Category: Farm Life
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The Flash Flood of July 28th
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
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Summer Grazing
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
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Early July, Hot and Dry
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
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Lambing Is Over
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
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Ready for Lambing
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
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April Snow
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
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Rock Work
We have a new addition: a small, dry stone retaining wall around the perimeter of the shop. It looks great! Continue reading
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New AI Lambs!
The first of our USDA experiment lambs has arrived. It’s a nice ram lamb. We have 3 experimental ewes to go. All of them should lamb within the next two to three days if all goes well. Continue reading
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Clearing Brush, Fixing Rock Walls, and More Rock Work
We started April with nice weather, and after repairing the tractor hydraulics, Ken was able to start on some work. We cleared brush from the rock wall and repaired damage done by trees and country road maintenance. Meanwhile, David and Ryan, AKA Dai & Jammy, continue working on the Little House foundation. Continue reading
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Shearing and Rock Work
We started shearing the flock at the end of March. The weather has been sunny, but surprisingly cold and windy. We’re also getting the rock put on the Little House foundation. At least on those days, it’s warm enough for the mortar to be mixed. Continue reading
