Autumn

Shorter, cooler days mean autumn has arrived

Whew, it’s good to get out of the heat and enjoy the cooler, shorter autumn days.

The best part about autumn is that when it starts to get cooler, the rain comes – which means lots of moovellous food! It’s like a buffet of grass for my friends and I.

It’s a pretty chill time for us cows because our milk starts to slow down in preparation for winter. This is called the ‘drying-off period’.

It’s also a great time for farmers. As they spend less time milking my friends and I, they can focus on other things – like having a holiday with their family and taking some time away from us to see other places.

Their jobs in autumn are focused on making the farm a happy place for us. They make sure the paddock is well-drained, so we don’t get wet hooves, and fix fences to keep them in good condition so we’re nice and safe.

But while it’s a bit more relaxed, it’s also really important to start getting ready for winter – and even spring – so you’ll find a farmer out in the field, planting winter crops and making sure these crops are well-protected from pests like beetles, weevils, grubs and crickets who eat our food!

Our farmers also help protect the environment by getting stuck into 'riparian planting' – that means planting a mix of native and non-native trees and shrubs, like flax, cabbage trees and toe-toe, next to anywhere there is water.

Why do they do this? Well, when these plants grow, their roots act like sieves to filter out any yucky stuff that could get into our clean, fresh rivers, lakes and streams. The roots also act like glue for the soil, holding it together to make it stronger around waterways.

As always, keeping us healthy is important… and believe it or not that all starts in the ground we stand on! Farmers will test the soil to make sure it’s good enough to grow the best grass and crops. They’ll also make sure the young cows are regularly checked and weighed to make sure they’re healthy too.

Time to get back to the amazing field of green for a feed, catch you later!