Opening Larger Grazing Areas

The main herd has been enjoying the extra room for grazing because of the harvested far, far field. We opened up the temporary electric fence so they can wander around the full field, the perimeter, under large leaf maple trees and tall fir. They can meander the upper field and down in the dip by the riparian. They can also watch us as we try to make the next field into hay by watching across the river.

This open field that they have been in since we finished the far, far field has been good for the herd, but the time they can stay over there is running out and they are thinking it is about time to return to the barn side of the river and all the clover that is growing. They would also love to clean up the hay field but we have still not had enough heat during the days to dry the hay enough to bale. Mike has fluffed this field four times now and he is still rolling up green grass because the ground has stayed moist.

We are hoping tomorrow to be able to get the field raked into windrows but we will have to see how that goes. For now, the main herd will have to be content with the grazing area they have and we are supplementing a couple of bales of hay a day just to keep them happy while we work on the next area for grazing.

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The Temp In The Back Of The Field

Fencing has been the big priority over the last couple of weeks. Elk damage, storm related breaks from falling tree debris, and basic maintenance has been keeping us busy. Anytime that it is not raining, we are out along the lines securing areas for the cattle.

This temporary electrified fence across the back of the hay field has several purposes,

• Creates a barrier to keep the main herd out of the hay field until the grass is ripe enough to cut for hay in June (the hay field is on the left, grazing area on the right).
• The sweeping curve of the fence cuts off the more challenging terrain of the field including old stumps, deep impressions from decaying root systems and a large swamp/swale area (avoiding obstacles that damage or sink hay equipment).
• Gives an extra five acres of forage area for the main herd while the hay field is out of commission for forage.

Once the hay has been taken off the field, the cattle will once again have access to the area and will be in charge of cleaning up the corners and any hay bits that remain after harvest. I call them my four-legged gleaning crew.

 

 

Into The Far Field

We moved the main herd of cows into the nursery field with the eight sets of cow/calf pairs, then moved the whole bunch across the river to the far field.

They were all anxious to get out onto the fresh grass of the far field and they moved easily through the gate, across the river (even the babies) to the 26 acre field that is surrounded by timber.

A faint rainbow graced the sky above as they meandered along the trail of hay we placed out for their meal.

To Keep Me Busy

While Mike was busy going round and round on the tractor spreading lime in the hayfield, I had a job of my own.

Sometime in the last month or so, a fir tree crashed down on the fence and fell into the field where Mike was  planning on spreading lime on the field.

Looking closer at the felled tree, I found that it was not a whole tree but a ‘school marm.’

On The Horizon

As I was walking the rolling slopes of the big hay field soon to be filled with the new mothers and calves, I noticed that I was not alone.

Over the horizon of the next hillock, sets of eyes were watching.

A herd of elk stretched from one side of the field to the other across the back of the big hay field, dotting the area just beyond the inside fence and before the tree line.

They were watching me intently as I tried to get a good count on the critters.

Before the herd took off in a mass evacuation, I counted at least 30 elk. I saw 3 with horns, 2 of them being spikes and one branch bull. Several of this years calves were spotted mixed in with the big cows even though it is  hard to distinguish them while the herd is moving because they must weigh 400 lbs.  or more already.

In a flash, the herd jumped the fence and headed off into the trees. The sound of the herd crashing through the river sounded a few minutes later as they ran to safer ground.

 

First Field Nearing Completion

Only a few hay bales remain in the first field of the season.

Weather forecasts call for 12 days of dry, warm weather with the change for a couple of days turning hot around 100 degrees.  The second field has already been mowed so we will be baling and picking up during those hot days.

The weather forecasters had always given a 10 day forecast but since it’s now summer, they are trying to give vacationers a way to plan ahead. Our neighbor, the big puddle of water we call the Pacific Ocean, tends to make forecasting iffy at best. It surprised me to see the ‘new and improved’ 12 day planner.

Missing Power

We had gotten the fence put up in the back of the big hay field. This temporary electric fence is used to allow the main herd to graze in the small field in the back of the big field. This small field gives the herd a water source for drinking, a pasture area with grass growing for grazing and  access to the hillside where they can meander under the tall firs during inclement weather.

We have to electrify the fence to keep the herd out of what was the nursery field so the grass can grow and be harvested for hay in late June.

There is no access to commercially supplied electricity so we use these portable solar units to charge the fence. However, after sitting all winter in storage, this unit did not work. The problem was the battery, it would not take a charge.

The batteries from these units are recycled, the purchaser pays a ‘core charge’ for the battery when bought. We took in the battery from this unit to get the ‘core charge’ of $12. that was used to purchase the new battery. It cost seems a little excessive, but it guarantees that the batteries are returned for recycling rather than landing up in a landfill.

Once the new battery was installed, the fence was checked and there was a good current flowing through the fence. Not anything strong enough to hurt and animal, but strong enough to deter them grazing on the wrong side of the fence.

Our Very Own Sink Hole

News reports around the country are showing sink holes that show up in unlikely spots and devour portions of sidewalks, roads and vehicles. Here on the farm we have our own sink hole that appeared in the current nursery field that will eventually be the hay field.

The hole was caused by an underground tile that had been put in nearly 100 years ago to drain the swampy end of the field so that it could be used as useful ground for growing grass.

A single segment of clay tile broke and caused the disintegration of the soil around the break to loosen and get sucked out of the field along with the water that the tile carried. A hole this big could spell disaster for hay equipment if it was not patched and the area filled back in.

Cleaning out the broken tile and letting the excess water clear out of the sink hole was the first step. Both Butler and Jackson were hoping that this was a gopher catching expedition and they wanted to help in any way possible.

Even with the dogs, the hole was cleaned out, a new segment of tile placed in-line, and dirt was hauled in to secure the fixed tile.

It will still take another loader full of dirt to fill the hole completely, but that task will have to wait for a drier day so we don’t muddy the field up too much with the tractor.

They Are Out There

Way out there in the back of the big hay field, the elk have been taking up residence.

No doubt about it, they are a sneaky bunch. They know our feeding schedule for the cows. They hear the equipment as we haul hay to the outside mangers and once we clear the screen, the herd tiptoes back into the field to graze and lounge throughout the day only to leave again for the evening chores.

It’s hard to get a good count because they are so quick, but as close as I can figure the herd is more than 40 strong at this point, they are making a lot of mess with hoof prints from the skirmishes and they are nibbling any grass that pokes as it pokes out of the snow.