Farmer Roy's Random Thoughts - I never said it was easy.

texas pete said:

I think you have summed up a lot of environmental stewardship, certainly in my experience.

We grow pollen mixes, wild bird mixes and leave various small areas uncropped, hell the scheme even pays for most of my turnip crop. The payment is conditional on you providing the habitat/crop to a standard and if, when inspected, that standard isn't there, then deductions apply.....but.... as you say, there is no way of measuring it's success, other than checking the prescribed mix of plants are there.

It works, as far as it fits in around the farm fairly well, but I'm dubious as to if there are any real long lasting benefits. Oh and we get paid to manage permanent pasture extensively, as we already were.

Stacks up financially, but I have really grown to hate it, the paymasters, and their petty little ways.

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unlacedgecko said:

I wonder how well these schemes are inspected/enforced. I know of some ground which is in HLS 5 year agreement. Part of that is it must be grazed by cattle during the summmer. There’s not been a cow on it in at least 3 years...

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texas pete said:

Don't know. We are coming up to the end of yr 8, of a 10 yr agreement and have been inspected once, two years ago. Ex copper, very thorough. He was delighted when he discovered a grass margin wasn't quite 6m in a couple of places.

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unlacedgecko said:

https://pureadvantage.org/news/2018...iNBKYaOU1urv6tNYhU8tN6e7Bg4gin-pbJDzgoNOdztds

Found this on Facebook. Some might find it interesting.

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holwellcourtfarm said:

I think the engine mounts on the backhoe might have been a tad overdue for change

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Farmer Roy said:

Another 15 mm of rain on Tuesday, which was very nice, but today we had another pansy barsteward dust storm out of the west, 50 km/h winds & 35 C . . .

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Ukjay said:

Wot You Building with the CAD hcf?

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holwellcourtfarm said:

Also, regenerative farmers aren’t interested in extracting every last dollar from their resources. For example the three most popular goal statements regenerative farmers chose are leaving the farm in good or better condition, improving biodiversity, and achieving a satisfactory level of income. The last goal contrasts with another survey choice, maximising income. This is at complete odds with much primary industry advice in New Zealand emphasising maximum income and profit.

So true. BF approach vs Kiwi Pete. I wonder who has the happier life and bigger profit %age of turnover?

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Kiwi Pete said:

It comes down to what is between your ears.
Some will never have enough, they wake up with a feeling of inferiority or scarcity and it never leaves them; it becomes them eventually.
I always have too much, so it has become me.
I LOVE to put things back, help those trying to better themselves, and "coach-approach" those around me, having put up with decades of other folk trying to erode my own dreams and goals.
Seeing my land responding to my coaching is better than all the money in the world.

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Ukjay said:

Wot You Building with the CAD hcf?

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Karliboy said:

Actually im incorrect in the splitting the atom i should have said splitting the atom in a controlled manner, as actually it was a kiwi called Ernest Rutherford who split it first and cockroft and walton worked under Ruthereford to do it in a controlled manner

I have only just discovered this since my last post by watching @Farmer Roy last video on page 678

Rutherfords father was a farmer to strangely enough they were in nelson newzealand

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Farmer Roy said:

haha - maybe, but most will end up with Pete I reckon. Apparently there is a red layer in NZ alpine snow / ice from major dust storms here about 10 years ago . . .

I am more worried about evaporation & the amount of moisture this wind will pull out of my soils

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Kiwi Pete said:

I can handle all the extra soil that comes, I will look after it for you.

You can come visit it

Had a good chuckle today when my newfound mate got a penetrometer out of his all-cab-ute and said we might go for a wander and check for compaction. He got it from Australia.

He went to push it into the ground, slowly... the needle came up as he got the tight bit on top.... then nearly fell over as it went in...
Right to a metre, at about 80psi.

I asked if he had a longer one as I knew roughly what to expect.

So we got my 2m x 15mm fibreglass cane, I pushed that in with my palm and left 4 inches poking out, he was seriously impressed by that trick.

We only found one gateway it took pressure to get it past 5 feet

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Farmer Roy said:

haha - maybe, but most will end up with Pete I reckon. Apparently there is a red layer in NZ alpine snow / ice from major dust storms here about 10 years ago . . .

I am more worried about evaporation & the amount of moisture this wind will pull out of my soils

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