Happenings on the Ranch

So, it’s been six months or so since my last entry.  That’s exactly how long our CSA season lasts.  Tells you how busy we were.  We had an absolute blast for our first season and a very positive response all around.  Our waiting list has been growing since June and we’re starting sign ups now.  Planning is already under way for next season and there are so many new and exciting things we’re working on I just can’t wrap my head around it just yet.  I’ll save that for later.  Right now, I think I need to do a brief recap on  what’s been happening around here lately!

All of our calves have born for the year and, unfortunately, we lost one of the momma cows in the process.  So, we’ve been bottle feeding “T-bone” and he’s doing very well.  We also lost a bull – he’s an escape artist!  He’s still wandering somewhere in the Peculiar area and people catch sight of him now and again but he’s so keen to what we’re doing that he’s impossible to catch.  Eventually I hope to get him back but in the meantime we have to figure what we’re going to do about getting our cows pregnant.  Grrrr.

We ended up losing about 85% of our laying and meat chicken flocks to predators this year along with many ducks, geese and turkeys.  Right now we’re working on trying reconfigure things to keep closer track of the birds and keep them protected from foxes, coyotes and other prowlers while still allowing them to free range.  Not an easy task, let me tell you.  I’m determined to make it work, though.

We’re also working on ideas for hoop houses and row covers for the crops next year to cut down a little on the wrath of mother nature.  She’s our friend and our enemy at the same time and since we’re expanding our programs for next year we really want to have a little bit more control over the harvest.  We’ve come up with some great ideas that won’t impact the land at all and I can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Now that the harvest season is over I’m hoping to post several times a week.  If I can manage to keep that pace into the planting and harvesting seasons, then all the better.  Like everything else on the farm, though, we’ll have to see how it goes!

-Karin