2019 Plans - What's on your list?

lanod2407

I saw a thread on the main Farming forum on what people were hoping to get done during 2018, and thought it'd be a good idea for Smallholders - so here goes, What are your main goals / plans for 2019?

Feel free to list what you're planning to do, and we might check in 2 or 3 times during the year. It's said that writing down and sharing your goals make them much more likely to be achieved!!

lanod2407

I'll kick off - I've 16 acres of average (I'm being generous!!) land and have a small herd of Belted Galloways - 2 cows, a heifer, a bull and a bullock. Bull just arrived, so big hopes for 2019!

1. Install new piers and gates at the entrance - more a security addition than anything else.
2. Put in a new water feeder at the shed pen.
3. Clear out a few fallen trees around the farm
4. Replace broken / rotting straining posts.
5. Add a holding pen by the shed for the bull / to finish the bullock.
6. Get fowl back in the orchard - Mr Fox cleared me out a couple of years ago, so fence needs to be much better.
7. Finally finish off that workbench in the shed (you'd think I'm handy putting that in!!!)
8. Better storage area for firewood (see item 3 above) - storing it under plastic doesn't work at all
9. Cows and heifer in-calf and calved.

Stretch goals - stuff I know I need to get done, but a vague sense of reality tells me just won't happen!!!
A. Repair concrete in the pen yard
B. More storage space for hay for the winter that I'll need if item 9 above gets done .......

lanod2407

This thread didn't exactly catch fire in 2019 - are people shy? - but I'll wrap it up with how I got on for each item.

In summary, of the 11 items (inc the 2 stretch goals) I got 7 done, and one other partially complete. Overall not a bad result, though the piers and gates item should have been progressed.

1. Install new piers and gates at the entrance - more a security addition than anything else. NOT DONE - DEFINITELY A PRIORITY FOR 2020
2. Put in a new water feeder at the shed pen. DONE
3. Clear out a few fallen trees around the farm. PARTIALLY DONE, AND A FEW MORE TREES DOWN!
4. Replace broken / rotting straining posts. DONE
5. Add a holding pen by the shed for the bull / to finish the bullock. DONE
6. Get fowl back in the orchard - Mr Fox cleared me out a couple of years ago, so fence needs to be much better. NOT DONE - AND THE WOODEN HENHOUSE FELL ASUNDER, SO THAT ONE'S GONE BACKWARDS SOMEWHAT.
7. Finally finish off that workbench in the shed (you'd think I'm handy putting that in!!!) DONE.
8. Better storage area for firewood (see item 3 above) - storing it under plastic doesn't work at all DONE
9. Cows and heifer in-calf and calved. DONE - THE BULL HAS WON THE MVP AWARD FOR 2019!!!!

Stretch goals - stuff I know I need to get done, but a vague sense of reality tells me just won't happen!!!
A. Repair concrete in the pen yard NOT DONE, MAYBE 2020
B. More storage space for hay for the winter that I'll need if item 9 above gets done ....... DONE