From the Pastures: Glad you’re here

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. It’s looking like we’re in for a real winter, not the snowless seasons of recent years. Although it’s a pain to push around, I like it for feeding hay on a clean dinner plate for the ewes. We’ve probably had 16 inches of it so far and thankfully the ground underneath is frozen.

I checked the rye seedings in late November and it’s finally emerged so the ewes will have plenty of early spring grazing — and none too soon as the hay supplies are dwindling sooner than normal this time of year. Their body condition is great so they should be able to maintain that without grain through winter as they lamb.

That’s what I like about these Katahdins. They’re hardy and their offspring are hardy from the get-go. And now that the lamb market is rewarding us with great prices. It’s almost like being in the beef business, only better — I can sell something like a 150% crop instead of a 90% calf crop. But both enterprises are the two bright spots in the farming game now it seems.

I think every farm can gain from diversity. The only disadvantage in many farmers’ minds is there no steering wheel and air conditioning.

We’ve added another guard dog pup to our family. I had given a pup to a friend from Galesburg, Fasil, who had bought some of our ewes a few years ago and he’s returned the favor. She’s in the barn with a few older ewe lambs to bond with and hopefully will become an effective guard dog. I couldn’t use another male since Renny, the alpha male on duty, attacks any male dog that he sees. I had to let go of a good one who couldn’t take the abuse.

With the snow and cold comes the need for more bedding. Whether it’s calves, pigs or sheep, it’s always rewarding to check the barns on these cold, windy nights and see them all snoring contentedly tucked away in their bed. I never get tired of seeing that, even though I’m real tired after all the work it takes to clean the barns and bed them down. Thankfully, I have Nathaniel here this year to give this old man some help.

As you read this the days will start to get longer, but take advantage of these long nights to get rested up for spring. That’s our God-given advantage at this latitude. If we were farther north it could get depressing with all the darkness and farther south we wouldn’t get the extra rest we need, so be glad you are here. And remember the reason for this upcoming season of Christmas. He has given all for us. Let’s give Him our thanks. Happy trails.