10 Days in the Life of a Sustainable/Homesteading Farmer
Wednesday:
We wake up at 6AM - coffee time with hubby and
make plans for the day. He reminds me
that we are scheduled for a delivery of 20 bales of hay that we were supposed
to get a few weeks ago but, it was too wet at that time. So, we are anxious for the delivery today,
especially since there have been rumors that there is a hay shortage this
season and all of our usual contacts have been sold out since May. This load is coming from a new supplier and
will be the last of the hay we need to carry our cattle and sheep herds through
the winter.
I remind my
husband and daughter that, when checking on the herds last night, not only did
one of our cows have a huge milk bag but, she was very soft in her lady parts
and looked like birth would be very soon so, we would have to put her into the
nursery pen today. We complete our usual
morning chores of letting the 140 chickens out of the two large cages,
feeding/watering them, feeding the 25 chickens in the movable hoop house and
moving it for the day, and feeding/watering the 12 baby chicks (under 6 wks
old) in the junior pen. Then, we
re-group for our mid-morning juicing (this is beneficial to both us, and our
animals, because they eat all the pulp and peelings left over) which gives us
ample energy to complete the rest of our day before dinner. We feed our four dogs and we all (dog included)
head back out to tackle the day’s plan.
We put one group of 12 sheep into one side of the
nursery pen (there are two herds to tend to now since they were separated in
late Aug. and paired with a ram for breeding this season – we have two rams so
the flock gets separated into two herds from Aug-Nov and we are careful not to
let them mix so 1) we can be sure of the genes of our lambs for the upcoming
season and 2) when two rams collide, there is usually a bloody mess with the
risky task of breaking them up). With
the 1st group of sheep in place and out of the way, we proceed to
let the 2nd group of sheep and all the cattle (who are grazing
together in the west pastures) to the other ½ of the nursery where we will sort
out the expectant mother cow. (There is
usually lots of moans and groans about having to do it this way but, we learned
early on that once the herds come running to the pen, it is futile to try to
keep some behind (sheep or cattle) because they will either become leery and no
one will go where you want them to or, ½ the herd will run away from you and
the ½ running where you want them to go will turn back looking for the ones
left behind). We get in place: one person at one end of the field to open
the gate and follow them, encouraging any stragglers who might of gotten side
tracked along the way, a second person running with a bucket of cattle cubes,
leading them to the nursery pen (usually our daughter as she is the most
energetic and agile), and a third person at the nursery pen to close the gate
once the entire herd is in. We go forth
with the plan, with the herd in place, the expectant mother gets separated
little by little as we let them out and bring them back to the pasture in
groups: sheep head out first as the chaos of 14 cattle fighting for a taste of
a rare treat of cattle cubes is too much for them, after all the cubes are
gone, the mothers head out with the young cattle in tow and, finally, the bull has
to be lead out by chasing him, yelling and waving sticks to keep him going
because he finds the scent of the cows in heat at the neighbor’s pasture,
across the street, irresistible – we move fast because, even though we know our
fences are electrified and the chances of keeping him on our side are good, he
would pace and bellow continuously and upset the bull across the street who
outweighs him three fold. Once he spots
his own herd, he realizes that is really where he wants to be and runs forth to
re-join them.
And, that completes our morning. When we come back together, David gets a text
that our anticipated hay delivery is not going to arrive and has been cancelled
all together. So, we gather and discuss
new ideas of how to fill the hay needs for the winter. But, since our building project is now
calling our attention (we usually have at least one or two in progress at all
times), we switch gears and turn from being farmers into construction workers. The day passes all too quickly - dinner comes
and goes, we lock up the hens, collect and put away eggs and go to bed.
Thursday:
A duplicate of yesterday morning (coffee time,
discuss plans for the day, morning feeding/watering chores, juicing and getting
the dogs fed – started at 6AM, done by 10AM).
But, this morning, I make a special trip to check up on my expectant cow
to see if there is a calf at her side.
No calf. Later, I get a phone
call that our 600lbs of organic chicken feed, ordered last week, will be
arriving shortly. So, I gather the
troops (my husband and daughter), we empty the UTV and put the skid forks on
the tractor (needed to unload the feed from the truck). The truck arrives at the end of the road near
the highway (he does not come to the house because it is difficult to get in
and out of our street since it is a dead end road). My husband works the tractor as I guide the
forks under the pallet and he lifts the 600lbs of feed off the truck and onto
the UTV that my daughter is driving. I
sign the bill of lading, the semi driver goes on his way and we head back to
the house to unload. We drop the pallet
of food and head to the feed store where they have non-GMO seed that we mix
with the organic feed (the chickens like the addition of the whole seed and we
like the fact that any uneaten seeds will sprout and turn into micro-greens
which the chickens or other pastured animals will consume later). We buy another 600 lbs of seed (12, 50lb
bags) plus two square bales of coastal hay since the mother cow will need a choice
of better quality hay after her calf is born.
Back at the house, we chain the 600lbs of organic feed onto the tractor
bucket and lift it in the heavy tote bag it is encased in over our heads to
open the bottom of the bag and let the feed flow into our food barrels – I
control the flow as my daughter alternates with non-GMO seed so it all gets
mixed evenly into the barrels. 1,200 lbs
of feed, and $700 dollars later, we rest assured that our chicken flocks will
be fed for the next two months. Now, off
with our farm hats and on to our construction project, followed by a duplicate
of yesterday’s routine of dinner and locking up the hens and collecting and
putting away eggs.
Friday:
Coffee time with hubby then off to do the regular
morning chores. Today is baking day for
the Saturday morning market so, I know I will have limited time outside with
the animals. My husband usually handles
the majority of the farm chores this day but, I still make time to check on my
expectant cow and notice she is acting a bit peculiar. I tell my husband it won’t be long now. He notes my observation and reminds me that
she and another cow, who is in the back fields with the main herd, have always
calved within days of each other for the past three years and inquires about
our plans to bring the second cow to the nursery pen as well. I let him know that cow was showing no signs
of impending birth and that the expectant mother in the nursery is actually a
month ahead of schedule so, the cow in the field probably has about a month to
go yet.
I know rain is coming and the wind picks up. Rain is always alarming on the farm but,
mostly in weather below 50 degrees so, I don’t worry about the animals too
much. It crosses my mind that tomorrow
is probably not a good day to market my farm fresh baked goods since it is
supposed to rain all day but, since I signed up for a booth at the annual town’s
festival (being held tomorrow) instead of my regular market booth, I will plan
to go forth. In between baking, I read an
e-mail from the festival coordinator that even though there will be showers on
and off all day, there will be some breaks in the weather as well and, the
festival will go on, rain or shine – with that, I rest assured that tomorrow
should go just fine. David takes his
mother to do some errands because today is house cleaning day and we like to
keep her out of the housekeeper’s way; he also goes to the bank to get change
to have on hand for the festival and I continue to bake. It rains from 1-3PM; I finish four batches of
cookies then go out to check on my expectant cow to ensure she is still dry,
comfortable, and eating well. And, sure
enough, she calved sometime during that 1-3PM rain storm because she has a
precious little baby girl calf on her side, all cleaned up and nursing. They are not in the sheltered area but, there
were no signs of where she calved and, even if it was in the rain, she kept the
baby dried off the whole time by licking her clean. I called David to announce the news. By that evening, I finish baking, label and
pack my baked items, my portable awning, and table and chairs for tomorrow’s
festival. David takes care of dinner and
completes the night farm chores.
Saturday:
No coffee time this morning – we head out at 6AM
to load up the car and go to the festival (the gates for vendors will close at
8AM and, we want to be in and out with no hassles). After my tent and tables are set up, David
goes back home to tend to the animals and take care of all the morning
chores. I call him to let him know it is
raining heavily and to inquire about the new baby calf. He tells me they are in the shed and dry and
that he will bring side walls for my tent at the market to help keep the rain
from blowing in the sides of our booth space.
David returns around 10AM and tends our booth with me at the festival
and we pretty much just sit and visit with the people in the neighboring booths
as we watch tent after tent pack up and leave.
The coordinator lets us know that anyone who wants to leave is free to
do so and they are lifting the mandate to stay until 6PM (the close of the
festival) and opening the gates for cars to come in to load up and leave. We see there will be a break in the weather
and decide to stay. There was finally a
break from 12:30-2:00PM and, with most other vendors gone at that point, we
make a majority of sales in that time.
We also meet a newly married couple whose wife wants Zebu cattle (which
is what we raise) as a wedding present.
Since I have a 1 year old bull who has been for sale since his birth, we
are in luck (and, at this point, glad we stayed to make this encounter). We got our break, made some sales and met new
people but, more rain is coming so, we pack up and head out around 3PM. On the way home, our newlyweds call to say
they will be coming over tomorrow to look at cattle, with the intention of
taking some home. Hooray, with a herd of
16 cattle now (since the new birth), a shortage of winter hay and more calves
coming soon, our rained out market paid off well.
We arrive back home, unpack, have dinner and head
out to put the chickens away and gather eggs.
It is raining so I check on the youngest chicks (2 wks old) because they
are the first to get water logged and die if they are not in a dry place and,
since they have only been out of their brooder for a few days, I want to make
sure they sought shelter properly. I
walk up and hear them “crying” (yes, baby chickens do “cry” when they are
upset) - sure enough, they are standing in a water puddle since the chicken
tractor I put them in next to the raised bed gardens has turned into a water
spillway with the heavy rains that came down most of the day. So, I simply move them up into the garden
where the ground is high and problem solved.
I then check on our new mother hen – she just hatched two chicks and I
knew two more were on their way. One had
hatched but was crushed (sometimes that happens if the first to hatch were too
active and the mother moves around too much before they all hatch), the other
was rolled off to the side and ½ hatched and very cold – I opened the top of
the egg to see if the chick was still alive and, it was. So, I went inside and made a hammock-type bed
for it and placed it in my closet with a heater and hoped for the best. I wanted to keep a close eye on the chick
but, I knew it was getting dark and wanted to make sure our 2 mo. old calf (out
in the field with the rest of the cattle herds) was holding up well in the
rain. When my husband and I got out to
the fields, darkness was already setting in so, we turned on our flashlights to
check on the cattle but, they were not in their usual place: gathered around
the hay bale (they usually lay/sleep where the hay has dropped on the ground
which provides a cushion for them off the ground). David and I agree that despite the fact that
it is dark and rainy, we must go out and see where the herds are and that everything
is okay. We find the donkeys on one end,
the sheep on another and the cattle in a high corner. We figure they are simply looking for the
best place to stay out of the rain. I am
especially worried about our two month old calf because this is her first rain
storm and I am hoping she is weathering it okay. I notice her curled up in a corner under a
tree, wet and shaking. So, I run to pick
her up and tell David we have to get her into a sheltered area quick. Then, I realize, the two month old calf is
standing by her mother and, despite the rain, is fine and healthy so, who was I
holding? Oh my, remember that cow David
said would calf shortly after the one in the nursery?... this was her calf! It was a girl and her naval was still wet –
she was only hours old. Her mother does
not notice I have her calf in my arms and I am happy because mother cows have
been known to seriously injure, at best, anyone handling their calves. I wrap the calf in my jacket and David opens
the gates to move the herd to the nursery pen (same routine as a few days before
but, in the dark and in the rain and, without our daughter (who was at work) to
help). The mother cow is torn between
finding her calf (who is now in my jacket) and following the herd to the front
nursery pen. After much mooing and
running frantically back and forth from where the calf was born to following
the rest of the herd heading to the nursery pen (they are happy to go because
they know they usually get fed there), we finally get the mother into the pen
with the rest of the herd. The new
mother notices, now, that I have her calf, she looks upset and is coming toward
me so, I drop the calf and run to get out of the pen and close the rest of the
herd in. The new mother, from yesterday,
who was already in the pen, spots the newest calf also, and goes to it to check
it out because she thinks it might be hers.
Once this happens, an all out cow fight ensues between the two new
mothers - in the dark, in the rain,
amidst the new baby and the rest of the herd.
David gets a stick, breaks them up and is able to get the entire herd
into the back ½ of the nursery pen where the first mother has her day old
calf. The newest mother is now secluded
in the front ½ of the pen (which is separated by a divider fence) with just her
calf but, shaken up, she is watching us and the other herd in the pen next to
her more than tending to her calf and her calf is simply standing, hunched over
(a sign of chills and a situation that must be remedied shortly or, she will
not nurse), probably in shock at this point.
We walk away and let things calm down a bit. 30 minutes later, we notice the newest calf
is still standing in the rain hunched over so we set up a heat lamp in the
covered area of that section with a plan to get the calf in a bed of hay, under
cover and under the heat lamp (again, a calf will not nurse if it is cold and
this one only has about 6 hrs. to get the best of her mother’s fresh colostrum
which will provide nutrition and antibodies to sustain her for the rest of her
life). There are a few cattle panels
(thick wired fence panels) nearby, left over from a fence project we started
so, I passed one to David and the plan was for me to grab the calf, put it
under the heat lamp and run; when the mother followed, David would hold up the
panel as a barrier to keep her turned toward her calf and in the covered
area. But, when we did this, the calf
was so startled she kept trying to flee and leave the covered, warm area we set
up for her. She wedged herself between
the fence that David was holding up and the wall of the covered area we were
trying to get her into. So, I pushed the
calf out of the wedged area toward the heat lamp and David pushed the edge of
the fence against the wall which, for the most part, locked it in place. The fence was only wedged in place and not
fully secured - the mother was still very nervous and making aggressive gestures: stomping the ground, snorting and turning her
head to put her horn straight out for piercing while ½ lunging toward David. He discouraged her threatening gestures by
banging a piece of PVC against the side wall and yelling “no” with a firm
voice. It would of only taken a second
for this mother cow to push the fence over and horn David in the gut but,
luckily, even among the commotion, there must have been a little bit of
recollection, in her mind, that we are, after all, her trusted care-takers and,
seeing that her calf was with her, she (as I’d like to believe) restrained
herself as much as she could from injuring us.
David pushed a stick into the wet ground to keep the wedged fence in
place and we both got out of there calmly but, quickly, feeling relieved we
were not facing a trip to the hospital and happy the new calf, even though she
refused to get under the heat lamp, at least had a fighting chance of
survival. We said many prayers before
going to bed that night.
Sunday:
I woke up to a peeping sound coming from my closet
- the baby chick I put in there yesterday evening had absorbed the yolk sac and
detached from the last bit of eggshell that was holding it in place for
absorption (this is their nourishment – it is their version of 1st
colostrum) and was now peeping, in search of its mother. I put on my farm clothes and muck boots,
gathered the chick, and went outside to put it with its family. I waited a few seconds to see if it would be
accepted or rejected and, almost immediately, the new mama hen opened a wing
and it nuzzled under her chest to join the other two. I was glad that went quickly because the real
pressing thing on my mind was whether or not the calf had made it through the
night and I was anxious to find out. I
ran to the nursery pen - the calf was dry, jumping around happily and nursing. Success!!
The baby will make it! I saw
David coming down the road toward the pen; he called out to me for a sign
and I gave him two thumbs up. He met me at the nursery pen and we both gazed in satisfaction and commented, once again, "she is a good cow", referring to the mother who has always took care of her calves exceptionally well. (It is times like these when I just shake my head at the thought that most conventional farmers would cull (send to the killing line) a cow with high mothering instincts, as this cow has, simply because she was "difficult". But, around here, we like cattle who act as natural as cattle should (and that goes for all our animals)).
We finished the rest of our morning chores and, realizing that we still needed to get some good hay (for the new mama) and straw for bedding (since the area they were in was small and continual walking was making mud pudding), we knew we would not be making it to church this Sunday morning.
We finished the rest of our morning chores and, realizing that we still needed to get some good hay (for the new mama) and straw for bedding (since the area they were in was small and continual walking was making mud pudding), we knew we would not be making it to church this Sunday morning.
On our trip back from the feed store, I got a call
from the newlyweds (we met yesterday) saying they would be at our place shortly
to look at, and buy, cattle. I commented
to David that it was a good thing we brought the herd in last night because
they are now in a viewing pen (in the nursery) which is connected to our
loading chute. The couple arrived
intending to buy two cattle and, in the end, left with three; leaving us with extra
funds to make up the difference of the anticipated elevated cost of hay we may
now be facing (hay will be hard to come by in the winter and, with the current
shortage, the price could as much as double, not including heavy delivery fees
as it may need to come from out of state, at this point). We went from 15 cattle, to 17 (after the two
births), then down to 14 all in a few days.
We did not go to church today but took our usual day of rest and laid
low but, regardless of our lack of church attendance, we were assured many of our
prayers were answered. We still have it
in the back of our minds that the current herds will need a 1,000 lb bale every
three days during the four months between the first and last frosts during the winter,
and we only have enough to carry us through 2 mos.; so, we keep praying! : )
Monday:
We rested and now back to our usual routine. After all the recent rains, our back pastures
have had a growth spurt are ready for grazing.
During coffee time, we layout on paper how we will divide the pastures -
four pastures, at 2 weeks of grazing in each pasture, will carry us through the
remaining 8 weeks before the first killing frost of winter. We tend to our morning chores then proceed to
put up temporary fencing to carry out the grazing plan. We also take this time to check on and maintain
our permanent perimeter fence. By the
end of the day, the fences are up and all is set to go.
We end our day with our usual evening routine and
head to bed.
Tuesday:
I am anxious to take the herd to the new pastures
in the back. Bringing them to a new
pasture is like Christmas morning to them and is one of the many moments that I
look forward to and make this life-style worth enduring. We finish our morning chores and I have the
pleasure of letting the herds into the fresh fields. The cattle and sheep spend the day in the
back pasture. I don’t like that I can’t
see them when they are back there but, it is re-assuring that they have plenty
to eat and have the donkeys with them to help guard and signal against any
dangers. I can’t see them but, I can
hear an upset braying donkey – and, for this reason, I am thankful that we
spend a good part of our days outside which makes the, now, cooler weather
(since the rains) very welcoming.
I want to join the two mothers in the same pen
today and hope, since they have seen each other through a fence for a few days
and realize they both have calves and
neither aims to steal the other’s calf, that the union will be a peaceful one. I dislodge the temporary fence panel that was
holding the newest cow and calf in place and open the gate that separates the
two sides of the nursery. The newest cow
and calf enter and all is fine for a few minutes until, the two cows turn to
each other and go into a head lock. The
two new calves start mooing and showing concern and pull back to a safe
distance – David and I watch from the other side of the fence. One cow gets rolled over on the ground then
scrambles to her feet and the two knock horns together as if they are sword fighting
and back into a head lock. 1 min later,
the larger cow tires, and retreats – the matriarch of the herd has
re-positioned herself as #1, calves re-join their mothers and everyone gets along
fine from there forward.
Now that the animals will be in the back pastures until
the first killing frost and, since the sale of the three cattle put a few extra
bucks in our hands, David and I come up with a plan to use ½ of the money to
seed the front pastures with winter seed – something that may be graze-able and
sustain the animals Jan.-Mar., as an emergency back-up plan should we find
ourselves in the full throes of a hay shortage at that time. We spend the rest of the day pricing and
buying seed from various places. The
day ends with our usual night chores and 600lbs of seed in the back of our SUV.
Wednesday:
Same routine: coffee/planning, letting out and
feeding/watering chickens and feeding dogs.
We skip juicing because, it looks like rain may come and we are anxious
to get our seed spread because we can’t run the tractor in the fields during a
heavy rain. Plus, seeding right before a
rain is optimal. David and I get to work
affixing the seeding implement onto the tractor and loading the seed and
fertilizer into the seeder - the seeds will need to be broadcast in two loads
since the spreader only holds about 300lbs at a time. I head to the back to open the gates for the
herds to graze, once again, in the back fields.
It starts to drizzle so I return to where David is seeding, with tarp
and zip ties in hand, and we secure a tarp over the top of the seeder to keep
the seeds dry. After all the seed has
been broadcast, drizzle turns to rain (which is good to germinate the seed)
but, I quickly become concerned about the herds in the back pastures because
there is no shelter back there – a few hours of rain during warm weather is okay
but, we have tropical sheep and cattle so, I worry about them when rain is
constant, accompanied by lowered temperatures.
I figured it would be better to risk being out in the rain for 30
minutes to gather them back to their night pasture where they have shelter and can spend the rest of their
day dry instead of leaving them out to be drenched all day. But, 30 minutes turned into 1-1/2 hrs because
there is a tributary running through the fields where they were grazing and as
the rain continued, and the waters filled to flowing, the herds did not want to
cross the flowing water. So, it was back
and forth, sheep first, then the cattle in groups then, back for the
donkeys. They all went straight to the
sheltered area and I went straight inside to change into dry clothes then,
feeling chilled, I curled up in the warm bed and took a nap (that venture
drained me more than I anticipated). Night-time
came and David carried out the night chores after dinner since I was not
feeling well after being in the rain most of that morning.
Thursday:
Same morning routines… I let the herds into the back pastures for
the day. I checked on the new calves in
the nursery pen and noted they are looking healthy, fed, and happy. They sleep a lot at this age but, in between
naps, they romp and chase each-other around the nursery pen – I am happy to see
they are building a bond. The mothers
are eating well, acting civil and, back to their usual cooperative herding
behavior where one mother babysits as the other eats and vice-versa (when they
get older and are let back out into the fields with the rest of the herd, the cows
will usually put the bull in charge of babysitting – it is comical to see all
the calves gathered around the bull and, he will not leave them until the cows
return).
No rain and the weather is comfortably warm though
I do notice a reduction in temperatures signaling the first signs of fall. David and I spend the day doing fall clean up
and lay low since he will have to return to work tomorrow.
Friday:
David heads off to work at 4AM – I will not see
him again until Monday morning. I set
off to do the daily farm chores on my own.
I let the herds into the back pastures and note that, already, they all
look like they’ve gained 10lbs since grazing in the back fields. It is a pleasant sight but, no time to pause
and reflect because I am late; the chickens are still waiting to be let out of
their cages. It is 9:30AM and I get a
phone call from my mother-in-law (who is staying at our house where she is in
view of the chicken cages) to ask me if I forgot to let the chickens out
today. I think of the events on the farm
in recent days past and wonder how anyone could think that I would forget about any of my animals. And, that inspires me to put those events on
paper because, I realize, from another perspective, farm life may seem so
mundane that it could easily be forgotten. But, in reality, I’ve been a farmer 13 of my 47
years on this earth and, those have been the most intense, unforgettable years of my life.
Five hours later, I conclude my 10 Days in the Life
of a Farmer journal, on paper. I also
reflect on the times when I like to play the “what if we didn’t become farmers”
game with David and, in the end, we both agree this is a crazy life but, what
better thing could we be doing? Besides,
I now have the promise I made to my dad attached to this crazy life: that I
would make and keep the farm forever (the story behind that was published in my
February, 2018, e-news, shortly after my dad passed into eternity).
And, regardless of how many times I play that
game, I know Dad is smiling down on us and that we are exactly where God wants
us to be.
