The Boundary Rider's Report February 2020 Blog
Sam & Kirsty White • February 17, 2020
Welcome to the February 2020 Boundary Rider's Report!
We have an elevation of between 1280 and 1420m above sea level.
Area: approx 2000 ha over 4 properties .
Enterprises: Angus stud, commercial Angus herd, crossbred and merino sheep.
What's on our plate:
We have enjoyed a cracking start to 2020. It all started on Christmas Day with the best gift of all 25mm of rain.
Progress against goals:
Activities over the next month:
Bald Blair in the media - in case you missed it:
The AM story that ran on radio across Australia 12 Feb 2020: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/adelaide/programs/am/farmers-relieved-as-drought-ravaged-areas-receive-heavy-rain/11956514
Bald Blair Angus Survey
We would really appreciate 5 minutes of your time to complete the following survey to assist us with our marketing strategy.
All entries will go into the hat for a chance to win a Bald Blair Angus enamel cup, hand towel and copy of the latest RMWilliams Outback magazine.
Snapshot:
Bald Blair Angus is located East of Guyra on the Northern Tablelands of NSW.We have an elevation of between 1280 and 1420m above sea level.
Area: approx 2000 ha over 4 properties .
Enterprises: Angus stud, commercial Angus herd, crossbred and merino sheep.
Seasonal Challenges:
Rainfall: Our average rainfall is between 800-1000mmJanuary through to mid February rainfall has been 300mm - woo hoo!
The relief is immense, we acknowledge that this rain has not been everywhere, and some are still in drought.
We have enjoyed a cracking start to 2020. It all started on Christmas Day with the best gift of all 25mm of rain.
Many dams are full and overflowing which has taken considerable pressure off our bores. Creeks are flowing and the water crisis we were experiencing has now ended.
The paddocks are green and full of summer annuals and weeds. We are looking forward to the perennial pastures returning. We thought most perennials would have died through the drought, however they are there and are starting to stick their heads up, albeit in slightly less density. Our sacrifice areas, and confinement zones will need renovation. With lower stock numbers our country is getting that much needed rest. It will take a few years for our pastures to fully recover from the 2019 drought.
Back in October we hosted Mandy McKeesick a writer with the RMWilliams Outback Magazine and the story is in the current issues. We really appreciate the opportunity to share our story and hope you enjoy the read if you get a chance to check it out.
We planted forage sorghum, millet and rye grass prior to the rain and these crops and pastures are progressing well, although there has been some water damage in some paddocks, they are growing well. We still have more to plant, with our primary goal being to generate winter feed.
All stud and commercial calves have been early weaned by the middle of January and the cows are recovering well now they are not supporting their calves. The calves were kept in small groups of big, middle and small in the yards for a week with water and hay available. They were fed in a separate yard morning and night on a mixed ration of straw, barley, canola meal and beef extender. The calves were processed at the end of the week with Flukazole C, Cydectin LA, Selovin, Bovi Shield, Ultravac 7in 1 to give them the best chance of growing out as possible. The calves were worked with dogs and handled every day. There were no issues getting them onto feed bunkers as they were well and truly introduced to these out in the paddock with the cows.
We have moved the commercial heifer calves to our Gatwood block and steers to our Kolora block onto some pasture. The weaner stud bulls and stud heifers remain at Bald Blair and are still being fed daily. Their first weight since weaning shows a great daily gain of over 1.5 kg/hd/day, all going well.
The process of recovery is at hand, preg testing first up to see what will remain in our herd. It will take a few years to recover our herd numbers, but the process is underway.
All lambs were weaned in early January and have been shorn. They are being finished on our Kolora block. The remaining 400 ewes have been crutched and drenched and are back out in the paddock. It will take time to rebuild our sheep flock, which we will do as the numbers still look good.
Weeds, weeds and weeds. Now we have reduced our feeding regime we have time to deal with the knodding thistle, blackberry and a few others.
Preg testing stud cows this week with the Guyra District Vet. The vet will use a probe to age the calf and we will be able to determine how successful our AI program was. Dan and I will preg test the commercial cows. It will be very interesting to see the results as the cows have done it tough.
The bull sale team will be assessed again shortly and split into small groups for rotational grazing on our recovering pastures.
Angus Society board meetings start again shortly and Sam will be busy with them.
Kirsty has applied for THE Rural Woman seed scheme Guyra program and will continue with her professional development with this group online.
The AM story that ran on radio across Australia 12 Feb 2020: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/adelaide/programs/am/farmers-relieved-as-drought-ravaged-areas-receive-heavy-rain/11956514
The online story 12 Feb 2020: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-12/when-will-the-drought-end/11937468
RM Williams Outback Magazine Feb/March issue https://www.outbackmag.com.au/bald-ambition/
Bald Blair Angus Survey
We would really appreciate 5 minutes of your time to complete the following survey to assist us with our marketing strategy.
All entries will go into the hat for a chance to win a Bald Blair Angus enamel cup, hand towel and copy of the latest RMWilliams Outback magazine.
Submit your survey entries by Sunday 23 February 2020 for the prize drawn on Monday 24th February.
Thank you in advance!
Please click on this link to complete the survey:Please feel free to contact us anytime if you would like to discuss any aspects of our blog or your breeding program.
We can be reached on Sam White 0438 792 140 or Kirsty White 0427 722 908.
🚨 February Boundary Rider’s Report is live! 🚨 Catch up on everything happening at Bald Blair:
👋 Team news: Farewell to Mick, welcome Sam Savage!
🐄 Sales: Female Sale (8th April) & Bull Sale (5th August).
🌧️ Rain: 100mm+ in Jan = great pasture growth!
🚜 Farm updates: Calving, lambs shorn, paddocks prepped.
📅 Events & workshops: Stockhandling, Carbon EDGE & more!
Boundary Rider's Report - January 2025 🐂🌾
🏖️ Holidays: NZ adventures, bush tennis, and family fun.
🌦️ Season: Dry pastures, storms (42mm at Gatwood), planning for La Niña.
📈 Market: Lambs, heifers, steers for sale; market trends awaited.
🐄 Cattlework: DNA testing, pregnancy testing, calving autumn heifers.
🌾 Pastures & 🌳 Trees: Hay cutting planned, seedlings thriving, more planting needed.
🚧 Fencing & Thistles: Tackling nodding thistles; fencing paused until April.
📅 Events: Bull Sale (Aug 5), Feeder Steer School (Feb 10-13), Angus Forum (May 7-8).
🎧📺📖: Podcasts, Eat. Race. Win., and holiday reads!
Stay connected! 📧
The Boundary Rider's Report December 2024
🌾 November Boundary Rider’s Report 🌾
Thanks for following along this month! We sold PTIC cows to new owners in Tamworth and steers to Rangers Valley. Rainfall topped up our water, boosting soil moisture and pasture growth. 🌧️
AI for the spring herd is complete, with our bulls now working in stud and commercial herds. Operation Thistle Blitz continues, tackling relentless weeds. 🌱
Upcoming Events: Mark your calendar for our Bull Sale on Aug 5, 2025! 🐂
For rainfall charts, email Kirsty at kirstywhite@baldblair.com.au.
The October 2024 Boundary Rider’s Report highlights recent rains replenishing soil moisture, upcoming sales of autumn-bred commercial Angus cows, spring cattle work, and successful progress with Operation Thistle Blitz. Pasture work continues, and updates include biosecurity planning, WHS improvements, and farm connectivity grants. Upcoming events include the 2025 World Angus Forum.
The Boundary Rider's Report September 2024
The Boundary Rider's Report August 2024
🌟 The Boundary Rider’s Short Report: July 2024 🌟 📅 Join Us for the Bull Sale on 6th August! Check Out New Podcast episodes & Bull Videos
🌟 The Boundary Rider’s Report: July 2024 🌟
Exciting times at Bald Blair with our Annual Bull Sale approaching! 🐂
📅 Event Details:
Bull Sale: Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 1 PM
Open Day: Sunday, August 4, 2024, from 10 AM to 2 PM
🗒️ Highlights:
Bulls of various ages on sale, including new bloodlines.
Online and physical catalogues available.
Moisture levels promising a massive spring.
Farm Safety Lunch in collaboration with Farmsafe Australia was a chilly yet successful event.
Upcoming Ebor Beef 2024 Forum: "The Future of Beef" on September 11, 2024.
World Angus Forum on May 7-8, 2025 - mark your calendars!
Beef Cattle Assessment Course: December 2-4, 2024.
🔗 Links:
Bull Sale Catalogue
Angus Australia
AuctionsPlus
Early Registration
Request a Catalogue
Farm Safety Info
World Angus Forum Info
📸 Big thanks to Struan and Monika Pearce for the amazing bull videos and photos! Check them out on our website.
#BaldBlair #BullSale2024 #FarmLife #AngusCattle #Agriculture #FarmSafety #BeefIndustry #EborBeef202
The Boundary Rider's Report June 2024
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