Farming in the shade

When we decided recently to add cattle to the farm, we also decided that we needed to set up sorting area and acquire appropriate equipment. We've got some sorting capabilities in the sheep barn that help us with the sheep, but that system isn't set up for cattle. And sometimes we just set up temporary fences and pens and do it the hard way with the sheep, if we are not near the sheep barn. But temporary fencing and pens certainly don't cut it with cattle.  When cattle decide to go a different direction than where you want them to go, there is no reasoning with them. And, at more than half a ton each, you certainly can't force them to do anything once they've made up their minds.  So we acquired a squeeze chute and sorting pen and alley. We set up small but sturdy permanent pens next to the sheep barn.  This particular day it was time to sort off the two steers that were ready for freezer camp. We herded all the cattle into a small pen, and made sure th...

When I blogged yesterday about what to do with the dwindling feed problem, I didn't tell you that we'd already made a plan and carried it out. I wanted to see what others would have decided, though I realize I didn't give all the information. Things I left out included lack of money and the fact that we are still lambing. The first year we had sheep we had the ewes giving birth out in the pasture, and it Did Not Go Well. Since that time we've chosen to lamb inside, where conditions are much more controlled. Anyway, this past weekend it was apparent that we had a dire situation on our hands. Denial of the situation was not working; something needed to be done, and it needed to be done right then. But of course we had these cows in the way. So the first order of business was to sort the calves from their mothers, and remove the bull from the group. Enter the sorting chute we recently purchased (which probably has something to do with our cash flow problem). We spen...

Last spring is still haunting us. Last spring was a wet, flooded, soggy mess . Because of the extra moisture, our corn was planted late, and we were not able to harvest any of it last fall. No corn at all. We don't feed much corn, reserving it for that little extra protein that is needed by the ewes right at lambing time. We feed a little to our Holstein beef steers over the winter, as Holsteins just will not grow on hay alone. Unfortunately, we ran out of what little 2012 corn was left before this year's lambing season started. We've been hoping that our hay (typically very high quality) would carry the ewes through until they could be turned out to pasture. There are two problems with this hopefulness. The first dates back to the spring floods I mentioned at the beginning of this post. The same flooding caused the first-cutting hay crop to be harvested late. It was very coarse and not all that palatable. Coarse hay tends to be wasted more by the animals. They pick ...

We have been struggling with near zero temperatures the past few days. High winds and lake effect snow have added to the misery, making it feel much colder than zero. It's natural to be concerned about the animals at this time. After all, that is our job. In the winter, they are especially dependent on us for regular feedings, fresh water, and shelter.  This picture was not actually taken during this particular weather event. For much of the past couple of days, the horses stayed in the barn. But this photo from a couple of weeks ago shows something interesting. The snow on Duke's back indicates to me that he is well-insulated. It LOOKS bad to have an animal with snow on its back. But it's like a house--a bare roof in the winter means the house is losing heat. A snow-covered roof means the insulation is working, and the heat is staying inside.  This picture shows our Belted Galloway cattle yesterday in some of the worst weather. They are pretty eager to get t...

In my reading this morning, I came across this quote from a sheep farmer in Pennsylvania: "I'm a very strong supporter of animal welfare (which is difficult to define) and do not support animal rights. I don't believe that there is any single "ideal" or "right" way to raise livestock. Each producer must make that decision based on the region, the land he has, what he's passionate about and the market. Ag producers cannot afford to disparage others who don't do things "their way"—there are too many mouths to feed, and there's room for every kind of production as long as that production is based on sound science." It was just a snippet in an article about their operation. If you'd like to read the quote in context, you can read the whole article here .  If I had my way with that quote, I'd add to the end "as long a that production is based on sound science and treats the animal humanely." But what is th...

Last week was our county fair--a very small one, as county fairs go. I suspect that fairs are a dying breed, and so we participate in several ways just to keep the powers-that-be from looking around and saying "why bother?" We pick garden veggies to enter in the vegetable competition. We enter our handmade items in the open class needlework competition. This year The Farmer entered a skein of handspun yarn. I also entered a skein of handspun yarn, a crocheted scarf, and one of my rugs. And our kids show animals through the 4H program. 4H participants spend 2-6 months (depending on the animal shown) working with their animal, caring for it daily, getting it used to being handled. This teaches them responsibility. Many of the kids form a close bond with their animals. All of the animals are sold at the end of the fair, and there are always a few tears shed as the kids help load their animals on the stock trailers to be brought to auctions or slaughterhouses. You might be tempt...

I recently read a statistic that 75% of wildlife habitat in this country is provided or protected by agriculture. I am amazed at what I saw today. I took a walk earlier this morning, but didn't look up. The Farmer, on one of his missions, saw this big bird, and told me about it at noon. It was still there after lunch, so he called me from the cab of the tractor to tell me. Can it be? Whoa... I think it is! (Click on any of the photos to zoom in.) A bald eagle. Amazing! Apparently I was paying a little too much attention to him (or muttering my amazement too loudly), as he flew off. See the white tail? Beautiful...

I'm late in posting a wrap-up because, quite frankly, fair week did me in. Too old for all this busyness... The final "big thing" we are involved with at the fair is the market animal auction. The animals that the kids have been looking after for several months are auctioned off to the highest bidder. They go for slaughter. For meat. The kids have come to understand this basic life principle: For one to live, another must die. Now I understand that there are folks who don't eat meat. And I'm okay with that. But we choose to eat meat, and because we do, I'd like the kids to understand the whole process. (And, incidentally, I didn't invent the whole "for one to live, another must die" principle. You'll see it worked out over and over in nature. I believe it's a principle that is set in place to point us to the truth about Christ's death on our behalf. But that's fodder for another day.) In fact, I'd love it if more people unders...

Agricultural land provides food and habitat for 75% of the nation's wildlife. Deer, moose, fowl and other species have shown significant population increases in the past several years.

It's come in fits and starts, but I think spring is here. Here's a photo of our horses enjoying the spring sunshine.  It would be easy to wonder if the darker horse is dead. Many people are not used to seeing animals laying out flat. I'm not used to it! Several times I've been known to slow down the car, roll down the window and yell "Hey!" to see what happens. Usually the animal will startle and look at me strangely. Usually my teens startle and look at me strangely, too. But it's an easy way to see if an animal is resting or dead.  Don't call the animal rescue until you've thoroughly investigated the situation. Just yell "Hey!"

Meet Tamarin, our guard llama. He runs with the sheep to prevent loss of life due to stray dogs, coyotes or foxes. Until now, we can't complain about his work ethic.  But lately we've suspected that Tamarin has been guarding our sheep too well. Recently we put the rams in with the Suffolk ewes. Tamarin doesn't seem to appreciate these newly introduced intruders. We've seen a lot of chasing, of late. Tonight, we cornered and caught Tamarin, and put him in with the Polypay ewes (who are due to receive their suitors later this fall).   Never a dull moment on the farm...

One of our daughters recently made some mousey cat toys from wool. Here's one. We are starting to think about what new things we can make for the Christmas market that we always do in our town. This is one of the new things we'll be selling this year. Cats seem to love anything small like this made from wool. Any suggestions for what you'd like to see in our market booth this year? P.S. These mice are much cuter than those we are catching in our farmhouse right now. The nasty little critters got into my chocolate stash. This is war...

I have spent entirely too much time on cats lately. We are over-run with them, frankly, due to people dumping them and wild ones just wandering over. We feed them, appreciate their rodent-control services, don't pay attention, and suddenly there are 4, 982 of them. Yikes! Last week I brought 7 kittens and 1 mama cat to the low-cost spay/neuter clinic 30 miles away. I paid my money, drove back home, and picked them up the next morning. Kept them in the garage for a few days while they recuperated, and let them all out. All is well, right? No. Several of them have a respiratory virus (common among barn cats, I'm told by the vet at the spay/neuter clinic), and are hacking and coughing and dribbling in a cluster right outside our front door. If nothing else, it'll probably keep the travelling cutlery salesmen from stopping... I was advised to buy the stinkiest canned cat food for them to eat while they're recovering. Apparently, they don't eat if they can't smell. A...