Lambpost

Today was Lambpost's two-week anniversary. Lambpost is an Arapawa Romney cross - the first lab of the season - his mum (pictured) is the romney, his dad is Roger, is our Arapawa ram. His mum has been a bit cagey - I've only been allowed one cuddle. She is wary of cameras, too - apparently the paparazzi have been hounding her. Roger, on the other hand, will do anything for food (he sold me the photo opportunity for a pie and some salad). I'm curious as to whether Lambpost will grow horns like his dad...

In preparation for encouraging our lambs to do good in the world (and for maximising our grazing), I've started a lease-a-lamb scheme - an opportunity to have two or more lambs grazing your land, fully maintained (drenched, shorn, foot-trimmed), for no charge. Why would anyone want temporary sheep? Sheep are great for maintaining healthy pasture. They graze close to the ground, will eat a wide range of plants, and prefer leafy plants over grass. They are also excellent for the control of parasites - cross-grazing sheep with horses may assist in reducing the worm burden on your pasture, since horse parasites can only exist in horses, and so can't mature with sheep. Sheep can also be used to manage grass in spring - nobody minds a fat sheep, especially when it is helping your horse to maintain a healthy weight! Sheep will graze on land with a steeper contour, so are perfect for keeping the grass and weeds down on those hard-to-mow pieces of land. No wonder Mr Farmer loves his sheep (like any good Southland boy)...