Grey Girl and her twins from the herd and put them in a small paddock for the next couple of days. This allowed the calves to gain strength enough to follow mum around and fight for their own supper. The strategy worked, and a week later Grey Girl and her twins returned to the herd where they continue to prosper.

Whilst it is easy to waste so much time just hanging out with the cows, Spring is also a busy time on the Rock Farm. Sadly in some areas the serrated tussock has got established. Whilst I have been madly chipping out isolated little patches of it, in some areas it was far more effective to use chemical spray. This is my least desired strategy, but it is effective. I had a couple of tight areas, where I knew I wouldn’t be able to reverse a trailer, so I lashed the spray trailer to the ute bed, and got onto the task.

Little (and not so little) projects abound on the Rock Farm. One that had been sitting on my to-do list for a while was to replace the leaky unreliable bathtub water trough in the yards with a new concrete tank. It took a bit of fiddling to get the levels right (after nearly getting tractor well and truly wedged in the yards), but I was happy with the result.

Most projects aren’t wrapped up so quickly and are best described as continuing. We pulled down our existing patio in January. Pulled down is really an euphemism for pulling out a couple of nails and watching it fall down! A new steel carport is slowly taking shape to provide shelter over the BBQ. I was lucky to get the help of a couple of key assistants coinciding with a reduction in wind to get the roof sheeting on. And with any new roof area comes an opportunity to store more water. A new tank arrived, but the delivery driver baulked at taking his shiny new truck to the prepared site. Thankfully Myrtle (sporting a refurbished starter motor – nothing is ever simple) had no problem in taking to the task at hand.

The next challenge is to hook up the down pipes and be ready for the rain if it should ever fall again. We are now almost two months since our last rainfall and things are rapidly changing from being unseasonably warm and growing to stunted growth and grass bolting to seed. The next couple of weeks will be critical in determining what season we will have and we will keep our fingers crossed.

In the meantime it is important to celebrate little milestones like birthdays and wedding anniversaries with the people who matter. After a morning planting bare rooted fruit trees into the orchard, we took a few moments to enjoy lunch on Bee Hill. Sometimes the simple life isn’t that simple, but I sure am lucky to be sharing the adventure with this lovely lady 🙂

Of course I am not the only one with projects! It is great to see the boy’s really getting into their own interests now, but of course, that is a story for another time.

The Coldest Week of the Year and Some New Arrivals :)

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In this part of the world, the second week in July is historically the coldest week of the year for air temperature. The soil temperature continues to cool until the first week in August before it starts to warm, encouraging pasture growth. There is some variance, of course, but overall, it is a good time of year to bunker down in front of the fire and plan out the next few months. Sapphire agrees, especially when the wind and sleet are coming in sideways.

The paddocks are looking typical for winter. Short green grass and some standing dry matter makes for slim pickings for the cattle. Despite reducing our numbers heavily, we have chosen to supplement the cattle’s feed with the odd bale of hay.

The older cows remember the sound of the tractor well and were very happy to see me, despite them all being in good condition. They will need every ounce of condition once they calve and start producing milk.

We have spent a fair amount of time inside this winter planning, dreaming, measuring, and pacing out a long-overdue renovation of the house. The Rock Farm homestead was built in the 1970s and is in almost original condition. We have done a few things to the house to make it warmer since we moved in (insulation in the roof, a new fireplace, and some new windows), but the majority of the house is very much as it was when it was completed (we think – our local council has a distinct absence of records relating to our home). We are enjoying planning what it might become.

Despite the impending renovation, those who know us well know we have a long list of projects already on the go. The latest one is the construction of a new patio above our BBQ area, to be followed (one day) by a homemade pizza oven and new BBQ. It has been a whole family affair, with a fantastic day’s work from my brother, which saw us get the rafters up, and Jo and the still-at-home helper lending a hand getting the purlins and fascia ready for the new sheets.

But everything stops on that special day when the first calf arrives! Two calves arrived on their due date, and another one arrived the next afternoon. I can now see us finding many more excuses to go and sit with these beautiful animals.

With lots of things happening on the Rock Farm, it is great to take a moment every now and then to reflect on what we have accomplished. Sometimes Nature creates those moments for you.

When the wind stops and the sun comes out, there is nothing like watching the sun sink below the horizon and seeing the stars appear in the night sky. The cold, clear air allows us to witness the magnificent glory of the stars, reminding me of how fortunate we are to be here.

A busy lead up to winter

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It’s easy to lose sight of our progress when we focus on what we still want to achieve. However, looking back, we’ve made significant strides on a couple of little projects here on the Rock Farm.

We have been progressing Jo’s orchard in the repurposed foaling paddock. After ripping lines along the contours for fruit trees, we used a leftover length of poly pipe and some new tap fittings to set up irrigation for most of the new lines. This will ensure our new trees receive the water they need. With a pile of mulch from a recent visit by the electricity line tree pruners, our fruit trees are now settling nicely into their new homes.

We recently sold all but three of our weaners through the local livestock exchange. The steers and most of the heifers averaged 290kg, while two smaller heifers averaged 255kg. Although prices have recovered from the Christmas lows, they are still significantly lower than the peaks of last year. Nonetheless, we were pleased to secure around 285 cents per weaner, which will help cover hay costs this winter.

After the one rainfall event in April, and scattered rain in May, I really needed to ensure every drop of rain falling on the place makes its way to the soil. It had been about five years since I last ripped our west-facing slope, so I took the opportunity to re-rip the paddock along the contour before the forecasted wet start to June hit the Rock Farm. The tractor struggled a bit, but I was content to chug along in second gear low range, spending a few hours turning diesel into noise and opening up the soil.

One of the great joys of raising cattle is simply spending time with them in the paddock. They are naturally curious, and we find that spending time with them makes them very calm and easy to move. One way we win their confidence is through old apples, which most of the cows love. However, there’s a risk of feeding whole apples, as one might get stuck in their gullet. Unfortunately, we lost a cow recently in this way, after feeding her an apple.

She showed classic signs of bloat, with a distended abdomen on her top left side, and in obvious distress. We moved the herd to the yards and called the weekend on-call vet. Lachie, the vet, arrived and treated her, working in the dark and freezing cold. The first priority was to make her more comfortable and ease her pain. Despite relieving the pressure in her rumen and administering antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and oil, she sadly passed away the following night. Although we didn’t conduct a post-mortem, her symptoms suggested gas bloat caused by a blockage, likely the apple.

Losing an animal is always sad, but it’s an unfortunate part of raising livestock. In the future, we’ll make sure all apples for the cows are cut in half.

Despite this setback, the Rock Farm remains glorious at this time of year. When the fog lifts in the morning and the frost melts, we’re left with the most wondrous days. There’s nothing better than taking a stroll around the paddocks and savouring these moments.

Comings and goings in an unusual season

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Last October you may recall we were making decisions that would affect our production for the next couple of years (see here:https://rockfarming.com/2023/10/19/a-strategy-emerges/). We had tried to arm ourselves with the best information available about the cattle market, soil moisture and predicted dry weather patterns, with the aim of protecting our soil health and welfare of our stock. The end result was a decision that we would not join 10 of our cows, with the aim of reducing our herd size leading into forecast drought conditions.

All through November and into December, I felt that we had made a sound decision. The weather dried out, and we used it to our advantage to de-silt an old dam. Towards the end of December we went away for a fortnight and came back to an entirely different property. The forecast dry summer had turned into something else entirely, and frequent summer rains continued through to February.

We considered our options, which included bringing the bull back for a late summer calving – but ultimately decided to let our decision to cull the cows stand. Come weaning, we would split our herd and cull 10 dry cows, keeping the remainder 10 cows and 2 maiden heifers (hopefully all in calf) on the Rock Farm.

Two weeks ago we weaned.

Weaning is always an interesting time. I allow the cows access to the lane leading down to the yards. For the first couple of days, there is lots of bellowing in an evening as the calves call for their supper, and the cows seek relief from full udders. But it doesn’t take long, and the cows are happy to wander off to greener pastures, and the calves settle down and learn that the tractor now brings them supper. Once they are happily independent, I move the cows to the other side of the farm, and let the calves into the paddocks behind the yards, to graze.

I handle the calves frequently during this time. Sapphy and I make it our morning routine to bring the calves into the yards, and as soon as they are there, we take the pressure off and leave them to return to the paddock. Two weeks into weaning, we brought the cows back to the yards, and split them into the two groups, those staying and those going.

We used some simple rules to determine which cows we would cull from the herd.

  • Any cow that had ever tossed or shaken her head at me or anyone else,
  • Any cows who had ever had any difficulty calving, and
  • Any cows with horns.

At the sale yards, our Agent split the cows into five lots. They made between $1.78 and $1.96 per kilogram live weight and weighed between 495kg and 675kg. Transport, agent’s fees and selling fees will take a fair chunk out of the cheque which is part of the cost of doing business, especially as a small producer.

Most importantly though we have removed ten hungry mouths from the Rock Farm, which will allow our wearers more opportunity to put on weight and value here for a few more weeks. With less mouths and more grass (with the possibility of rain in the next few days), we will assess our winter feed and possibly defer selling the wearers until next Spring.

Until then, we will continue to enjoy the cooler evenings and make the most of living (and camping) at our beautiful farm.

A most interesting season – Summer… er no Spring again!

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On my last Rock Farm update, we were making preparations for drought. We decided not to join half of our cows, had started watering trees and arranged for a local contractor to de-silt a dry dam (https://rockfarming.com/2023/11/21/dry-times-present-a-new-opportunity/. The cattle prices had bottomed out and things were looking pretty grim, but we had a plan.

We careered towards the end of the year at a frantic pace. The big red truck was indeed made ready for the school formal (and performed admirably). Tractors, mowers and cars were set to work. School finished for the year and then we took a much anticipated holiday. To Japan.

My parents kindly became caretakers whilst we were away, moving stock, chipping weeds and keeping the place from descending into chaos.  And how lucky we were. The cattle all behaved themselves, the pump provided water to the troughs as designed. There were no catastrophic pipe leaks. But the most amazing thing happened whilst we were away. It rained.

So we left in Summer – and came back from our holiday two weeks later in Spring. The recently dug out dam was full, the grass green and growing and the cattle in excellent condition. Our drought plan has gone out the window…. or has it?

I am still cautious about what our rainfall will be like heading into winter. As such, our plan really won’t change. We will wean the calves in late March or so, and send the unjoined cows into the sale yards, followed by the weaners a few weeks later. This will reduce the feed pressure on the farm over winter – and hopefully make the most of the uptick in cattle prices. The rain has allowed us to delay weaning, but it won’t fundamentally alter our plan.

In the meantime, the weeds have leapt out of the ground. Despite my reluctance to use chemicals, I have relented, and spot sprayed some of our worst weeds – Tree of Heaven, St John’s Wort, Serrated Tussock and two patches of dreaded African Lovegrass. I hope that my small amount of spot spraying this year, will allow me to keep on top of the re-growth with nothing more than my chipper.

It is great to be home. Our family holiday was all the more special now our elder son has finished school and is about to embark on his own journey. It was an amazing gift my parents gave us, the opportunity to have our holiday knowing everything at home was in safe hands. Thank you Mum and Dad!!

This year will be one of consolidation. We have spent the last six years on the Rock Farm repairing and establishing fences, planting trees and building our herd. This year we will start to turn our attention to our house. We have leaking gutters and an ancient patio that is about to collapse that demand our immediate attention outside. We will also plan a long overdue kitchen and bathroom renovation that we will commence in 2025. 

We hope that wherever you are, you had a lovely break over the silly season and hope that 2024 is a prosperous and happy year for you. 

A strategy emerges

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On The Rock Farm we have been struggling to finalise our strategy for this season. We have been watching the seasonal outlook forecast intense drought and cattle prices fall to extremely low levels . On the Rock Farm, we have been extremely thankful for the odd showers that have kept the grass green in our patch – staving off an immediate requirement to make a hard decision. The crystal ball has been somewhat murky, but thankfully there are some experts out there with some insights available through our the NSW Local Land Services that can help us hopefully make some better decisions.

The grass is still green on the Rock Farm… for now.

We have signed up to a series of webinars that provide specialist advice to producers. We recently joined 400 other producers in a webinar with Simon Quilty from Global Agritrends, who gave some analysis of the the global beef market, global weather patterns and what this means for producers. Some of his information was reported a couple of months ago at online news site Beef Central here: https://www.beefcentral.com/markets/why-simon-quilty-has-a-bullish-five-year-outlook-for-cattle-prices/

The information provided by Simon in the webinar covered a broad range of global issues, such as the chilled and frozen beef stock held in stock in our primary markets, and climatic factors driving foreign herd numbers. Simon’s analysis has allowed us to focus our strategy for this season. Broadly we focused on a couple of takeaways.

  • The beef market in Australia should bottom out in November, and prices will likely plateau for around 12 months before slowly rising to high levels in 2026/27.
  • There is likely to be greater demand from processors for cows instead of young heifers due to the yield from each animal.
  • Processors are operating at historically low levels due to a range of factors, however additional capacity will be in place around the end of the year.

With pages of notes and a whole heap more information, Jo and I sat down and came up with our plan for this season. With the bull arriving the following afternoon, we had to make our minds up quickly. We decided we would split our herd and join 10 cows and the 2 maiden heifers we held in April this year with the bull. We decided we would hold the rest of the herd (other cows with calves at foot) until weaning in March / April. One of the advantages of small numbers is we soon had a list of names of cows to join and those cows we have decided not to join.

This plan will allow us to turn off 10 unjoined and any dry cows in April along with our 6 steers. We would then also be able to make a decision based on how much rainfall we receive as to how many of our 12 heifers we would keep for joining next September.

The following morning, I mustered the cattle and quickly had the cows sorted into their two groups. The cows were easily separated into their groups with little more than a roll call. However the calves were all jumbled up, and I knew I would have a challenge getting the calves to rejoin their mothers, now in seperate groups. I came up with a different plan to join the calves back to their mothers.

I made a little gate that only the calves could get through. After five minutes of watching them, the first calf made its way through the gate to its mother. Success!!! I left them them at it for a few hours and came back to find they had mostly sorted themselves out. Mostly. It was a far simpler and less stressful way to rejoin the calves to their mothers! Well it sounds easy, but the last couple of calves made Sapphire and I earn our stripes.

It was all sorted in time for our handsome fellow to arrive and join his new lady friends.

A special thank you to the Local Land Services NSW and Simon Quilty for the information in the webinar. We have signed up the to the series and look forward to learning as much as we can to enhance our decision making on the Rock Farm. And also to Sapphire – who was mostly helpful, and worked so hard she fell asleep on the short drive back home!