Hi from new member in Muriwai, Rodney

Hi there
I've loved trawling this site for many years so thought it must be time I signed up!
We have recently moved onto our second LSB in Muriwai, Rodney.
We have 10 awesome but tired acres to get to work on - wish us luck...!

Welcome to Muriwai Kit kat. You didnt buy that 10 acres up Taiapa Road did you, its about the most tired 10 acres in the area?

Hi muri, yes that's the one!

Ha ha, its a small world.
Your next door neighbours were down for Xmas drinks yesterday and said people had moved in. She emailed today to say she was off to grub thistles on their property this morning and said she hoped the new neighbours would look after it better so they didnt get so many weeds.
You must go and visit them they are lovely and are the second house up the drive.
If you need any help in the area give a yell. There are a few others of us as well

Hi and welcome Kit Kat. Looks a good start already!

Actually Kit Kat, it may not be the same block as they said they met their new neighbours who are away at the moment!
I am just at the bottom of Taiapa Road so we cant be that far away

Muri, yes that's us! It's a crazy small world!
Your friends are absolutely right - the block has been left for such a long time, but we are excited to change that!

Thanks Deanna

Thats almost bizarre.
So what are you going to do with the land and what are you going to graze on it. It didnt look too bad just a bit overgrazed before it went on the market but now it looks as tho the carrot weed has taken over, as it has everywhere around here, at least in the front

For now I just have horses. We will add some beef for the freezer, but we need to get fences and weeds sorted beforehand. Yes it really isn't too bad, we hope in a year's time it will look a thousand times better and loved.

If you buy Dairy cross calves, they will very likely know about hotwire and hot tapes, so you won't need to worry too much about the fences. For homekill you don't need to kill at any particular size or age, so if one of the 3 or 4 that you buy becomes a problem then just kill it early. For really wild cattle that have seldom seen a human, then even brand new ordinary height fences won't keep them in. With really wild calves I try to get them used to me by shutting them in the cattle yards and feeding them hay for a week. That worked with 2 of 4 that we got from out of Nydia Bay, another eventually got quiet enough, but she is on her last "last warning". The fourth was tasty, even though she was only 15 months. Fortunately the 2 quieter ones kept the idiots quiet enough most of the time.

Thanks LongRidge, that definitely all seems workable. What is the best time of year for us to buy in calves?

There is no best time but if you have long rank grass, young weaners dont do well so you might be better to buy in yearlings. Better to buy beef animals rather than dairy

Great, thanks.

Full beef for faster growth and finishing earlier, but ....
Often not hot wire trained and sometimes even don't know what fences are for.
Sometimes soon, get a soil test done. If the soil is low in some of the major essential elements then the grass will not grow well, and will not be as nutritious as if the soil was optimum fertility for pasture. Thus the land will support fewer animals until that is addressed.
Is there a loading race for cattle? and a cattle yards?

Thanks, will definitely get the soil test done.
Yes there is a loading race and small yard.