Move Pastures

Bout the only thing left to do, as rain makes chopping feed, or even mowing it, pretty much impossible. We had one day without rain. One. And one other one where it dried out enough between storms to get some laundry dry.

Yesterday brought heavy rain in the morning, and a big thunderstorm in the afternoon. Green skies, crazy winds, the whole nine yards. We left the three fresh cows in the barn with the fan on overnight as that is where they wanted to be. 

Poor Bama got so overheated OUTDOORS in a shaded, breezy yard....if there were any breezes...that she came inside and hit the floor and just lay in her stall panting.

I felt so sorry for her....we wheeled out a big 42" fan and set it where she got the full benefit of it. In a few minutes she stood up and began to eat.

All this animal rights gabble about the wonders of grazing and the horrors of barns is just that. We are a traditional small-scale, old-fashioned dairy farm. We graze and turn out all we can. Our pastures are large, with ample water, large shaded areas, breezy hillsides and even a spot down in the woods that catches every scrap of wind there is. I always wondered why they hung out there in summer until we went through building fence on a really cold morning once. It is like a wind tunnel.....so the cows can most always find some place to get comfortable in the summer.

However, farmers in our region have traditionally kept cows in barns during certain parts of the year for very good reasons. It is not kinder to leave them outside in below zero weather or blizzards or heat waves no matter what zealots with offices in big cities would have you think. Cows are not dumb animals. When the weather is bad if you have to put them outside for some reason they simply won't move and look at you like you were a few shingles short of a bundle. When you open the door they rush back inside in a huge hurry and race to their stalls.

These sticky days they love the fans and don't even want to go out to eat. In winter they love to go out for a couple of hours and eat a bit and get some exercise, but they come in quick when they've had enough.

At this point we have had enough as well and are willing to share with any and all...rain that is. 

Come 'n' get it. All you can eat, (or drink) fresh, new, U-Pick rain fields. First come, first serve, and second serve, and third......