The weather picture doesn’t look good for follow up events over the coming weeks so the pasture that has already germinated may not survive. 

At least the stock are enjoying the green pick in addition to their normal hay and grain ration.

It has been a particularly dry start to 2018, not just for Brimpaen but also for our property at Condah. Lambs down there are still grazing on strawberry clovers but we have just started feeding them some additional beans to help prime them for sale in the coming months.

We still have lambs on agistment north of Horsham and near Warracknabeal. They are primed for sale and will be sold this month when a marketing opportunity presents itself.

A decisive autumn break would be a turning point for both lamb and mutton markets, as the numbers of stock processed are well up for this time of year due to the dry conditions.

Fertiliser has recently been spread over all paddocks and the ewes have been scanned for pregnancy. As usual, the dry ewes were segregated and have continued to join until early April. They will be scanned again and the empty ewes sold.

The number of hectares to be cropped will again be low this year, with the strategy of just growing enough to replenish our own stock feed requirements. With the current low grain prices, there is little incentive to turn from mutton, lamb, and wool which are all enjoying buoyant times.   

Brimpaen families were well represented in tennis finals this year but only Ben and Alex tasted victory from my family. ‘A Special’ had a great year though and was only defeated by eight games, in what would have been a major upset. 

Busy times are ahead as we approach lambing in May, combined with supplementary feeding, lamb marketing, cropping and pasture sowing. Our family will also be involved with badminton, squash, table tennis and possibly volleyball, so we are hoping that the relief brought on by the autumn break isn’t too far away!