In this summer update, I share some exciting news from the farm – we’ve just bought a new property! After months of searching, we found the perfect block right across the river from our home farm. It’s been a whirlwind, but this new farm will help us manage our growing herd and create new opportunities. From irrigation changes to planning our first maize crop, this season is packed with new challenges and exciting steps forward.
In this episode, I also talk about the realities of running a farm business and making strategic decisions for growth. It’s not all smooth sailing, and there’s a lot of work to be done, from learning to order water from the irrigation system to setting up miles of fencing. But it’s all part of the journey, and I’m sharing the ups and downs with you. I hope this summer update gives you a little insight into farm life and what’s been happening on our side of the world.
Key Points Covered in this Episode:
- The purchase of a new farm just across the river: We finally found the right property after almost a year of searching. It’s only a four-minute drive from our current farm, which makes it much easier to manage. The close proximity means we can share equipment and staff between the two farms without too much hassle.
- Managing a growing herd and young stock: With our herd growing to 650 cows for autumn, we needed more space for young stock. This new property will help us expand and better manage our replacements, but it also means a lot of work ahead to get the land ready for dairy use again.
- Transitioning from veggie farming to dairy use: The new farm used to be a vegetable farm, and while the soil is rich and perfect for our needs, there’s a lot of infrastructure work to do. We’ll need to put up fencing, install water lines, and prepare the land for grazing as it was flattened for vegetable production.
- Planning for the first maize crop and silage cutting: We recently cut 55 acres of silage on the new property, and now we’re preparing the soil for our first maize crop. This is new for us, so we’re relying on the advice of our agronomist to get it right, from planting to harvesting at just the right time.
- Challenges of setting up fencing and water lines on the new property: With 257 acres to cover, we’ve got about 15 kilometers of fencing and over a kilometer of water lines to install. It’s a big job, and while we plan to tackle the internal fencing ourselves, we’ll be bringing in contractors for the external boundaries to make sure they’re secure for young stock.
- Strategic decisions for the future of our farm business: Buying this new property was a necessary step for our long-term growth. It wasn’t a decision we made lightly, but after carefully planning our business strategy, we knew this was the right move to ensure we can continue expanding and managing our herd effectively in the years to come.
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