Three inches of rain this weekend turned the packed dirt near the sows’ whey trough into a pig’s paradise. A sound everyone should hear is that satisfying plop-splat as a 600 pound sow flops into perfectly gooey mud. Just be sure to stand back when she stands up and starts shaking it off!
Over the past few years I’ve worked to pare down my fencing costs. I’m glad to have a six strand high tensile fence up near the road, but I’ve realized that for most of the farm that is far more than I really need. I think the only places where I’d still build a four …
As I was clearing brush along an overgrown fenceline today, I came across some critters hiding out in the woods.
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 …
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 …
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 …
‘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 …
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 …
We’ve been trying to buy more things in bulk, even though laying out lots of money plays havoc with the farm’s cash flow at times. But when we can swing it, it certainly pays off in terms of cost and of time spent handling materials. Which brings me to buying egg cartons by the pallet …
I bought a new pair of work boots, but I always have a hangup with changing to a new pair. My everyday farm boots are cracked and half separated from the sole. They protect my feet, except in the places where they don’t… You might say they have a patina, but I’m suspicious of anyone who …
