Filed under: August 2019 | Tags: beneficial insects, cycle of life, end of summer, fenceline weaning, lambing, pasture
August 31, 2019
Today is the last day of August. Summer is coming to a close. It feels like summer just started, but alas, she’s gone. The praying mantis in the photo, was sitting on the roof of the meat chicken’s pen. This healthy, beneficial insect and good neighbor, was looking for a meal. I think in preparation for the coming fall and winter days.
Our ewe flock grazing in the sunrise. They were recently separated from their lambs. Weaning time is a bit stressful for all involved. We wean in a way where moms and babies can see each other and often even rub noses. The lambs just can’t nurse. Once they realize they don’t need milk anymore, things start to quiet down. Mom’s udder shrinks and dries up too. She can rest up and fatten up some before the upcoming breeding season.
The lambs also graze on the lush morning pasture. They are very content now. In a couple weeks, the two groups will be put back together. The weather lambs will be separated from the ewes. The weathers will be fattened for freezer camp. The ewes will all be put together and put on our best fall pastures. They will enjoy full bellies and comfort. The ram will come to visit in early December, starting the whole cycle over again.
The days grow shorter. I am trying to cram a few extra jobs into my schedule, for I know soon we will be wrapping things up for winter, But I will cling to these days on the edge of summer. I will enjoy a few cool mornings and sit on the patio after chores in the evening, as autumn closes in, enjoying the cycle of life on the farm.
Filed under: August 2017 | Tags: applesauce, cider, Mother Nature, nature, pasture, pastured pork, pork chops and applesauce, wild apples
August 31, 2017
Where did summer go? This last day of August, I am pleased to have plenty of grass left in our pastures. The cattle and all of the farm’s livestock are looking great. Now, we are getting another nice bonus as we share in Nature’s Bounty. Wild apple trees are dropping their fruit. The cattle love the sweet treats. Our dairy steer in the picture above seems to delight in eating them.
When I was a boy, the old farmer that I worked for thought apples would make his cows choke. So, we cut every wild apple tree we saw. It has been my experience that the livestock, as well as, the wild animals benefit from this wild fruit. I think there are enough nice apples to make applesauce or cider for us. The trees could be trimmed to enhance the fruit, making them grow bigger and easier to peel. Sounds like a great idea, especially by selecting the trees with the best tasting fruit.
The hickory nuts are dropping in the woods as well. I have one wooded pasture where the hickory trees are plentiful. There are apple trees there as well. My sow herd really enjoys spending a couple of weeks in that pasture. They munch on clover, nuts and apples, barely eating the corn I give them for those two weeks. There is much to be said about farming “with” nature instead of trying to fight “against” her. She is the boss and when you respect her, the bounty abounds.
Filed under: May 2017 | Tags: farm gates, farm lane, grandchildren, kids, pasture, rotational grazing, safe, secure
May 31, 2017
My almost three year old grandson is a stickler for keeping the gates closed. He knows which gates are normally open, as well as, the ones that are usually closed. He does not like to see one that is usually closed, in the open position. It’s okay if we are moving livestock, but a random open gate really bothers this young man.
I guess that I am where my grandson gets his ideas from. I close gates behind me. I insist that others do too. If you go through a gate and it is closed, then the expectation is that you close and latch it behind you. We live on a busy road. There is not a time when livestock are welcomed there. I also don’t like them stomping holes in the lawn or other mischief.
Our oil well tender man is also very careful with our gates. I am grateful to him as well. I guess much of our farm life revolves around opening and closing gates. I have many because we move livestock often, from pasture to pasture. I need things to be easy, especially with my advancing age! Our cattle and even the sow herd knows where to go, all because of our gates. They make life easy and keep all of us safe and secure.
My little next door farmer keeps a watchful eye for open gates and anything amiss. I too am wary of strange things or stuff out of place. I notice things that are different and have done so from an early age. I see part of myself in this little guy…that knowledge also makes me feel safe and secure.
Filed under: August 2016 | Tags: environmental stewardship, firewood, mast, pasture, rotational grazing, Small Farming, wooded pasture, woodland management plan
August 15, 2016
This patch of woodlands was recommended by the state forester to become a pasture. There were not too many trees worth saving according to him. I bought a herd of goats several years ago and let them eat whatever they wanted. I mowed what I could after the goats had moved on. I cut down and am cutting down, cull trees while cleaning up what falls down every year.
This hamlet has become a great pasture for sultry summer days. I feed hay to the cows here to provide feed in addition to whatever the cows graze. I graze it very short so that my clean up efforts are made easier. Soon I will hand seed grasses into the bare spots. As I remove trees the filtered sunlight encourages the grass to grow. What was once a brushy, thorny, overgrown patch, with a few trees growing among the multi-flora rose, has become a productive paddock on my farm.
I am going to remove all the trees with multi-trunks, leaving the best and straightest to grow. I continue to clean up the dead, wind blown, fallen trees and branches. Trust me I have made great progress, but plenty of work awaits. I work here in the fall. The weather is good for hard work. I also like to take trees down after the leaves have fallen. It makes the brush easier to handle.
In following my “Woodland Management Plan”, this area will become a pasture. In following my own desire, the pasture will be wooded, providing shade and comfort during the dog days of summer. I do get a fair amount of grazing days here as I rotate the animals through this field. I also graze the sow herd here to clean up the fallen Hickory nuts and wild apples. It has been a great little field and it is just starting to reach its full potential.
Filed under: May 2016, Uncategorized | Tags: gardening, kittens, Lambs, pasture, Small Farming, Spring
May 1, 2016
It continues to show the signs of spring on the farm. Baby lambs jump and play in the pasture, kittens mew in the barn and the grass continues to turn bright green. Today after a night of drizzle, the cows and horses are all stretched out soaking up the warm sunshine. It’s too wet to do much farming right now, but it sure is a great day for stretching out!
Why is it that the grass in the lawn out paces the grass in the pasture? I guess its because we don’t eat it, but it sure eats into our time having to mow. I guess that is one more signal of spring and the freshly mowed grass sure smells good! So, no complaints, just the facts I guess.
We have started to prep the gardens. That season will be upon us soon. In fact, early crops like peas, lettuce, radish and even potatoes could already be planted. No worries however, the warm soil will catch us all up once it dries out again. I will be preoccupied for a little while getting this years corn crop out. That job too will begin soon.
I guess we have much to do, all sorts of jobs, with just enough down time mixed in for the whole kit and kaboddle , to make for a very happy life!
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.
Relaxing in the shade
August 7, 2015
This sow is waiting for her due date. She is laying in the shade in the cool earthen bed she made. I that that is about as comfortable as a girl can get. 😮
Her young ones will be here soon. The rest of the herd pays her no mind. Two sows have had their babies already. Two more younger gilts are in the middle of their gestation, so it will be a couple more months before they deliver their piglets. The boar over sees all of them. He is a proud papa who watches over his youngsters, keeps an eye on the girls and still comes to me to be petted.
It is dry on the farm. The pig’s wallow has dried up. If the rains don’t come soon, I may actually haul them some water back just to make them a mud hole. For now, the cool shade in the wooded pasture is keeping them cool, but if those hot, muggy days return, I will give them a pool to play in.
I managed to finish hauling all of my compost today. I put a thin coating on the big horse pasture. I also had enough to put on a small field where next year’s speltz will be planted. I am glad to have that job completed. When the rains come and they will, it will be great to have the nutrient rich compost washing into the hungry soil. The pasture grasses will jump as they put away stores, to carry them over winter.
So, we are waiting on birthdays, second cutting and some rain. I am keeping busy putting away equipment, making a few repairs and sitting in the shade now and then.
Filed under: July 2015 | Tags: can't we all just get along, cows, draft horses, mowing, paddock, pasture, rotational grazing
Ka-boss, come along girls
July 1, 2015
As part of my rotational grazing method of raising livestock, I moo-ve my cows often 😮 I just need one gal to follow along and all the rest follow her. Now that we have been doing this a while, I say Ka-boss and they come running. They know that something good is about to happen! Even last years calves, still sucking moms, beat feet to the gate or new place that I am taking them.
My horse pasture is an area of almost six acres. I only have three draft horses on that paddock, so they can’t keep up with the grass, especially at this time of year. They also eat their favorite places down and leave other areas alone. I put the cows in there with them, just before mowing the pasture. The cows aren’t as picky. They eat the tall grass and anything else that grows pretty much. This makes great use of my forages, keeps all the grass growing well and rids the pasture of a few weeds in the process.
Having tame livestock is a plus, but once they know there is a reward for coming, even the surly ones follow the rest. The young stock go where mom goes. They stay together even grazing in a little herd. They go to the water at the same time and even rest together. The horses keep to themselves too. They don’t chase the cows, but definitely rule the pasture. They drink first. They come in first. and the cows move out of the way. I’m not sure how they learned this, but it goes on this way no matter which horses or cows that I have had over the years. I don’t question it any more. I’m just grateful it woks out so well.
Filed under: May 2015 | Tags: blooms, garden, gardening, pasture, pause, Spelt, speltz
Transplanted Blooms
May 1, 2015
After a long winter and a late spring, the flowers are blooming. It is such a wonderful thing to see. The flowers in the photo are blooming at Mom’s place. I transplanted them two years ago. They are starting to thrive. As many of you know, my mother’s ashes rest on the hill behind my sugarhouse. I keep moving flowers there. It pleases me and I am sure it pleases her too.
All around the garden and yard, blooms are peeking out. The plants are waking up and leafing out. The pasture grasses are emerald green. My fall planted speltz are lush and a vibrant green. They move with the breeze and look like a sea on land. It is good to pause and notice things such as these. It gives a man’s mind and body peace.
The weather is looking good for us farmers too. We have been wet. Tillage is at a slow crawl. The state says only ten percent of crops have been planted. That is about twenty percent behind normal years. Here at Riceland we are right on track. The fall planted speltz are growing and looking good. The pastures are growing and my oats have been planted. A small field for open pollenated corn will be plowed and made ready for planting in the next few days.
The draft horses are shedding their winter hair quickly. Birds are flittering about building nests, many lined with black horse hair. I am getting the itch to plant the early garden vegetables. Some onions are peeking out of the new beds. Some cole crops and greens will be added soon. Spring has sprung and it feels great!
Filed under: July 2014 | Tags: biting, cool evenings, draft horses, greenhead flies, pasture, pasture mowing, weeds
Sea Gulls gather in my experimental field.
July 13, 2014
This morning I was greeted by a field full of sea gulls. They seemed to be checking out my experimental field of buckwheat and oats. The young field must have been home to some yummy insects, I guess. The birds stayed quite awhile. I hope they ate their fill.
My crazy work schedule made me miss this last window for making dry hay. I focused instead on mowing our pastures, cultivating corn and working from my to do list. Mowing the pastures is the single best thing I do for them. I get ahead of weeds, promote growth in the new grass and make young lush feed for my animals…. Perhaps I even make feed for sea gulls by chasing bugs out of the tall grass!
Corn cultivating was much needed. The horses and I fought the greenhead flies and their awful bites, as we tried to get ahead of the weeds. This job too would have been better done over a week ago, but work and the weather allowed the weeds to get a jump start on us.
Summer is here. The mid-season flowers are in full bloom. It is a wonderful time of year. The cool evenings of late have been enjoyed by all of us farm critters. It seems even the biting flies take a couple of hours off to rest and enjoy the peaceful, cool time….. I know I do!
Much better than last year’s!
RicelandMeadows 