grazy days of summer

I've realized that as of late, I've not written too much about the farm. There are a few reasons for that. For starters, we are in a bit of a lull, nothing new or exciting to report. Just our day to day chores and upkeep. Also, Kaleb and I have been mulling things over, asking ourselves those all too important questions. What are our dreams for the farm? What would we like to see happen and in what direction do we see this thing heading? It's us taking a step back and asking God to guide us, which I know he will. 

So in the meantime, I thought I would fill you in on part of our daily life. 

Here on our little farm, we practice something called rotational grazing. Theres so much history to it, it's wonderful for the farmland and the animals, but for us, there's a romance to it. There's something really special about guiding your herd, and them learning to rely and trust us, while we learn to trust in something much larger.



What is it you may wonder? Well, in it's simplest form, you have taken your open pasture and broken it down into manageable sized paddocks. The cows rotate from one plot to the next daily. This way, the grass has a chance to rest, there is time for a rebirth of new vegetation. Also, the cows are in smaller areas, so they can fertilize everything for us. It's a win win all around.

It works beautifully for us, because our home is a bit wild and grown up. There is not a single working fence to be found, so we can run everything off of a single strand electric fence. Kaleb with the help of the boys, set up a new paddock, opens it up, and the cows all line up and hurriedly file in.

Romantic? Absolutely! Most times we make it a family affair. It's usually in the evening, since that is when they tend to be up and about. Lucky for us, it's the loveliest time of the day. We pile up six high on the four wheeler and head out into the setting sun. 

Zain loves to be the one to open the gate. He is so good at this farming biz. He reminds me so much of Kaleb, in the way that he enjoys any kind of hard labor and anything outdoors. I tell you, this boy is our farmer, and I love watching him as he has opportunities to learn and practice.

As soon as the gate is opened, they pour thru. Always excited to get on fresh grass and new terrain. It also gives us a chance to do a quick headcount and check that they are all well and good. But, my favorite thing to get to do, is watch our calves. They are so funny, running and skipping around while there mammas bawl at them to come back and settle down.

There really is something so beautiful in farming. The greatest asset for us has been that we had no prior knowledge. Neither Kaleb or I grew up on a farm or ever dreamed one day we would call ourselves farmers. So everything is brand new. Which leaves us open to the freedom of exploring old traditions combined with newer tactics. We don't know how it's suppose to look, which means it can look anyway we want.

I've heard it called a "profession of hope." I love that. It's a beautiful sentiment to a beautiful lifestyle.