At 1 a.m., I dragged myself out of bed, pulled on my robe, then pushed puppy Joy out of her bed. She flopped like a beanbag, half in and half out of her bed. I shoved her out of the dog bed, and she rolled over with her legs still curled underneath. Finally, with one more push, she stood, yawned, stretched, then looked at me like I was crazy. Flora, my older dog, was up and already waiting at the bedroom door.
“We didn’t set out to be farmers,” she said, “but we live in an area surrounded by people passionate about farming, who inspired us to give farming a try. Then we realized how wonderful and healthy locally raised food was, and it made sense to start raising our own food.”
Walking on Ice is a challenge for everyone this winter. Rather than move to Florida, here are two solutions.
Usually, I'm a fan of rain. It makes flowers bloom in the spring and grass grow in the summer, but winter rain seems to bring only trouble.
We put Ferdinand, our bull, in with the cows in August so that the resulting calves will be born in March or April. So what could go wrong?
I check the cattle every day, mostly the young stock, for shivering. If a calf is shivering, it needs help. Adult cattle with plenty of food and water can handle the cold, but I still check them for shivering or odd behavior. Cows that don't show interest in food or separate themselves from the herd can be in trouble even if they are not shivering. So far this year, I haven't seen any shivering cows or calves, but I sure have felt the cold!
