It's been a while since we've posted on the blog! Life has been busy, and Fresh Cuts is usually the first thing that get's postponed. This post is a brief rundown of what we've been up to on the farm for the last couple of months and what's going on over winter.
The dairy season concluded for the year in the middle of June - the girls went from first time mothers and milkers, who were wary of even getting on the platform the first time, to gaily trotting up the ramp to get stuck into some breakfast. Iain also survived - although he is glad that he can have a little lie in in the mornings when it's bitterly cold outside!
Hamish shows Amelia how its done.
Speaking of cold, the girls are having a lovely time sleeping inside the shed at night. The composting hay floor is working really well, providing insulation from the ground and some extra heat from the composting process. They seem to enjoy it so much that sometimes they lay about sun-baking themselves in the morning sun, and refuse to forage for the green stuff. Too comfortable, I think!
The 18th of June saw the Small Farms Big Ideas Tasman Peninsula workshop at the Copping Hall. I was invited to speak at this workshop, followed by a tour of Leap Farm. I'm working on a summary of the day which I will post soon.
We've already had some new additions to the farm - a couple of months earlier than anticipated (care of some visiting bulls 9 months ago!). We have had 3 calves born, and all 3 are doing well - the mums are happy and there's plenty of tucker on the ground and shelter available for the bad weather days. Such cuties! I am looking forward to seeing the calves sired by our new bull, Hector.
One of our new calves for the season.
Speaking of calves - little Buttercup, our poddy calf from last spring, has finally left the company of the micros (the baby doe kids born in spring) to join the cow herd. We suspect she thought she was a goat - she certainly still likes to hang out with her friends, although they're on the other side of the fence. She is also hanging out with some of her half-siblings now, which is lovely to see.
Buttercup and the doelings enjoy some extra tucker.
It's our quiet time on the farm, when all the animals are gestating and the grass isn't growing too much. It gives us a chance to recuperate, and to get some of those outstanding jobs done: like fencing. We have so much fencing to get done before the spring is here again, and the babies are arriving and the girls need to be milked... and then it'll be winter again before we know it!
The goat burger at Criterion St Cafe. Highly recommended!
A few local restaurants have been stocking our goat meat: try Criterion St Cafe's goat burgers, Andy the chef has done a great job on them. Also, Smolt and the Italian Pantry do very wonderful things with out meat from time to time.
So for now, we're staying warm care of the wood-fired stove, enjoying hearty, slow-cooked beef and goat meals and having great fun watching Hamish practice his walking. Finally, a big thank you to our customers who have been giving our aged beef and goat meat great reviews. We're very happy and proud that our product is making you smile, knowing that tasty food can be ethically and sustainably produced, locally. And thanks to our customers, we've managed to donate another $200 to the Dogs' Home of Tasmania so far this year (from the gold-coins that pay for the dog bones at the market).