From the Pastures: Voting is a privilege

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. We’ve had about an inch of rain since our last visit and about the same amount previously, so it’s kind of dry here. I would have welcomed some of the hurricane rain, but the dryness here is nothing to complain about compared to the situation in the Southeast U.S. Our dryness will soon end, but their destruction will take years to heal. I pray they get the help they need without further delay.

My neighbor, Richard, is coming to combine beans today, but the corn will have to wait a bit. Since it wasn’t planted until late May, it can dry some more. As soon as they are out, I will be spreading some rye out for cover. I don’t like planting beans after beans, but the organic prices are favoring beans over corn or wheat so far, especially with the cost of chicken litter needed for corn nitrogen.

Pastures are thirsty, but we moved the ewes to the 40-acre cover crop field on Oct. 1 and there is still plenty there. They like all the plants, but especially the sunflowers along with the turnips and oats. They also have sunn hemp, buckwheat, radishes, volunteer wheat and a few others to munch on. It’s amazing what growth there is, being so dry. I’m hoping it can support the ewes into December.

I’m now supplementing the steers on pasture with some hay. The 30 Jersey/Angus bucket calves from last fall and winter are going to market this week as the fall feeder cattle runs are just getting started and the market seems pretty good. They’ve been grazing all spring and most of the summer and have been getting a little corn the last 60 days. I don’t think they would finish out on grass with the Jersey in them.

This week I should start getting new Charolais/Angus calves and start up the feeding chores for the rest of the year. That’s my motivation to get up in the morning. Unlike milking, I know this will have an end in sight.

Unrelated to grazing news, the current political news is getting overwhelming lately, but it should become less soon. I hope all of you will use your privilege and vote. With the current crises we face on all fronts, foreign and domestic, we need a strong leader and God’s help to get us through. Let’s all use the brains God gave us to make the right choice. Happy trails.