Well really i will never make it as a blogger if I only post once a year!
This year has been exciting for all of us at the farm. January we welcomed 5 calves sired by AI. 4 were bull calves!!! They are all very hardy calves and growing well. We now have only one more to calve to complete the year.
We also tried flushing some embryos from an older cow. The results are pending but we are optimistic.
The cattle are finally out on pasture. We always hope that by May 1st they can be on pasture but sometimes it is just too wet. Living in Ontario has it's weather challenges. Often living close to a great lake provides a unique weather pattern as well.
We have become much more selective in what cattle we are keeping and what we are willing to sell as breeding stock. We never intended to have a herd larger than what our land can comfortably sustain.
We recently took a Holistic Management Course. The course helped us to realize that our livestock decisions should be made with the whole picture in mind. This includes family life, household, financial and regenerative use of the land.
Our grass fed operation was improved by the addition of 22 acres of grazing land. We have fenced off a portion of what was primarily a hay field. Most of the perimeter of the hay field was unused. The land is well suited to livestock grazing. It also has creeks and bush areas that provide protection for wild life. It is a helpful addition to the daily cattle moves.
Last year we had a surplus of bulls on our property. I am happy to report that Hemi, Kentucky and Denver have all moved along to different herds and are thriving. We currently have Jake and Legend as sires. So far 2 Bridges Legend has produced some excellent heifer calves. The latest heifer (left) has survived some of the the torrential May rain that we have had. She is never far from her Dam even when she is running around with the other 2 heifer calves. Soon she will be on pasture with the rest of the herd. I hope to be able to get some pictures of cleaner cattle once the mud dries up.
The sheep started lambing mid February and stopped lambing mid May. Many of the lambs will be ready for market in June while some of the younger and smaller lambs will stay on pasture until processing in the fall. We continue to have a strong following of customers who prefer fall lambs raised on pasture. It is fortunate that we have the ability to raise lamb for both spring and fall markets.
We are very fortunate to have sheep by product for our gardens. This pile of well rotted manure will be a welcome addition to our gardens. This pile in particular provides exercise for us and Franny the livestock guardian dog (also lovingly referred to as Queen of the Dirt Pile).
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