In the meantime, let me introduce you to my friend's farm, Natural Borders Farm, where we raise grassfed beef and lamb. The first calf of the season was born a few days ago...
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I'll make it up to you
I knew I'd get a little grief for not having pictures of Gabe and the bee tree:) I wanted to focus on Gabe yesterday so I didn't take the camera with me. I am going back Thurs. afternoon and maybe Tanner and I will go out and get a closer look at the bees, then I'll have some pictures to post. I'd like to get a good look at the hive, it's so difficult keeping bees alive now that I would like to see what is working for them. I suspect the biggest advantage they have is isolation. They are in a pretty remote spot, far away from any houses or farms. The worst killer of honey bees is the pesticide that is used to coat corn seeds. The chemical is drawn up into the plants "bloodstream" and concentrated in the pollen. The bees collect the pollen and bring it back to the hive and they all die. I have not been able to keep a single hive alive for more then a season since the farmer down the road started growing corn several years ago.
In the meantime, let me introduce you to my friend's farm, Natural Borders Farm, where we raise grassfed beef and lamb. The first calf of the season was born a few days ago...
In the meantime, let me introduce you to my friend's farm, Natural Borders Farm, where we raise grassfed beef and lamb. The first calf of the season was born a few days ago...
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Really beautiful farm!
ReplyDeleteHow cute this young baby. The building is very nice and big!
ReplyDeleteWhat breed of cattle are the light colored ones? Why have a variety of cattle when you are raising them for beef? Are there different qualities you look for in different breeds? You said "we", so I figured you would know...
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteMy name is Elva, and this is my farm, so I thought I would take the liberty of answering these questions. First of all, the cows are generally all crossbreds. I like having crossbreds, as I believe that hybrid vigor is an excellent trait to have, but mostly I like different colors. I like my farm to have diversity in colors of the animals, species of grass, and in breeds of cattle, sheep, and chickens. The only purebred I really want is my Border Collie, Scout, who just happens to be a full brother to Kris' Tanner. As for traits in cattle, I want cattle that will do well on an all-grass diet, and cattle that will have an easy time calving. We are raising grass-fed beef, and it is important that the cattle will maintain their weight on hay and baleage that has been raised on this farm for winter consumption. During the grazing season, they are rotated daily to fresh grass. These are not and never will be feedlot cattle. But really, don't you think a field full of say all black cattle would be boring compared to this kalidoscope of cattle?
The light colored cattle are all daughters of one cow (named Buff) who is a Charolais/Hereford cross. She is this color and so far, all of her daughters look just like her regardless of what breed the father was. I'll try to post some more pictures of the herd. Buff is rather picturesque and a force of nature not to be trifled with.
DeleteWow, Elva, thanks so much for the reply. Very interesting stuff. I live near Cooperstown/Cobleskill, and see a lot of the local dairy farmers are turning more and more to raising beef. One in particular has a lot of red and black cows with a little extra white here and there, like Belted Galloways. I have only seen one Charolais though, and wondered what qualities they brought. Your buff cow is beautiful, and her calf looks well cared for! Although that gorgeous red and white calf in the same picture is positively adorable! There is a farmer near Cobleskill that recently acquired a herd of Buffalo! I hope to get some pictures of calves this spring.
ReplyDeleteI do certainly agree about diversity being more interesting to look at though! Kris, thanks so much for all your great pictures and commentary. It's all the more fun, because we live in similar places, same weather, terrain...I know of a giant old hemlock tree and understand the inability to photograph it and do justice to the enormity of it. And just stand there and marvel at it's presence, would be something to know how old it is...
Our woods are greening up with the wild leeks also, but I have to admit, I have never tasted them!
Well, thanks again for the replies, nice to get answers to the things you wonder about, sure wish I knew why
that one farmer got buffalo??..............
My guess on the buffalo would be that they are actually beeffalo, a beef cow crossed with a buffalo. There are quite a few people raising them for meat now. They have kind of gone in and out of fashion for a number of years now. They can be hard to handle and the meat is indistinguishable from beef so I have never really seen the appeal. Although they are fun to see out in the fields. Not something you see around here everyday.
DeleteYou should give the leeks a try. Folks down in NYC were paying $20 a pound for them a couple of years ago. You could just go yank some up. They are very good sauteed in some butter with salt and pepper. Would go really well with a beefalo steak in fact:)