Farming Diary for June

Pastures

• Winter has arrived with its stress on pastures, stock and humans which is all weather dependent.  Autumn rains saved the feed situation, but the financial effects of the early summer drought are still real.
• It's important to do a feed budget.  If it's a mystery, get some help.
• June is when you see if your stocking rate for the farm is about right, and if things don't balance, don't hesitate to get rid of stock. This may come at a financial loss but it's better to quit stock early, rather than wait till they lose more money by hanging on to them.
• The key June target is to make sure you have a good pasture cover built up for spring. Ryegrass stops growing below 6 degrees C. But don't let it get too long as once it gets above 150mm, fast growing ryegrass shades out clover.
• The other key management issue is to avoid pasture waste and soil damage through pugging - cattle being the main culprits. This is especially a risk with new pastures that have not developed a thick 'sole'.
• It's very worthwhile having a simple stand off pad for when it is very wet.  Contact your Environmental Council for design details to avoid pollution from effluent runoff. Bark is popular but can be expensive, but you can offset this by using it as compost after keeping it for a year or so.
• If you can rely on the weather forecast, apply 25kg of N/ha just before rain to give germinating seed and young grass a boost.  If frequent frosts start to occur, don't bother, as it's too late.

Sheep

• Go through and condition score your ewes - see our website for details.  Any that are emaciated will need extra feed, or should be disposed of.  If they are thin now, then you'll have even worse problems at lambing time, as today's breeds are much more likely to produce multiples. Be prepared for this.
• Check with your veterinarian about what emergency winter treatments are needed, e.g. for metabolic diseases such as sleepy sickness and staggers.
• If the rams were harnessed, you'll know which ewes didn't cycle and are barren, or are so late lambing that they are probably not worth keeping.  Culling them would be a good option as prices are good.
• Contact a pregnancy-scanning contractor to see if they'll come and scan small numbers, or consider joining with a neighbour to bulk up a group for scanning. This will give an accurate picture of what each ewe is carrying, so you can give the best feed to those with multiples. Ewes carrying triplets are the main concern, because as their lambs develop, their capacity to eat large amounts of bulk feed drops.
• If young sheep are scouring talk to your vet to get a faecal egg count (FEC) before drenching to make sure worms really are the problem, and the product used will avoid drench resistance. Well-fed mature sheep should not need drenching, but low body condition may change this situation. Talk to your vet.
• Don't shear ewes (if on twice-a-year shearing) until at least 4-6 weeks after the rams come out. If you are into winter shearing, make sure you have shelter or a shed if the weather is really bad. Chilled sheep off-shears can die fast.
• Don't treat for external parasites for at least 6 weeks after the rams come out.
• Remember a six-week chemical-free period is needed before any wool is shorn and can be sold.

Cattle

• Any skinny pregnant cows need urgent help, as if they calve when emaciated, there will be on-going problems in spring, as they'll be slow to cycle and get in calf again early.
• Good quality supplements are needed to replace lost body condition, and it also needs time. Cows should calve at Condition Score 5 which is when they have rounded hips - see our website for details on an easy way to Condition Score cattle.
• Consult your vet over young stock that are scouring and losing weight.  It may not be internal parasites, and if it is, you need to use the correct drench to avoid drench resistance.
• Young stock are a special concern over winter, and they should be kept growing even if at slower rates. If they stop, it takes a lot of extra feed and time to catch up and reach their target weights for mating in October.
• Check with your veterinarian about blood profiles on any stock not thriving and what action to take. Building up mineral reserves takes time - like charging up a battery.
• Facial eczema should have gone, but the long-term effects may still remain, so check copper levels in cattle and how to provide supplements. Remember that if you see a few clinical cases, there will be other animals with damaged livers which may cause problems such as milk fever at calving.

Farm Management

• Keep a close eye on the cash flow.
• It's the National Fieldays this month so by all means go, but purchase on 'needs' rather than 'wants'.  The theme is 'Breaking barriers to productivity'.
• If you run into problems that you cannot handle, seek help early and as things get quickly get worse.
• It's an ideal time to tidy up trees on the farm, and make sure large vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances can access your driveway.
• It's stupid to go up a ladder with a chainsaw. Get a licensed professional.
• If you have a chainsaw without full protection gear - you are a very messy accident waiting to happen.
• Remember that if trees on your property overhang a public road, you will be liable for any damage or deaths caused if branches come off in winter gales. This could be very expensive.
• It's also a good time to plant trees for shade and shelter.  Get advice on suitable species from the Farm Forestry Association or Tree Crops Association.
• Remember your animal welfare implications under the law, especially if your animals get into an 'emaciated' state. There are a lot of very concerned people driving around the countryside with cameras on mobile phones who may report what they see to MAF or the SPCA. You don't want a legal bill on top of your feed bills.