In this 11th edition of our dairy farm journal Julian talks about this critical time of year when farmers cut their pastures to make silage.

It's important to cut, ted, bale and wrap protein-rich grass before it tries to go into seed and its nutritional quality drops off. To many people driving by these look like giant marshmallows lying around in paddocks but silage is a vital way to get protein into cows during drier summer months when pastures have dried out. The ability to make silage on farm - which is dependant on good rainfall and weather - reduces the amount of hay that has to be bought to feed cows, and therefore reduces input costs and helps farms remain financially sustainable.

Watch as Julian outlines this fascinating annual process.

The weather keeps us farmers on our toes! Despite good winter rainfall that allowed us to grow a lot of grass for our cows to feed on, there's now TOO MUCH moisture in the ground. We need the grass to dry out a fair bit before cutting it to make silage, a valuable source of nutrient rich feed preserved and stored for use in the drier months when there is less grass on the ground.

While we're luckier than many farmers who didn't get much rain this winter, the moisture will become a problem if it is still around next month and we can't make silage.

Julian explains this and more in this month's farm journal including an exciting new collaboration and product launch that is just a few short weeks away!

Without water, there is no dairy - it's the lifeblood of every farm. Rain is needed to grow feed crops, maintain pastures, keep cows hydrated, clean equipment and process milk. Every stage of dairy production relies on it!

In this edition of our farm journal Julian explains the various initiatives and investments he and Luke have put in place to capture and secure this precious asset every time it rains.

Looking after our dairy cows and the environment are at the heart of the Apostle Whey Cheese way of life.

In this month's farm journal we take a closer look at the "Mooternity" Ward, our undercover #calving pad we built way back in 2001!

We relocate expectant mothers to the comfort of the Mooternity Ward from the wide open, unprotected paddocks shortly before they're due to give birth. Located just a few short steps from our farmgate café and dairy shed mothers and calves are protected from the cold, wind and rain in winter and the heat in summer.

Its close proximity to the house is convenient: we can keep a close eye on mothers and newborns around the clock via infrared camera and quickly intervene in the event of a difficult birth.

Join Julian as he takes you on a virtual tour of the Mooternity Ward which you can see for yourself when you come and visit our dairy farm.

In the 7th edition of our monthly farm journal Julian reports that solid April rain and warm weather has combined to produce a lot of feed (lush green grass) for our cows during May/June.

Our attention now turns to "drying off" part of the herd (ie. a break from milking) in preparation for calving next month as well as joining others in the herd who will calve in the new year. Julian explains...

After the driest three months in memory the farm received around 90 millimetres of rain during April.

As a result grasses have bounced back, providing precious green feed for our herd!

The challenge now is to get the right balance in the cows' diet between grass (90% moisture) and dry feed (such as hay and grain containing fibre) to slow down the grass going through their digestive system.