Calves on the Move

The last few weeks have been hot and mostly dry. We spread lime and chicken manure on the hay fields last week, and we are grateful for a gentle rain this evening that washed these nutrients off the grass and into the soil.

Calving season is winding down, with 33 calves born to date. Moving cows this time of year is a noisy affair. I start by walking through the herd calling them and looking for any new calves. Then the cows start calling for their calves, which might be sleeping off in a tall bunch of grass. After about 10 minutes, cows and calves have all found each other and the move can start. 

Grasses are not the only plants growing tall in the fields in July. The large leafy plants in the above photo are burdock, a cow favorite.

Canada thistle is an aggressive perennial weed, one of the weeds we battle the most on the cow farm. Despite being prickly, they are good for the soil and can provide a nice shady spot for a young calf to hide.  

Thanks for reading,

Leith, Mary Kate, Norah & Edith MacKenzie