Each new day on the farm we are reminded that spring is headed into main gear. Daily we notice new buds on trees and bushes, more and more bird activity, and bulbs reaching out for the sun. As we observe the return of growth we eagerly review our grazing plan, in the coming weeks our pastures will have enough grass to let our Sottish Highlands off their winter pasture to graze. We start each grazing season with a rough draft, based on previous seasons, as to where they will graze and for how long. Part of our mission is to keep the cattle happy and fed, but we do so in a way that leaves adequate plant material for healthy regrowth, to distribute manure evenly and increase the soil quality. However, Wednesday afternoon approximately 50 head of Elk wandered into the pasture where we planned to start our grazing rotation. I’m always amazed how wildlife seem to know you’re about to harvest something, and get to it just before you do. Whether it’s a raspberry, tomato, or grass they seem to prefer it just a tad before we deem optimal. Luckily as I mentioned our grazing plan is a rough draft, that gets edited by observation, and a part of our mission is to provide habitat for our wild neighbors. So we were able to enjoy watching them graze and the immature bulls spar, after a while the migrated to the Crater Garden which some Canadian Geese taken residence in.
Observing the bird activity in our tree belts, knowing that not only will the trees feed us and our community but provide shelter and food for the greater wild communities, continuing to do so well beyond our limited time on this rock is both humbling and inspiring. It’s with this reverent energy that we gear up for our spring projects and the next thousand trees and bushes that will soon join us on the farm.
