Never be afraid to be the only woman in the room. A hard take in Australian Agriculture but today, on the International Day of Rural Women, I’m reminded of how far women in agriculture have come, and how much things have changed for women who want to work on the land. Like just about every…
To coin a phrase, but slightly twist it, from Amanda over at Bush Babe of Oz (BB): ‘It’s no secret I’m a Bush Babe of Oz fan.’ In fact I think Amanda and I have a mutual admiration party going on! Not sure how long ago it was now, that we met online – I was…
This time of the year is when the craziness starts. The moment we cut the pastures or oats, to make hay, it’s like some gremlin inhabits the farm and makes everyone mad. To get really good quality hay, it’s best if it doesn’t get a rain on it, before it’s in bales. The Boss is…
As a lover of anything country, I’m really excited to have Shirley Moore here today, talking about the forgotten job of droving. Welcome Shirley! Thank you Fleur for having me on your guest blog and giving me the opportunity to talk about why I wrote the book. This is the first time I’ve written a…
Introducing Raelene Hall of Ned’s Creek Station, Raelene’s story is number 25 in our quest to feature 52 Farmers in 52 weeks as part of our celebration of the Australian Year of the Farmer.
Feed time on McDonald’s farm happens every second day, when there isn’t any feed. Even though we had a whopping 45mm about eight weeks ago, we have had very little since and the paddocks are baring up quickly. Any tiny little morsel of green grass has been found and munched on by every-on-the-hunt sheep and…
Weaning is a fun time of year for me. Perhaps not for the calves as they’ve been taken from their mothers for the first time! Weaning is much the same for calves as it is for human babies when mum decides it’s time to no longer feed from breast or bottle. Or when it comes…
It’s tiring be a calf! After running and playing, eating and drinking, it’s time to have a nap when the tractor appears! While mum eats until her heart (or stomach) is content, the calves often take the opportunity to have a quick nap, knowing they are in among the safely of the herd. They snuggle…
At the moment all the bulls are heading off on their annual visit to the girls! They’ll see who’s still there from last year and check out any new ones. This bloke is heading to a paddock with a some girls eagerly awaiting his arrival. We’ve been seeing the cows ‘bulling’ recently (which means, in…
See that red spot? Its my daughter off walking Rocket. I dropped her at the front of this paddock to walk up through the middle. It gives both her and Rocket time to explore, check out the insects that are about, or talk to the animals. The cows are checking out what they’re both up…
This is the time of year for babies! It’s a gorgeous time, watching them take their first steps then within a half an hour or so being able to run. Calves in particular are beautiful with their liquid brown eyes and long eyelashes. I can tell you that cattle take the cake for long eyelashes!…
These are the cows that Hayden and I’ve been feeding. There is nothing better than seeing your stock grab huge mouthfuls of hay and slowly chopping away, their eyes half shut. It’s the look of contentment! It’s also a great way to know the hay you’ve made, is good, sweet hay that the stock will…
Remember back at the beginning of December we were spreading fertiliser on our sorghum crop and I said it was going to grow fast and furiously? Well, it did! We’ve put our weaned calves onto it and some of the plants are eight foot tall! Can you see the cattle in amongst it? It must…
Sexy legs hey? You only get legs like these when you’re sloshing through ankle deep muddy cattle yards like Anthony and I have been this week! Mud-encrusted legs feel really weird when it’s dry, although I have heard that mud is good for the complexion … I wonder if that includes cattle poo and wee all…
