Born to this land: by Red Steagall.

http://www.cowboypoetry.com/redsteagall.htm#Born

I miss my truck!!

It's been parked in my driveway for about four, or five months  now. Breaks are shot, and both gas lines are rusted to the point where one of them has a huge leak in it. As soon as I start it up, gas just  poors out. 

My mechanic has told me that he cannot find the lines anywhere, the manufacture doe snot make them anymore due to the age of the truck. And he's made gas lines before, bu the way these are made to function, it's something that he cannot fabricate. 

I'm not giving up yet! The truck is a year 2000 model, and it's been paid off for several years now. 

...sigh.... 

Reminds me of the Lyle Lovett song... "Old Black's my trucks name, she's held together by B.F. GoodTire, and Bailing wire."

And another song... "You could light my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill, and I still wouldn't trade if for a Coupe DeVille."

Plans.... Hope..... Future....

These are awesome words... especially since they have come from an All Powerful, and Loving Heavenly Father!

I started a new job about a month ago. Maybe more. It's a full time job right across the street from the State House downtown Columbus. And it's honestly been nice. new car, new job. I've sort of been just enjoying, and slipping right back into my city mindset.

Only every time I drive past a large open pasture field, or see farm fields, I remember my passion for the grass, and the science and study that goes into a grazing operation. My hope and desire is first of all... deepening my walk with the Lord, the Father of us all. ...By daily staying in His Word. And second to that is my hope to someday and hopefully soon, own my own land, and start my very own grazing plan with some animals.

Something I can pass down to my kids, should any of them want to farm.

Rebirth

Jeremiah 29:11New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

"Enter through the narrow gate ..." Jesus

When everything seems like it's going smooth is when you need to ask yourself... am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path? Often times the best thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do.

The scripture reference above from the book of Matthew in chapter seven verses 13 - 14. is about the gift of salvation through the one and only Christ., and how there are "few who find it." But there is also a life lesson here I think, that can help lead us through hard times. Thanks be to God!

I've just recently had a door close on me that I worked very hard to build myself. But the door was closed on me, the builder. Now I am faced with having to start building another door to be able to continue my plans a new. Dreams and a passion that I believe the Lord has placed in me to complete.

Here's to the future!

Loving the Gallagher Smart Fence!! Also, there may be lots of things, but not many for me that give the enjoyment of quietly leading sheep down a new lane, so they know where to find the fresh grass, or “salad bar”.
They are just about done shedding their winter coats to boot!

Swimming in Red Clover, Orchard Grass, and some others like Timothy, and Rye Grass. Tell the cattle not to worry, we’ll feed them when they get here.

Howdy,

I feel I should talk a little about the "Grass" part of the Farmer title of the blog.
I'm sure many of you already know lots more than I do about Sustainable Agriculture and the like, but for those who may be not sure.

At first the animal and the animal care and health was the pervasive theme in my learning and reading. A little about pasture and rotational grazing in there as well. Until I attended a "Pasture for Profit" conference in early 2013. THAT changed everything for me. And thus the term Grass Farmer. because I've heard it said even years ago, that "if you are in the business of raising livestock for food, you're really a grass farmer" It's all about converting solar energy into a healthy, natural animal that will thrive.

The Basic recipe for healthy, thriving pastures that will provide incredible amounts of forage for the grazing livestock is Management Intensive Grazing, or MiG. And the big picture with that is wrapped up in an excellent quote from a presentation in that same conference  back in 2013. "You cannot manage, what you do not measure." Measuring, monitoring, and recording everything that goes on in your pastures. Soil Testing, worm counts, Dry matter measurements using clippings throughout the pasture, and measuring forage amounts with a pasture stick, or even better with a plate meter. Keeping track of daily paddock rotations, and even weather conditions, like rain fall amounts and dates. And the list goes on!

So the bottom line is... the work is never done. However on the other side of the coin, neither is the pleasure and life gain that comes from working with the land, and animals. Doing the very thing that got you excited about everything agriculture in the first place!

SO that's my quick run down of the Grass Farmer title of the blog. There are volumes that I could have written in much greater detail. But that's what blogs are for.. all in good time!

God Bless

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! 

I'm just going through some older photos from summer 2013. Two I'll share. One is of my oldest son helping me start to dig some post holes. They were very premature post holes I call them, since I was not able to find already cut, and stripped Black Locust Posts ANYWHERE for sale. I even had to write letters to Amish folks to no avail. We dug four, 4' deep holes that afternoon. That's a whole story in and of itself. The other pic is from the day I brought six more Ewe's to the farm. Giving us our original total of nine ewes.

Loving it! In the next few weeks I'm going to start really digging holes in that same pasture with a back-hoe run auger bit. Now that I actually have all of my posts. Had to cut them down this January.

Jake

So Hello everyone....

I'm hoping to keep some information here about my goings-on at the farm. Kinda of a comical and hopefully educational approach to what I'm doing everyday on, or for the farm operation.

Started with about four sheep last summer, and now I'm at about 20 sheep all together counting the Ewe's and the lambs. Nine Mommies and eleven "Lambies".  Trying to continue an organic approach to raising the animals. Which includes giving them lots of good pasture, clean water, lots of love, and as much room as they need, and as much time as they need to get used to me.

It really has been a labor of love.

Also trying to get things ready for adding some cool cattle to the operation this summer (2014). Just a few to get started.

Well, nuff said for now, hope you are well, and staying cozy!

Jake