Irrigation clock.

Pretty neat how this works.

A Day of Excavation

Been working on digging water lines into paddocks for more stock watering tanks. Plus running electrical underground for the electric fence. Have got about 10 hours dig time on the mini excavator. Other than that not a lot real exciting going on. Some people harvesting barley and rapeseed but we still remain on hold. Another week or so and we should be harvesting again. The old tractor was at a farm we went to yesterday where we are storing barley. Roger said it was from England. And the Gleaner combine was very near here. Dallas I thought you would enjoy. Quite a few Gleaners here just not this old. If my memory serves me it was a L2 model? Warm here today. Upper 80's pushing 90 degrees and full sun. The picture of the irrigation ditch is the dams they use to flood their fields. Don't have but a couple left on this farm as the pivots have replaced them. The box on top holds a clock and at a pre determined time it releases the metal gate into the ditch to back the water up. Those of you that have seen me use the orange canvas dams in Montana should know that this is a Big step ahead. Watch the video in next post and you'll see how it works.

Now I got the hang of it!!

Pretty fun once you get up and can stay up!!!

Water Ski Mishap #2

Enjoy!!

Water Skiing Lessons

Yesterday I learned to waterski. Got up on my third try. Haven't tried in 15 years. It won't let me post multiple videos so there will be three posts. I hope that you enjoys the mishaps more than me!! I've got it figured out as you will see in the last video. Great fun!!

The morning fire

This will be happening all the time as we continue harvesting.

Jet Boat Ride!!

The video of the afternoon jet boat ride. Wicked fun!!

Fire and Water

We burnt of the stubble in the barley paddock first thing this morning. Everyone here does this as soon as you've harvested the field. They say it puts the nutrients directly back into the ground at basically zero cost compared to tillage. Regardless it was fun! Moved the small heifer group and put combine away to. Will be at least a week before we do any more harvesting. In afternoon we took their jet boat down to the Raikia river for a run. Wicked Fun!!!! Amazing how shallow of rapids you can go up and down. At 50 mph none the less!! Hope to go again soon. Finished the day at the Brown Pub in Methven which was fun. Tractors coming and going through town right and left. The grass seed harvest is in full swing and they do it all at night.

Harvesting continues

The harvest continues. It's going very well. We finished the last of the rapeseed yesterday afternoon and ran a 9 hectare paddock of dry land wheat. Went till 10pm. It was really good wheat. Made around 8 ton to hectare at 14% moisture. More barley will be next but it will be around 10 days or so.

Harvest Underway

We got started with the harvest two days ago. Ran twelve acres of barley and am now on rapeseed. The things you see on the sections of the head they call lifters. They lift the windrowed rapeseed into the head.

Milking video

The rotary in action.

Went milking

I went to work with Aaron who milks every other weekend for a neighboring farmer. They milked 844 cows in four and half hours. They have a 54 bail rotary system. It never stops, the cows get on, go around a full circle and back off and exit. Amazingly efficient!! The photo of them all in pen is half the herd. Around 400. Was really neat to see but I definitely wouldn't want to be a dairyman.

Lord of Rings location.

Where I hiked to. This is the location where they filmed part of The Lord of the rings. I'm warning you to turn off your volume. The wind was howling!!!!! Really had trouble standing! One of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Into the Mountains

Went for a drive today. First time out driving by myself. Went really well. Not that hard driving on the left. If I could just remember to get in the right side of the vehicle instead of the left!!! Went for a small hike which was very nice. Nice day but really windy.

Feeding hay

Feeding oat hay to the big dairy heifers yesterday. They call it baleage. It's oats that they baled green and put in bag. Smells really good! The heifers love it. Was my first time feeding by myself. Went very well. Usually feed them every other day and then shift them to a new paddock. Going for a drive later today and a hike. Looking forward to that!!

End of a good day!!

Just relaxing on the porch with my best friend Jim after a good day. Fed hay to heifers sprayed a bunch of thistles and washed the combine. We are all ready for harvest. Just need some sunny weather !!

The Mob

Another photo of shifting the mob of small heifers. Went very well. I'm having trouble getting two photos in one post is the reason for two posts for one event.

Shifting the Mob of small heifers

Shifting the mob of small dairy heifers this evening. It might not look it but there are right at 400 in the mob. We moved them about a mile and half down the road to a new paddock. Rainy here off and on today.

Crop duster

A photo of the crop duster. The last post has a video of him but not sure if you all can open it? Let me know. Also the last post shows the grain truck that was here today to. He was loading the last of last years wheat. Making room for the upcoming harvest. It holds 30 tons.

Crop Dusting Today

The crop dusting plane was here today. He was spraying radishes with a fungicide. Pretty neat watching him fly.

Fresh Snow on Mountain

Had a little dusting of snow on the mountains last night. It rained of and on all day yesterday. All is well here on the farm. Shifting groups of heifers almost everyday. And lots of misc farm work of course. The family I'm staying with is really nice and I have fit right in. Harvest will start in the next couple of weeks.

Watering the lawn. Kiwi style!!

As you can see the center pivot goes right over the house. It is 800 meters long and is irrigating around 200 hectares. Pretty neat!! Raining here today plus the pivot so it's really raining at house.

Roger and I yesterday at local waterfall

Went for drive yesterday up in mountains you see behind my house. Hiked up to a very nice waterfall. Good to get up to mountains.

Out my Back Door!!

The view out my back door of the house I'm staying in. Not bad. The cattle that you see are all jerseys and what they call Frisians but they obviously look just like Holsteins. They have around 700 at the moment in two groups. For those of you B Bar people the view reminds me of looking at the Crazys at the Big Timber Ranch.

The farm where I am working

Below is a picture of the farm where I am working. The family's house, not where I am staying. If you look just to the right of the house you see the mound of dirt with the track. The center pivot runs right over top of the house!! Pretty neat.

Town of Methven

The small town of Methven about an hour outside of Christchurch. I got a job here working on a crop farm with a really nice family. Start work today so this is going to be home base for a little while anyway. The people down here are truly amazing. More to come soon as I haven't really been anywhere yet outside of traveling down here yesterday.

Christchurch botanical gardens

Took a stroll through the town today. Made it here without a hitch!!

My ride to Kiwi Land.

The Send off

This is it!

Practice

Josh and I feeding hay today.

One more test run

Getting going!

Just getting started. I hope this works!!

Departure upcoming!!

Just created my blog. Leaving for New Zealand Jan. 7th. Can't wait!!!