The beginning of winter is a great time to reflect on the past year - what worked well, what can we do better (it’s too damn hot to do it in January…). The, at times, unquenchable thirsts of our cattle proved to be one problem.
We use portable troughs across the farm because it allows us to move the mob everywhere and means we do not have to rely upon the contradiction of dams; more grass cover means less water in dams. At times though, the flow of water from our water system could not keep. The solution is to pump the water higher using solar panels, increasing the flow and keeping the animals happier on the hottest of days to come.
It is also time to prepare the soil surface for pasture growth in spring. The cows are now grazing the dried material from the pasture, leaving their areas manured and the soil disturbed. Ideal conditions for conversion of sunlight to green grass when spring arrives as Daisy is demonstrating here!
