Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast

In this month's Farmcast, Belle Baker from Adelaide Hills Farm Services talks about the upcoming sheep or ram sales season and where you can get some more information. She also talks about what you can do to prevent blowfly strike in your sheep - and did you know it's fox mating season right now?

Pods chats to Richard Pascoe the Adelaide Tech Guy about the unlikely yet possible risk of your ag-tech equipment submitting to a harmful cyber attack and Belle talks with Jackson Adams, their senior workman about fence posts - the varieties on offer and the unfortunate truth when working with this natural product.

We hope you find this show helpful and welcome your comments below or email Belle or Pods at [email protected]

You can play the episode, below, or search for Adelaide Hills Farmcast in your favourite podcast app, on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

00:30 Adelaide Hills Farmcast September Edition

Introduction

01:51 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm Calendar

• September and October is the main selling season for sheep and rams in South Australia. Most larger sales also list on Auctions Plus so this is a good catch all to find all sales (for all sorts of livestock) near you.
• We live in hope that the weather will start to warm up however with that its time to start thinking about preventing blowfly strike in your sheep. According to a factsheet published by the Victorian Farmers Federation, flystrike occurs when the causative fly feeds off damaged skin caused by urine, diarrhoea or by the continual wetting of fleece resulting in a condition known as fleece rot. Flystrike isn't hard to prevent however it is horrid to treat - both for you and the sheep! Get in first, stay vigilant and shear, crutch, manage their worm burden regularly.

 Predators - Foxes

• Did you know that Landholders are responsible for the control of foxes on their properties under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019? And did you know that its Fox mating season right now?There are a number of legal ways you can manage foxes including shooting, cage trapping, coordinated baiting, soft jaw leg-hold trapping and den fumigation. This may not be as easy as it sounds so the best thing you can do is lock up your chooks and make sure of the integrity of their enclosures.Alpacas can be used to ward off potential predators of young lambs however there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, you must introduce the Alpaca to the flock before lambing so that they have an opportunity to bond and hence protect the herd. One Alpaca to around 20 sheep is fine. If you have too many Alpaca's in one paddock they will form their own herd and not be inclined to protect the sheep and lambs. Its also important to have an Alpaca with a good attitude - nothing too aggressive (definitely not a job for complete males) as you must be able to work with the sheep and Alpaca for the usual animal health jobs (drenching, shearing, feet trimming and teeth trimming for Alpacas).

 Weeds - Salvation Jane (Patterson's Curse)

• Salvation Jane emerges in Winter and dies down in Summer. Honey producers love it - all hail the power of the pollen - however your pastures will suffer under this prolific weed and it has the potential to be extremely toxic to horses.There are a number of control methods that can be used including slashing, spraying and probably the most effective is a spray/graze program. We talked a lot about Salvation Jane in a blog post we did in November 2022. You can read it again here.

 In Other News...

The Hills Small Acreage Field Days will be held at the Echunga Recreation Grounds on the 24th and 25th of September. You can find out more by going to their website. You might even see us there with our recording equipment...

07:16 Farmcast Interview: Pods Richard Pascoe talk about the security of your Ag-Tech products

There's been a fresh round of media coverage about a hacker getting into a John Deere tractor's computer and installing a game.

This raises the question of Ag Tech security.

The Adelaide Techguy, Richard Pascoe, has a chat with Pods about how to keep your farm-based technology safe.

18:15 Farmcast Interview: Belle Baker and Jackson Adams discuss posts used for rural fencing

Are all fence posts the same?

The answer is no.

As we discuss in this interview with one of the the Adelaide Hills Farm Services team, Jackson Adams, natural fence posts come with natural variations in size and width and manufacturers have a knack of burying a few brumbies in the middle of the strapped up bundles we buy.

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Adelaide Hills Farmcast August Edition, Belle Baker looks at farming jobs Adelaide Hills lifestyle farmers should be planning for in the coming months.

Also, remember that each episode has chapter markers, so when you're playing, you can skip to the next section easily.

00:30 Adelaide Hills Farmcast August Edition

Introduction

02:19 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm Calendar

Livestock

• Even shedding sheep can benefit from crutching. There are a number of shearing contractors in the Adelaide Hills. And I hear Jono's Sheep Shearing Services have recently upgraded their shearing trailer.He could be worth a call before everyone finds out!If you plan to keep sheep for the long term it may be worthwhile investing in a hand held shearing handpiece. You can buy them online or talk to your local reseller.
• Check out the Sa Junior Heifer Expo here. It's a fabulous annual event for 8-24 year old cattle enthusiasts.

Pastures

• The days are getting a little longer and the sun is shining a little more. Spraying Capeweed is back on the agenda.
• If you're planing on cutting hay this year its time to lock up your pastures. But if you'd rather spare yourself the expense of making meadow hay, the best way to find good quality hay for your stock is to contact your local reseller. They may have some in stock or will be able to give you the contact details of a commercial grower.

Irrigation

• It's always best to check and maintain your infrastructure before you need it. Your pumps have a lot of moving parts and if they break down in summer you could have difficulty getting a technician out to do repairs when you need them.If you've got an older system, you may consider upgrading to an irritation system that can be automated and monitored on your smart phone. We've recently done some work with Irrigation Pumps and More at Totness. Their knowledge and range of products is terrific - we'd definitely recommend you talk to them about your options.

10:04 Farmcast Interview: Kiera Campagnola and Sarah Truan talk with Belle Baker

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Adelaide Hills Farmcast July Edition, Belle Baker looks at farming jobs Adelaide Hills lifestyle farmers should be planning for in the coming months. We’ll cover weaning your lambs and calves and how to avoid grass Tetney. This episode was recorded with Alex Thomas from #plantaseedforsafety – a rural social change initiative that puts health, safety and wellbeing front of mind.

And Pods talks with Ashley Davidson from Woodshield Posts about the benefits of using this certified organic fencing solution.

We hope you find this show helpful and welcome your comments below or email Belle or Pods at [email protected].

Also, remember that each episode has chapter markers, so when you’re playing, you can skip to the next section easily.

00:30 Adelaide Hills Farmcast July Edition

Introduction

03:07 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm Calendar

Livestock

• The key factors in determining when to wean your lambs or calves is to ensure they are large enough and that you have immediate access to good quantities and quality feed. Growing stock will be on a rising plane of nutrition meaning they need an increasing amount of fodder to maintain their weight and to grow.
• Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) have published a handy guide – you can read it here. And if you want to read some research on how heifers and cows on a rising plane of nutrition positively impacts pregnancy rates, there is a good article here.
• Grass Tetany can be a real issue in high rainfall regions like the Adelaide Hills. In simple terms, it’s caused when magnesium levels get down to a critical level. It’s most common in lactating animals over 5/6 years old. There are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of Grass Tetany including offering hay, a salt lick and ensuring there is a steady source of feed. Elders Rural has a short, informative article here, and MLA provide more technical details here.

Pastures

• Post-emergent spraying continues
• Its time to consider whether you’re going to fertilise your pastures. If you are, please consider booking your contractor now.
• Winter is a good time to spread any old mouldy hay over bare patches in your paddocks. They should grow and fill in the patches.

Water

• Whilst your water sources throughout winter should be in good supply, continual run-off into dams can cause some contamination. It’s fairly easy to tell if you have a problem, your stock will be avoiding drinking it. If in doubt, we suggest you do a water quality test.

Productive Gardens

• Have you finished pruning your roses and fruit trees?
• I’ve had a wonderful package from Mr Fothergill’s so this month I’m planting Asparagus, and a thorn-free Blackberry, Red Current and Boysenberry Fruit Trees.

17:04 Farmcast Interview: Pods and Ashley Davidson talk about Woodshield Posts

27:06 Farmcast Co-host: Alex Thomas, Nairne

July’s Farmcast was recorded on our property on the outskirts of Littlehampton.

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In the Adelaide Hills Farmcast June Edition, Belle Baker looks at farming jobs Adelaide Hills lifestyle farmers should be planning for in the coming months. We'll cover topics such as calf marking and lamb marking, and what other animal husbandry tasks can be done whilst you've got them in the yards.

This episode was recorded near Woodside at the property of Jo and Sandy Gunter. Sandy talks to me about their recovery from the Cudlee Creek Bushfire and why she chose Polvin Fencing to replace the fencing around her day yards and horse arena.

And Pods and David Evans from Farmers Business Network talk about post-emergent spraying.

We hope you find this show helpful and welcome your comments below or email Belle or Pods at [email protected]

Also, remember that each episode has chapter markers, so when you're playing, you can skip to the next section easily.

00:30 Adelaide Hills Farmcast June Edition

Introduction

01:35 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm Calendar

Livestock

• Early June is a good time for calf or lamb marking. Of course this depends on when your calves or lambs were born. If you’re relatively inexperienced and only have to mark a handful of stock every year then the smaller the animal, the easier it’s going to be for you. Any time when the animal is over (approximately) 3 weeks is good. Any earlier and there is a risk of mis-mothering. I found a really informative and easy to read article on castrating beef cattle by the Kondinin Group, linked here: https://www.farmingahead.com.au/beef/news/1330648/when-to-castrate-beef-calves
• Because you’ll have all your cows and calves / sheep and lambs in the yards, marking is generally combined with:
  •  administering a B12 injection
  • 5 in 1 vaccination for your lambs
  • dehorning or debudding – only relevant for horned breeds, most breeds of cattle that we frequently see in the Adelaide Hills are polled breeds like Murray Gray, Angus and Belted Galloway
  • backline parasitic spray for control of internal and external parasites
  • Tagging for the National Livestock Identification System and any of your own property recording system
• So it becomes quite an efficient process – you can get quite a lot done once the mob is in the yards. Of course, working safely in your yards – for both you and your stock – is paramount. Lucky you listened to our March Farmcast and did some routine maintenance of your yards – remember me talking about Maintenance-March? It has quite a ring to it really!! If you’re not confident to mark your bull calves or ram lambs, it's not a bad idea to work in with a neighbour or engage a contractor. There are a few around the Adelaide Hills who can help – a call out on one of the local Chat groups through your socials should give you a list of who you can call.

Productive Gardens

• This month I’m planting Strawberries for the first time – ever! And its also a good time to plant Rhubarb and globe artichokes. Now I have to admit, I’m going to be planting my strawberries in hanging baskets. As you may have heard me mention before, we haven’t quite got our rabbit problem under control. Fortunately, rabbits can’t jump so I’m using height as my main defence. Now I was just going to plonk strawberry seedlings into a good potting mix, sprinkle around some water and wish them good luck, but then I thought I’d do a bit of research first. And I’m so glad I did! Growing strawberries is a lot trickier than I could ever have imagined. So if you’re like me and new to growing strawberries here are a few tips and facts that may help you.
• Strawberries need to be planted in a slightly acidic soil with a ph between 5.5 and 7. They need heaps of good compost, worm castings or poo manure (but whatever you do, don’t use mushroom compost or any chicken poo)
• If you’re planting strawberry runners rather than seedlings here’s where it gets technical. You’re supposed to dig out quite a large hole then mound some dirt in the middle. Remove any dead or old roots leaving nice bright white roots around the crown. Put the crown on the mound and arrange the roots down and around the crown. Then it’s time to backfill the hole and water it in. Now having done this research and going into a cold sweat I decided to delay my plans for planting strawberries. With fresh optimism the next day I realised that this is probably how commercial strawberries are planted. So I’m going to get really brave and start planting this weekend.
• Once the dirty work is done add a thick layer of mulch followed by a layer of fresh straw between the plants to prevent fungal disease and prevent weeds. And then it’s finally time to sprinkle around some water and wish them luck!

Pastures

• Our attention this month turns to post emergent spray programs. A post emergent spray program is simply a foliar application of herbicide after the target weeds have emerged from the soil.
• The timing, rate of chemical and chemical selection is all dependant upon so may factors including the weather or environmental conditions, species of crop, pasture to be sprayed, size of weeds present together with the species of weeds present. We’ve accumulated this agronomic knowledge over a lifetime of farming but if you’re unsure, please reach out to farming contractors like Adelaide Hills Farm Services or contact your local resellers.
• In this month’s interview with Pods, David Evans touches on the importance of undertaking a Chem Cert course. This short, one day course is now available online and it’s the ideal course for small acerage or lifestyle property owners wanting more information and that peace of mind that comes with knowing more about the chemicals you’re using on your property. I’ve included a link to the Chem Cert that we put our employees through in the show notes.

14:43 Farmcast Interview: Pods and David Evans discuss post emergent spraying

30:41 Farmcast Co-host: Sandy Gunter, Woodside

June's Farmcast was recorded near Woodside on a property owned by Jo and Sandy Gunter. Sandy talks with me about what they do on their property and what it's taken to recover from the Cudlee Creek bushfires.

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Adelaide Hills Farmcast April Edition, Belle Baker looks at farming jobs Adelaide Hills lifestyle farmers should be planning for in May. We'll cover topics such as getting a PIC number, the mating habits of Alpacas and when to look out for red-legged earth mites.

This episode was recorded on the outskirts of Littlehampton at The Littlewood Agapanthus Farm. My generous hosts Tracey and John Cook have been here 6 year and in her own words, Tracey tells me its been a steep learning curve!

And Pods and I have a chat about the availability of fencing products and what this means for you.

We hope you find this show helpful and welcome your comments below or email Belle or Pods at [email protected]

Also, remember that each episode has chapter markers, so when you're playing, you can skip to the next section easily.

00:30 Adelaide Hills Farmcast May Edition

Introduction

02:03 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm Calendar

Livestock

Did you know that if livestock is born, sold, sent to an abattoir or kept as pets your property must have a PIC (Property Identification Code) Number. The cost is nominal (currently $93/2 years) and the process is easily completed online via the PIRSA website. The reason I'm suggesting that you get on to this minor administrative job now is that I'm hearing that there is up to an 8-9 week wait for new PIC numbers! If you are keen to move some livestock off your property before it gets too wet or inaccessible it might be a good idea to start the process now!

Alpacas

I recently attended an 'Alpaca New Owners' information day held at Mount Pleasent. It was hosted by the Porter family of Yakka Ridge Alpaca fame and supported by the Australian Alpaca Association. I can honestly say that it was the most wonderfully practical and informative breed 'Open Day' that I have ever attended. I learnt some really interesting facts about Alpacas, their anatomy, management needs and their foibles! I was given a comprehensive handbook on 'Managing Alpacas in Australia' - an easy to read guide that reinforced everything I learned on the day. To their credit, The Australian Alpaca Association encourages all registered breeders to give a copy of this guide to new owners when they sell an Alpaca. This is a fabulous initiative that I would like to encourage other breed societies (cattle, sheep, goats, horses) to consider introducing. Particularly those that are popular among smaller lifestyle farmers.

If you own an Alpaca or three and you haven't given much thought to them aside from shearing them annually, here is a list of things to consider (and a few Alpaca facts that blew my mind!)

• Alpacas are members of the Camel or Camelids family. As such, they have toes, not hooves! Their toes need regular trimming at least 6 monthly – using a pair of garden shears works well.
• Alpaca teeth can need grinding down.
• May is the ideal time to administer their annual vaccine (if you didn’t do it at shearing time) and a drench.
• Alpacas are susceptible to a deficiency in Vitamin D
• If you have or want to get Alpacas to act as Guardians at lambing time, you must introduced them to the flock at least a month before lambing so that they bond with the flock.
• Female Alpaca’s have what’s called induced ovulation. They don’t ovulate regularly like other animals, they only ovulate when a male alpaca is introduced to the yard or paddock

Productive Gardens

• Now is the time to give your garden a bit of love. It’s the perfect time to add fertiliser to your soils and get your garden beds ready for planting again
• It could be a good time to try the lasagna method or Hugalkultur process for putting together your garden beds.
• Look out for snails - they love hiding under your Agapanthus!

Pastures

According to Michael Bowden at Hills Farm Supplies, May is the time to look out for emerging weeds such as capeweed, geranium, flat weed, barley grass and silver grases (to name a few)

• If you're not sure which weeds you have, snap a photo and take it into your local Agri reseller or send it through to us. We're always here to help!
• The window for spraying Blackberry is over for now. We won't be spraying any until November when they are back in their growing phase.

23:15 Farmcast Interview: Belle and Pods and scarcity of fence posts

29:14 Farmcast Co-host: Tracey Cook - Littlewood Agapanthus Farm

May's Farmcast was recorded at the Littlewood Agapanthus Farm with Tracey Cook. Tracey is a self-taught gardener and very happy to share her knowledge. It's a wonderfully animated discussion (Tracey also talks with her hands!) and whilst my personal nemesis is rabbits, Tracey is at war with European Wasps. Keep listening for Tracey's proven method of identifying and getting rid of these horrible insects.

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Adelaide Hills Farmcast April Edition, Belle Baker looks at farming jobs Adelaide Hills lifestyle farmers should be planning for in April. We'll cover everything from fecal egg counts in sheep,  drenching programs, and snails.

This episode was recorded at Mount Barker Springs at the home of Kate Phillips and James Trebilcock. They have goats, heritage breed chooks, sheep, horses and dogs the size of horses!

And Patrick (Pods) O'Driscoll has a chat with Rob Murphy from the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board about your options for rabbit control. The good news is; none of the methods work on the Easter Bunny!

We hope you find this show helpful and welcome your comments below or email Belle or Pods at [email protected]

Also, remember that each episode has chapter markers, so when you're playing, you can skip to the next section easily.

00:38 Adelaide Hills Farmcast March Edition

Introduction

01:30 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm CalendarSheep

• Make sure stock are getting enough feed – especially pregnant or lactating sheep (and cows)
• Conduct a worm (fecal) egg countZoetis has some easy to read information about the importance of drenching your sheep on their website. https://www.zoetis.com.au/livestock-solutions/sheep/effective-parasite-management/best-practice-drenching.aspx
• Stephen Love who is (or was) the NSW State Worm Control Coordinator has written a number of articles and contributed to a lot of informative newsletters. If you're interested in reading more technical information on parasites in sheep, this is a good article chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dpi.nsw.gov.au%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fpdf_file%2F0011%2F70499%2FRegistered-drenches-for-sheep-worms-Primefact-152.pdf or go to the NSW DPI website and search for a topic from there. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/sheep/health 

Fruit Trees and productive gardens

• First and foremost you need to be thinking about good hygiene and cleaning up under your fruit trees.
• Autumn is when you should be applying liquid fertilisers
• You might be starting to note a few snails around your property or hanging around the edges of your kitchen garden.One rather satisfying way to get rid of snails is to go looking for them and squash them on site! The best way to manage snails in large areas is to prevent them. Spray fence lines and any areas that accumulate weeds – in and around sheep and cattle yard is a classic! Or - The other option is to cultivate the ground. There are quite a few organic or natural methods you can try to manage snails and their ugly cousins, slugs including applying coffee grounds https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pest-animals/snail-and-slug-control

Pastures

• This is the time to be applying single fertilisers. Which fertiliser you’re applying will depend on the results of the soil test you did earlier this year…Most soils throughout the Adelaide Hills are low in Phosphorus so that is a good place to start. This is also the time of year to spread Lime and Gypsum.We have a few clients booked in to spread Lime in April. Lime increases the Ph of the soil. This will release or make the trace elements more accessible. On a smaller scale, Gypsum is very handy around the home garden.Please, please, book your contractors early - there is a shortage in the Adelaide Hills so this is not something you want to leave until the last minute!

Horses

This is covered by Kate in her interview, but the main points she covered were:

• There is an increase risk of Laminitis in horses and (fat) ponies. As such, Kate manages their food intake by supplementary feeding in stables and limiting their time on green pastures.
• Collecting horse dung and taking it to the vet for analysis of worm burden so that the right type and amount of drench can be administered. Kate keeps up a strict regime of drenching every 12 weeks.
• The horse rugs are retrieved and checked for holes, damage and cleanliness ready for regular use as the seasons get colder.
• Responsible horse ownership requires a constant program of care. Kate's horses see a dentist every 6 months, the farrier every 8 weeks and she maintains a good relationship with her Vet in case she needs to call them out of normal office hours.

12:10 Farmcast Interview: Rob Murphy

Pods caught up with Rob Murphy from the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board in Littlehampton recently. He wanted to discuss the options for the control of Rabbits and dispel some of the myths around the preference and safety of some of the methods. It turns out that the best solution is a combination of many!

23:26 Farmcast Co-host: Kate Phillips

April's Farmcast was recorded at the home of Kate Phillips and James Trebilcock on their property at Mount Barker Springs. Here Kate talks about her background in Agriculture, her time in Japan running a Trail Riding School and what she will be doing with her horses in April.

I brought along a few cheeses from Section 28 Cheesewrights in Woodside to share with Kate. Their flavours are strong and ideal to accompany a good red. Today we peared them with Oakbank Flavours Fruit Pastes. There are so many small or artisan providores in the Adelaide Hills. If you know of a delicious local food we need to try as we traipse our way around the Hills, please let me know.

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Adelaide Hills Farmcast March Edition, Belle Baker looks at farming jobs Adelaide Hills lifestyle farmers should be planning for during March and April. We’ll cover everything from yard maintenance before the winter rain sets in, lamb vaccinations, and even Bott Eggs to keep your horses in top condition.

We recorded this episode in the home of Catherine McLeod, who has a unique way of naming her paddocks.

And Patrick (Pods) O’Driscoll has a quick chat with Stud Stock auctioneer from Nutrien Ag, Gordon Wood, how to choose a bull to cover your cows or heifers

We hope you find this show helpful and welcome your comments below or email Belle or Pods at [email protected].

You can play the episode, below, or search for Adelaide Hills Farmcast in your favourite podcast app, on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

Also remember that each episode has chapter markers, so when you’re playing, you can skip to the next section easily.

00:30 Adelaide Hills Farmcast March Edition

Introduction

01:18 Adelaide Hills Farm Almanac / Farm Calendar

We have spent many years living and working on farms and together we have distilled some best practices, farm management schedules, and some handy tricks. We’ve captured these ideas into our own Adelaide Hills Farming Almanac, so that the experience of broad acre farming around South Australia can be adapted to the specific needs of the Adelaide Hills. And we’ve also modified our entries with the Lifestyle Farmer in mind.

Here are the notes about topics and tasks worth concentrating on over the next couple of months, which we’ve grouped together in different sections.

Cattle

With winter rains just a few months away, this early part of autumn is the perfect time to deal with cattleyard maintenance and truck access before things get muddy or overgrown.

This can be as simple as

• Checking your yards for protruding nails and rusting rails. The last thing you want is ripping skin and damaging carcases, potentially not allowing the stock to be transported to either market or abattoir. The term we use for this is ‘Dark Cutter’. If you’d like to look further into this the NSW Department of Primary Industries has some good information here.
• Give gate latches a clean-up, remove any built-up debris so that you get a good closure and give them some love with a spray of oil or lubricant like WD-40
• Spray weeds and whipper snipper around areas of the yards – particularly the areas that aren’t used frequently. – helps with drainage during the wet winter months.
• Truck access – Trucks must be able to pull into your cattle yards and be completely off the road. Good time to put rubble in pot holes and build up or repair truck turning circles

Pods and Catherine take one final look at the cattleyards before they get removed to make way for the new yards

SafeWork SA has a no-nonsense guide to livestock loading and transport safety – it’s well worth a quick read.

Sheep

• Pre lambing vaccination for April / May Drop
• Glanvac® 6 provides sheep and goats with protection against Cheesy Gland (CLA) and the five main clostridial diseases; black disease, black leg, malignant oedema, pulpy kidney, and tetanus. Vaccines can be purchased at rural resellers / retailers in the Adelaide Hills. A handy list is provided at the end of the show notes.
• Ideally 4 -6 weeks prior to Lambing
• Over handling heavy in Lamb Ewes increases the risk of stress to the animal and potentially causing a toxemia highly likely resulting in death.
• It’s worthwhile adding calcium and magnesium supplements for the ewes before they start lactating – suggest putting these out once you return them to their paddock after their vaccination.
• Working out gestation period – when your ewes are going to lamb: cousinsms.com.au have a great app on their website.

Shedding Sheep

• Dorpers, Wiltipoll and Australian White Sheep are the most common that we see in the Adelaide Hills
• Although they are all ‘self shedding’, they don’t always shed their entire fleece. We do see cases of fly strike or body strike in these sheep.
• Sam Kelly, an Agricultural Science student at Adelaide University has written a blog post for us – we’ll let you know when it’s live!
• Important that your shedding sheep get a complete shed – we suggest doing a clean up with shears or a hand piece.

Australian White Sheep are a relatively new breed of ‘shedding’ sheep.Pastures

Prior Planning Prevents Pathetic Pastures – or so the saying goes…

March is a good time to get soil tests done. This allows for decisions to be made with regards to the type of Fertiliser to be added to enhance productivity and the amount required, together with predicting and planning weed and disease management.  Planning is paramount to any decision making process and ultimately, the success.

Weed Management

Blackberry grows wild in the Adelaide Hills

Control of Blackberries and Gorse should be undertaken in the very late spring/summer and autumn period when these weeds are actively growing. Risks and factors to take into consideration include potential spray drift and off-target impacts, waterways and other environmental impacts.  It is best to speak to a local agronomist who will provide information for your particular situation and then to employ a fully qualified Pest and Disease and Weed Control Spray Contractor (like Pods!)

Horses

• Bots eggs come from bot flies, which lay their eggs on the legs, neck and shoulders of horses
• Horses lick the eggs and ingest them, which potentially causes issues in their mouth and stomach. Bot flies can cause stomach ulcers in horses which can be difficult and expensive to manage.
• Prevention is the key – use a bot knife or razor to remove them, making sure that the eggs are removed from the paddock and disposed of. This really needs to be done twice a day while when bot flies are present. Some people wipe the eggs with turps before scraping with the knife as this stops them from sticking to the horses’ hair. Keeping horses in cotton or mesh rugs prevents flies from laying eggs on the shoulders/ neck, but doesn’t help with the legs.
• Although bots and bot eggs aren’t worms, they can be managed with wormers containing ivermectin, abamectin or maxidectin. These should be given to horses that are suspected to have a bot egg burden internally.

More information can be found on the Pony Club Australia website

Alpacas

Nothing in this section this month.

Livestock (General)

Nothing in this section this month.

Fruit Trees

Nothing in this section this month.

Gardens (General)

Nothing in this section this month.

We recommend these Rural Resellers/Retailers in the Adelaide Hills:

Hills Farm Supplies, Mount Barker

DJ Growers, Woodside

Coopers Mylor

Coopers Mt Torrens / Mt Pleasent

14:51 Farmcast Interview

Pods was out at the Newlyn Park Angus Bull Sale recently and took stud stock auctioneer, Gordon Wood aside for a quick chat to get some tips for anybody running or considering buying in some cattle.

Gordon Wood, Nutrien Ag and Pods discuss bulls selection at a recent sale in the Adelaide Hills

Here are the main questions Pods asked:

1. What are the three main characteristics you should be looking for in your bulls?
2. Is there a difference in the type of bull you would use to cover your heifers versus your cows?
3. What is the ideal time to put your bull in with the heifers or cows?
4. What would you recommend to have in place on your property if you were to buy a bull?

Most on property stock sales are also featured through the online buying platform Auctions Plus. It’s worth keeping an eye out for what’s happening in and around the Adelaide Hills.

23:47 Farmcast Co-host: Catherine McLeod

Catherine McLeod catches up with Belle Baker on her property at Biggs Flat in the Adelaide Hills

I’ve known Catherine for a while now. Pods and I first met her and her partner Marc Appels when they were wanting to improve their fences so that they could run a small herd of cattle.

She was a great host today for the podcast, and I asked her a few questions to share more of her background.

We also shared some delicious strawberries from Green Valley Strawberries including their new, highly acclaimed freeze-dried strawberry chocolates!

Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.