Filed under: October 2015 | Tags: animal husbandry, Autumn leaves, efficient grazers, fall harvest, pasture
Hoss, grabs a snack
October 13, 2015
As I prepare for winter, sometimes I get so busy that I forget to look around at the trees all dressed in their autumn splendor. Yesterday, we had a beautiful day. The sun was warm and bright. The green grass, revived by recent rains, is beautiful. The trees are almost dripping with color and the sky is a beautiful blue. I had to pause for a few minutes, just to savor the view.
Farmers around me are very busy with their fall harvest. Soy beans are being harvested as is corn and even grass for forage. I stood by the fence and watched as my animals harvest their own fall food. The lambs and steers are growing nice and fat on the lush late season grasses. The sows are enjoying wild apples and hickory nuts along with juicy clover, not to mention plump ears of corn, as they too prepare for winter.
I will have to feed hay and grain soon, but for now the animals are getting their own food. I don’t have to spend the time or fuel chasing around the farm for a few mouthfuls of grass. They animals do it themselves and they eat everything in the nooks and crannies too. They are efficient grazers who also spread their own manure as they go 😮
I will continue to store equipment and restore a sense of order on my farm. The animals will fill their bellies without much help from me. The farm will be harvested, the animals fattened and nourished as I go about my business. I simply need to keep water tanks filled, pastures rotated and momma pigs looked after. The horses and I continue to gather firewood as we all enjoy the cool, colorful days of autumn.
Soon, the cold wet, rainy days of late fall, will bring down the leaves and mud will also be present. The cold will penetrate a jacket and all of us critters will find warm places to huddle. I know those days are coming, but for now we will all enjoy the fleeting warm sunny days that nature is providing. It is important to look around, linger a little as I go about the business of animal husbandry and enjoy the color of autumn.
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RicelandMeadows 
Love how the Hoss’s black coat stands out against the Fall colors! He’s such a beast! I’m in awe of how massive he is! Just drove by this morning and all 3 were close to the road. They are big boys!
Comment by Jacklyn October 13, 2015 @ 11:41 amThey are chunks. They make my farm life fun and even complete. To see their muscles ripple as we work, is as calming as when some folks watch the waves at a nearby beach.
Comment by ricelandmeadows October 14, 2015 @ 9:10 amIt’s such a good time of year. I love it when the flies are gone but I don’t have to break ice yet. I love your big Ol horses, too.
Comment by Donkey Driver October 13, 2015 @ 10:12 pmYou are so very right. All of us farm critters are glad that the flies are gone!
Comment by ricelandmeadows October 14, 2015 @ 9:07 am