My older Scottish Highlander steers (I like to call them The Boys) are finally back at the farm after spending most of the summer at Ty Miller's pasture in Canterbury. The Boys stayed at Ty's longer than I planned because I was short of help.
If you don't know what to do with your chemical-free pumpkins, bring them to the farm and smash them on-site. Jack-o-lanterns (without candles) are also popular, carved or not. Smashing is welcome on Wed. from 1-5 pm and Thur.-Sat. 10-5 pm (Please wear a mask and social distance.)
As winter approaches, this farmer's annual war on ice is getting started. It might seem that a cattle farmer's first concern in winter would be keeping her cattle warm, but most cattle would laugh at the cold (if cows could laugh). As long as they have a place to shelter from bitter winds, most cows will stay warm.
Owning or borrowing a bull would seem to be a requirement to create calves. Blain, a Scottish Highlander bull, had bred all but five of my Highlander cows before I sold him in August. I still have Larry, but he is an Angus bull, and I don't want to mix the breeds. So who would impregnate my “open” (unbred) Scottish Highlander cows? Make that: How would we impregnate those cows? By artificial insemination (A.I.).
I always wonder why some parents want to buy a young, untrained pony for their child. I was reminded of this lapse of judgment when I saw this funny sign at a riding stable: For Fast Riders - We have fast horses. For Slow Riders - We have slow horses. For Those Who Have Never Ridden - We have horses that have never been ridden.
In this pandemic year, having enough to eat has been a challenge at times. We're not done with the pandemic yet; maybe having a stash of meat is wise. Aside from having enough to eat, there are other reasons it makes sense to buy a quarter, half, or whole cow.
