Snug As A Bug In A Rug

It's been cold and icy lately so we've been focusing on keeping all the cattle warm, dry, and well fed. Straw bales make great bedding out in the fields so we break them apart so the cattle can easily bed down in them instead of on the cold/wet ground.

Cattle are generally very cold-tolerant (many cattle are raised in Canada, Minnesota, South Dakota, etc.) if they can stay dry. Cold and wet is a bad combination so we try to give them a place out of the wind and protection from wet weather whenever it does get cold.

Other recent projects have been repairing a major water line (also not fun in the cold) and spreading clover seed into the snow. This dormant seeding process will give us a jump start this spring - if you're interested in the "backyard version" here is a good website explaining the application.

This time of year is also a big planning time for us as we prepare for the spring season (field rotations, calving, etc.) and we are spending a lot of time learning about the biological composition of soil and how we can continue to improve ours through good bacteria and fungi that create a more robust and sustainable soil ecosystem.