Yesterday we had a rather interesting event: major rain, which caused flash floods. The flooding was significant, but we badly needed the rain. Continue reading
We just got back from our yearly Colorado Woolgrowers Convention. This is the once-per-year, two-day meeting of the sheep industry in Colorado. In addition to the regular reports on world meat and wool markets, they talk about what the US Government is doing about grazing and water rights. We also get updates on predator pressure… Continue reading
Summer grazing is in full swing. We’re moving the sheep to fresh grass every couple of days. It looks like they’re leaving a lot behind, but in actuality, it’s mostly dry, tough stems. They’re not very good for nursing ewes and growing lambs. Once the sheep move off a major section, we mow it down… Continue reading
Grazing continues, and we are on our second round of grazing the main pastures. So far, our irrigation water has been good, but there’s no snow on Mt. Lamborn. As the old saying goes, if there’s still snow on Lamborn by the 4th of July, it’ll be a good year for water. It’s not going… Continue reading
It’s been very busy here lately, but we’re now done lambing. We ended the year with 89 live lambs and five stillborns. One lamb died at one week of age for unknown reasons. Another was crushed by a windblown fence, so we have 87 lambs left. We had a lot of first-time moms with twins,… Continue reading
Our remaining pregnant ewes are now out on pasture and ready for lambing. The grass is still very short, so we’ve been feeding them hay. I’ve also gotten their mineral feeder out and filled it to the top. We don’t feed any grain, so we use a custom-mixed sheep mineral to provide the supplementation that… Continue reading
We got some lovely April snow today. I know most folks are tired of winter, but this nice, wet snow will certainly help our water situation this summer. The new lambs have found the warmest, driest spots on the farm, and they’re enjoying the snow from there. Continue reading
Ken and I took a flight over Terror Creek with a friend today. We captured a ton of pictures, including views of our reservoir and its watershed, Garvin Mesa, and our property. It was a great experience! Continue reading
We have a new addition: a small, dry stone retaining wall around the perimeter of the shop. It looks great! Continue reading
We’ve been happily spending time with our visiting friends, David and Ryan, who are from Wales. They spent their last day here today at Revolution Brewing and enjoyed the Grand Avenue Gal. Continue reading