The Transition to Regenerative: Drone Spraying and Paddock Rotation During a Hay Shortage

We started our regenerative farming learning journey at Farm World, a agricultural expo held annually at Lardner Park. This was back in March, but we have continued to research and plan how we might better utilise our limited acreage. We were guided by Green Mate Agriculture to first focus on improving soil microbiology. They produced a detailed report recommending a combination of bio-fertilisers and biostimulants tailored to our specific soil conditions. Since the paddocks are so steep, we needed to arrange for a drone to handle the spraying of these products.

The drone wasn't exactly popular with any of the animals, but in a matter of only a couple of hours, the job was done. Unfortunately, our plan to oversow was going to have to be done by hand though. In any case, we needed to modify our paddocks to allow for regrowth. The cattle and sheep were going to have to get used to sharing this sacrificial paddock.

So many animals in a small paddock of course means we'll need to supplement their feed. A rough calculation left us with a concern our hay supply wouldn't last the winter. We thought it would be best to allow them free access, so decided a round bale would be best. Unfortunately, at this time, availability of hay was dire.

We eventually found an opportunistic farmer about an hour's drive away, willing to help us out at a premium that applies to those of us so poorly prepared for winter. To his credit, he was very kind assisting us loading the 250kg hay bale onto the back of the ute with his tractor.

Back home, we were on our own, but somehow managed okay. This was despite the lambs suicidal tendencies to put themselves in harms way as the bale was being dropped off the back of the ute. The hay was a welcome delivery on an overstretched paddock. Let's hope it is enough to see us through the winter, and we see some nice new growth come spring!