Great Big Farmer

I confused the neighbour's cows bawling with mine. Well not me, my cows. Using a zig-zag path to help erosion on hills. Chisel plow to rip for compaction in the heifer barn field. Breaking shear bolts. Kincardine seems...

We like to make a small fire and sit around it at night. There is a line of maple trees along the east side of the front yard, and their trunks support a supply of wood that helps to make a cozy space. A ring of field...

Rambling on about care and management of weaned calves. Not seeing peas emerge in the cover crop. It makes no sense to worry about things on the farm that are out of my control to change now. In the barn with the newly...

Walking the group from a paddock back to the barn. The old time way to call cattle in Bruce County is "Coo Bos" and its origin is the Scottish reference to highland cattle; Coo= cow Bos= the Latin genus species Bos...

The old water line is tough to work with. No leaks. Making the unused electrical feed neat and secure (this bowl is energy free). Lots of water pressure. Stripping the concrete forms. I cut myself. Setting the water...

Lots of detail here, 'cause everybody wants to hear about concrete forming! LOL I ramble on about how the concrete pad will meet the requirements for the installation of the bowl. Find your place in the world. Dig in...

Growing cover crops and grazing cattle is the best! Rapids in the Kincardine Creek between two pools. Simple three point hitch spline repair. Difficult tire packer repair. Breaking out concrete in the barn. Perfect...

The manure-compost pile has warmed up. The tire packer is very broken and I'm glad nothing else was damaged when it came apart. I calculated that the seeding density for this cover crop mix is 44 seeds per square foot...

Rambling while unloading seed bags. Big problem with the seeder metering mechanism. The right way to live my life. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact...

Early morning. Recording while checking compost temperatures and walking the soybean field. Pulling weeds tall weeds, trying to decrease the seed bank. Making the disc sing. Magnet finds more fence wire and a plow...

Overall, things are going great this summer, but I'm late getting the cover crop planted. First disc needs to be repaired, and the supplier to the machine shop is slow to courier the bearing that's needed. Also, the new...

I would advise anyone to trust the engineered specifications for tractor fluids, and don't follow the advice of the retailer...it's important. Custom repairs are a lot of fun. The way that animals forage for food is a...

I think hand weeding a field is called roguing for weeds, and I'm doing that using my Amish Hoe.Other stuff...coffee time...a trip to the mennonite machine shop...swapping the fluids on the new tractor...2nd cut baling...

I think a chisel plow does a nice job of opening compacted soil. It does so by stirring, without inverting the earth like a moldboard plow. I have a notion that this better maintains soil structure, and that fungal...

With wheat harvest finished, it's time to reflect...but not for long because the wheat stubble is growing weeds and a cover crop needs to go in shortly. I decide to "double disc" the hard, dry ground. Find your place in...