I found a comfortable spot to sit/ lie down on a hillside near the river, with a view of the grazing cattle, the river, and the small field I call the bowl. Oakley came with me as well as a barn cat who probably thinks he is also a dog and should come on long walks.  It was nice of my friends to turn up in the rain for the EFAO field tour last week. I was expecting about six people but there were maybe twenty. I didn't know what people would be interested in, so I did a two hour show and tell. Looking back, I think I should have mentioned organic weed control with more clarity, so I make an attempt in this episode. While recording, a fawn emerged from the woods along the river. Sunset. Peace. I am grateful.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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Having heard a calf bawling in the distance, I decided to see if it was one of mine. It seemed like a good time to record a farm update. It was nice to hear the sound of the river, plus the grassland and forest birds. It really was a beautiful morning!

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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This episode was recorded at about 6 am across the river, as I checked in on the cattle after their recent move. It is nice to hear the birds in this nice little clearing at the edge of the water. Soybeans are planted and the electric fences are all up and in decent shape. I'm also thinking ahead to planting cover crops, fixing equipment, planting cover crops, and haying season coming up.
I'm so tired! LOL

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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Finding time to record an episode isn't easy.
Oakley decdides to spend time on the neighbour's porch.
Critical tractor repair goes well.
Bringing a White 8700 combine home from Londsborough.
Looking for a break in the weather to plant organic soybeans.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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Somewhere upstream, a farmer has altered the path of water. Cutting deep gulleys and picking up soil, it made its' way onto this farm. Slowing in a waterway with natural grass banks lined with trees, the water dropped some of the soil and stone. Pulled by gravity and unable to flow in the plugged waterway, it flowed into our pastures and cropland. With deposits of six to eight inches, the pasture is now low ground and water is flowing in it. Similarly, the field planted in rye is now low ground and will probably continue to receive silt deposits throughout the year. An excavator will be needed to repair the damaged stream....costly in several ways (1) the ecosystem is damaged (2) the cropland and pasture will be permanently damaged having been buried in sediment (3) time (4) money, probably a couple of thousand dollars or more.
I read a relevant bit from "What Are People For" by Wendell Berry to finish things off.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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Grazing season has officially started! I've got some noisy audio here from a windy day. It is also dry enough to get the disc out on the field, another step toward getting organic soybeans planted.

I used noise reduction on the raw audio, but it's still noisy at times. That's okay for me though, because it's the reality of the day.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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When to let the cattle out on grass the first time is a big decision. This episode is a good one if you are new to rotational grazing. If you are an experienced grazer, you might reflect on what you do and possibly pick up some new ideas. I also talk about running the disc to incorporate a cover crop that was planted last August. It had a huge amount of biomass, and I have been a bit concerned about getting the field ready in time to plant soybeans.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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Coffee with friends in the driveshed.
Forgetting Friday night, and splinting a calf with two broken legs.
Fencing across the river.
The "essential ordinary" makes things go smoothly.
The disc needs repairs.
It's probably safer to scratch your calves on the tail head rather than the head.
Bo the barncat follows me to do more fence repairs.
Vegetable garden progress, digging paths between beds, hardening off some seedlings.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
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Recording in the barn (you can hear the fence charger clicking away).
I've spent about five days maintaining field edges and I'm not done this exhausting job.
Rule of thumb....May 10th is the Bruce County day to put cattle on pasture.
My fencing system is archaic.
The field tractor needs my attention ASAP.
The cover crop in the field named "Bobolink" needs to get turned in so that the biomass can broken down in time for planting.
Rule of thumb...Mother's Day is the first day you can consider doing field work in Bruce County.
Introducing the bull to the cows is my highest priority right now.
Susan has helped me with a plan to artificially inseminate the yearling heifer (she is the bull's daughter).
Abby and I have pulled the dash apart on the Honda Civic and we need a win with this job.
The swather is a wild animal.
The sweep auger for the grain bin is almost ready, which is good because I'd like to sell the wheat.
My "no-till organic soybeans" experiment has been set back by ponding water.

Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
[email protected]

This episode is all about the fun I had, and how I was struck by the beauty of nature while on holiday in British Columbia.
And then I get started talking about my decision not to fly and it seems like I couldn't stop talking about it LOL.


Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder

Please contact me with your own stories.
[email protected]