Grass Roots magazine article

Our dairy was featured in the latest edition of Grass Roots self-sufficiency magazine, a nice article by David Miller who spent a day here in December. Don't take everything I say as gospel - we are still new at this and learning as we go ;)
We are drying the ewes up at the moment and trialling a few variations of pecorino. Lambs have been shorn and the ewes are looking forward to getting their coats off once their udders go down. The ram has also gone out with the girls so its all happening. Shearing the old boy wasn't much fun - he was a stiff as log and wouldn't bend a bit. A 2 person job.

Still milking

So much for drying the ewes up before Christmas! With all these summer storms, plenty of green feed in the paddock and the support of green sprouts the milk volume has stayed up for the meantime. We have added lupins to the barley which is the icing on the cake according to the ewes. In fact I rather like the taste of bean shoots myself. So we have fresh sheep products for the busy holiday season in the shop. The Baa Black is popular - outstanding in a comparison with the legendary ashed Paradigm Log (goat milk), with its dense creaminess and unique smokey sheep flavor. Fresh sheep yogurt is also going to be available for a limited time.

New dairy plant

Installation of the new De-Leval system is complete, and all are happy. It is nice and quiet, easy to clean, has plenty of reserve and time efficient.

The ewes are really getting into the yellow sulfur, and also seaweed & DE in the mineral bar at the moment, coming up with comical yellow chins.

Springtime floods

2010 must be one of the wettest seasons I can remember. Maybe not the most rain but it seems to have fallen at pretty much the right time all year, so we started with an early autumn, and built a good feed bank by the time lambing came around.

Shearing the lambs

During milking time the mechanical shearing part of the shed is out of action, so when same rations needed shearing recently I whipped out the trusty old hand shears and got some practice in. Ah, the serenity of it - click go the shears. One silly bugger enjoyed it so much I thought he'd come back for another go, until I realised he just wanted to get back at me. No wonder I haven't got much hair left!

Meet the milk maid

Bronwyn is the backbone of the dairy and home farm. In addition to mother of 2, wife, Chefs tool box cookware consultant, and running the home, growing veggies and gardening, Bron takes under her wing the day to day running of the property.

Now where do I start. Every business needs someone behind the scenes making sure things happen - well that's my Bron. She's an ideas person, and once she sets her mind to something, look out! While the cat is away at Red Hill during the day making cheese, the mouse (who is not a broad spectrum cheese-eater but has specific favorites, in particular sheep yogurt) keeps the diverse farm community watered, fed and happy.

Locals are amazed at what Bron puts her hand to, one day seeing her mowing the paddocks, and the next undertaking building renovation projects, mucking out the lambs barn, feeding, drafting sheep, or organising tradesmen - all the things that have to be done on a farm. While her friends are putting on their faces, Bron is putting on milking clusters, mustering takes the place of long lunches, and as dusk falls she is putting animals to bed, but still finds time to tuck the kids in on school nights as well.

Who knows where the energy comes from but one thing for sure, Red Hill wouldn't have sheep cheese were it not for the efforts of Bronwyn. Thank you for your efforts, from all at Red Hill Cheese, the customers and you loving husband Burke XOX.