Pasture season 2011

Posted on | May 22, 2011 | No Comments

Well here we are on May 22 and we have just turned the milkers out to pasture. We in the Northeast have been inundated with rain this spring. In fact, Vermont has had a record spring for precipitation. The pastures look great and have made some impovement from years past. As we rotational graze our cow pastures we are seeing more dense growth in the grasses we want and many of the “weeds” that are unwanted are slowly being pushed out by impoved soil quality and more healthy and hardy grasses. This spring we worked closely with Dan Hudson, an agronomist at the UVM extension office, to intergrate frost seeding methods to improve our stands of forage and pasture. We broadcast seeded some Red Clover and some rye grass. You can follow some of our trials here:  http://blog.uvm.edu/djhudson/ I am very interested in trying a “new” breed of Meadow Fescue called Hidden Valley. If anyone out there can get some seed please let me know as i would like to try and establish a field of it in a trial. Sounds like it would be perfect fit for our soils and environment here in Vermont.

The cows know what they are supposed to do and did a fine job of grazing. Now for adjusting our grain weights, and adjusting our ration to save us some money on purchased feeds and grain.

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• Pasture season 2011
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• Center for Sustainable Agriculture - Promotes sustainable farming systems, including grazing and pasture management.
• Farming Magazine - Farming on a small, ecologically-conscious scale, including the bonds connecting people, land, and community.
• Hamilton Rare Breeds Foundation - A not-for-profit foundation in Hartland, Vermont whose goal is to propagate, conserve,and educate the public about rare breeds of farm animals.
• New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy Inc. - Conserves historic and endangered breeds of livestock and poultry and encourages production of these breeds to advance farmland preservation, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont - A not-for-profit association of farmers, gardners and consumers working to promote an economically viable and exologically sound Vermont food system for the benefit of current and future generations.
• Organic Dairy Discussion Group - Discussion board focused on organic dairy practices.
• Randall Lineback Breed Association - The official site for the Randall Lineback breed of cattle. RLBA is a not-for-profit organization that was formed in 2005 to preserve, protect, and promote this unique American breed. Includes registry services, detailed history and photos.
• Randall Linebacks at Chapel Hill Farm - An informative site about the Randall Lineback herd at the historic Chapel Hill Farm.
• Real Milk - Everything you ever wanted to know about raw milk. This site is a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
• Rural Vermont - A not-for-profit farm advocacy group that represents those who are opposed to corporate industrial agriculture.
• Small Farm Today - The original how-to magazine of alternative and traditional crops, livestock, and direct marketing, established 1984.
• Stackyard - An agricultural supersite presenting a diverse group of topics from the agriculture world.
• The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy - A not-for-profit membership organization working to protect nearly 100 breeds of cattle, goats, horses, asses, sheep, swine and poultry from extinction.
• Vermont Living - Topics of interest for anyone who lives, farms or visits in the Green Mountain state.
• Weston A. Price Foundation - A not-for-profit foundation dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism.

About

Randall Linebacks are a rare breed of cattle which originated in Vermont and are steadily gaining popularity. Here you will find photos and stories about my own Randall Linebacks, as well as my experiences on New England dairy farms.

My childhood home, Randall Farms of Mt. Sinai, NY is also a subject near and dear to me. I have been collecting photos and memories and will share some of them here.

(The name is a coincidence; historic Randall Farms and the Randall Lineback breed bear no known connection.)

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