At last - a bit of rain but we still needs hay and licks

MANY claim this is the father of all droughts, definitely close to it.

Oats crop at Greymare in 2017 but it is a lot drier this year. Picture: Gerard Walsh

DRY AS A BONE column in Bush Telegraph by Gerard Walsh - A lighter look at rural life

GREAT to see some rain across the Southern Downs and Granite Belt at the weekend.

I heard of recordings between 12mm and 36mm which basically range from just enough to keep the soil wet for three or four days or enough to plant a winter crop.

I doubt the rain was heavy enough to add much water to dams, but at least we have had a couple of rainy changes in a fortnight.

Many people are calling it the worst since 1965 or the worst on record.

I have been watching and reading a lot more about the weather and commodity prices since I have had a broken ankle.

Terrible time from a farming point of view but many people are helpful to those who need a bit of help.

The broken ankle made the decision to sell another 20 cattle easier.

Now we are back to 60 cattle at a rate of one per 10 hectares or 25 acres on our land at Greymare.

After the beef slump of the 1970s, we bought up to 100 cattle, including weaner steers for $12 and ended up with a stocking rate of one beast per two hectares or five acres.

Some of the cattle were weaners but still the stocking rate was much more than we have achieved in more recent years.

I always say it is easier for us to make decisions on the farm when I have my paid day job at the Daily News.

But the reality is whether you have supplementary income or not, you need to look at the dollars and cents of all decisions.

We are battening down for the rest of the drought with round bales of corn stubble, a molasses-based lice and a loose lick.

While the cost of using two licks is obviously dearer than one, I am convinced the mixture works well on our cattle and is worth it.

Loose lick can get a bit damp during rain but the water doesn't damage molasses-based licks.

Disability aware

THE one thing I have learnt hopping around on a walking frame is just how tough it is with a disability.

Getting around on one leg is hard work as is not being able to do what I want to do.

You never really know what it would be like with a disability without walking/hopping in those shoes.

I am a supporter of the National Disability Insurance Scheme which most parties support, even more so after hopping like a roo in the past month.

Unfortunately, I am not fit enough to hop into the hay yard like the roos.

Originally published as At last - a bit of rain but we still needs hay and licks