Our bank manager, Rohan, came out to visit us yesterday and since he’s relatively new in his post, he hadn’t toured the farm before. Seeing as it was sunny, Zoe, Alex and I took the opportunity to show him around.

I’m glad we did. Rohan has a fresh appreciation of the opportunities a stock underpass presents for the farm. About 40 per cent of the property sits across the road from the dairy. This means milking cows can only visit that side of the farm during the day and creates extra risk and work for all of us.

It was also a chance to show him the damage the floods had caused to tracks and demonstrate how we are protecting the pastures from long-term damage while keeping the cows happy and healthy.

When you’re coming out of a crisis like this, it’s a good idea to keep your advisors and everyone who has a stake in the farm close, which of course includes the bank manager. We did nearly bog the Bobcat in a remote paddock with Rohan on board, though. Not a good idea to have your bank manager trudge 800m through mud in leather boots.