I call this picture "Feeding the Herd". I took it over the hood of the Massey on December1
when I put the first hay bale of winter out for the cattle. They were good and ready for it
and followed along all the way to the feeder helping themselves to the hay right off the
front end loader.
Theres many a day that I would gladly get rid of the whole herd of ungrateful animals, especially
when I am busy at another job and the cattle are complaining for water/feed/ needing fences
repaired.
Its also getting more difficult to keep a small herd as the new rules for cattle
identification will soon apply and all cattle sold will require electronic ear tags before
they even leave the farm of origin.
Mine are all home grown, no tags, needles, or antibiotics of any kind. If the day comes that
I have to upgrade my facilities and install electronic tags in all the cattle, that will be
when I get out of the business for good. It will be strange to break a tradition of over a
century of cattle on this farm but I guess it has to end some time.
But on a sunny winter day when the cattle are contentedly eating hay out of the feeders it
is not a bad way to pass the time.
RLG that brings back memories but don't miss the livestock or fighting winter. Dad seem to thrive on it. I kinda like this grain farming in southern Ohio but it is all a challenge. I am not notill and golf or notill and Florida but getting closer...
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Ed. I am not notill either. Tilling the soil is kind of an old tradition here although I dont' do nearly as much as we used to do when I started farming in the 60s.
ReplyDelete