RicelandMeadows

January 23, 2014 

   I have been busy, lazy and most recently … frozen. Okay, that’s a lot of bull! Sorry for not blogging lately! Off farm job, extreme weather and planning too much for the days allowed, made it difficult to be inspired 😮

   My friend Joe and I bought this bull together. We both have females and needed Solomon’s services. He will spend time at both farms. He is a registered Murry Gray bull. He will bring great “grassfed” genetics to our herds, along with the “tenderness gene” found in the Murry Gray breed.

   There is peace of mind knowing that when it comes to breeding, Solomon has them “covered”  😮  He will take care of that job, freeing me up from watching for signs of heat in the heifers. I got enough to do. I am sure he will enjoy that job more than I do anyway!

   Sows have had litters of pigs. The piglet survival rate among the new mothers is not what I had hoped. The weather played a small part, but farrowing in nests requires great mothers and just like humans… not every mom is a great one. Sadly, a couple of girls will be culled. It’s all part of farming, but not my favorite part.

   Our bull came to us with lots of manure and mud caked on him. He seems to be enjoying the three sided shed, filled with dry bedding more than the other cattle. I guess they just think it’s supposed to be that way. He on the other hand, can be found basking in the sun, chewing his cud, very content in the warm dry shed.

   The farm is very quiet and pretty lonely without my pal King. I find myself looking for him at times, but missing him a great deal. I have no desire for another canine companion, at least for now. I want to just imagine him and my Border Collie Lucy, romping and playing, watching me as I go about my work. I sure do miss my friends.

   Maple syrup season is just a few weeks away. We are getting ready, slowly and steadily. We have the sap bags ready to go. In the coming weeks the cleaning and preparation begins. I am still chasing sugarwood. The wood is for next year, but I try to stay at it 😮

   The horses and I will be hauling compost in the next few days. The pile is large, the fields are frozen with only light snow cover. I have grassland buffers to catch any runoff, if it rains before the manure can soak into the soil. The stacked pit is full and the animals keep making it daily. I like the job and using the horses only makes it more fun…we’ll see how fun it is at 2 degrees F!  Some might say, “Fun! …..that’s a lot of bull !”