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| Forest - the calf that wouldn't stop running |
Amongst a 21st birthday, an interstate holiday, first birthday, camping trip and minor surgery, Rivergum continues to morph and change, developing into a farm that reflects our own dreams and values.
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| New growth |
Numerous native plants now line the driveway and the front of our paddock, and we hope these trees will not only make an appealing entry to the farm but also entice birds and bees to visit our place. Due to the extreme dry we are facing (at least at our place) we are watering two to three times per week to help them establish their roots. It is most satisfying to see new growth on the saplings. Unfortunately, our citrus trees have not made a comeback after the harsh winter frosts and we have now started to replace them.
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| One of many native plants |
Despite this setback we have continued to develop the orchard and have planted a range of fruit trees including peacharine (peach x nectarine), avocado, a variety of apples and a plumcot (plum x apricot). They are all very thirsty and unfortunately the soil is quite devoid of nutrients. The fact they are thriving (so far) is remarkable.
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| Beginnings of the orchard |
Unfortunately the dry season has also impacted on our hay potential and unless we get some amazing rains in the next week, we will not be cutting hay this year. This reality means we will be not only be short of feed for our own stock but will also reduce our income and therefore our yearly turn over will be compromised. Given we cannot change or influence the weather pattern in any way we have decided to purchase some young Angus steers from NSW to fatten up and sell next year. The 13 calves arrived safely and have settled in easily. They are well bred and will thrive if all goes to plan.
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| New lads on the land |
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| Delight & Romney |
Our own calves, poddies along with those raised by their mothers, are all doing well, despite some challenges. One young fella struggled to get his legs and required a lot of TLC, a visit from the vet, several injections and force feeding before he regained his strength and now runs with the herd as if nothing ever went array. His potential loss weighed heavily on both Daryl and I, as his demise would have been loss number three for the season. Losing a beautiful Limousine bull calf at only two weeks of age, a few days prior, from no obvious cause was devastating. The loss of a steer a few months before also left us feeling grim. But things are looking up, and we even recovered our young escapee despite the odds weighed definitely against him.
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| Recovered after a rough start |
The little rascal, startled by our pup, ran through five farm fences, two boundaries fences including crossing a road, at 36 hours of age. Searching far and wide, venturing into neighbouring paddocks, during day and night we were quite desperate and began to suspect the young tyke had been taken by foxes. His poor mum, waited at the place where he was last sleeping and it was clear she was also in distress. Finally on the morning of the fourth day he was missing, we heard loud bawling from a distance, Daryl jested that maybe the baby calf had finally returned, little did we know he was right. Miraculously the little Murray Grey x Limousine calf was indeed in next door's paddock trying to find his way back. On his own, Daryl had no choice but to jump on him and then carry him to the car. He then travelled in style back to our place and to his mum. No doubt her very full udder was relieved to have him back.
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| Vermin prevention |
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| Max inspecting the Clipex fence |
In addition to a range of new calves, we have added Romney and Delight to our menagerie. We have recruited the two alpacas to keep the foxes away from our feathered friends. Not only are they cute but they are very effective. Our neighbour's dog has been wandering around our place and decided she wanted the chook scraps. In a rash decision she squeezed under the gate and got into the chook pen, within seconds the alpacas let out a piercing warning and it was fortunate that Daryl was nearby and managed to get the dog out or she may have been a victim of herd protectors who trample anything considered a threat. At least we know the alpacas are doing their job.
If they fail, Daryl bought himself a new rifle (Lithgow .223) to keep vermin at bay. It works well.
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| No longer an issue |
It is hoped one of the alpacas is pregnant and the potential for a baby cria is very exciting. Their fleece has already been claimed and we hope to see some fine products produced from their wool.
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| Our new carport |
The hens are slowly coming into lay but we are only getting a measly dozen or so eggs a day. Despite having 50 odd birds. No doubt this will increase within a few weeks. We have sent off a new design for our egg carton labels and I am excited by the prospect of being able to label them with our own design. Anyone interested in purchasing fresh eggs, produced by pasture raised hens, is welcome to get in touch.
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| Facelift |
It's not only animals that are being added to Rivergum but also some infrastructure with new fences and sheds continuing to be built. Daryl has trialled a new style fencing with a product called Clipex and this has proven to be a success. I suspect we will be purchasing some more and may even finish fencing within the next few years!! A new carport is also taking shape and this has forced the placement of new plumbing and painting of the house exterior. This weekend the aim is to complete painting the front of the house with cream trimmings. The improvement, with only undercoat, is simply awesome. I'm nearly inspired to paint for two days straight, and the reality is regardless of inspiration or not, the paint brushes will get a good workout and by Monday I'll be exhausted, just in time to return to work.
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| Cleaning up -old irrigation pipes |
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| The muscle driving the dream |
Sadly, Daryl's holidays (if you could call them that), will also come to an end next week and he will return to being a shift worker. On the one hand he will get a rest, but on the other, Rivergum's progress will slow down again. It's such a shame we have to earn a dollar in order to keep our farming venture alive. Daryl has done such an extraordinary amount of work, I just hope he still gets a kick out of his achievements. While we are building the dream together he is, without doubt, the muscle behind the progress.
Until next time,
N
the bonfire pile with more random tree branches would be a fun filled activity! Following our morning adventures I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, cooking up a storm of soups ready for quick and easy meals, along with fritters and naturally everyone still wanted to eat dinner, so a main meal was also on the agenda.
