18. Miscellaneous Snippets II

Well the farm is currently at a vital part of the season, where calving has ended and breeding is just about to begin. I say calving has ended, actually there is one very stubborn heifer left to calve. She should have done so about three weeks ago and has been milked for the past week. I had hoped to have a picture to put up here of me with the last calf of the season, but she is really hanging on to it.

Referred to as 'The Yellow Heifer', because she had yellow tape on her tail for a while, here she is looking as ugly as ever.

I am sure that she was AI'd because I don't think that would attract any bull.

Another cow, 'Ginger' has recently undergone important surgery. She had been looking a bit sick and was losing a fair amount of condition. The vet came to fix what was a suspected displaced abomasum, but turned out to be a large amount of lesions in the stomach. Possibly originating from when the dry cows were fed on fodder beet during the winter.

She has a matching hole in the other side of her abdomen. I think at one point mid-surgery you could see right through her (I was milking at the time so I missed out). She seems to be getting on the mend now, but she is producing no milk and if she recovers enough in the next few months, will end up nice and fat, and probably eventually in a Big Mac. Unfortunately there is no space for non-milking cows on the farm.

In other news, we are still short of grass. The ground temperature is still too cool to prevent any decent growth. We are having to graze paddocks that would not normally be grazed, at least not as much as they are doing now.

And we are still feeding out a fair bit of silage to make up for the lack of grass on the ground. The herd is getting a supplementary six bales per day (at approx 300 kg dry matter each) to try and keep milk production up. We are currently sending away around 13,000 litres, at just over 8% milk solids, every day.

 It is raining just frequently enough to delay the start of irrigation. Even after four or five days of no rain and a strong wind the ground is still pretty damp a couple of inches below the surface, as demonstrated by my boss who partook in a bit of 'accidental turf removal'.

The All-blackbird has been sitting in her fireproof nest for the past week or so.

Unfortunately the nest wasn't wind proof and there is now twigs and dry grass all over the car port. I think she might have abandoned the nest before it got hurricaned though, probably due to the noise of the bikes three or four times a day.

In other news, there is a war of the mugs going on in the kitchen. Upon my arrival in the house, you may remember I was not satisfied with the kitchen utensils. This included the mugs, they were far to small so I bought a bigger mug.

A few weeks ago Daniel came back with this mug, boasting of how much more tea he could fit in it.

Now, I am not an overly competitive person but I seriously upped my game today and bought this. I think it is safe to say that I will be winning for a while now!

Finally I will have a new colleague in the next few days, James who is from Northern Ireland. He is working for three months to cover some busy periods over the summer and Christmas. Being highly educated farmers up to date on current affairs, myself and Daniel have been joking about which flag he is going to sit under.

We love a bit of political jokery! 

That is all for today, the next blog post is likely to be about breeding (nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean..) and more specifically, artificial insemination (of the cows obviously).

As it is my day off, and I am in a country with some of the most amazing scenery in the world, I am now going to lie on the sofa and watch Top Gun. Don't worry, I have not got bored with NZ, this is merely a successful money saving scheme.

Catch you later.

17. Jurassic Park / Stewie Island

I have just arrived home after driving 336 km from Invercargill, having spent the weekend on Stewart Island.
Stewart Island, or 'Stewie' as the locals call it, is right at the bottom of New Zealand and at a latitude of 47° is really very South - next stop Antarctica.

My original plan was to drive down to Dunedin after work on Friday night and drive from Dunedin to Invercargill on Saturday morning. However after work I sat down on the sofa and didn't get off it for quite a long time. Which meant an early start on Saturday morning to catch my lunchtime plane from Invercargill airport.

The very small airport was very different from the big international ones I am more used to. The airport security consisted of a glass case filled with things that are not allowed to be taken on board the plane. For instance aerosols, large liquid containers, and also a hand grenade!



I don't know why they thought they needed to inform the public that a hand grenade was not suitable to be included in their luggage. I would have though it was obvious, along with other munitions, assault rifles, machine guns, etc!

Anyway the plane was definitely the smallest I have ever been on, quite a way off the A380 I flew here on.

There were only three passengers on board, myself and a retired Scots ex-pat couple who sat right at the back. I was right at the front next to the pilot, with my own yoke (steering wheel), and full access to the controls.

Taking the plane was definitely the right option, rather than the ferry. I would have missed out on some serious views of Stewart Island as we took the 'scenic route' onto the island.

First, a few interesting facts about the island that I learnt from either the pilot or from a brochure!
- Stewie has a population of just 400 people, pretty much all of them living in the village of Oban.
- The island is the same size as Singapore, which has a population of over 5.1 million.
- The vast majority of Stewart Island is covered in 'native bush'. (Native bush refers to the naturally occurring ferny, mossy, jungley forest that grows there).
- Stewart Island is home to a number of rare birds of high ecological and cultural importance such as the Kiwi, Weka and Kākā.
- A huge proportion (I think 85%) of the Island is included in the Rakiura National Park.

Now you have a similar knowledge of Stewart Island as I had, not really sure what to expect as we descended onto the airstrip in the middle of the forest. My first thought and also many more thoughts throughout the weekend, was how much it reminded me of Jurassic Park. I am about 90% sure we flew past a pterodactyl. These pictures I took from the air don't really do justice to my experience but hopefully give you some idea of the outstanding views.

Once landed and with my bags dumped in the hostel I thought I should get out into the great outdoors and have a wander around. The fishing village of Oban is pretty small, with a shop, a pub/hotel a few hostels/guest houses and lots of huts, some of which could well have been people's houses. There is also a primary school where I was very impressed to see that they looked to be rearing a couple of lambs.

I wish they had that sort of education in schools back in the UK, I think it is vitally important that children know where their food has come from.

To best explain where abouts on Stewart Island I went I think a few maps (borrowed from the internet) will help.

Here is Stewie:

And zoomed in on Oban and the populated area of the island:

The second map shows the extent of infrastructure on the island with all the roads in one very small corner. Point number 6. marks the airstrip.

This is the view of Oban and Halfmoon Bay:

Stewart Island is renowned for being a great place for 'tramping' or what I would call hiking. It is definitely not rambling. People regularly take trips tabbing between remote huts for days (sometimes weeks) on end. I didn't really have the time/energy/big enough rucksack to hold enough food to do that. So I went for a stroll to Watercress Bay (5) and back along the water to Deep Bay and then to Wohlers Monument (4), and then back into Oban and to the pub. It wasn't very far but there is a lot of climbing up steps in the forest.

The pub, the South Sea Hotel, was a typically lively place, full of fishermen in white wellies and assorted bearded sea-dogs. After watching a bit of second tier rugby on the TV and destroying a supper of blue cod and chips. The locals became inquisitive and were a bit suspicious upon learning I was a 'Pommie tit-puller' (translation: British person who milks cows). I think I made a good impression though because they said I should come back for the quiz night the following night.

The next morning I awoke bright and early to stock up on supplies (edible ones) and to hire a mountain bike. My plan for the day was to see as much of the island as possible without pushing myself to hard, it was after all my time off work and my job involves more than enough cardio.

I set off in the traditional cycling gear of three layers and wellington boots, with a rucksack full of sandwiches and muesli bars and headed North. The weather looked good as I set off, but the wind blows so hard that it can change in a matter of minutes from glorious sunshine to the foulest of rainstorms. I set off around the top of Halfmoon Bay, around Horseshoe Bay and on up to Lee Bay where I ran out of road. It took me all morning, not at all due to my screaming calves and aching thighs, but because I stopped a lot to take photos of trees and beaches, and would wander off to have a look if somewhere looked interesting. I was expressly told not to cycle on the footpaths that go into Rakiura National Park, so I was good and threw the bike behind some bushes whenever I fancied a bit of an off-road walk. From Lee Bay I walked to Little River (1), and would have gone further to Maori Beach but the weather took a turn for the worse and looked like it would shortly get very damp.

Here is a selection of the 200+ photos of native bush, ocean and beaches that I took. The family will be getting the full treatment when I return home!
 

 /\ Looking pretty Jurassic Parky

/\ Little River

The rain in the end lasted all of about 10 minutes so I continued my exploration and headed due West to Fern Gully (2). The Jungle got pretty dense and it felt like there was no-one for miles around, there could well have been a few dinosaurs though.

(Because of the T-Rex)

By then I had finished all of my food, so I headed back to Oban, and dropped the empty bag off at the Hostel. I still had a couple of hours to kill before the bike was due back so I though I would head East, along the South edge of Halfmoon Bay to Ackers Point (3). The wind was getting pretty strong and nearly blew me over the edge of a cliff a couple of times. I walked a fair distance just to be on the safe side (nothing to do with my legs about to fall off and the steepness of the hills). 

I had some good views back towards Oban, 

and then a cloudy haze came down, effectively ending the days scenery photographing.

One of the major reasons for my going to Stewart Island was to check out the local birds (ornithologically speaking), and to see a wild Kiwi. I am gutted to report that I didn't see one, but here is the obligatory signpost:

I did however see a Weka with its chick.

I also saw the more common New Zealand Pigeon:

and a lot of Tui,

I did also see a Kākā, a native parrot, but I was too slow with the camera.

In other zoological news I found a huge stick insect on my coat, it must have been at least 3 inches in length. 

The final night I was on the island, was pub quiz night at South Sea Hotel. If you are ever on Stewart Island on a Sunday night, make sure you get yourself to the pub, it is a good laugh. The quiz-mistress was, to put it tactfully/diplomatically/politely a 'local character'. I was signed up to a team needing another member (and quite frankly they really needed me!) We came a respectable 4th out of about 8 or 9 teams, and without blowing my own trumpet too much, correctly identifying Mark Hamill and Mark Knopfler in the 'Identify the famous Mark' round proved crucial. I was also on form with the anagrams, comment below with the answer for this one: NICE RANK WIDOW (clue: singer).

I woke up earlyish the following day to catch my plane back to the mainland. This time all six seats were full with a locals and a dog. We flew through a rainstorm and the plane got chucked around like a kite. It was pretty exciting and definitely got the adrenaline pumping! 

My drive back home from Invercargill was going to be via the 'scenic route' through Catlins Forest Park on the South East corner of the South Island. The amount of rain pouring down caused a plan revision and I headed off home the direct way. I spent most of the next four hours switching between fast and very fast on the windscreen wiper control. 

And that was my trip to Stewart Island!

At the time of writing we have one cow left to calve, the next blog post will be an update whats happening on the farm. All is left for me to do is to wish my little sister Charlotte, a very happy birthday.

Keep reading and the posts will keep coming.

16. Speight's drinking & Sharemilking

This mornings milking with a hangover was not pleasant. I have never wanted to be anywhere more than I wanted to be back in bed. Every splash of  fluids commonly found underneath a cows back end were made worse by the parching thirst, dangerous beginnings of a headache and the need for sleep. I twice tried to drink out of the power hose that hangs in the shed and can spray water about 50 yards. It resulted in a tiny bit of a drink and very wet face, which actually helped to keep me awake.

The reason for my irresponsible actions was a party at the office last night. It was one of the other Sharemilkers' 30th birthday, and many a bottle of Speight's was consumed.

 The Speight's Logo

How I saw the Speight's Logo

I should explain about the concept of sharemilking, which is a huge part of the NZ dairy industry and is not really found in the UK.

Sharemilking is basically a set up (under contract) between the landowner and the dairy farmer where the profits from the milk cheque are divided between the two parties. There are two types of sharemilking, '50/50' and 'lower order'.

50/50 sharemilking is when a dairy farm including the milking shed, barns etc is farmed by the sharemilker with his own herd. This means that he does not need to own land to milk his own cows. The milk cheque is split 50/50, as are the costs. This is different from renting in the way that the landowner still has a major input into the farm, particularly the infrastructure.

Lower order sharemilking is different because the cows are also owned by the landowner. The sharemilker receives a lower proportion of the milk cheque, as they have less invested into the business. A typical percentage might be 22%. Other differences from 50/50 are that the sharemilker only pays variable costs such as utilities. There is a difference to managing someone else's dairy farm because the pay comes as a percentage of the milk cheque and is therefore performance related. It is also common for sharemilkers to gradually buy the herd and progress to 50/50 or eventually 'normal' dairy farming.

The farm I work on, one of three in the vicinity, is lower order. David and Jocelyn, the sharemilkers, employ Daniel and myself and milk cows owned by the landowner, Grant Ludemann, whose offices were where the party was. David and Jocelyn own machinery such as the tractor and all the bikes. They also own a few of the heifers (I think 30 odd), which they lease back to Grant, to make matters even more confusing.

Anyway the party was good fun, except the part about knowing my alarm in the morning was set for 4:10. I felt I had some use translating Daniel's Irish accent into normal English so the kiwis could understand. There was a BBQ going too, which is always good, especially when there are venison steaks on it.

In other news, I have splashed out and bought a load of gear for a spot of fly fishing. The season starts in November and I can't wait. Hopefully fresh trout for tea will become a regular occurrence. (Stuffed with spinach and mushroom, and served with fresh tomato salsa - my signature dish).

After some much needed advice from the bloke in the shop and the emptying of the wallet, I should be catching something.

I am also planning a big trip for my next three-day weekend off, to Stewart Island, an island an hours ferry ride off the South coast. The main aim is to get as far South as possible (latitude 47°), and also to spot an actual wild Kiwi. I will be sure to pack the binoculars and there should be a fair few photographs for the next blog post.

Until then, then.