The Postmodern Pastoralist

Week 5 Update

GregAndKelly — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:38:42 +0000

Happy Labor Day! Not that a holiday means a break from working here on the ranch, or time-and-a-half pay.

Anyways, last week was pretty busy. We spent a lot of time getting a quarter section about 5 miles away on the highway prepped for a new water system and a planting of perennial cool season grasses. We marked out about 11 hydrants and then a local water systems company installed it in a couple days. Now there are beautiful shiny water tanks dotting the field. My boss has spent a lot of time in a tractor undercutting and now discing trying to get the field ready for the seed. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

Oh, I wanted to show you something:

In this picture you see two fields that had wheat harvested from them: The foreground up to that brown hill, and then the brown hill itself.
Please answer the following questions:

Which field was raised organically?
Which field yielded 88 bu/a, twice the state average of 44 bu/a?
Which field will feed 250 head of cattle for almost a month?
If you said the field in the foreground for all of the above then you are correct. The conventionally raised wheat on the hill yielded 50 bu/a, but now sits dead with nothing growing in it, wasting solar energy.

I spent a day last week planting the portion of that wheat field that has already been grazed using an ATV with a spreader on the back broadcasting turnip seeds. The plan is to use the turnips as winter forage for the cattle.

I think that’s it. Following are a picture of the house I’m occupying and a picture of a heron that lives around the local ponds. It’s in the very middle of the picture. I was hoping to get closer but no such luck this time.

Week 4

GregAndKelly — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:38:22 +0000

I know I didn’t post a week 3 update. Not much happened.

I spent a bunch of time last week helping get a quarter section surveyed for a new water system. Exciting stuff. Otherwise the usual moving of goats, sheep, pigs and cows to fresh forage ground. I helped corral a Hereford bull to get medicated for foot rot. Don’t worry, he’s pretty tame and he’s smaller than your average bull.

Oh, the other intern, Colin, left early Tuesday morning. He is missed. The work is more toilsome by yourself than when someone is around to share in the frustrations and the laughs.

I leave you with some pictures of what my mornings look like out here in the middle of nowhere:

Week 2 Update

GregAndKelly — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:11:55 +0000

So another week down. Spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Kearney at a Grazing Conference. I learned some interesting things there. The rest of the week involved moving the pigs and goats to new pasture. The cows we move twice a day. A highlight was mowing the lawn with the chickens, who would chase the crickets that fled the tall grass when the mower would get near. A lowlight was castrating some goats. For all you future goat owners: make sure you do that deed when they’re a couple days old, not six months. The sound they make is just awful.

Here’s some photos from around the farm:

Week 1 round-up

GregAndKelly — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:06:18 +0000

Just thought I’d throw an update out quick since I’m in Omaha and have internet. Some of the highlights of the week were castrating a bull, chasing goats (fast) and pigs (strong), and visiting Clear Creek Organic Farms (cheese and ice cream from the farm’s grass-fed cows provided). I took a couple pictures of my surroundings and a picture of my nemesis the Musk Thistle. Enjoy. Hopefully we can do this more often.

Day 1

GregAndKelly — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:03:16 +0000

Hello.

Day 1 is over. I arrived at 10:30am and after chatting with my new coworkers/roommates for a bit I went out with Colin and we pulled thistles. What’s that like? It’s like playing find the needle in the haystack, only you’re on an ATV and instead of looking for a needle you’re looking for hay with a different kind of flower on it. I did that until lunch and then after until about 6.

At nine we went out and moved the cattle to a new paddock. A full day. I took some pics, but my camera died. Sad, I know, but I get to do it all over again tomorrow.