Planting Ryegrass by Sunset Light

A less stressful week this week catching up on to-do's from last week. We're keeping the drill (ryegrass seed planter) running most daylight hours to get as much planted as we can before the rain comes so it gets good growth before the cold hits. Every day counts!

Donkey Protectors

Donkeys are sometimes used in herds as additional protectors of calves from predators (e.g., coyotes). Our most recent trial was less than successful... Jack, was less of a protector and quickly became the wimpiest one in the group (scared of the cows).

Good Bugs

In farming there are good bugs and bad bugs. Good bacteria run the fermentation process to turn a grass or corn plant into a stable good quality feed for the cattle. Similar to sauerkraut or kimchi. This year we are adding extra good bugs/bacteria to the silage as we harvest.

Wildlife on the Farm

We share our farm with an abundance of wildlife. We have 750 acres total and about 300 of those acres are wooded. We have also built 7 ponds across the farm and a wetland. As I’m getting older I get more pleasure in finding pockets of wildlife.

Stockpiling

We are preparing for winter in numerous ways. One of my favorite is stockpiling grass. Stockpiling is the term used for letting grass that grows during the summer to graze in the winter.