The Tank Field is interesting. At the bottom, along the flat, there is a riparian area that gets a lot of water in the rainy season. Each year Joe has documented the area and tells me that when he started managing the ranch, there was little growth relative the abundance there is now. The creek bed is field with perennial grasses and big willows. Just another example of how proper management in riparian areas can produce awesome effects.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Movin'
Today Joe and I moved the cattle on horse back into the Tank Field. I spent yesterday afternoon subdividing the field into smaller paddocks where the cows will stay for 2 days each.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Going Once...
This morning, Everett and I went to the auction yard to do a little market research on goats. We were trying to get an idea of how much different sized and gendered goats cost and sell for. The reason for our visit is because of the possibility of exploring a new enterprise in goats!
Goats are slowly becoming a popular alternative to expensive, oil driven machines used for brush clearing. In California, brush control is a big business because of the serious threat of wild fires throughout the state. For us, goats can also be incorporated into our land management so to have a greater impact on the rangelands we work on. Goats do not eat grass like cows but instead prefer a large variety of brush. By incorporating goats into Morris Grassfed, we would be able to manage an aspect of the land that we can't do with the cows.
So, Ev and I did a little research - speculating on potential business models and trying to judge if one goat looked better than another. It was a pretty cool experience but we are still a ways away from building a decent goat herd.
Goats are slowly becoming a popular alternative to expensive, oil driven machines used for brush clearing. In California, brush control is a big business because of the serious threat of wild fires throughout the state. For us, goats can also be incorporated into our land management so to have a greater impact on the rangelands we work on. Goats do not eat grass like cows but instead prefer a large variety of brush. By incorporating goats into Morris Grassfed, we would be able to manage an aspect of the land that we can't do with the cows.
So, Ev and I did a little research - speculating on potential business models and trying to judge if one goat looked better than another. It was a pretty cool experience but we are still a ways away from building a decent goat herd.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Back on the Horse
Today Joe, Ev, and I gathered up the cows on horse back and moved them from the Sand Hill to the Bull Field. As we started up the hill to gather them all, the rain slowly moved in. By the time we reached the cattle it was coming down.
I'm not an excellent rider but I'm pretty confident by now, but in the rain and mud things can get a little hairy. I was trying to skirt the cattle to push them up onto a road. Walking at a slight angle down a bank. Suddenly, Lady (the horse) lost her balance and crashed to the ground. She fell uphill so the fall wasn't that far but I still ended up getting my leg caught underneath her. She scrambled to her feet. I was able to keep my hands on the reigns and get out of the saddle but Lady was really shaken up. She jolted and then took off, running about 50 yards from me. Slow to get up, I walked off the pain in my leg until I reached Lady. She was shaking and I was a little nervous but after five minutes of soft words and a couple reassuring pats I was able to calm her down and get back on the saddle. Never before has the term "get back on the horse" had so much significance to me.
I was a little more cautious the rest of the day, avoiding inclines and muddied areas. But we were able to get the cows where they needed to be and move eight bulls across the ranch. All in all, today was a great success.
I'm not an excellent rider but I'm pretty confident by now, but in the rain and mud things can get a little hairy. I was trying to skirt the cattle to push them up onto a road. Walking at a slight angle down a bank. Suddenly, Lady (the horse) lost her balance and crashed to the ground. She fell uphill so the fall wasn't that far but I still ended up getting my leg caught underneath her. She scrambled to her feet. I was able to keep my hands on the reigns and get out of the saddle but Lady was really shaken up. She jolted and then took off, running about 50 yards from me. Slow to get up, I walked off the pain in my leg until I reached Lady. She was shaking and I was a little nervous but after five minutes of soft words and a couple reassuring pats I was able to calm her down and get back on the saddle. Never before has the term "get back on the horse" had so much significance to me.
I was a little more cautious the rest of the day, avoiding inclines and muddied areas. But we were able to get the cows where they needed to be and move eight bulls across the ranch. All in all, today was a great success.
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