Perhaps it’s the fact that, here on the farm, things change so slowly and only after much consideration? Maybe it would be more practical to just post pictures (each worth a thousand words right?) and let the reader deduce objectives, challenges and activities involved. I thought those pictures, comparing the recent news with Great Depression days, a few posts ago would inspire conversation. I guess my readers didn’t wish to comment.

Some of our latest activities include dressing out the access road to our new pasture with over 600,000 pounds of crushed bank-run gravel, we dropped a years worth of firewood log trees awaiting cooler weather to cut & split. My grandson and I cleaned up the backyard pasture in preparation for the return of our steers to their Winter digs next month. The trees, branches and brush resulting from the last wind storm fed eight burn piles. We have separated our ladies from the buck since the recent cold spell led him to believe it’s time for him to seek ‘romance’ but, since we prefer April kiddings, he has a while to wait.

Sometimes I have to wonder if describing the physical labor aspects of farming frightens prospective homesteaders away? Maybe it’s the old question: ‘Want to make a million dollars from farming? Start with two million.’ Like many punchlines, there’s a kernel of truth to this humor since most farming is seasonal in its activities. To keep your head above water one must have various skills to incorporate during the non productive months. Many farms now produce Maple Syrup products, offer rough cut log sawyer services, hayrides, sleighrides and so on. Where our primary product is dairy from seasonal breeders, our cash flow suffers during the Winter months since the goats require grain and hay year round, gardens are bedded down and farmer’s markets are scarcely attended.

Compared to the ‘free’ grass of spring through autumn (and the farmers markets filled with four times as many customers during this same period), the winter months are a reliably stressful time on our bank account. Seasonal challenges like these are precisely why supermarkets are so popular. Our rewards for overcoming these challenges lie in the joys of animal husbandry: bottle feeding Spring kids and calves. There’s also the peace of mind knowing where each future meal will come from in these uncertain times.