Weather Update and New Beginnings!

I really want to thank all those who read my last two weather reports – they can be found here and here – and tell you how much I appreciate your concern. It really does make a difference to know people care.

Well, here’s is the final update.

It looks like, at this stage, the live export trade is not effected by the sanctions. Though we know the export market from here won’t last for various other reasons and have prepared ourselves for this. But what the ongoing effects will be for the dairy industry are yet to be seen. Watch this space……

My last post was a cryptic one, I know!

I didn’t want to say too much in case it all fell through – again!

At the beginning of August, we were offered as many of 120 cows as we wanted for free. We took 85 of them. Before it rained. When feed was short.

Madness, right?

Maybe! It brings our milking herd to just over 200 cows.

So about now you’re probably going “Great! What? Free!?!? How does that happen??”

Some of you may remember about a year ago we were going to start breeding Wagyu X calves for the Japanese export market using cows we didn’t need to pay for. Except the person we had to deal with at the time was behaving in a very shady manner. If you don’t know, its here.

Well, its now being run by a far more competent person. They offered us the cows, we took them!

The deal is, they supply us 85 cows, we supply them 85 Wagyu X calves weighing 110kg’s.

Wagyu calves are notoriously hard to keep alive. I have had a few (OK, a lot of!) people be very negative about the whole thing.

You know they were born to die?

Have you ever reared a Wagyu before?

But we have done our homework, don’t worry!!!

And we have surrounded ourselves with positive people willing to help.

I realised a long time ago that if you listen with an open mind to those who know what you don’t, the information will flow.

And it has!

So, what brought this on?

Dean, hubby’s first born, decided he wanted to come back to the family farm. It’s something I’m not 100% sold on. I feel, at 19, he needs to be out exploring the world and how he fits into it. But, it is what it is!

And he – rightly so I guess – wants to be payed…
And to be able to pay him, we need to grow our herd.

To have him home, though, means another set of hands. We have another man who turns up most days and helps because we have taken some of his cows in.

So all the stars were aligning big time!

We had hands, ability and the offer to get big without too many overheads!

We didn’t have rain or feed though. It has rained since and we are hoping the grass grows quickly.

We anguished over this decision more than we have for any other decision. This is a huge commitment. Huge!

The cows arrived 2 weeks ago. So far, we’ve handled it!

Oh, 22 Wagyu X calves turned up with the cows! Ages vary from 6 weeks old right down to 2 newborns. So I was thrown right in the deep end!

So far, so good!!!

One of the reasons I started this blog was because there is no information readily available about rearing Wagyu calves in Australia. So I thought I would put the information out as I discovered it!

And I think this would be the perfect opportunity to show the negative Nancies that it can be done, you just need to follow the rules! In the mean time, I’ll use their negativity to fuel my fire.

Maybe time will show I am cocky and arrogant. Maybe we will be game changers in the industry! Who knows.

One thing I do know is this….

You won’t know if you don’t have a go!

So, I will endeavour to keep those of you that are interested up to date with the goings on with these calves!

And, as happens, lots of other great things have started to fall into place on other fronts as well! But that’s for another day…

Exciting times ahead for us!

By the way, I have deliberately not mentioned names or companies. I am still trying to get in contact with people to get permission and set boundaries.