Forest Dwellers
As I was clearing brush along an overgrown fenceline today, I came across some critters hiding out in the woods.
July 2016
Tarping Round Bales
This is the first year I’ve had all my hay bales under cover. We were able to cram the sows’ winter hoophouse full of bales. We’ll need to empty that out by Thanksgiving, but it is a pretty convenient place to stash the bales in the meantime. We’re also trying storing hay under tarps. My friend
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Goings On
There’s a whole lot of everything going on these midsummer days so it’s hard to focus on any one thing happening. Livestock work continues apace as garden work transitions from planting and weeding to harvesting. AJ and Harry brought in a few wagon loads of garlic. Now that they are both big enough to drive the
So Easy A Kid Can Do It
The replacement farm truck came with a handy feature: a dumping stake body. I’ve wanted a stake body truck for a long time because pickup beds are flimsy, showy affairs that never hold up to real use. But having the dump hoist is a great bonus for unloading vegetable scraps. The novelty hasn’t worn off
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Last Hay Down
‘Round these parts, perennial hayfields are good for only two cuttings each year. Three cuttings are possible if you are lucky or if you make baleage, but we don’t have much experience with luck or baleage. We only take the first cutting for winter feed. We buy in the remaining hay needs from neighbors and use what would
Pasture Cropping Pearl Millet
We did something new this week: planted five acres of pearl millet. For years I’ve been hearing about the work Colin Seis has been doing in popularizing pasture cropping, and the idea is intriguing in many aspects. The basic premises of pasture cropping are: Plant an annual crop into a perennial pasture during a period
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