MERRY CHRISTMAS

What can I say but we are so blessed to be here in our little farmhouse, celebrating the gifts we have around us.

Take time for family and the goodness of all things in your world. Shut off the distractions of the electronic age and simply listen to the real meaning of Christmas...your heart will tell you.

Merry Christmas and God Bless.

The New Look from Google

Well imagine my surprise when I found Google Maps had updated the satellite image for our region this summer.
I thought it looks pretty amazing with the new fences and barn restoration.
It shows our farm in early June with our first cut of hay down, I have labeled the paddocks, fields and gardens. I love the fact you can see our new Orchard, but I have to admit the photo reminds me of the one roof we still have to replace, the Utility building.

Now you can see how our system has been setup. The laneway is on a semi-flat strip of land and paddocks 1,2,3,5 and 6 all slope away or downhill from it. Paddock 4 is a bit higher than the laneway. The slope of the land did make gate placement a royal pain. It is the one less than ideal piece of otherwise a very easy system to work.

There is a working gate between paddock 4 and the hayfield. Paddock 4 and the South field are almost fully secure, they are fenced with double twist woven wire with a high tensile, hot cap wire to stop anything from leaning on it. We like the option of these more secure paddocks for lambing and calving. The South field has the lean to in it. It is full width of the tobacco barn and we are finding the extra expense to build it more and more valuable.

The entire perimeter of original barbed wire has been upgraded with the addition of two high tensile wires that we can run as hot.

I am seeing so many people rush to get animals and they ignore the perimeter of their land, instead they decide to use electric netting instead. After the expense of this fence work however, we are even more convinced a top quality perimeter fence is invaluable. The permanent cross fences we have are a luxury. Electric netting or single hot wires would be just fine if we didn’t have the permanent fencing. We designed the paddocks to suit the addition of single dividing hot wires as we learn the art of grazing this farm. The security of it all relies on the strong and well built perimeter fence. It keeps our stock safe and contained on the farm, even if we forget to close a gate or Mischeif unhooks one of the chain latch’s.

It was a year ago that we made the final plans to get the fence and barn work done. It is a joy to use the paddocks and barn.

The sound of livestock and the chores are keeping us happy, busy and entertained to no end.

Our First Ice Storm

It's a sparkling, tinkling wonderland outside this morning. We had a small ice storm go through. Officially our first ice storm here. We have had freezing rain before but this was heavier right from the start. It is beautiful but I could hear tree limb snapping in the woods to the west as it got heavier.

The trees across the road have broken tops and one of the willow around the pond has broken off at a fork. There are tree branches drooping everywhere. The sun is working its magic though and the sound of falling ice and water is everywhere.

Our Old Oak is fine, although it is rather droopy...it still bears scars from a severe Ice Storm years ago and I worry about it during any storm. It is the tree of my heart!

 

 The Oak

 One of the Maples in front of the House

 Looking South East

 The Flowering Quince, it will be blooming in December, it continues to amaze me with its beautiful pinkish flowers in Spring and Fall.

The view toward the Park, so bright and sparkling.

It is lovely and crisp out, the chickens are glad its sunny today, they do love to roam to forage and bad weather means storm stayed in the barn. Even though the barn is big and has lots of things to scratch it is just NOT grass and stuff out on the farm!

The new chicks are turning into wonderful young pullets and if your looking into new hens you really might want to look at the New Hampshire Red, we are very impressed with our Accidental Hens. They are very friendly, growing well and are sure free ranging. They are uniform in size and a lovely red color. They are sassy too and always come to see if we have feed and demanding if it is time for a snack.

Now its time to go and clean the barn. I have more blogs in the works, and as winter nears find I am doing more inside again. I do love being outside in good weather.

The cattle are fine and we are enjoying milk every day. Life is good.

God Bless you all!

Once Upon A Crazy Summer.

Hello there, it’s been much too long since I wrote a post. I looked at the Calendar yesterday and wondered where the summer went. It has been filled with adventures.

Our refrigerator and washing machine died the same week. Anyone with a fixed income can tell you the shuffling that takes place when you get sudden big expenses. We could not find a place to fix the washer which is frustrating as I am sure it is repairable. The fridge had been an issue for some time. We had a propane fridge that came with the other propane appliances in the home. It worked perfectly well in the fall and winter. In summer it struggled to maintain cold. I learned to open it as little as possible and to keep thermometers where I could see them. We discussed an electric fridge more than once but then the power would go out and we would smile.

Then it just got worse. Finally completely failing to keep food cool. We checked everything and all seemed fine but not a breath of even faintly cool air was to be had. The expense or replacing a propane refrigerator was simply not in the cards. We now have a very nice electric refrigerator. Plus a spiffy new washing machine that got run ragged catching up to the back log of farm laundry.

The loss of household refrigeration showed me something about our food stores, we are doing well. We have home canning that was tasty and safe, picked produce from the gardens and other than icy cold drinks.....did not suffer too much at all.

Ralph fixed the cold drink issue with frozen bottles of water in our big cooler. We freeze them in the deep freeze and switch them out as needed in the cooler, in fact we are still doing that. It gives us cold and filtered drinking water without the fridge being opened and full of water bottles.

Our hay crop was good. Trading with our neighbor worked well. He got all the first cut up and baled with his big round bales, it was for his stock. The second cut was ours but he baled it with his square baler. 250 manageable sized bales are stacked neatly in the loft. They smell so good but Ralph is having a real adventure finding the new places the hens lay eggs. We think we may still have to buy some hay but if we do it will not be very much.

The pasture rotation has not been perfect, but we are getting better at reading our grass. The two paddocks we lost to 12 foot weed cover last year are looking good, we just bush hogged them to level our the growth for the next cycle. They are coming back with good grass and much fewer weeds. The new areas out back are getting grazed as hard as we can, we still don’t have enough large stock. The steers are growing really well and are starting to make an impact with what they eat.

It’s interesting to see how much more horses eat than cows. Our Amish neighbors moved and sold their land to a family with horses. We think there are at least 17 horses making their new home here. In three weeks they have totally peeled off any grass and at least half the weeds in the 7 acre field and they have been moved to the big hayfield next to our house. It is being noticeably chewed. NO we are not getting horses for grass control!

However we did get another milk cow. When Dean Foods lost the milk contract to Walmart, 127 small dairies [under 200 cows in milk] lost the ability to sell milk. The man we got Katie from was of of them. He called us about a young cow he had that he thought we might like. We did and now have Lassie. Plus 4 calves he just had no time for. He has been a dairyman all his life, his farm is third generation but it ends now. A casualty of Walmarts 98 cent a gallon milk!

Okay before I really get ranting, here are some photos of our summer into fall small farm and the critters that live here.

 

 Katie out in the lane with Rocky, Bullwinkle and Mischief. This was before we got Lassie.

 The two Milk cows with the 4 bull calves we share the milk with. The cows have taken two each. The amazing thing is Katie [with these last two] has fed 5 calves since we got her and given us a wonderful supply of  milk as well. Yes we do feed Katie grain. Non-Gmo and a balanced ration, not a hot barley or corn ration and not too much.

The younger cow, Lassie, who is 4, has two  sharing with us as well. She is taking longer to gentle than Katie did. Her disposition is entirely different. She is getting more grain than Katie but she is finally starting to get a bit more condition. She is a much frailer type Jersey.

 The 'Boys' making  mulch as we refer to their  goat like climbing on the old hay bales. We  let the cows and the calves  run around the old bales as they choose. Then we pick the trampled hay and manure combination to put on the gardens for organic and added fiber.

This is what greets us in the evening. Starving cows, needing feed, PLEASE! We keep the calves in separate pens at night to keep a schedule for sharing milk. Plus we give them a light calf ration to hep get their rumens used to feed. It also is one of the best ways to gentle cattle and get them used to being handled and moved through the barn.

Late afternoon in the pastures. You can see we have not won the war on the 12 foot weeds but we have made huge gains. The chickens are out where the weeds were taller than the tractor and bush hog last fall. The further paddock is where the cows were grazing at this time.

Young pullets at Sunset, out for a snack before bed. The newer generation of chickens don't go to bed as early as the original flock which is interesting to see.

Never leave Ralph unattended with a Hatchery catalog! Here is a young Jersey Giant Rooster. We ordered some more chickens to get new genetics, originally we just wanted to replace the Buff and Buckeye hens that are getting old. However I was doing laundry and Ralph had a blast. Jersey Giant, Cochin, Dark, Light and Buff Brahma joined our replacements!

 

Then it got more colorful. The hatchery made a shipping error. Strapping our small order on top of a bigger one. Golden Laced Wyandotte and New Hampshire Red, for a total of an additional 54 chicks arrived with ours. They were all girls! Both breeds are breeds we like and now like even more. The New Hampshire Red are super friendly and just really nice birds. The Wyandotte are bold little girls that go all over the place.

 The New Hampshires quite enjoy sitting with us on our patio chairs!

 The wild Turkeys love the changes we made. The cows leave the best pattie snacks and the gates and bracing for the fence are perfect perches.

 Our two black Toms have grown well and are really good watch Turkeys. The Royal Palms are not quite as vigilant.

 Kinky has become somewhat of a lounge about lazy Tomcat. He has his girls to feed him as they give him mice when they catch them. On the hot days of summer he always seemed to find a shady spot to enjoy the day in!

Ralph has used the Grillo and flail mower on the tall growth in the two back paddocks that were unfenced  and untouched last summer. We are  gaining ad the weed growth is much less. More grass is coming back.

So there you have it, a catch up post. We always seem to be behind in something  but then we gain in other areas. We  had our first Keifer pears just this week. Delicious!

On a sad note our wonderful Chocolate Turkey, Spike, was injured in a fight. A turkey carries incredible strength with their wings and he took a blow to the head. We had to put him down. As I get older I find it harder to have animals die. Butchering the roosters for meat is different. Spike was top turkey and kept things in order here right from the start. We miss him.

God Bless you and keep you safe.

Water, Wildlife and Wire

Its hot out, and humidity is making it seem worse. The cattle are drinking huge amounts of water and we spend quite a lot of time filling the troughs. We do not have a big trough, 40 gallon ones and muck tubs seem to be working. We prefer to refill with fresh water instead of having a big tank get full of brackish, algae filled water. The climate is perfect for the growth of 'stuff' in water tanks.

The new fences are working well, allowing us to use the grass in better ways. However there are some interesting developments from the water and the wire.

The new fences cross land that was open, no trees or bush, the birds have found the high tensile and posts to be perfect for perching on. The meadowlarks have moved into the back of the farm.

 This was what  I watched this morning as I filled Muck tubs with water. He was singing to all the world, the joy of the day!

Swallows, both barn and tree, gossip as they perch on the top wire of the lane-way.

 

We have  never seen so many Brown Headed Cowbirds or Red Winged Blackbirds. These birds come to the edge of the water troughs moments after I fill them to drink. Its quite interesting to see how bold they are.

Google Image

They are also very hard to photograph so I have to admit I cheated and used Google!

The cows graze early in the morning and then amble out again at dusk. Days are spent in the breezeway, lounging and ruminating and trying to con us into feeding them snacks!

Katie and the Boys......doing some grazing this morning. They are on our weed dilemma. They love this stuff but it grows faster than I have ever seen anything grow. The growth they are on now was cut a week ago and we have had them grazing in this small paddock for three days now.

The changes to the farm made with the investment in 'Wire' has made some marvelous changes in all aspects of the farm. There is a wild turkey, shy and impossible to photograph, who comes up the lane almost every morning to drink. He loves the cow patties and just one turkey spreads the manure like 45 hens!

 

Our older chicks are out on their own now and wander the farm out back. They have grown up with cow patties and determinedly attack them. They are growing like weeds and there is some of the new wire they used to be able to zip through the gaps in...that they no longer fit through like they did when they were tiny. We chuckle at them as the march along the fence, then get side tracked by a bug or tasty bite of grass.

We were given a patio table and chairs...we love it and have taken two chairs up to the deck, in the evening a breeze blows around the west corner of the house and we sit and watch the birds and critters. It is a delight. Hummingbirds come to the petunias and deck garden.

Summer is speeding along and we are pleased with most of what is going on. Weeds will always be the bug bear here, but the addition of wire has blessed us with more wildlife to enjoy and entertain. The new locations for water have helped the wildlife as well so that adds to our own little ecosystem.

In closing I would like to post a thought for the day, I think it hits the nail on the head.

God Bless all of you and enjoy your world.

The Dangerous World of Vlogs and Blogs.

I am so frustrated. Ralph and I are dealing with too much grass. Rich, lush wonderful grass. I tend to wander through Blogs and YouTube’s myriad of Vlogs looking for information about grass, feeding and things we could try with our plethora of roughage. Today it’s too hot to work outside and we are catching up on things inside.....oh and I made unbaked cookies for Ralph. I didn't have to use the oven but the burner gives off a surprising amount of heat.

We are feeling pleased with our progress and are so enjoying the animals. Month end and weigh day for our cow herd showed our beasts are gaining what we want them to. We check condition by feel and look and then double check with weighing them by measurements. I remarked to Ralph just this morning that Katie is actually getting a bit too fat. We only feed a small amount of grain as a treat and she is on pasture with the two calves.

So what you ask has me frustrated? Well the myth that dairy cows are naturally emaciated and don't look like beef cows. There is a difference in shape, I know that, but body condition has easy to read indicators in both dairy and beef animals. Emaciated and too thin are different than healthy Dairy condition.

The idea of a grass fed family milk cow is everywhere and I can understand why people want to go that route. What is making me crazy is the lack of real knowledge about body condition and animal health. Vlogs are the worst. People sharing their experience is wonderful but if your going to expose the world to your management of animals make sure you know what your doing.

A cow milking hard, feeding a calf, feeding your family and finally feeding herself takes a tremendous amount of energy. If they are maintained in good shape on good thick and nutritious pasture they will keep their condition up or even gain weight. In fact they need to be gaining weight to breed back, but they MUST be in good condition to start with. I am not a Garden expert, I am not an expert at a lot of things but I do know cattle and cattle health.

I follow several Vlogs who have a Jersey for their family cow.  One of them has a marvelous cow that they are very careful with, they keep her in great condition with a good dairy ration and excellent hay in winter. They are cautious getting her onto grass in the spring, letting her rumen adjust to the change in diet. They admit they are not experts but they want the cow to live a long, productive and healthy life. They value the investment in the cow and the milk she gives them. They know condition is key.

Some however do not. They look at a big belly as being fat. Are the starving children in poor third world countries with huge distended bellies considered fat?

Some of the Vlogs traumatize me. They have not got enough pasture for a cow to begin with and if they do feed grain, do not understand how much grain a cow needs. They also don’t have the experience to tell overall condition. Not just weight but look. One cow has rub patches, indicating lice, she is terribly thin. A really thin cow will also have dull, dry hair, dead at the ends and not shedding, it is another indicator of body condition or a parasite load. I try not to comment but was about to when another watcher left a comment about body condition and the cow looked like she might have lice. The vlogger replied dairy cows are always thin. He added they had done their homework and the cow is fine. Several Vlogs later they discuss the cows production is dropping. Other Vlogs with extremely thin cows are having the same problem with dropping production.

A very thin cow, note the absence of any muscle between the spine and the spring of ribs. She also has patches of rough, dead hair.

I look at Katie, she is holding steady at feeding two calves, I milk her when we need milk and get a gallon and a half  plus leave ‘breakfast’ for Rocky and Bullwinkle. He hair is sleek and shiny, she has dimples by her tail. She probably is too fat but she is so healthy. She is coming into heat on a regular cycle and we plan to breed her in August.

Katie, waiting to be measured. She weighs 1156 pounds by our calculations which seems close.

I just think there is a dangerous amount of misinformation and wrong information out there. Not being delivered by people who don’t care but by people who simply do not know enough to do some of the things they dream of on their ‘homestead’. Ralph and I are not experts but we can tell healthy animals from thin ones. My livestock experience has been enhanced by the adventure with our ‘dairy herd’.


Please if you read this and are unsure about your Cows condition, take the time to either talk to a veterinarian or a local Dairyman.

Understand how much it takes for a cow to do what a family cow does.
1: Produce Milk for you and enough to calf share if you go that route.
2: Feed Herself.
3: Regain condition after calving  
4: Cycle and come in heat to rebreed and get in calf again.

If your going to have a grass fed only milk cow allow time for her system to adjust to the nutrition change, amend your pastures with the best forage you can. Supplement her until she is in really top condition, maybe a bit fat, then wean her off the grains slowly until she balances herself. Allow for less production. You may have to feed her Alfalfa hay as a side to keep her in good shape.

A cows age also impacts condition and her ability to put on weight. A milk cow who has had her first calf needs to be in good condition before she calves. Not too fat by any means, that causes problems with calving, but in good flesh. Once she calves the demands on her system are extremely high. If she calves at two years of age she is still growing, now she is also milking, her teeth are changing, she is recovering from calving and she is regaining breeding condition to cycle and get in calf again. A lot is going on with her.

A mature cow will maintain flesh easier but if they are thin when they calve it is still very hard for them to regain condition. A senior cow, which Katie is, has other issues, teeth can be a problem. They do naturally drop milk production as they get old but again good management and observation will still keep a cow giving you milk in useful amounts.

All sorts of questions arise. What kind of pasture do you have?  Do you know your lands carry capacity? [How many acres to feed one cow] Ideally a cow does best on grass at least 6 inches high, so they can get a good full mouth full with each bite. Are you determined to be a strictly grass fed dairy? If your going to feed supplementary nutrition are you going to use grain?

There is nothing better than your own milk from your own cow. The joy of milking is truly satisfying.  However it is also a huge investment to have a cow, please practice the right husbandry to keep them healthy and productive. Be aware of all sides to the information available to you. Ask questions and discuss large animals with people who know them. There are so many well intentioned Vlogs and blogs out there. The handicap with the information we share is it is not hands on.

Now I had better get out to check the cows. Fly season has started and we are trying several fly repellent concoctions on Katie the test subject.

God Bless and keep you safe and remember just because a cow has a big belly and full rumen it does not mean they are in good condition. Fat and sassy cows are beautiful to see.

Using Grass and Hay

We have a lot of grass, we are trying new ways to use it. Mulching for weed control is one thing we are finding it good for. We use a lot of the old round bales for this and now, with the zero turn and the bagger we are trying other things.

Last spring Ralph planted potatoes on a bed of chopped hay laid in the bottom of the trench he dug to plant the potatoes. It worked beautifully and made it so nice to dig the potatoes. They were clean and smooth and we knew the idea worked well. We are doing it again this year with old hay and dried grass clippings run through the zero turn.

This years new project, Fingerling Potatoes. The seed potatoes were laid on a bed of dried and chopped grass, then covered over until they needed to be hilled.

The Garlic is doing well, it has been mulched with old hay run under the zero turn. That initial layer of mulch has kept weeds down and Ralph is renewing it with new mulch. This mulch is hay, we mowed it with the zero turn but did not bag it but let it cure and dry. Then Ralph ran over it with the bagger and emptied the bags into the trailer, it was perfect and nice to work with. He got a really good load of it and re mulched around the garlic after fertilizing with Holly Tone.

The muck tubs are a valued tool as well, they do everything, from chilling chickens when we butcher, filling in as water troughs in paddocks and of course carrying things in bulk. Ralph filled the tub with the hay mulch and carried it to the garlic. We cannot get to this part of the east garden with the trailer.

Almost done. The mulch has stopped weeds and is adding organic material to the garden. Because it is immature hay when we cut it, it will not have any viable seed to cause problems. It is fine and very nice to work with.

It is going to be a good way to use our extra grass. It never leaves the farm and contributes to the soil where we need it to. With the cow manure we will have for fall the garden soil will steadily improve. Each  year we see a difference and it is one reason we love the challenge of building our food supply. It is more than just harvesting the crops. It is building the future.

God Bless and keep you.

Spring Progress and what we are learning about grass.

Imagine a dry pasture, dotted with large clumps and humps of grass. Bunchgrass, the grass I grew up with.

A grass that still amazes me with its unique abilities. It grows incredibly fast in the spring, sending up leaves and seed heads in about 45 days in late June. The leaves grow tall, then drop back to the ground forming a tent-like bunch. That gives it the name. Then as the hot dry summer goes on the grass naturally cures, storing nutrition sheltered from the elements. It is known as a hard grass.
By fall it is a sere brown, it looks dead and is ready for winter.  This is where bunch grass excels. My father took me out on a snowy day when I was 12, I still remember trudging through deep snow and stumbling on the bunch grass clumps buried by the white blanket.
We stopped and he took his boot and scraped away snow from one of the clumps. Calling me over he showed me one of the miracles of bunch grass. He parted the heavy mat of dry grass and there, hidden and protected from the winter were green shoots of new grass. He explained that’s why the big bunch grass pasture was not grazed in the spring or summer. Now our cattle could go out and graze good pasture in this snowy weather. Like the Buffalo did before farming broke up and destroyed the vast acres of bunch grass range that used to cover the land where we lived. This grass is still my favorite grass but now it is far from my life and I am learning to deal with ‘soft’ grass.

This region we live in is zone 6.5, the climate is mellow. 189 days frost free. There is always grass growing. The substrata of our pastures is clover, with several fescues and a smattering of orchard grass. It is old hay land for the most part. It had not been grazed or seriously hayed for at least 9 years. We are going to use it more for grazing than hay, for us that is the best option. We do plan on some hay though, we need fine, good quality hay for young stock. Plus we do want to see how serious haying with the drum mower and Molon rake goes. Haying  a field also helps clean out weeds and keeps the field cleaner.

Paddock 1....May 1st

We need to reseed and amend some of the land and here are some grasses and legumes we are looking into.



Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon  is a warm-season perennial that is widely grown in the southern United States for pasture and hay. Like other warm-season plants, bermudagrass makes its best growth at 80-90°F. Growth is very slow when temperatures are below 60°F and tends to decline above 95°F. Climatically, Kentucky lies within a transition zone where extreme temperatures and rainfall changes occur within and between seasons. Cool-season grasses are well adapted to this zone, but forage productivity and quality typically reach seasonal lows during the mid-summer months. In most years, bermudagrass growth starts in late April and continues rapidly until mid-September when cooling temperatures limit growth. Thus, bermudagrass is very productive  during June, July, and August when cool-season grasses, such as tall fescue, orchardgrass, timothy, and Kentucky bluegrass, grow more slowly.

Orchard Grass [one of my favorite hay Grasses]

Orchard Grass is an extremely versatile variety. This low maintenance groundcover is perfect for livestock grazing and can be used for pasture, hay or silage. It is considered one of the best forage grasses and is also used by birds for nesting, brood rearing, escape and winter cover. Orchard Grass is also a great solution for erosion control and can be planted as a cover crop.

Timothy

Timothy hay (Phleum pretense) is a common animal fodder which is found in all states. What is Timothy grass? It is a cool season perennial grass with rapid growth. The plant gets its name from Timothy Hanson, who promoted the grass in the 1700s as a pasture grass. The grass is native to Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa. The plant is adapted to numerous climates and performs well in even cold, northern regions. Timothy grass care is minimal in most regions. I like Timothy but Our "Hay Guy' says it is difficult to get started in this area, once its established its good but its can be temperamental. Red Clover Red clover is a short-lived perennial legume, which is well adapted to the soil and climate of the Midwest. Clover is easy to establish in cool season grass pastures and hay fields because it can withstand shading during the seedling stage better than most other legumes. However a mixed cool season grass-clover stand reduces the concern for bloat and can be maintained longer than a pure red clover stand.

So these are the pasture improvements we are researching. It is quite different than what I am used to but there are new and exciting challenges ahead. Like climate, season and year. This year we are watching in amazement as our pastures go wild with growth. The first summer we hayed and flail mowed everything without a care for extending the grazing season or improving the nutrition and carrying capacity. We just wanted to cut the grass and keep the fields from becoming too weedy. The second spring was very dry early on. The hayland was slow and did not produce that well, we continued to flail mow the back land until Ralph hurt his back. The grass was overwhelmed by weeds in some areas. This spring, we are paying far more attention to the paddocks and grass. We have had great moisture and now hot weather. The grass was all bush hogged before the fence was built and Paddock 4 was mowed in early April to even it out. It is looking sensational, we will be haying it this week. [Weather permitting] Paddocks 2 and 3, the ones we are reclaiming have been cut short about a month ago, they now are really ready to graze but we have an issue. The perfect storm….not enough stock, great moisture at the right time and heat. All the paddocks are growing incredibly fast.

I suppose I should not complain, we are not short of grass or hay at this point, we have a lot to earn yet about carrying capacity and the heat of summer still lays ahead. The cows are fat and sassy. They are belly deep or more in good grass.  Mischief in Paddock 1, May 15th

Rocky in a soft weedy bed of greens, nibbling as he rests. The cows are smart enough to take rest when its hot and enjoy the bounty of the world around them. We are enjoying the learning and truly appreciate the blessing of the season. Grass in abundance is not always going to happen. Drought, early snow or even too much rain can effect our pastures. Getting our hay cut is a challenge of beating the rain and getting it dry and cured and in the barn. Life is a marvel and we see it every day.  God Bless you all and go out and look at your grass, be it lawn or hayfield, sheep or goat paddock, its a bright green delight!