Beautiful spring days...

What a beautiful spring weekend it was! Due to the Easter holiday as well as a coworker needing to switch shifts I was lucky enough to have the entire weekend to spend with my family. So what did we do? We spent a large part of the weekend at the barn of course.

My niece Christina and her boyfriend Nate were visiting and offered to help. I will NEVER turn down help when it comes to cleaning out the barn. So off we went.

With the car loaded down with straw, grain and people we headed to Charlestown. Aeryn is always excited to show off her animals and this was no exception. And because of the beautiful weather we were able to take the young ones out to walk.

We had a really good time with the little guys. Aeryn has learned through experience that the earlier that you can get your animal to respect the halter, the better you are going to be. This os one of the mistakes that she learned from when training her animals last year.

I love seeing how much my little girl has grown. The look on her face on Easter morning when Jay told her to walk to one of the other fields and drive the RTV back was priceless. I did however send Christina with her just so that she would not have to drive back alone. Not that Christina knew how to drive the  RTV anyway. Sure enough, Aeryn managed to get the vehicle safely from one place to the other. ( Like I had had any doubts. )

The four new calves are settling in well. They are even getting along with our four older girls even though contact between the two groups has been limited to interaction between fences. I am not quite ready to let the little ones have as much freedom as our massive girls. Call it a mother's paranoia. Lilly had an amazing idea however, to make it so that the boys managed to have a bit of outside time to "play".

Jay used the tractor to drag all of the round pen panels to the cow pasture next to the barn. Then we constructed a "playpen of sorts" by looping them from the doorway, back uo to the gate. This created a great area for them. They jumped and danced when they came outside to explore for the first time.

Their castrations have healed nicely and they are not suffering ill effects from having their rabies and tetanus shots. They are energetic and eating like fiends  There has been an increase in the feed bill that I am sure that I will notice more in the coming months. For the time being, due to their young age, we are giving them a combination of milk replacer and a calf starter grain with a 15% protein content.

This is a bit of a switch to what we have been feeding the girls. Since we have brought them home almost a year ago I have tried a few different combinations of feed rations. Currently they are getting an "all stock" feed with a 12% protein ration and cracked corn. This seems to be working out well for them. They are gaining weight at consistent levels, as well as maintaining the heat to make it through the winter and keeping up their energy levels. Our girls are not slackers in the slightest and there is no sluggishness to their movement. They are eager to socialize with their people and each other. There is no competition for food. All of these factors make for very happy cows. 

Let's hear it for the boys....

Aeryn and McKinley napping after the excitement of picking up our new babies. 

Spring time is such a wonderful time on the farm. Even early spring, where thanks to the random snowstorm a week ago, we still have snow on the ground. A year ago today a cow that Aeryn and I had been thinking about buying had her first calf, and her second. Within a month we became the owners of what we consider the four most wonderful heifers ever.

Now here it is March of 2013 and we have brought home yet another four animals. (We seem to enjoy doing everything in fours) After some negotiation with Jay, as well as a fairly local farm. Some may of heard of Echo Farm Pudding. The owners are old 4-H friends of mine and they happened to have some bulls that they were looking to get rid of.

So here is our experiment. We brought home four beautiful shorthorn bulls. Historically shorthorns were known as a duel purpose breed. Settlers often had them for milk, meat, and work. More recently they have been breed into a pretty much dairy breed. However, it is my estimation that their bulls are going to taste very nice when they are put into my freezer. I will let you know when they get big enough for that to happen.

So, by seven thirty this morning mom was dropping off Aeryn and I so that we could meet up with Jay and Lilly. We hopped into the big truck and drove the few towns over to Echo Farm. Our intention was to pick up three animals. However if you look very closely at the pictures, you will see that we ended up with four. What is one more animal right? The more the merrier.

Now, sitting here I can do nothing but smile. Our four boys are tucked away safely in their barn, along with our four ladies. On the way home we took a quick swing by the vets office for some shots and castration. (Surprisingly the calves were still very affectionate even after this ordeal) The real work will start tomorrow however as Aeryn needs to get all four of them halter broken without neglecting her other animals.


 One of the joys of the new babies is that we can do some things differently than we did before when we brought the heifers home. The first thing that we did when we brought the girls home was let them out into the pasture to run. Some of you may remember the time that we had catching them again. For the first couple of weeks the boys are going to be safely in a stall in the barn. This will enable them to get used to daily care and handling so that they will not be shy when Aeryn needs to halter them.

We also may try training a pair of them as working steers. This is something that Aeryn has been interested in trying. I will keep you posted on how this endeavor turns out.

And now, to introduce the new babies of Long View Farm.....

Goliath

Atlas

Hercules

Zeus

The Bleak Mid Winter.....

Wintertime is not very exciting in our land. Lots of cold days and long nights. We are not yet a family trying to survive by farming so there is not much that is a life or death situation.

Thanks to my amazing friends Jay and Lilly, we were able to tuck away enough hay to get our girls through the winter. We are also carefully planning the expansion of our herd. I have heard Jay mention the magic number at being 30. (It is far too big a number for me to think about right now) How ever negotiations are being made to purchase a couple more animals.

Aeryn is still loving being a farm kid. She has proven to me every day that this is not a faze for her. This is something that she is willing to dedicate her life to. As soon as we can find a house closer to the farm we will jump on the opportunity. Cutting down on the cost of gas will be a huge improvement.

Alex has turned into quite the farm kid himself. He loves to go to the farm with us. He carries his shovel and rake and "helps" as much as he can. Aeryn gets a little annoyed at her brother but you can tell that she loves it when he follows her around the field.

She will talk her your ear off about farming, the benefits of raising your own food, and low impact forestry. Anywhere she goes, whenever she can find someone to listen, she shimmers with the excitement that only her world can provide.

I say "her world" because that is truly what I feel it is. Everyday, as soon as we pull up in front of the barn it is like we have stepped into another world. One of hopes and dreams and a tranquility that I can not experience anywhere else. It is an amazing feeling. And as a mom, one of the most fulfilling.

Bringing home the bacon...

In April we brought home two of the cutest pigs I had ever seen. One was a gift for AmberMae who wanted a pig more than anything and the other was a gift for Aeryn. Both girls wanted to try to raise their own pigs for pork. As I promote any sort of farming activity to get kids involved and thinking about where their food comes from I was a huge advocate for this idea.

What surprised me was my sister Evelyn's take on the situation. She agreed for Amber to have a pig and to let us house Aeryn's pig with it. I was very excited. The only reason it surprised me thought is that Evelyn is not much of a farm girl. I am definitely the farm girl of the family.And that is okay. Because it helps to make us unique. The world would be boring if we were all farm kids!

The piglets were so little and adorable. Aeryn of course picked the runtiest pig out of the litter. As soon as we brought them home the kids were in love.

It was a really long Summer and Fall for AmberMae. Since the pigs were at their house this seemed the best bet. I just did my best to keep the food coming. I am going to have to get AmberMae on here within the next few days. Or have her write something for me to type. I really think that it is important to get her perspective on what raising these beasties was like.

From my perspective the biggest pain was getting them slaughtered. Who knew that the slaughtering business would be so completely booked up so far in advance? Mom called around for days trying to get our piggies a place to go. Finally we found one and there was a whole new battle. Getting them there.

Every truck that we could get in touch with fell through with very short notice. Eventually I borrowed Mary's pick up truck hoping that we could get them into the bed. I built an ingenious enclosure in the back using some pallets that I managed to snag from TSC. Unfortunately after three hours of struggling with them to get into the bed of the truck we gave up. I was cold, wet and unbelievably smelly at that point. As a matter of fact I took off my shoes at the door and put them immediately in the trash.

 The pigs were picked up Friday by the nice man who we had scheduled to slaughter them. (Apparently we should have asked if he picked up sooner) For a small fee he drove to Walpole and loaded them into his trailer  Coincidentally it only took him about fifteen minutes to have both pigs in.

On Sunday night I called the butcher and gave him the order for the cuts of meat that I was looking for and he said it would be available to pick up today. Hurray. Final hanging weight of Delicious was close to 200 lbs and the hanging weight for Sir Bacon Bottom was close to 300 lbs. Tonight we enjoyed some beautiful lean pork chops. (Evelyn is planning to have some of the breakfast sausage that we ordered so I am sure that I will be reviewing that soon)

 My biggest fear was that Aeryn would not eat her pig once we got it into the freezer. We butchered pigs in the spring and she did not have a problem eating it. (even when she was a part of the cutting and packing process) But I felt that this was a bit different. I was afraid that the pigs would become pets and that she would have a problem remembering what their purpose in life was.

 I am so proud of my girl. Even though she loved the pigs she remembered their purpose. They are food, not pets. She believes that meat will taste better if it has been loved and cared for instead of growing up on a factory farm. After tonight's dinner...I agree with her.

The simple things...

Roseanna is looking at me with that
look that says "What are you looking at?" 

 The simple things make everything so much easier. They also make things more economical and efficient. By adding a round bale feeder we have been able to cut down on the cows wasting hay. Amazingly the hay stretches farther if they are not able to lay down in it. If they do not lay down in it they are more apt to eat it.

Aeryn tries to explain to them that they should lay down in the sawdust that we put in their stall but they do not seem to be listening. 

Taking cookies to the horses.
He thinks they need the
entire container. 

We have cut them down to one stall in the barn. Since they do not appear to be bedding down in the barn we have decided to stop wasting the sawdust to keep it bedded and clean. The girls don't seem to mind and it has given us extra storage space to hold all of our "stuff". 

We have a lot of equipment in the barn. Probably more than we need. But all of our halters and buckets are there. As well as hay, grain, shovel, wheel barrow....By using the spare stall as a storage area it is easy to keep everything neat and tidy as well. I am trying to drill into Aeryn that because we are "borrowing" the barn it is extra important to keep everything clean. 

They are intently watching Aeryn
 break the ice off the water tub. They know
that as soon as she goes into the barn it's
time to eat.

It's dinner time! He come the girls.

Our second recent investment is a 10 foot bunk feeder. Not something that you would think would be a big life changed. But one that makes things run a little more smoothly. No more feeding each animal individually without a bucket. It just makes things a little bit quicker. The cows are great and they walk into the barn as soon as they see a car pull up. And then they stand there, as pretty as you please, until you throw their food into the bunk. There is no more pushing or shoving. No buckets being tossed around and stepped in. It is a pretty amazing sight. And yes I know that most people would think it odd for me to believe that watching cows eat is a sight to behold. 

When asked why I stand and watch them as they lay into their food at night my answer is simple. This is one of the best times to see if there is anything wrong with any of the animals. When an animal is "off feed", it is a sure sign that something is wrong and one of the first indicators that I look for. It is a great time to see if they are acting any differently than usual. It is also a very peaceful time. 

I look at our cows, very content in their way of life and I think about that commercial that ran on TV forever. You know the one. The one that says that "Happy cows come from California". Well whoever made those commercials never saw the cows from southern New Hampshire because at Long View Farm we have very happy cows. 

Winter is coming...

I will not jump on a horse and ride up and down the road with these words shouted from my lips. Instead I will be farm more productive and plan for the hardest months of the year to come. And I say hardest lightly. It is not that they are overly hard. They are just a bit more difficult than the spring and summer months. I have to plan ahead and make sure everything is set regaurding feed and bad weather. What's a little more planning right?

Our first obsticle to overcome was housing for our lovely girls. Jay overcame that obsticle for us.  Our barn is perfect for what we need it for and the cows are amazingly happy. There is now a round bale feeder in our little pasture and we have started bringing in round bales for them to eat. (By we I would really like to say Jay)

What would Aeryn, Alex and I have done had we not met such an amazing friend? Without his help and tireless effort we would never have been able to embark on this adventure. He has been a huge help feeding on the evenings when I work and have not had a car. He hauls hay and grain for us and given us  the ability to have a better solution for winter forage. His friendship, and hard work have been an invaluable resource.

We have past the six month mark of cow ownership. November was the start of our seventh month. Roseanna is now weighing in at 1330 lbs, Lola is 1050, Rachel is 590 lbs and Rose is 604 lbs.  Everyone has grown up so much! It is kind of like watching our children grow up. The animals have also become increasingly more friendly. Since bringing them to the barn, where they have to come to get grain, there is much more close contact which is enabling them to get better used to daily handling. (probably something that should have been thought out before this endeavor started)

Alex is able to go in and out of the stalls and the barn without us having to worry about him being trampled unknowingly. The cows are much more aware of his presence and will back away from them. Though Roseanna is still a little pushy if you try to step between her and her food.

Jay has arranged with another grain supplier to get our grain and corn broght from a supplier in Northfield. We will be buying it in bulk instead of by the bag which will enable us to reduce grain costs. The cost of feeding over the winter is often a crippling expense and we are planning ahead for that.

When the world goes to crap...

While driving in the car the other day my lovely daughter says "Mom, I would like to learn to hunt". Now for any of you who have seen me, I do not in any way resemble a mom who goes hunting. I respect hunters and I respect the sport it is just not something that I have gotten into in the past. Nor do I think that it is something that I will do a lot of un the future. However I have made it a vow to make sure that my children are able to learn whatever skill it is that they want to aquire. So I guess I should start looking for someone to teach her how to hunt.

My mother then turned to me and said "You know, when the world falls apart. Aeryn is going to be okay"

I have been thinking about this statement for a few days now. And you know what? She was right. Aeryn is going to be okay. For the most part she is a very level headed child. She wants to learn how to farm and how to live off the land even though she knows that it is much easier to just go to the grocery store. She knows the importance of eating well. Which includes eating foods that are not loaded with preservative and other additives. She would rather eat meat that she knows has been treated humanely throughout its life even if it means saying goodbye to a friend in order to fill our freezer. (Not something that we have had to deal with yet. But we know it is coming and she is looking at it with an open mind) She understands that within a couple of weeks Delicious will be turned into bacon. And she realizes that without the sacrifice of Delicious's life, we would not have bacon.

This has gotten me to talking more with my child about other things she would like to learn. She wants to  hunt and fish. To have a garden and be able to can vegetables for the winter. She would also like a cider press.

On her list of animals to learn about she would like chickens and sheep. Chickens for their eggs and meet and sheep for it's fleece. Apparently she thinks that if she owns a sheep than she will get more warm, knitted wool items from mom and grammy once they have knitted said fleece.

I could easily picture her living her own life without being forced to interact with so many negative parts of society. Now it is a struggle to get her to interact with the positive parts. She would much rather be outside learning what she needs to learn in a hands on manner than being locked in a classroom. I don't blame her but stress the importance of having both classroom learning as well as hands on learning. She realized a benefit of this recently when they were reading a story about a man who was logging with horses and was able to give her the input of actually doing it. It gave her so much more incite into the matter to know what it was life first hand.

She also enjoys being able to share her experiences when she is around groups of people. Aeryn understands that what she is doing is not a normal thing for chilren in our day and age. Not that there are not a lot of other children having the same types of experiences, it is just not the norm. She loves to answer questions and talk about the things that we do. I am pretty sure that I am going to encourage her to go into some of the public speaking events that the 4-H program offers. Aeryn would be an amazing advocate for farm children everywhere. And she is prood that you do not need to live on the farm to get the farm kid experience.

So my mom was right. When the world goes to the crapper, my kid is going to be just fine.