From the Pastures: Try something new

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. It’s been an interesting summer, so far, weather-wise. We get good rains when it’s not in the forecast and nothing when there’s a 90% chance. Overall, we are blessed with good moisture and have missed out on the extremes of wind or rain many of you have endured.

It’s been tough getting second-cut hay up here, though. When I was in the haymaking business years ago, I always said when it rains on the hay the corn and beans get it, too, and when it’s dry for them it’s good haying weather, so we luck out either way — “cup half full” kind of thing.

Crops as well as pastures around here look excellent for the most part and the market reflects that. We all know how to grow more corn and beans than we can sell profitably when conditions allow and if it mirrors conditions of 2015, then we may be in the doldrums for a few more years. Maybe it’s time to put some eggs in a different basket — that is, livestock. And since cattle prices are formidable for newcomers, I suggest a more reasonable approach to diversification: sheep. Cheaper to enter and quicker paycheck. Haven’t you heard that here before?

Our Amish customers in Wisconsin have been jumping on that train for several years now and we continue to get more inquiries this year. It would be nice if we could reverse the trend of imports overwhelming our domestic lamb production, but how? Tariffs? It works in other industries.

And for all you steering-wheel farmers, if you would give grazing a try, the outdoor environment might do you a world of good, physically as well as emotionally. Get more in touch with nature instead of that air-conditioned cocoon you’re confined to.

On a more serious note, the tragic event in Pennsylvania that just happened before I wrote this is just another example of the tensions building up surrounding the direction this country is heading, mainly because of the vitriol and hatred expressed constantly in our so-called news reporting — it is a predictable outcome of a nation that has turned its back on God. This can still be the greatest country on earth, but let’s all pray that the next few pivotal months will see Him working in hearts to turn us back. Why not start now? Happy trails!