Christophers Comments

Posted by on 28 June 2010 | 6 Comments

Hi everyone and welcome to the new Taruna Farm website.

This is the first of Christopher's Comments in conjunction with the Taruna Farm website. This website is a further development of our original web site developed by our son-in-law Stuart  Nicholson, in the days when we hand made each other's Christmas presents. He made the website for Janet for Christmas one year. Christopher's Comment will be a monthly addition to the website. A family and farming blog of what's on a Taruna Farm. Your comments are welcomed.

June in the Waikato is best known as Fieldays Month. This year, with the weather over the four days, relatively fine, crowds in excess of 120,000 passed through the gates onto the site here at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. Janet and I and Mark went on the Thursday and although our purchases were very modest, contacts and information was gathered on a range of products and services, all of which will be useful in the future.

June is also scanning month. This year we scanned 170% with 39 Drys, 280 singles and 898 multiples from 1217 ewes.  Although this figure is lower than usual, it was unfortunate that we were mating in the middle of a very dry period and our ability to flush the ewes was restricted.  The challenge now will be to convert that lower figure into a satisfactory tailing percentage.

The drought breaking rain that started in May has continued into June with 250 mm since the rain started. We have had very few days without rain ( 10 ) since then and only one frost, so grass cover on the farm is much improved. Long may it continue.  

All dairy heifers this month have been treated for parasites and have had a B12 injection.

The major repairs and maintenance work at the moment is a complete renovation of the night pens in the woolshed. Years of sheep manure has been wheelbarrowed out into a stockpile and new grating put into place.  I well remember my father and I constructing the night pens and  taking a few short cuts with nails thinking that it would not be me ever having to pull them up to clean them out. Big mistake. Hugh and Candice have both been up to their eyeballs in ****.  Yes, you guessed it..........the end result will be worth all those barrowloads, good for the garden too!

Finally, June is a good month for immediate family birthdays. Our elder daughter Ellen, our two youngest grandsons Harry and Thomas, my sister and my brother in law Jill and Geoff and their son Tom. And on Janet's side a cousin Neville, his daughter Gabrielle and nephew Barry. Happy Birthday everyone. Luckily, we only buy for Grandchildren these days!