Are you having to balance a lack of feed and holding ewe condition in a dry Autumn?

This episode is jam-packed with technical knowledge from two farmers - Mark Zino & Alistair Bird - as well as a Marlborough veterinarian.

Mating time is the time to wrap your ewes in cotton wool, says Mark as he shares how to juggle feeding grain and silage to not overdo it. Alistair shares why he’s not mating his ewe hoggets this season preferring terminals and his mineral tips, and Peter Anderson, Marlborough vet, gives key tips for tupping, teaser rams, timing and triplets to ensure a successful mating.

Guests include:

1. Mark Zino - farmer - Hurunui, North Canterbury
2. Alistair Bird - farmer - Oxford, North Canterbury
3. Pete Anderson - vet - Marlborough

Hosts:

1. Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
2. Jo Grigg, Agri-Journalist, Country-Wide
3. Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

The episode kicks off with Jo Grigg speaking to a North Canterbury farmer who has 30 years experience feeding out grain and silage as they prepare and feed for a drought every year as well as his tips for your mental state in the mundane task of feeding out!

Note - the interview with Mark Zino was recorded 7th Mar 2024

Oxford hill country farmer, Alistair Bird (known as Kiwi Farmer on YouTube) shares with Sarah why he’s not mating ewe hoggets this season, crunching the numbers from the preferential feed that has to go into them all the way through to the lambing dates. He in comparison is preferring to mate ewes to terminals for earlier lambing and a pre-Christmas weaning.

To wrap the episode, Jo Grigg gets some valuable advice from Marlborough veterinarian Peter Anderson on how to hit the ewes in their second cycle when they are most fertile, how best to use teaser rams and

THE BIG BALL - in support of Rural Change: WIN a double pass to the Charity Ball of the winter! - Looking for an excuse to get out and have some fun while raising funds for a good cause? Why not dust off your ball gown or tuxedo and head along to The Big Ball in support of rural mental health on the 29th June 2024 at Lincoln University.

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BARENBRUG BETTER PASTURE TOGETHER PODCAST

Episode 2 - While a pasture plan is important it is equally important to review that plan and adapt to changing conditions such as economic shifts and climatic changes to ensure the plan you have is optimal for your system and situation.

In this podcast, Graham Kerr emphasises why staying proactive and flexible will pay dividends.

Listen here to Episode 2 of the Better Pastures Together podcast by Barenbrug

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