Tag Archives: cows

Hot, Dry, and Dusty…the Daily Farm Adventures {127}

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October is apparently coming in with a heat wave this year! We’ve been in the 80s and 90s for a week now and not a speck of rain on the horizon. The fields are looking parched instead of lush with that late Fall rush of green. A few of the trees pretended to turn leaves, but really, Fall is coming in about the same as June. We even have enough humidity that we have foggy mornings without clouds! We spent the weekend at football on Saturday and my phone overheated … Continue Reading…

How To Build a Water and Mineral Stand for Your Homestead

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There’s always big projects and small projects on the homestead. It often bothers me that we have a 1,000 things going on and nothing is ever started and finished in one big swing. But I’ve learned that the farm is ALWAYS bigger than the man and it’s best to be flexible if you want to get anything done. And every once in a while you find a small project that you can knock out quickly and move on. Our recent mobile water and mineral stand project was one. Wood pallets used … Continue Reading…

Finding Unexpected Goodness on the Farm

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Life gets away from us all sometimes. You get caught in the hustle and bustle and you miss the things that are right in front of you. You’re so focused on the future, the next thing on the list, the next event coming up…you start to miss the moments right under your nose. Our kiddos have been off adventuring with family a lot this summer and all the chores, housework, and farm work has rolled back on the momma. That could be an ugly thing. But I find that my phone … Continue Reading…

How to Find and Use a Farm Sitter to Enjoy Vacation as a Homesteader

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We don’t go on vacation much. Hardly ever, really. And our version of a vacation is usually just a 3-day weekend visiting family. Between all the packing for five people; all the prep (and cost!) to leave the animals in someone else’s hands; all the stress of getting there and getting home–and worrying about everything while you’re gone!–then all the unpacking, washing, cleaning, and catching up when you do get home…blah! There’s nothing relaxing about it! Besides–we like being at home! But we also like our family. And we like adventuring … Continue Reading…

Building a Mobile Shade Shelter (Part 1) The Structure

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You might remember the twisted pile of mess Coal was always climbing on last Fall that was our mobile shade shelter for the animals. It had blown apart again and it was time for a real overhaul. So it sat around all winter as a pile of farm junk in the back of the field while we didn’t need it. Since we’ve had our first week of over 80 degree days, now we do, so we hauled it out of the field and got started on the rebuild last weekend. Building a … Continue Reading…

Choosing Livestock (Part 3) …The Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm

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So here we are at Part 3. You’ve already decided that you’re ready to bring some livestock out to the farm. You’ve done your research and planning and know what type of livestock you want to start with. But within each species there is a huge list of individual breeds to choose from–and each one has plenty of breeders and admirers swearing that theirs is the best breed ever! The Livestock Conservancy identifies and tracks heritage livestock breeds only, and they have lists of 22 breeds of cattle, 10 individual … Continue Reading…

Choosing Livestock (Part 2) …the Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm

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This particular part of the series became a two-parter (and then THREE PARTS) because there’s just so much to cover when it comes to choosing livestock. Livestock will be, by far, your largest investment in your small farm. In time, resources, and heartache. Choosing the right animals to fit your needs, your goals, and your farm space will make the best use of your limited resources, and be less stressful for you AND the animals. If your tractor dies, there will be financial pain and angst. When you lose a … Continue Reading…

A Winter Calf…the Daily Farm Adventures {118}

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The Ladybug came in hollering from her chores a few weeks ago–which always sets my nerves to tingling a little bit, because who knows what’s happened now? {smile} But she was excited because she had good news–she thought our cow Molly had a calf! So we threw our boots on and trooped out to check. Sure enough, she was off in the back field all by herself–and our cows always stay in their family group! She’s a pretty laid back cow, but I still took my time approaching her. She … Continue Reading…

First Snow of the Year…the Daily Farm Adventures {116}

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Well, our first snow was quite an event this year–10 to 12 inches! Something we only get every couple years around here. Last year we hardly got any snow at all. Snow means fun for the kids, time off from school, and more chores. {smile} We spend more time checking on everyone and making sure everyone has the calories they need to stay warm. We also throw down extra straw in the barns to keep everyone off the cold ground and out of the eventual mud that always follows the … Continue Reading…

Choosing Livestock (Part 1)…the Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm

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So, now we get to the fun part of a small farm–The critters. It’s the part we tend to get over-zealous and the most impulsive about–and probably the most important that we take our time and think through! {smile} On a more serious note, it really is the part people most often get in over their head with. We’ve ended up with a lot of cast off livestock over the years. From “adopting” chickens at the animal shelter, to a goat tied to our porch rail with a note, to … Continue Reading…

The Cow Shelter…Life with Coal the Cattle Dog

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It’s been hot, sticky, and on and off rain for several days now around here. The grass is tall and the animals are fat and it’s time for us to start looking ahead for the fall and winter weather. (I’m also looking forward to not breaking into a sweat just standing on the back porch…) Our cows have a run in barn available all the time, but they don’t mind the heat. As long as it’s dry, you’ll see them sunbathing in the middle of the field most of the … Continue Reading…

New Babies, New Jammies, New Year…the Daily Farm Adventures {96}

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As you may have seen on Facebook, we started off our Christmas holiday with a new calf on Christmas Eve morning! The Cowboy found him out there with his Momma while doing the morning chores. Molly is such a good momma that she’s never needed any help–and always has boys! Good for the freezer, but I wish she’d throw a heifer because we’d definitely keep her. Her calves also always start out such a lovely fawn brown, but eventually turn gray like our bull Chester. We spent the rest of … Continue Reading…

When the Weather is Gorgeous…the Daily Farm Adventures {90}

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After a steamy week in the 100s, the summer has cooled off again and this past weekend was gorgeous! Beautiful! Sunny, high 80s, Virginia hot but not humid! At least not that we noticed, we have a higher tolerance than some folks. {smile} So naturally we got a lot of outside work done. We weeded and mulched all the flower beds. (And noticed a few spots that need a little more TLC.) We scrubbed and filled water buckets for everyone. (And enjoyed a few minutes just admiring the cows.) We … Continue Reading…

Well, It’s Been Raining…the Daily Farm Adventures {86}

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That’s about all I can say. It was terribly dry and God has now sent us FOUR DAYS of rain. I’ve given up on the keeping the floors clean! But I found a few pictures to share with you from just before the clouds rolled in… Liberty the “barn cat” that lives on our front porch, shamelessly begging for some kitchen scraps… Henny Penny, our rascally free-ranger, also shamelessly begging for a treat on the front porch… And Molly, with her calf Bubba (he’s got a noticeable under-bite and as … Continue Reading…

A Little Encouragement on the Homestead…the Daily Farm Adventures {80}

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Our series the Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm has been going well, but it’s been awfully serious. Livestock farming is an expensive proposition and it can feel discouraging to list out all the ways farming gets complicated and costly. But like I said in the very first post, this series isn’t meant to discourage, it’s meant to be a tool to help prepare you for success! After coming off a hard lambing season, the post on Health and Wellness was particularly hard to write on a positive note. … Continue Reading…