On Our Own

So! We were irrevocably committed, and for better or worse, we were now sheep farmers. The first few days were trying learning the roads, learning the idiosyncrasies of windmills, pumps and more specifically the animals. There is a saying that when two sheep stand together, they are discussing the newest way to commit suicide!! For an animal that endures the very harsh climate in the Karoo, they are remarkably susceptible to disease.

Round worms, tapeworm, wireworm, hook worm, nasalworm, pulpy kidney, bluetongue, pasteurella..............., and the ecto-parasites, bot flies, mosquitoes, ticks. They die from urea poisoning, eating green lucerne, getting stuck in the mud and lying down badly (sleg gele). Not easy at any time of the year.

We had a remarkable amount of support from the neighbours and cousins and managed to muddle through without too many incidents. We had a lightening strike on the main irrigation boreholes, and had to replace about 3 submersibe pumps, as well as motor control switches etc. The upside was that we had remarkable rains the first season - second highest recorded rainfall in 100 years.

Brother R had to go back to Zim after 3 weeks, as his visa had expired, and he needed to finalize arrangements for emigrating. We left to return to Johannesburg on the Friday, and he left for Zim the following day.

Shear Madness

Shearing usually happens once per year. We have settled on a shearing time of 1st week in October as it is usually a certainty that the last of the winter cold snaps will have passed. This year, we retained a number of ewe lambs to increase the size of the flock, and, since they were not shorn in October, we decided it was now time. We usually use BKB as our shearing service, but since they are becoming very expensive, and their service is starting to slip, we employed a gang of independent shearers.

Shearing has to be the best local example of union monopoly tactics. You have to transport them to the farm, provide accommodation, provide all their food, tea coffee tobacco etc, sweep up after them, then pay them and transport them back home. Still they are quick and this gang doesn't inflict too many serious injuries on the sheep.

Wool is classified by length and fineness, among other parameters so the classing is the most important aspect of the entire shearing. Most of the sheep were lambs being shorn for the first time. A large percentage was AA length, so hopefully we will get a good price when we sell in November.

Handover/Takeover

The Zim contingent left to return to Zim in mid January. Brother R would be returing to the farm on 26 February so we could take ownership of the farm on 1 March. The date was chosen as it is the first day of the tax year in SA.

While waiting for the day to arrive, I got busy buying essentials for the farm - DSTV, electric blankets, rudimentary amounts of house hold goods etc. I/someone would be on the farm, in an empty farmhouse from 1 March until the date of arrival of the family from Zimbabwe. As it turned out, it was to be many months before they arrived.

Brother R came down by bakkie from Zimbabwe on 26 Feb 2004. We loaded up the bakkie with all the farm purchases and set out. It was an uneventful trip; we left early and arrived around
lunchtime.

We spent the night at Cousin S and left the next morning to meet up with Owner D at about 9am the following morning. He had already left the farm and was travelling up from East London to hand over. We spent an interesting day counting sheep, cattle and farm implements and doing all those other things agreed in the contract of sale. The day was soon over and we were the proud occupants of the Farm. D spent his last night at the house, while we travelled back to S, just over the hill and advised that the deed was done.

We moved into the house the following day. It was like being back in university digs - only the most basic of furniture and equipment. Farming then started in earnest. One of the unexpected freebies of the purchase was James (the border collie cross) who could not go with D. James lives for two things, food and bakkie rides.

Christmas Shopping Farm Style

One of the things we inherited from the previous owner D was a flock of 102 ram lambs that had been kept for classing into breeding rams or to be sold for mutton. We took a decision early on that it was too time consuming, and wasteful of grazing to hold back so many ram lambs to breed our own production rams. We therefore decided to begin a programme of purchasing pedigree rams instead of using our own rams for breeding. The idea was to replace the ram flock on an as an when basis. The first two stud rams purchased were Big Joe and Bulldozer. They came from the Sneeuberg Dohne Merinos Stud from Graaff-Reneit. They cost a great deal of money, but the benefit of quality, time saving and the fact we did not have to keep back so many ram lambs for classing made it worthwhile.

Over time we have bought rams from other studs, replacing those that were old, and those that had died for whatever reason. About half of our ram flock now comprises pedigree rams. Our most recent purchases came from a new stud near Molteno. We went there with the specific idea of "window shopping", but took the 4 x 4 and trailer in case. Since the rams were of excellent quality, and the prices were right we bought 5!

Learning the Ropes

Brother R and SiL G flew down on schedule, and we left straight for the farm from Johannesburg Airport. The trip was uneventful and we arrived at Cousin S about 9pm. This was to be G's first visit to the farm; she had not accompanied R on the initial visi the previous September.

As part of the sale agreement, we had agreed that we would be able to spend time with owner D on the farm and be shown the Farm operations in detail. As luck would have it our visit coincided with the annual shearing operation. This was important as it was something completely foreign to R. It certainly was an interesting couple of days, with the almost ritualistic procedures involved.

We spent most of the days thereafter treavelling around the farm, being indoctrinated on the various do's and don't of the operation. I spent a great deal of time looking at what we had bought, and making sure that we were getting what we were paying for. All, thankfully seemed in order and in pretty fair condition.

We also were initiated into one of the facts of Karoo life - fire fighting! It seems that Karoo vegetation is totally willing to burst into flames at the slightest provocation. It seems that even if it is raining, the grass will burn at a moments notice. It doesn't help that the hilly terrain attracts lightening; seemingly there is as much lightening there as there is on the Reef - an area with one of the highest incidents of lightening in the world.

We were having dinner with Cousins A&P when we got a call to say there was a fire on Cousin S's farm. We abandoned dinner and raced back. It was raining steadily, but that did not seem to stem the fire at all. It was put out with the asistance of the neighbouring farmers (by law every two farms have to have a motorised "fire engine").
The fire eventually ended up on the adjoining portion of our farm before it was finally out. but we did meet most of the neighbours.

The rest of the visit was uneventful and we left for Johannesburg much wiser regarding the lay of the land - so to speak. Brother R and Sil G flew back to Zimbabwe to to start the long emigration process and start packing up their former lives.

Rain at Last

It has been a trying time for farmers in the immediate area and the Easern Cape as a whole. The rainfall pattern has been sporadic and saw September with no rain and October with 16.5mm. November started off equally poorly, with a limited amount of patchy rainfall during the first two weeks. Things have now changed, with significant amounts of rainfall in the last 10 days 25mm then 41mm - bringing the November total to 91mm. December started well 34mm so far. The dams are filling nicely, the grass is greening up and we no longer have to provide supplementary feed for the livestock. Notwithstanding the miserable spring weather, the 10 year moving average rainfall of 542mm is the highest it has ever been in the 100 year history of rainfall records available. Assuming that December meets expectations, the average could well reach 550mm. This would mean that the average rainfall has improved by over 100mm in the last 10 years

We have been fortunate to escape any veld fires so far. The are serious hazards, as they are usually the result of lightening strikes, are unpredictable and difficult to control and put out. The main reason being is that fires are a natural part of the ecological cycle, and the vegetation has evolved to incorporate fire as part of its lifecycle. Controlled burning of the veld is therefore a part of good veld management, although it is usually done with fear and trepidation by most farmers as the weather conditions, specifically wind, are very unpredictable in the area.

There have been two fires on neighbouring farms; luckily they were put out quickly with minor damage.

Computer Problems

Having major difficulties with my computer!!!

Will be back on line - sometime?