From the Pastures: Calendar filling up

I’ve been getting timely rains and the forage and weeds have really been growing. I was worried about four weeks ago because it hadn’t rained in a while, but the rain did come. I’m on my third rotation across my farm, the annual field of mostly red clover has really grown back nice, but I do have a big round hay bale on a trailer that moves with the flock. This is available in case they need some roughage in their gut to keep them from bloating. Fly strike and foot scald has been a problem this summer. About 5% of the flock has one or the other and I don’t know why; nothing has changed that much. Rick Adams said the wet weather and moist soil could cause the foot scald, but it has not been that wet here.

I’ve been busy with the granddaughters’ fair schedule of showing. The oldest one can now drive, so that helps a lot, but grandpa still drives the truck and trailer to the shows. I’m not willing to give that job up yet. I got talked into, at the last moment, competing in the “Old Timers Showmanship Contest” at the Cullom Junior Fair. According to one of the judges, I was in the top three finalists. A woman that I showed against, 52 years ago, won it and I was happy for her. Her husband, who I showed against years ago also, had won it last year. It was a lot of fun and good kidding back and forth. Of course, my granddaughter told me, “Grandpa, you don’t set the back legs that way?” — and I said, “I do!”

The Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival is Friday through Sunday, Sept. 6-8, in Jefferson, Wisconsin. It’s usually a good time of showing sheep and learning. There are three days of sheep dog herding trials, breeding sheep shows, fiber classes and producer education classes to just name a few. The catalog is 82 pages long, so there is a lot more going on. Go to wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com for more info. Also there are several upcoming field days and pasture walks, so go to: forages.ca.uky.edu, soilhealthacademy.org and, finally, Illinois’ own grazing website, ilgrazinglands.org.

The past and the future is what keeps us going, but enjoy today because tomorrow is not guaranteed.