Desert Weyr Blog
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Back on Pasture and Why Labels Are Misleading
The early snow has pretty much all melted, and we got one batch of ram lambs back out on our triticale pasture regrowth. We made sure they were all pretty full of hay before putting them out, and we made an aisle of electric fencing to prevent too much plugging of the permanent pastures. We’ll… Continue reading
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Emergency Preparations for a Farm
Watching the news about the big fires in San Diego yesterday and today prompted me to review our farm emergency plan. We used to live in Ramona, San Diego, one of the towns in the path of the fires. The latest data indicates that our old house was either on the very edges or was… Continue reading
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Winter Snow
It’s the first snow of 2007 here on Gavin Mesa. It’s a bit early this year. The sheep love the snow! I think it’s because they have such warm, woolly coats. They enjoy playing in it. The rams are eagerly awaiting their breakfast. The ewes especially like to go around the corrals, licking and eating… Continue reading
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Ovine Haute Couture Part 2
Ewes raved at the latest designs from Oogie M at the final showing of the new fall collection this week. Ovine Barn Wear has over 100 pieces in the new collection, and there was something for every sheep. Colorful patchwork was a highlight of the show as old coats were refreshed with new edging and… Continue reading
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Back From Taos
I had a lovely time in Taos, and I didn’t come back with more wool than I took – that was good! I did find a pair of patterns for knitted dragons, so I bought two types of roving to make a knitted dragon like our logo. My test sample looks pretty good, so I’ll… Continue reading
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Off to the Wool Festival (And Bears)
I’m heading out today to attend part of the Taos Wool Festival. I’m taking my second revision of a Monmouth cap, plus the start of a scarf from a chart that I’m having issues with, in hopes that I can get some help from friends there. Some of my knitting friends will fortunately be attending.… Continue reading
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More on Sorting Sheep
Yesterday, we gave all the ewe lambs their second shots. All of them were evaluated. I managed to get coats on most of them, but I still need to make 11 more coats, as I ran out of some sizes. The uncoated sheep went back to the orchard on pasture, while the rest are here… Continue reading
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Farm Tour Tomorrow!
Anyone in western Colorado is welcome to come visit us at the Paonia Harvest Festival’s Self-Guided Farm Tour tomorrow between 11 AM and 4 PM. We’ll be here all day talking about our sheep, geese, and chickens. I’ll have meat, wool, and yarn for sale. They’ll also be for sale all day Sunday at the… Continue reading
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US Organic Is Cruel and Inhumane for Livestock
US Organic is cruel and inhumane to livestock. This statement will shock many and be denied by others. US standards for organic production of livestock are cruel and inhumane. They are a travesty of what “organic” should be. In an ideal world, buying organic would mean the products you purchase were produced in a fair… Continue reading
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Wine, Mutton, and Cheese
This past weekend, the three main agricultural businesses on our mesa held a wine, cheese, and mutton tasting. Our farm had slow-cooked mutton shoulder roasts and two Welsh cheeses to taste. Terror Creek Winery brought lovely fondue to go with their Swiss-style wines. Stone Cottage Cellars had a selection of cheeses paired with their wines,… Continue reading