Fence Repairs
More fencing was completed over Winter, we have now finished the repairs to the boundary and divided more paddocks up to allow for longer rest periods. the photos below show a new lane way that was created to move cattle from the top of the hill to the yards. We’re starting to get the hang of this but there’s no way i’d do it for a job!
Artificial Insemination (Spagyu, Wagyu and Jersey)
Spagyu - In June we inseminated the Speckle Park heifer we have retained from our Autumn 2023 drop calves. We’ve decided to use a Wagyu straw over her as they are typically smaller calves and will hopefully allow for an unassisted first birth. This combination will create our first ‘Spagyu’ calf. We won’t be keeping the calf for future breeding as we would like to keep the Frame that we have developed in our herd with the Speckle Park cattle, This calf will eventually end up as one of our Beef Packs! I’m sure that with the infusion of Wagyu into the meat it will be our best beef yet!
Wagyu- Our Purebred Wagyu cow Anastasia was also inseminated in June to a Wagyu bull by the name of Gateway G113 S0021, I’ve attached a photo of his ebv’s (estimated breed values) below, Take a look at his Marble score and Marble Fineness!! this guy will hopefully produce a little bull calf that will eventually cover our Speckle Park cows and create some of the best Beef available in South Gippsland!
Jersey - Rona our house cow was next in line, she received a Jersey straw that will hopefully give us a Heifer calf! Once that calf has grown up it will be off to Sarah’s brother’s Dairy in Northern Victoria.
Spring Sowing
In August we broadcast a chicory/plantain seed mix over an existing perennial Ryegrass pasture that was sown last year. This paddock will be used to fatten our 4 Steers that will be ready for processing in November! Chicory and Plantain are higher in Vitamins and minerals than normal pasture and will really compliment the existing Ryegrass in the paddock. We can’t wait to see the seedlings popping up as spring breaks! You can see in the image below that the pasture has really started to kick off already!
Nest Boxes
The last job on the list over winter was to install some nest boxes along the creek. During the storm in February lots of habitat for parrots, gliders and possums was destroyed. We decided we would do our part in helping the little fellas out and ease the current housing crisis.
