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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Every Day is Earth Day


If you live on a farm. Today, morning milking and chores are done. Cows are filling up on baled hay before some of them go to pasture. We are introducing them to the lush new grass a few at a time to avoid the fighting that usually takes place. When they go out for the summer, some of them take it upon themselves to settle old grievances and fight like crazy. They can really hurt each other. The "fresh", that is recently calved and heavily milking cows, just want to go out and eat. The dry cows and those that aren't working so hard would rather raise heck. If there is any sound I hate it is the scrambling and scraping of hooves on the concrete in the barnyard as somebody matches up heads with somebody else while they see who will get tossed on the ground and beaten up. Thus the dries will be the last ones to go outside for the summer.




Today the boss will probably plow way up in back. Then the men will disk and drag the ground and pick the stone and later plant. We are not growing corn this summer because it has become insanely expensive to do so. Going to go with sorghum instead. Much, much cheaper and needs a lot less commercial fertilizer. We are hearing talk of lower fertilizer prices this year and so far it has been dry-ish (our corn has been wiped out by excess rain two years running and fertilizer prices have been obscene) so maybe we will regret giving up corn. However, I am sick to death of paying through every body orifice to plant it, getting a paltry harvest, and then ending up buying feed anyhow. Might as well save the dollars we pour into the dirt and grow something cheaper...if we don't get a good crop at least we aren't out all that money.




Been planting garden...a little bit every day. The weather has been really nice and it is tempting to go all out and just put it in. However, the last two years our last frost date was Memorial Day weekend one year and the TENTH OFJUNE (!!!!) the next. I am just not that much of a gambler.

Anyhow, here at Northview every day is all about the earth. Feeding it, nurturing it, gathering its harvests for ourselves and our fellow humans. We may not have any ceremonies to celebrate it, but we are just as much a part of Earth Day as any urban environmental activist who goes to a rally in the park today and then forgets about it for the rest of the year.





15 comments:

Dani said...

I have the same mindset as you. I guess it comes from being present and outside loving the good earth.

~ Sara ~ said...

Wonderful!!! Have you ever thought of using this special sea salt fertilizer? A lot of farmers around are trying it and I've been told the cows LOVE the hay off of ground it's been used. And it'd only s few dollars per acre.

I think we are going to give it a go, can't afford anything else.

DayPhoto said...

Boy do I ever understand you when you say the cost of seed and fertilzer is P.a.i.n.f.u.l! Not to mention fuel...and in our case we get to add water right in there with the big four. Our taxes are high, but water out does them.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

joated said...

Lovely flower photos.

"...we are just as much a part of Earth Day as any urban environmental activist who goes to a rally in the park today and then forgets about it for the rest of the year."
Nope. I'd say more. You actually know and care about the quality of the air, soil, and water; about the animals under your care; about the past, present, and future of agrticulture. That's far more than the Birkenstock wearing, city park, moron does.

NumberWise said...

Every day your blog is a veritable homage to the earth and nature. This is what you write about - man's interaction with the natural systems - and what you portray so beautifully with your photographs.

Cathy said...

Oh yeah, TC! I know a few of those urban greenie weenies.

And once again I learn the most marvelous things here.

Cows hold grudges and can be aggressive with one another?!

Wow. Really. That's just amazing. Sure makes you wonder what goes on behind those big brown eyes.

I used to have a species tulip just like your little yellow one. Petered out. Nice to see it blooming here :0)

threecollie said...

Dani, so much fallacy is taken for granted as truth by people who do not live close to nature. They watch Disney and the evening news and know all there is to know...I am sad for them because they miss so much.

Sara, I had never heard of it, but would be interested in hearing about how it works out and where it is found. Sounds like good stuff...Around here there is only one dog in the fertilizer fight and he makes sure to be able to afford new cars and trucks every year. lol

LInda, wow, that must really hurt. We only have to pay for household water and water for the barn and that is bad enough.

Joated, well said and thank you. As I said to Dani, so many people watch TV and go to the movies and think they understand. And they don't have even the tiniest little clue...they miss so much that is right and beautiful

NW, thank you dear and special friend...your words mean a lot. Take care...

Cathy, thanks...cows do fight like you couldn't possibly imagine until you have seen them. Thank God we dehorn them these days because if they still had horns they would kill one another sometimes I am sure. (Some folks who used to farm near here left horns on their cows and one killed a horse right in the pasture) I have seen cows that are stanchioned next to one another tie into one another the instant they go out the door and fight until one of them either gives up or is knocked down. You wonder what they did to tick each other off. lol
The little tulip is a tarda, sent to me by a very sweet blog friend. They came up all over...a lovely surprise as I had forgotten where I planted them.

Jinglebob said...

Amen!

Anonymous said...

You're not being fair about urban environmental activists.

Shame on your for relying on false cliches!

Greg

threecollie said...

JB, thanks

Greg-You have GOT to be kidding me! My family's entire way of life is threatened continuously by activists who have never been closer to the land than the parks they demonstrate in. They mouth catch phrases that sound good and display pictures that tug at the heart strings of people who have never been closer to a farm animal than Old McDonald.
False cliches my hind foot! They are not fair to me!

Linda said...

I just talked to a kid that is out fixing phones for a living....he could have taken over the family farm but realized that he could live on easy street, have weekends and holidays and NO worries doing what he is now.......what's going to happen to the family farm in another 10 years?
Wonderful pictures.....nice tarda's ;)

Windyridge said...

Never knew that about cows..

threecollie said...

Linda, thanks, they are lovely tardas.. And I thank a very lovely friend in Canada for them. I simply love them! They are so cute.
And what a sad thing about that kid and so many other kids. Who will feed us all when everyone takes the easy way out and does what he did? I just don't know

WR, yeah, I went over to milking last night and two of them were fighting...I simply shudder. If they knock one another down they can step on their teats or break legs or worse. Nothing came of it last night but I always worry...

Cathy said...

Just read your response about fighting cows to my hubby who exclaimed Holy SH**!

Then his scientific mind went to work and figured it had something to do with female hormones and all that lactating going on OR not going on :-)

threecollie said...

Cathy, lol...it is mostly pecking order. Most group type animals have bosses and peons so to speak. It takes a while for them to shake down who is on top and who isn't.