The Grass Is Greener

We've been moving the cattle and horses around to access the best grass available.  This is called rotational grazing.  In the pic below, you can see the grass on the left is brown and eaten down.  The grass on the right is green and lush.  It's separated by 2 strands of poly tape.  It CAN be hooked up to and energizer to keep it hot, but honestly, our animals are terrified of it, we don't have it hooked up.  We do have secure perimeter fencing around this 10 acre pasture, so if they were to get out, they would still be contained. 

 

Once we moved the animals over, the grass on the left will have time to rejuvenate and grow lush again.  The goal is to keep them on one side for a minimum of 4 weeks to interrupt the lifecycle of any parasites in their poo.  Plus, we have the chickens out there and they are scratching and picking through that manure.  It's an awesome symbiotic relationship. 

Hard Decisions

This was Mable Virginia.  We bought this sweet Dexter heifer to breed and be our family milk cow.  What do they say, "If you want to see God laugh, all you have to do is plan?"  Well, I don't think God was laughing, and I know we weren't.  We bought her in 2014 and after being with 2 bulls, and several attempts to AI her, she never settled.  Our vet, whom I trust implicitly, said multiple times that Mable had a mal-formed cervix.  We kept trying though.  Mable was a pet, and she was loved.  We even bought a bull for her, Patriot, but she still couldn't get bred.  Unfortunately, on a farm, especially a smaller farm as ours, we can't have free loaders.  We made the difficult decision to send her to freezer camp.  She is being dry aged as I type, and I rest easier knowing she will provide nourishment for my family.  We are still on the hunt for other Dexter cows, as we LOVE the breed. And we LOVE the Dexter community.  The lady that sold us Mable has been so generous.  My dream is to milk my cow in my barn, and make cheese.  lol  I'm serious.