It has finally rained on us. We've received ~30mm over the past week and the farm is greening up very quickly, so I have implemented deferred grazing. You don't hear that terminology much these days, but it is a technique many of us use.
What it means is that when rains begin that are sufficient to germinate the clover and ryegrass, we take the sheep off the paddocks and feed them in containment areas for 2-4 weeks. This makes a significant difference to the pasture production capacity for the rest of the year, so it is a crucial step. Taking sheep off the paddocks enables the clover and ryegrass to grow 2+ leaves and have roots down in the soil and have some stored energy to cope with grazing.
It means when the plants are initially grazed, the pasture can bounce back faster. If we grazed while the ryegrass and clovers first emerge, we would lose many of the plants, and they would take many weeks longer to get to the stage where they are growing as fast as they can. Leaves grow leaves. Because the soil is still warm, the plants will grow very quickly, so it is likely we will be able to start grazing the paddocks again in as little as two weeks.
In other news, we have been selling as many sheep as we can that are ready for the market to capture these high prices, and it helps us with deferred grazing.
We have been experiencing even higher numbers of visitors wanting to see what their investment has created, or to do their due diligence in deciding to become a shareholder. Some individuals, companies and groups of investors are showing interest in obtaining all of the remaining shares we have available and I am in discussions with them. I can't say too much on this forum, but if you are an existing shareholder, you might be receiving some very goods news on your share value as soon as all the remaining shares have been sold. All the Dad & Mum investors will be perpetually rewarded for enabling this venture to begin. I am forever grateful to those who stepped out in faith. The corporates are starting to see the potential of what we are achieving. Exciting times ahead.