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   The Williams Farm

Pasture maintenance - more complex than we were thinking...

12/9/2013

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Woody here.  So, about the $500 lime and clover...  We had moved the cows off pasture #1, to the right of the house, about three weeks ago. Our plan is to spread lime, per soil test, and then seed with clover and rye grass.  But then we were talking with someone, who suggested that we need the clover to grow there until it can turn to seed, which would be May or June.  This got us to thinking....  We want to move cows back to lovely Pasture #1 in early springtime.  However, the cows will eat any clover that is trying to grow.  So, perhaps we need to seed where they are NOW with the clover?  But continue to lime Pasture #1?  Now, we realize, we need to map out the possible pastures, and estimate when we will be using them, so that we can maintain (i.e. fertilize, seed, etc.) them in their off periods. 
Linda adds:  BUT we may just need to process them by April or May or June - as soon as they grow enough.  Which is dependent on what they eat.  We want to get three calves asap to start growing up to replace them, but have no shelter for them so need to wait til spring (March if we are lucky).  Bought the amount of lime suggested, assembled a spreader we bought yesterday ($200 - saved $10 putting it together ourselves, possibly a mistake as we lost 4 hours of labor between us) Bottom line is it all needs lime, you can put lime out and then add cows any time after a rain.  So we'll lime the original field and put the rest, if any, on the half of the lower field they aren't on yet.  We need to move them there soon tho or start feeding hay.  
Who needs video games when you have farming!!!! :)
Other activities yesterday - Linda to yoga, meeting with zoning folks re possibilities of using farm as legal venue.  Seems good, typed up notes.

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