Rachel's Farm

On farm updates.
Woohoo, spring is here. We’ve already had temps of 28,29 degrees. All the sweetest smelling things are blossoming and green shoots trying to come through the paddocks. Thank god for that rain a month ago. None since but it was enough to get things cranking. I’ve developed my own fail safe method of allowing the new grass to come through without being chocked out by the thick hatch of winters lignified grasses but also holding on to it incase there’s no more rain coming and cattle will be forced to eat it to stay alive and that hack is….stripey pastures. I slash across the contours leaving one contour slashed the other long. It also saves on fuel and time and slashed across the hills helps slow down the water flow if I’m lucky enough to get rain. It also looks cool although my son calls them my scribbles.
I’m still feeding out protein and minerals 150 grams per cow per day. Don’t ask me how it gets shared around but it seems to work. If my cows have no ribs showing after a winter season that is an achievement. I was shocked at the sale yards yesterday how poor the condition of many of the cattle were. And if they looked bad their pastures would be bare bones. Still the prices for cattle were uncommonly good. I sold my steers but kept the heifers for replacing the breeding herd, and sending to Farm Thru when they get to 20/24 months old. This time next year.
Other news is I started selling Rachel’s farm boxes locally. Just one cow presently but the response was surprisingly good. Thank you all those who stepped forward to support your very local supply chain. It’s such a no brainer to supply and eat from your local area. Our pastures are full of cows but rarely do we have an opportunity to sell to or eat our local produce. Who knows where the supermarket produce hails from. Not that it’s necessarily poor quality but just think of the miles notched up. Probably on some crazy supply chain from Victoria or Queensland. We need a lot of disrupters like myself to challenge this corporate system. Buying locally(and Sydney is comparatively local) is one way of voting for a different food system.
Many thanks to those of you buying Rachel’s Farm produce. We will be adding Biltong soon and we will be offering more bespoke boxes. All premium cut boxes, all secondary cuts and a mix of meats from other Farm Thru suppliers. We’ve had some lovely feedback. Thanks it means a lot. We work passionately with our land and livestock to keep it biodiverse and healthy. Luckily I love moving my herd and keeping them as fattyboombahs so I won’t say it’s hard work but it’s consistent. My farm hand has sprained his ankle so it’s been all on me for the last weeks. Over and out from the mid north coast.

The threat of El Niño breathing down our necks is enough to make most farmers from the mid north coast reduce their herds before they run out of grass. I have not done so which is making me nervous but despite hubby pushing to increase herd numbers during verdant months, I have not done so either. My aim is to find the right balance between under stocking in summer so I can take a reasonable risk in winter. None the less I’ve ensured back up fodder.

Four paddocks planted with frost friendly cover crops to keep fattening my paddock to platter herd and a protein mix in the cattle canteen to supplement a lot of lignified grass in the pastures for the 90 or so breeding herd. So good so far but there’s still 6 weeks of winter to go and no certainty that Spring rains will turn up. That would mean selling off a large chunk of the breeding herd and most of the weaners which are held and grown out for another year to fill the necessary 2027/8 Farm Thru supply.

I’ve never seen the appeal of gambling but looks like it’s a major component of the farmers lot. Every one of course has an opinion which way the weather is going to go and it’s scary when most are cashing in their chips while the markets are high. Still many farmers are looking for more consistent returns than a fluctuating market and often meagre returns. Cutting out the middle men of a long supply chain and selling direct is a way that a number of regen family farms like mine are choosing to go and I’m supplicating with gratitude to those that contributed to our Farm Thru crowd funder.  And to Mathieu and Sean, the two founders of Farm thru who, so passionate about the provenance of food, have poured heart and soul into getting this venture off the ground. It really is thrilling to imagine we can grow a business that connects values of both city and country.

In other news I have a new part time farm hand. For those taking on farming in later years to find the right fit for you is essential and I think after I few misfires, I’ve found him. His name is Haymon. Also found a new butcher, Matt in a small town called Gladstone. I’ve never met a disagreeable butcher but it’s hard to find one that has enough space to hang meat for two weeks. Essential for muscles to relax and the meat to tenderise.

In other news a tree fell on my perimeter fence and, despite writing in my todo list, I forgot all about it and several cows escaped and hid out in the forest for a week before returning. I was especially happy to get 232 back. She’s my very affectionate red matriarch.

Joe, my son, works with Pauly, a very experienced timber cutter and fence builder. They cut timber from the forest, spilt the posts, and are rebuilding many of the farms fences and using a mobile saw mill, about to take on a new barn. Can’t believe my good fortune to have my son living down the road. He’s a refugee from the noise and technology overloads of city life. Hangs with his goats, his cat and six geese while raising grass fed meat chickens which he would be supplying to Farm Thru if all our small local abattoirs hadn’t closed as is the case all over Australia. That’s another urgent farming story to share another time.\

• Rachel