Every day in dec

I signed up to run everyday in Dec...the original challenge is an American one.  #mile a day from thanksgiving to NYE.  I of course am modifying it to suit my life. I'm going to run 20 min everyday=2.6km or 1.6miles. Day 2 - done

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!

Update...

Our great transition from a traditional confinement dairy farm to a grass based, low cost multi - species way of life continues.   We are welcoming an early spring here in central Ontario with above seasonal temperatures.  We had a mild winter with very little snow that actually did not give great opportunity for cattle to be outdoors.  Snow/rain mix = Ice and the cows had to stay inside for fear of serious injury.    Young stock on the other hand had full opportunity outdoors here are some pictures to share.  Mostly taken with my BB - dust, chafe and what ever else is in my pocket collects on the view finder...the pictures aren't great. 

Milk bar feeding system

All huts were used this winter to accommodate the young stock.  Chopped straw was added 1/week, packs were picked every day.  The calves stayed  clean and  thus dry and warm - and they all developed great coats.    The calves liked to stick together, when given the option they would choose the large 'super huts'.  I did  notice on really cold windy days 2-3 little one's could be found in each of these small huts.  They know what they need.

For next winter we hope to upgrade to 3-4 new wooden structures and a few small huts for the wee ones.  This group of calf shelters are 25 years old and showing their age.  The one on the left took flight twice this winter so now the roof is barely holding on.  The location of this paddock/winter refuge yard proved a good wind break with a woods and hill on the west side.  I hope to keep it as a calf refuge area in the years to come for those reasons. 

The calves would spend most of their time during the day outside.

We had two hay feeders made up for winter feeding, custom made with a nice height off the ground for calves of all ages to get access to hay and wet balage.   No grain fed.