Maid-N-Meadows: Spring 2021 Update

           

      Daffodils, the symbol of spring, are finally blooming on the farm. It has been many years since the last time they bloomed in March. Usually they are fully bloomed in the third or fourth week of February. Not so this year! We had a snow that will remain in our memory for many years to come.

            Winters are a combination of rest and desperate circumstances, on a farm. The cold and wet means extra feeding and bedding. A keen eye is trained on the livestock, always watching for the straggler, the heavily pregnant, and the youngsters. Night checks commence on expectant mothers. Towels and hair dryers are lined up and ready for the cold and wet babies that are sure to follow. And as the winter slogs on, the kitchen starts to fill up. On cold nights, our kitchen with its beastly woodstove, becomes a warm haven for the weaker animals. I have never tried to fit a cow through the doors, but all others are welcome and many have taken their turn by the stove. In the morning we mop up and begin anew.

            But their isn't much cheese in the winter and repairs on the farm almost come to a halt. Maple syrup is about the only harvesting we do. The nights come quick and bed is never far behind the setting sun! Its a more flexible time on the farm and it allows for a deep reset. 

       But when those daffodils flower it is a sign of the changing of seasons and suddenly there is more to do than can ever be done. (chuckle) And that is our present state. We are hitting the ground running with some new pigs, an expanded herd, and an enormous spring clean up in the works.

    Meet the farm clean up crew! Pete and Re-Pete! They get the joy of chowing down on the cheese failures and as much whey as they could ever want. As soon as we get them accustomed to their home base we will work on training them to an electric fence so that they can waller and root for grubs to their heart's content. Pigs are such handy cleaners that they will eat spoiled produce out of the garden and all the kitchen scraps. But they do have their downsides! They are smart and if they get out "WHOA BUDDY!!!!" because they are a nightmare to get back in! 

         

       Meet one of our new cows! She is a cross with a Dutch Belted (A heritage breed) and a Jersey. She is going to be great on grass with those genetics! We bought 5 other cows. Four of them came out of the slaughter pen at the local dairy auction. The economics of cattle are a real shame when good cows are worth more to slaughter than to milk. One beautiful gem calved less than a week from when we bought her! She was no doubt sent to slaughter due to only three working teats....but she is less than three years old!

     There are clean up projects going on in the barn and cheese facility, but the driveway is a constant source of frustration. Jacob traded a few days of work for a neighbor's skid steer. He has been putting the gravel and rocks back on to the driveway as we lose so much in the spring rains. Road up keep costs a pretty penny when your road washes away! And we have a very long driveway. Hopefully we can keep up our energy and get some real chores knocked off the list before the big farmers markets hit in late spring.

     In the midst of all this, babies are springing up everywhere. We have kids, lambs and calves and we are feeding about 50 gallons in milk to animals a week! Our chores are nuts this time of year. We feed our lambs and kids four times daily! Thank heavens for the help of family, or we wouldn't get past bottles and milking to anything else.

    Spring is an exciting time of year with all the babies and the flush of milk that comes. Its the beginning of a new production year and all the hope and promise that goes along with that. Here is to hoping for a great 2021! Thanks for coming along for the ride!