The definition of ‘irony’:

Reading an article entitled “April weather among sunniest on record”, while violent rain pummels the window.

The window can take it, but can the ground?

Currently I find myself checking a weather app more frequently than Twitter, which really says something. At Grange, our trial animals are running in intensive paddock-grazing systems. Likewise, the yearling heifers at home graze in a strict rotation. Ten days ago, hitting residuals of 4.5 cm was the goal.

Now, a green residual will do.

Grassland management takes on a new definition during periods like this. Accurate forecasts have allowed us to stay a step ahead.

But, there are only so many big paddocks, so many paddocks atop hills, and so many wet corners that one can reel off. With a couple more weeks of the same forecasted in these parts, keeping pastures clean may become a challenge.

Running with the heifers were a pair of empties that, for whatever reason, didn’t hold last year. We decided to give them one chance early on in the breeding season. Both carry strong maternal genetics, were bred on-farm and currently meet rating requirements for the beef genomic scheme. Another chance was a no-brainer.

Should they have repeated, a finish later in the season via supplementation at grass would’ve been on the cards. But, last week my brother remarked that one looked to be springing up. She was housed and calved on her own within a few days; a heifer by STQ (BB).

Upon investigation, her repeat service was simply never entered into our farm-record software, which subsequently rendered her an ‘empty’ on our due list.

Be it a smartphone weather app or record keeping software; technology is only as useful as the person pressing the buttons.