Howdy! July is over, and we were glad to get two inches of much-needed rain the last couple of weeks this month from the tropical storms blowing in from the Gulf. The rain has helped our crops to grow, allowed the green grass in pastures to increase, and improved the water supply in tanks (so needless to say, we were very excited and grateful)! When the rain rolled through, it also gave us some very thick and sticky mud, so I got to take out the four-wheeler (ATV) to check cows, since it is the only vehicle that can easily get across the mud that we have here in the Blackland Prairie.
As I mentioned, the new green growth in the pastures has provided additional forage for our cattle, allowing us to reduce supplemental feeding, save for some mineral and molasses. I have attached a picture of some delighted cows from when we let them into a new pasture. Instead of spending time feeding hay, we have been able to focus more on general maintenance and clean-up projects around the farm. We have pulled out old barbed wire fences, cut up and hauled dead trees, and cleared brush and thick forb cover from around the barns and off of fence lines. I have also completed a number of fence mending jobs as needed. The hardest fence jobs lately have involved electric fences as I dealt with fixing a wire that snapped (which is more difficult to patch than it sounds), as well as finding and fixing the sources that were grounding the charge and not allowing the fence to carry electricity.
The corn and milo have matured and dried enough to be ready for harvest, so our custom harvesters began the process at the end of last week. It has been strange for me to see the tall corn fields I have viewed for months now reduced to soil and some corn husks.
It’s been a great past month on the farm, and I’m looking forward to what August has in store! Please enjoy the attached photographs showcasing two of my favorite things: beautiful, country skies and happy cows.
Kyra LeJeune
Farm Intern