From the Pastures: Ways to beat the heat

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. We’ve been spared excess rain lately, so the ground finally got dry enough for Richard to combine my wheat. For the last two years the organic feed mills near me have incorporated wheat in their layer rations, which allows me not only a competitive price, but also a close market, eight miles away. As soon as Richard finishes his own wheat, he has 40 acres of rye and 20 acres of oats to do for me.

The clover sown into the wheat last February was tall and the wheat short, so I didn’t get any straw, so far. We mowed the stubble down, so grazing after regrowth won’t be poking the animals in the eye later. With all the rain, the pastures have kept ahead of grazing, so far, and the red clover I have seeded in past years has finally started to show up.

The cultivating is behind us now even though the wet conditions have challenged us to get over every acre before it got too tall. I haven’t cultivated any beans this year since they were planted in standing rye. The stand looks decent, tall, but skinny until we cut the rye.

After that I plan on going in with my single-sweep cultivator to clean up what little weed pressure is there. So far, I’m cautiously optimistic about this experience and hope to do more next year if results prove worthy. I probably would crimp the rye instead of letting it grow, but either way it saved me several trips over the field and the erosion was very minimal compared to much of the tilled ground.

With the abundance of moisture, along with the legumes in the pastures, the animals are enjoying plenty to eat. The heat and humidity, however, has not been so pleasant for them. It’s good that most of them are white so they can stay out grazing while black-haired animals have to search for shade.

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to work in these hot, humid days lately, so I try to find an easier and cooler job most afternoons. If you have that same problem, take a break, eat a popsicle, take a nap. Heat stress is not something to ignore. Have a great summer and enjoy this 250-year birthday for this great country. Happy trails.