Farm Fun

Everyone enjoying summer? Kids had enough swimming time? Are they bored yet? It gets really busy here. Maybe make them do some gardening :)

Hay season has started. We try to get about 1 cut a month. This gives the grass time to recover from the previous cut. May is the earliest we cut. Fertilizer has to be applied right before a rain, and it has to be dry enough to cut, rake, let grass dry, and finally bale. This time of year at least it doesn't take long for everything to dry out. The trouble happens when it doesn't rain for the $10,000 worth of fertilizer that has to be put out after each cut. If it doesn't get rained on, most of the fertilizer evaporates, and can actually damage the grass.

This year, hay was cut the same week of Camp Golly! Little Bug and her cousins, Farm Boy and Little Bean, all got to help Gampy cut and rake. Farm Boy actually got to help bale! Little Bug spent the whole round talking to Gampy about the tractor. Poor Little Bean fell asleep in her Gampy's arms. Farm work can be hard.

Since the grazing isn't getting rain either, we have to move the cattle a lot. This means lots of fence movement and repair. We have rope fences to help split up larger pastures. Permanent fencing can be very expensive, and less flexible in grazing management. Moving the fences allows us to use a less expensive form of fence and to change the gate location. Cattle tend to tear up the ground when you send a bunch of them through a small space like a gate.

The drier season also means taking water to the cattle. We found out in June, the water trailer had busted pipes from the minor freeze we had this winter. We had to get that fixed quickly so our cattle had water.

The cousins had a blast going out and calling the cows to the next pasture. Three kid voices yelling "Com'on Cows!!!" is worthy of Funniest Home Videos. Monster is still abit too small for all the fun. He and I spend most of our time in the office. We've got everything set up for him. He has a high chair at my desk, pack'n'play for tummy time and nap, and a play table. He does do a little here and there, but it's really hot for him. If I need to be out of the office, Golly gets some computer work done.

We've also got our MILPA garden! We planted one acre of summer harvest plants. The company that sells this mixture, give every planter the first acre for free with the condition that half of the food harvested get donated to local food pantries. We are so excited for the opportunity to contribute to helping feed America, that we jumped on this chance. Check out our MILPA page to see what all is growing. The picture shows some of what we've picked this year. Everything is planted together, and the mixture is designed so that every plant has a contribution to the group. Some of the plants have insect repellant properties. Others replace important nutrients into the ground, like nitrogen. It's an example of the mission of this farm: Feeding the world, and using nature to accomplish the goals of maintenance like pest control. There's a lot more that goes on this time of year, but to tell it all would make a novel. It's definitely a fun time of year.