Mixed Cattle and Sheep Farmers
Plan, organise, control, coordinate and perform farming operations to breed and raise cattle and sheep for meat, milk, wool and breeding stock.
Everything at once on the property
You are a farmer running cattle and sheep on a hilly property, with a sale tomorrow, a fire warning in the forecast and one pair of hands short. It is 1pm on a hot, windy day. The sale truck comes at dawn, the firebreak is half done and the stock need to be yarded. A lot depends on what you choose to do first.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I have to leave at three for my shift in town. There are about forty lambs still in the far paddock and the yards need to be ready for tomorrow's truck. What do you want me to do first?
Ask her to muster the lambs now, with the dogs, and finish the yards after
The lambs come in, which is good, but the yards are half ready and you finish them in the dark. It works, though you cut it fine and tired people make mistakes.
Spend the time to explain the whole plan, and let her choose what she can finish before three
She makes a sensible choice, but the explanation takes twenty minutes, and she runs out of time before either job is done. Sometimes a clear, simple instruction is the kind thing.
Give her one clear job, the lambs, tell her what done looks like, and do the yards yourself
Jess knows exactly what is wanted and brings the lambs in by quarter to three. The yards are ready by dark. Clear tasks make people feel capable, not rushed.
I can see smoke on the hill from my place. It might be a burn-off, or it might not. I have not been able to get through to the fire service. Do you want me to come over and help with the stock, or watch the smoke?
Ask Wal to keep watching, and call the fire service yourself to report it
You get through, they thank you, and a crew is sent out to check. It turns out to be a neighbour's permitted burn, but the call was right. Reporting is cheap and might matter.
Tell him not to worry because it is probably someone burning off, and you need him here
It is a permitted burn, but you could not know that. A grass fire starts further along the ridge an hour later, and you wish you had called earlier. In fire weather, guessing is a poor habit.
Ask Wal to come and help, and ring the fire service when the stock are moved
The stock are moved faster, but the call is delayed. The smoke turns out to be harmless this time, though if it had been serious the delay would have mattered.
Buyers are keen on your steers tomorrow, but they are hoping for bigger numbers than you have said. Could you throw in the older cows to make the load worth their while? I would not push you, but it would help.
Agree and load the old cows, to keep the agent and the buyers happy
The load sells, but you have sold animals you were not planning to, which leaves your breeding numbers lower than you wanted. It was a quick yes that you carry for years.
Tell him you are not interested and he should find another seller
You hold your ground, but Hollis is cool toward you and the buyers go elsewhere for the day. A fair no works better when it comes with a reason and a door left open.
Say you will bring the steers you planned to, explain why you are keeping the cows, and offer another time
Hollis respects the clear answer. The steers sell well enough, and next time he rings you first. Knowing your own plan lets you say no without damaging the relationship.
How it went
The steers go off at dawn, the lambs are safe and the firebreak is done. Running both cattle and sheep means juggling two kinds of animal, the weather and the people around you. Would you enjoy being the one who decides what comes first?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: Two jobs, one afternoon
A fictional case set in a fictional mixed cattle and sheep property in hilly country on a sale day and fire-danger week.
The situation
Nikolai and Beth Grant ran a mixed property called Wattle Ridge. On a hot, windy afternoon, they discovered that a gate had been left open between a paddock of cattle and one of lambs, and the animals were starting to mix. A fire-danger warning was in force for the next day, and they had planned to clear a firebreak that afternoon. Their only helper, a teenage cousin, was due to leave in two hours.
What they did
Nikolai and Beth stopped for five minutes and listed everything that had to be done by sunset. They sent their cousin with the dogs to separate the stock, since that job was best done with three people. Beth took the tractor to the firebreak. Nikolai rang the neighbour and asked for a favour: if they could have an hour of help the next morning. They agreed to hold off the lamb marking until the weekend.
How it turned out
The stock were separated safely and the firebreak was done, though not as wide as Beth wanted. The next day's fire warning passed without any trouble at Wattle Ridge. They kept the list of jobs and used it as a habit from then on.
What would you do?
- How did Nikolai and Beth decide what could wait?
- What would you find hardest about asking a neighbour for help?
- Why might writing things down help when everything feels urgent?