Studio Farm

We are now grazing a new farm. The landowners are committed to sustainable agriculture and the fencing and watering system they put in are amazing - this is a showplace of environmentally sound farming. Here are some pics.

The entrance and first long field. There are four existing fields that I will further subdivide over the next year.
Jack spreading manure patties.
A beautiful view.
Looking back towards the entrance at some happy cows. I don't have enough girls to eat down thirty acres of grass, so I'll probably end up cutting a large part of it - Studio Farm is between two of my haying fields so I'll swing by in transit.
Cows from left to right: Orange Juice Snow White (Charlais), Cleo (Smoke - first generation Angus/Charlais cross), Charlotte (Angus/Holstein cross), Princess Mel (3/4 Angus, 1/4 Charlais), and Connie (Ayrshire/Angus cross). You can see four calves in the background. Just to be clear, my kids are responsible for the naming process.


The fields are absolutely overrun with poison ivy. I will be adding a goat to the herd and she will start making a dent in the stuff. I won't bring Benji over - he has gotten quite arthritic in his old age. He did a great job at my place - the only poison ivy I have left is in the areas the goat doesn't graze.
With as much poison ivy as there is in this field, it will take a couple years to bring it under control no spraying and no animal pressure. You can also see that the grass is in pretty weak shape. I look forward to seeing the impact of rotational grazing on pasture biodiversity and plant density.
Heading toward the lower field. You can see the water line on the right side - there are hydrants at periodic intervals so that I can subdivide the fields and have water nearby.
The opening to the lower field. You can see one of the hydrants in front of Emilie and Jack.
View of the western field.
Emilie and Jack check out a wolf tree in the pasture. I wouldn't let them get any closer because the whole area underneath is a great mass of poison ivy. We have to wash our hands after petting the cows. The cows aren't bothered by the stuff, but the ivy juice will linger on their coats.
Frost free automatic waterer with pasture gates. The stone area is laid over a fabric base to prevent the area around the waterer from becoming a mud hole.
Leaving one of the waterer sites.


Another herd pic.