Life's Good

We are well into fall here in Ontario.  We have enjoyed lovely weather and can't complain because all the girls are still out on pasture (topped up with hay) but never the less living the dream outside.  Like all of North America we lived through a drought this summer.  We had enough rain from may1 - June 30 to qualify for 'excessive rainfall insurance' and still too much rain from july-aug to dis-qualify for 'drought insurance' How that is possible i'm not sure but we are getting by and not complaining. It could have been worse.  The nice fall weather allowed us to make some wrapped oat bales to add to our stored winter feed.  and with some purchased wet bales from a local farmer that sold out - we should have enough...fingers crossed.

One thing i just love about this management style, to be clear grazing animals to make milk, i can do it myself. In these rolling hills of Northumberland County i can move and feed all the animals by just moving a couple zipper-line fences, no intimidating tractors and wagons pushing me around. I think that is why it feels right going this way, I'm confident.  

I'm a better photographer than writer so here is a bit of our story in 2012 - taken from my Blackberry;)

15 heifers moved out of the calf group to the breeding group. BEST PART - we (2 ppl, 1dog) moved them across a road and 2 km through the fields to get to their new paddocks. This can never get old - we're not just farming we're ranching. I was leading them, James on their heels.   It worked well. once cattle get used to moving daily it becomes second nature they just follow along. Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined doing this with cattle straight out of a free stall -  i would sell our cattle trailer tomorrow -  for serious

Meat birds in a chicken tractor. Moved everyday - they love grasshoppers!

Mamma Llama is a mamma - and she is the dolly-llama

calves on the milk bar - can't even fathom confinement housing for calves ever, ever again.

Calves on alfalfa.  I learned the hard way, but alfalfa was all we had available for calf grazing, and honestly it saved us this year in the drought.  The milk cows grass didn't come back nearly as well as the alfalfa did. 

I get to live here with this view.

as of today - during the day milk cows are getting TMR in feeder wagons in sacrifice pasture. this photo they are on their way home to get milked.  going out to alfalfa hay field at night and growing some nice coats!