Nutrient Management

If you drive around upstate New York this time of year, you're likely to see crop farmers spreading large volumes of liquid dairy manure, collected from cows that live in barns year round. Our cows live outside all year, so they spread their own manure across our pastures. During the winter, we control where much of the manure ends up by feeding hay in lower fertility spots on the farm. Nutrients and organic matter from manure and leftover hay accumulate where the cows have been fed, waiting to be incorporated into the soil by earthworms and mircobes when spring arrives.

For the past few years, we have tested the soil in each of the fields that we use for winter feeding, so we can match the number of hay bales fed to the nutrient needs of the pasture. This management practice helps to protect water quality by minimizing nutrient runoff.

Lambing season is in full swing, with our first lambing group nearly finished. We've had several sets of triplets this year, and they're all doing well. The lambs get time to bond with their mothers in individual jugs before transitioning into larger group pens.

Everybody gets a number painted on to help us keep track of which lambs belong to which ewe. We have one extra protective ewe, number 17, who we painted purple. When you see the purple sheep stamp her foot at you, you better move out of the way or she might headbutt you!

Thanks for reading,

Leith, Mary Kate, Norah & Edith MacKenzie