News

The latest edition of the Ardcairnie Angus newsletter, May Musings has been published. The newsletter has some stories about recent events at Ardcairnie, including a photo of the dam shown here with more much more water in than shown here. Click here to download.

Mid-April to early July is calving time on Maybenup. The heifers start three weeks before the main cow mob to give these youngsters that wee bit extra time to have their calf, feed it, keep growing themselves and are fit enough to fall pregnant again.  There’s been (as usual) a couple of hiccups and there’s…

Calving is well and truly underway at Ardcairnie Angus.  The P heifers, born in 2018, were due to start calving on 12th April 2020 but as invariably happens, some new mum’s decided to start early! The photo is of proud mum P3 with her daughter Ardcairnie Quest R11 in the Lowden paddock, born on 6th…

We semen re-tested and morphology assessed the six bulls and they didn’t pass so they will now head elsewhere than any breeding paddocks! The P heifers (who will start calving on 12th April) have been given their booster vaccination of Ultravac 7 in 1; the Q heifers have been given the first of two vaccinations…

Following our bull sale on 5th February 2020, four more bulls have been sold (including one to a new buyer who bought one on sale day and decided he needed another one) and three removed from the list so there are currently now 29 bulls available when and if required. For the “Reducing Catalogue 9th…

Ardcairnie’s oldest cow – and our pet – W450 – died last month.  She was a bit arthritic but doggedly followed the mob. Born out of our usual calving time in late 2000, and from a dam we couldn’t find, Jim became her dam!  He gave her a degree of affection to compensate for her…

About 15 years ago, the neighbours to the north of us installed a couple of drains which emptied on to our place then made their way a short distance down slope to the creek. Those drains ran water all year, so in August 2019, Jim had a taste of the water. Seemed OK so a…

The challenging year that was 2018 continued through into 2019. An early start to rain came in March with an inch, then nearly an inch in April and half an inch in May. June with a bit over two inches, July with an inch and a half and August with a bit over two helped…

Ardcairnie bulls are out through rigorous tests to ensure what we keep and what we offer for purchase at our Annual Bull Sale. There are jobs that still have been and will be done before the final selection.  Checking for any changes to the Genetic Condition Status continues, the 600 day weights and scans have…

2019 has been (and is being!) a challenging year mainly due to lack of and timing of rainfalls.  We have secured pellets and hay to see us through to the 2020 break of season.  Our aim with our grazing management is to always leave some cover on the ground when each mob moves on to…