Filed under: March 2016 | Tags: birdsong, draft horses, Mental Health, RFD TV, riceland meadows, Rural Heritage magazine, Small Farming
March 25, 2016
In life, it is the simple things that matter. We all get too busy, caught up in the world and all the drama that goes with it. We need to slow down, take a minute to rest our brains, and let our hearts and souls talk to us. This is where true peace comes from. The kind of peace that restores us.
Last night we got a good amount of rain. The grasses and this field of spelt greened up over night. They know that spring is here. I was a little miffed because I had a different plan, but looking around the farm, I can see that the rain was needed. It is also forcing me to change gears, slow down and enjoy a rainy day….and I am doing just that!
Once I settled into the fact that my plans changed, I am making strides in a different direction. I am making progress in a couple of areas that were very needed and all because I had to slow down to think about them. I am sure that I will be better off and enabled to make even more progress once the rain stops, all because I slowed down.
Yesterday, I got to spend a little time with family. I worked on an old firewood tree and completed a list of errands. As I walked among the trees listening to the spring birdsong, I was refreshed almost by accident. Who would think that singing birds and the feeling that comes from completing a job, could make a man feel so good?
The documentary that we filmed here the last few days will air on RFD TV in May. It is two episodes shown on four different dates. It is my hope that folks will watch my horses work and understand why I choose to farm in this manner. I do tell our farm’s story, but the show belongs to the horses. They are the stars.
It is the simple things like harness bells and birdsong that keeps me going…not to mention a good morning kiss or an I love you spoken from a grandchild. The flame of a fire in the dark or the taste of a home canned peach on my tongue fills me with emotion and restores my soul.
Filed under: March 2016 | Tags: Draft horse videos, Farming with Draft horses, Log skidding, RFD TV, Rural Heritage magazine, Small Farming
March 24, 2016
Yesterday, the folks from Rural Heritage magazine were here to make a movie about my farm and draft horses. We spent the entire day filming. The horses pulled my sled, hauled the manure spreader with the power cart and skidded logs with our log cart. They performed beautifully, as expected…but you just never know…they are animals after all.
We will finish up this morning with the film crew. The movies will appear during the month of May on RFD TV. The videos will also be available from the Rural Heritage website. If you check out the Rural Heritage Facebook page, you can see some teaser photos taken during the filming.
They will be making two segments one geared toward our environmental and woodland stewardship. The other video will be about using draft horses for power on a mixed powered farm. The videos showcase our work horses Knight, Hoss and Duke. (each horse was played by himself) I am there too, but the real stars were the horses.
These are exciting and busy times here at Riceland Meadows. I’m sure glad you folks are along for the ride!
Filed under: August 2015 | Tags: best management practices, Countryside magazine, environmental stewardship, pig drinker, pig nipple, ponds, pork chops, rain, Rural Heritage magazine, water, water quality, wetland
The cows drink their fill
August 10, 2015
Tonight as I write, we are getting a very nice rain. It has been raining for over three hours. The weatherman says it should rain off and on all night. This is our first rain since the 5th of July. It is pretty dry here. The grasses, the gardens and the trees are drinking their fill as well.
Our second cutting grass/hay is ready to cut. This rainy period is just what we need. The corn was starting to curl as it too, was wanting water. The pig herd was playing in the water when I got home. The whole farm seems content, with the exception of a few hens who got stranded outside when the wind blew the coop door shut 😮
We were featured in the current issue of Countryside magazine. The horses and I are looking forward to farming full time. I thirst for that day. The horses just like having me near. I am sure that breathing on them is as good for them as it is for me. The peace from our partnership fills me and satisfies my soul. I write a column in Rural Heritage magazine. In the current issue, I describe a way to grow pork chops in your backyard, complete with directions on how to set up gravity water flow to a pig drinker.
It’s all about water. The moisture of life, without which we die. I do all that I can to protect the quality of water that leaves my farm. I catch two ponds full. I maintain a ten acre wetland that borders a large stream. I use best management practices when logging, farming and especially when spreading manure. I am a good neighbor, a good steward and a protector of the resources that this farm holds. I am so careful with water, that I have even been called a …drip!
RicelandMeadows 