R U SHTN ME?
August 7, 2012
ho knew the way to a farm girl’s heart was through a composted manure pile? Apparently my hubby, who so graciously used his vacation days to clean out the feeding sheds, stack a new compost pile for aging, and spread the old composted manure on the hay field! On the other side of the coin, the farm girl knows that apple pie is the way to his heart!!
Deep bedding 2012
Almost cleaned out
The sheds are now cleaned and filled with foot of sawdust to begin the cycle again. Whew, I got the easy job!
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Food Renegade
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
Not only did you get the easy job, he got the fun one – driving a piece of equipment around instead of the old pitchfork and cart!
Still, I love how you two make each other happy!
Fid, ha ha, heaven knows Jane keeps me busy with the wheelbarrow and pitchfork. But we are 3 wheelbarrow family
I guess we both know what side our bread is buttered on 
Our hubbies are wonderful!!
CGLOTF, definitely keepers!!
Because I’ve gone back and read your blog from the beginning, I am STARTING to understand how your place works. Mind you, I live in the city so I have a long way to go I’m sure. But I’ve seen pictures of the cattle with their heads through the feeding things (don’t laugh, but I don’t remember the name of them… stanchions?) And I think the moveable ones are brilliant. But this is the first time I’ve realized the hay is stored right there. Makes perfect sense of course, but I just didn’t put it together. I do have one question. You said he spread the aged compost on the hay field, but you’ve also said the fields designated to be cut for hay change from year to year? So does that mean you’ve already decided which field(s) will be used for hay next year? Sorry to be so dense, but you’ve taught me a ton already!
Barb, you’re getting it! A stanchion technically in my mind is a head catch that secures the head, which I should be using on Jane (but she is a perfect girl) but she doesn’t need one. Basically the feeder panel is so the cows can stick their head through and eat in a trough without pulling the hay through and soiling it, which would be a potential parasite problem. We have one field we always hay because it is close to the compost pile…and too hard to get the cows out of due to the county road. The other fields that are easy to get the cows to are equally hard to get the compost to, due to snarky bicyclists, tourists* etc., so we swap those fields from grazing to haying, and try to remain flexible in our planning. As long as we replace the hay taken with compost or with cow placed manure we are keeping somewhat of a balance. I have pretty much decided where we will cut next year by how things are growing this year. Of course, I’m known to change my mind a lot and often at the last minute
*people who like pastoral settings as long as they aren’t too pasture like
We really hate getting flipped off and yelled at for doing our job on our own place!!
You smile when you say you change your mind a lot, but from what I can see, that is really the secret of your success. You are constantly observing, analyzing and then adapting. Call it what you will, but it is definitely a good thing. Unlike the bicyclists and tourists*. Gotta wonder about some people.
Barb, you’re sweet
Barb, sometimes the plan just has to change! Much to DH’s chagrin!
Isn’t there something just utterly wonderful about a clean barn? I always have to stand back and enjoy it for a bit before I let the chickens back in their pen.
MOTAM, I know it’s like a clean counter before making a mess cooking again
is that a skid steer?
Marilyn, yes, skidding around in steer skid
Kidding aside, we don’t have a 4WD tractor so we rent one of these or barter for a few days and it works pretty good.
Compost-loving hubs are the best! Mine just built me what we’re now calling the “Compost Condo” – it’s nicer than some apartments in New York. It’s made out of Black Locust planks from our neighbor’s downed tree.
Long after our house has crumbled, the ‘Condo will be here, turning its humble contents into gold.
Muddy Kitchen, I like the Compost Condo name! So perfect!
Big smile. My favorite Mother’s Day present, many years ago, was the time my husband got a truckload of manure and unloaded it too. He is NOT a gardener. Never mind flowers, just give me manure and I will grow them!
Len, good story! I agree – my favorite Xmas ornament (gift from hubby) is a wheelbarrow with gold glitter on the load. It’s a perfect fit here.
Getting all ready for winter. Can’t believe it’s August already.
I know – how did that happen ??
The pigs have composted the cows’ smaller feeding area. I’m hoping that will be spread next week. They will move into the larger area, now that they are larger, and compost that. It will get spread in early fall. It all goes to the pastures, as we’ve not yet reached a level for haying.
It’s made an enormous difference in our back pasture, spreading the composted manure. For 25 years there was a section that never grew anything, it was called the sandhill. After the first application in 2009 of the composted manure, grass and clover appeared. Now it’s almost as lush as the rest of the pasture.
Pam, it is amazing isn’t it? I was dumbfounded when we did our pastured hens, the field we put them in was weak and barely grew much grass, and in one year the change was amazing. It took all summer to reach every part of the pasture with the feathernets and skids but gee, the grass and forb explosion was something to see. Of course, the bobcat population exploded too
We can only generate enough for the hay fields, and rely on the mob stocking to do the pastures, the results seem about the same, although it’s a lot less work to do the mob stocking than the deep bedding and compost stacking and spreading for us anyway. We didn’t raise pigs this year, I did not want to be on the hook buying grain for pig, so I’m trading beef with my neighbor who is raising my pig. They get our extra skim milk and we see the pigs often, so I feel comfortable with someone else raising my food.
What do you call your husband on here? Hangdog? He can’t eat potatoes can he? You grow potatoes quite well in your climate and you happen to have a fresh cow. Skim milk, potatoes, a few scraps from the kitchen and some pasture will keep a pig quite well. Maybe a carrot or two…
I just happen to be gun shy with my dairy project – the last pigs I bought when Jane was born cost me an arm and leg! No milk, too far to drive to get “free” stuff and not enough extra scraps to feed them
I just didn’t want to risk it this time. Although I miss their compost turning abilities…and truth be told (yes I’m saying it) I don’t really want pigs on my pasture. I’ve worked too hard to get it in good shape.
I don’t want to scare people off of pigs on the farm though, check out this post:
http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/08/on-pigs-menu-today.html
That’s a good link.
There is a lot of skill in timing the hog movement as Salatin discusses in this video. We need enough pressure to favor grass, not so much as to favor weeds. My pastures are so bad I have little to worry about…but so far so good.
When I saw Salatin’s pig pastures I was impressed how good they were at making the glens in the forest. Almost (almost) made me wish for a deciduous forest as opposed to a conifer forest. I just did a farm tour with some folks who are thinking of using pigs for blackberry removal. A very good plan I think. Now I just need to find 1000 pigs to do it here.
http://www.communitybydesignllc.org/team/
Check out Sugar Mountain Farm, about pigs on pasture:
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/home/farm/
We get our pigs from them, and when the pastures are changed often enough, there’s no rooting. They do that in the stall, making compost.
BUT they must learning grazing from their moms, before you get the pigs.
Pam, I really like Walter’s blog, but sigh, I’m not really all that interested in having pigs here very much except for the bacon aspect ;D
Awww, that’s really nice teamwork : )
Love that shed of yours… maybe now that my new bull trashed mine it’s a good time for an upgrade…
I feel honored to be one of those people who actually get excited by a post on mucking a shed, spreading manure and operating a skid steer. What exactly does that say about my personality? Glad I’m not having to fill out a profile on a dating site.
Woody, like DH, he says he’d rather be knee-deep in real BS than the stuff he has to deal with at work