Faces of Moyarra - getting about the farm

Settling into a new dairy

The ewes have been very patient, adapting to many changes in their facilities over the years as the dairy has grown. Now they have one final hurdle to overcome, but are starting to get used to their new home and 12-bail dairy, which should make life easier over the years for all concerned. After much demolition, construction and refinements the dairy is now operational, while still having some final installments.
We are having a very wet winter and there have been some challenges running sheep on a property that has grazed only cattle for the last 50 years. However the water runs away quickly into the Foster creek, and the quality of the feed is outstanding, expected to show its full colors in spring / summer.
The girls have new friends in 2 alpacas that have joined the herd for the first time. They have taken on their task well as protectors of the flock, worrying when the sheep are disturbed.
We are 2 weeks into lambing so the milk is starting to trickle in. While we are finishing off the last of the pecorino and feta from the previous season, fresh Black Wool and yoghurt will be available soon. Red Hill Cheese will soon be found at our local Gippsland farmers markets, starting with Coal Creek at Korumburra.

sheep milking in Italy

I am getting some extra experience at the moment at an 'agritourismo' property in Tuscany, Italy. Here they milk 400 Sadinian sheep, make and sell their cheeses in addition to chianti wines, olive oil, villa farm stay accommodation and hot-air ballooning. The cheeses made here are true to traditional Toscano fromaggio, as well as new and unique creations of there own. There is no better suited place to learn how our processes can be improved in Australia to make the best sheep milk products possible.

New farm

In June this year Red Hill Dairy will be moving to this new farm in the beautiful rolling green hills of West Gippsland.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104547120982776415556/MoyarraVIC?feat=directlink

Everything will be moved before lambing so the girls can settle in ready to produce milk for a fresh season of cheese making. There will be lots more space, 187 acres in fact, for all our different sheep mobs. Everyone is looking forward to the start of an exciting future.

End of season legacy

With the final milking of the season last week there wasn't enough milk to make cheese so as per tradition I made a bit of yoghurt to see us through and leave a tasty memory of the wonderful milk our ewes provide. It is going beautifully with fresh passion fruit which our vine has just started dropping by the hundreds. It appears they are a favorite of many who call in and swoon, leaving with a bag-full, so there aren't a lot left to go around. The garden is also being taken over by tomatoes and pumpkin, all growing crazy with our organic sheep manure and all this warm, wet weather.
The ewes and a fresh batch of maidens are being joined now for a winter lambing of 35 ewes, so we are looking forward to a lot more milk next season. I am traveling to Tuscany, Italy in May to do some work experience at a sheep cheesery, so this year promises some fine tuned and perhaps new sheep cheese recipes.

ASCA Cheese & Wine Appreciation Evening

Hear myself and other cheese makers talk about our feature cheese, while matching with wines from Wild Dog Winery. I will be talking about the story behind my sheep milk Red Hill Pecorino.

Friday, 18th March
6.30-9.00pm

http://www.australiancheese.org/default.aspx

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.