WHAT do beer goggles, beavers, plastic beads and STDs have to do with running sheep in a no-till cropping enterprise?
About 140 farmers and advisers at last week's Birchip Cropping Group annual trials review heard a Valentine's Day-themed presentation from consultant Ben Jones entitled Livestock and no-till: Perfect match or date from hell?
In what could be the presentation with the most double entendres of the year, Dr Jones warned farmers not to take on dates they couldn't manage, to use protection, pull out if they thought it was too wet, not to go too hard or fast and to stay modest.
"Respect each other and there's a good chance everyone will come away satisfied," Ben said.
Oh, and STD is not what you might think - in this case it stands for "sheep-transmitted damage", such as soil compaction and removal of ground cover in winter.
