Do you know someone who would enjoy these weekly ruminations? If so, please share my page with them. I’m hopeful you will shower your friends with the joy you find in my writing and help me grow this space. Thank you!
On a warm February day Rosie Jo, Heron, and I found ourselves alone on the farm. Being the responsible farmers that we are, and always up for a good challenge and opportunity to prove ourselves, we decided to go get a round bale of hay from a neighbor farmer to feed the cows. For the many months when the grass does not grow we feed hay.
We hopped into the truck and headed to Gary’s house for a bale, just a 15 minute drive winding through the rolling hills on gravel roads. Once there, Heron, always willing to help, rolled the 600 pound bale from the old pick-up truck parked by the road onto our truck. He strapped the bale tight with rachet straps (after all of these years, I still can’t figure those dang things out!) so that we wouldn’t lose it on the way home (yes, that would have added a bit of excitement to the story). He then put the money into the box inside of the barn. I love the simplicity of farmer transactions.
As we headed back to the pasture where our cows were overwintering, we stopped at our house to grab a shovel so we could scoop any cow poop out of the way before putting the bale on the ground. Cows have an incredible sense of smell and don’t like to eat where their poop is. Annie, Heron’s dog, happened to be sitting in the driveway waiting for our return and he insisted that she come ‘help’. Into the cab she jumped, and down the road I went with dog, children, and round bale.
We drove to the red gate, the entrance to the cows’ winter pasture. Heron and Annie hopped out to open the gate so I could drive in while a car waited in the road for me to get out of the way. As Heron pulled the gate open and I maneuvered the truck through, the cows came running across the pasture to meet us - all 5 of them! I backed in as quickly as I could, fearing that they would run through the gate. And, well, you know how that story goes. “Hurry and get the gate closed!” I yelled to Heron. The cows were coming fast, kicking up their feet and tossing their heads. Friends, this was surely foreshadowing the rodeo about to ensue!
“They’re excited,” the folks in the waiting car told Heron as he closed the gate. Yes, yes they were. Or maybe they were just in the mood to cause mischief. You’ve read enough stories about my cows now to know that this is how they roll.
I began backing through the pasture to where I wanted to drop the bale and was quickly overrun by all 5 cows. They had the truck completely surrounded on all sides so that I couldn’t move.
Heron started clapping his hands and hollering for the cows to get out of the way while Annie ran around barking, trying desperately to follow her herding instinct (that she is very inexperienced with). I moved slowly, literally inching my way back. Looking in the side mirror, I found Little Johnny looking back at me with a mouthful of hay, those dark eyes holding mine while his jaws worked that familiar circular cow motion. Every time Heron got a cow or two out of the way, another one or two would return. They were ripping mouthfuls of hay from the bale, as if they were starving - which they were not! They are just very naughty cows that like to cause a ruckus.
I had my head turned, slowing moving back, trying not to run over anyone - cow, dog or child. I turned to look in front of me and there was John Boy Jr., yes that rascal, head down, butting the front of the truck and mooing. He was challenging the truck (I mean, it is a dodge ram)! He is currently the equivalent of a teenage boy - high energy, challenges authority, and always out to prove his manhood. I beeped the horn and sent him running. I chuckled. However, he was not deterred, as it kept him away only momentarily and he continued to express his dominance over the truck. Greatly enjoying himself, showing the truck he was the boss, I let it go. At least he was in front of the truck, not behind it, and there was no concern of running over him.
I looked back again to find Stormy Star’s head in the window with Rosie Jo who was giggling and petting her. They both seemed to be enjoying themselves (maybe Stormy was looking for one of those herbal treats that Rosie Jo is known to share with the cows). Despite their enjoyment, this was not helpful in moving the truck!
Heron and Annie kept shooing the cows away. I kept inching back. John Boy Jr. kept charging the front of the truck. The other cows kept coming back for mouthfuls of hay. My head was spinning in all directions at once. The giant hay bale in the truck bed made it impossible to see behind me.
What had I gotten myself into? I really could have waited for Mike to come home to do this, as he never seems to have trouble. I set out determined to show him my farmer capabilities, and just prayed that I would not run over a cow.
At one point Heron yelled, “Mama, stop! You almost hit me!” Oops, I must have been focused on the attack from the front, or possibly Stormy’s head in the window, or maybe he was behind the other 3 cows surrounding the truck bed, or maybe it was the huge hay bale that completely blocked visibility behind me. I mean, there was kind of a lot to keep track of and I have to say the adrenaline was coursing through my veins. Fortunately, I was moving very slow and Heron is very quick.
I continued inching my way back, occasionally beeping the horn (which totally wasn’t working to scare anyone off other than the dog), praying I would get to my destination or in the general area. This situation had escalated to the point that I felt a wee bit of panic as to whether I was actually going to accomplish what I set out to do. I could just park the dang truck, let the cows eat the bale from it, and have Mike finish when he got home. But, you all know that’s not my style. I am one determined, stubborn, persistent woman who will NOT let those naughty cows push me around!
So, we continued - me easing back, Heron buzzing around the truck working his cowboy moves to keep the cows away, Annie yipping and running around the cows’ feet watching Heron for her cues, and Rosie Jo hanging out the window giggling and trying to pet whoever was within reach. I wish I had a video for you, or maybe not.
Needless to say, the cows were riled up at this point. They thought this was great fun, a game of sorts. This was not fun.
Suddenly, Heron started yelling at John Boy Jr., threatening his life as he opened the door and sent Annie back into the truck. John Boy Jr. kicked Annie as she was trying to herd him. She was just fine, but things were getting a little hairy.
And then, as I was continuing to look in all directions at once, not really able to see much, I bumped into John Boy Jr. (who was now behind me!) or he bumped into me. I’m not really sure what happened. He was fine and not deterred.
Finally, we got close enough to where I wanted to drop the bale, close enough to the round bale feeder that we needed to put around the bale, close enough to end this chaos!
I hopped out and grabbed the shovel to clear the site of poop. Heron unstrapped the bale. Rosie Jo continued to love on the cows from her window and eventually climbed out into the bed of the truck.
We were on a bit of a slope, not exactly where I wanted to be, but I was absolutely DONE backing up the truck! I was trying to keep the cows away, scoop poop, and strategize how not to let the bale roll down the hill when we pushed it off the truck.
“I’ll keep the bale from rolling down the hill,” Heron said. Um, the bale would roll right over him and the cows to follow! That was not a good plan. We had to maneuver the bale just right and take our chances.
We pushed the bale off the truck, trying to keep the cows back at the same time. Once off the truck, we had to cut off the net that held it together, which meant we had to roll the bale, which meant we had to scoop more poop out of the way, which also meant we had to keep it from rolling down the hill. Before I could stop him, Heron decided to push the bale over on its side. This new position wouldn’t allow the bale to shed rain as it is designed to do. This meant more poop scooping, more shooing cows out of the way, rolling the bale over once again, not letting it roll down the hill, and moving it even further from where I intended it to go.
When we finally got it settled, we were under serious attack from the very excited cows, and we had to move the round bale feeder over the bale. This keeps the cows from wasting hay. It is heavy, and at this point, far from the bale.
I got the feeder up on it’s side and rolled to where it needed to go, pushed it over the bale without smashing a cow or Heron. He was running about clapping his hands and yelling to keep the cows away. The cows would grab a mouthful of hay, step back, eat it, and then come back in for more. Goodness! As I got the feeder in place, a shower of dry cow poop came down on my freshly washed hair. This friends, is farming.
With the bale and feeder in place, we moved out of the way and let the cows dive in. We stood and watched for a moment. We watched the cow pecking order - who pushes everyone out of the way and who stands back and waits. Then we hopped into the truck and headed back through the pasture to the gate.
We did it! Did it really need to be so hard? Do the cows behave this way when Mike does it by himself? Of course not! These cows like to test me, or so I think. All in all, nobody was hurt, the cows were fed, and we have yet another great farm story under our belts. AND we’ve done this several times since and have developed some strategies for a smoother experience which have proven successful!
This Week On The Farm
One of the reasons I write and share my stories is because I am passionate about bringing folks into this life and helping them have a better understanding of what is behind the delicious produce found on the market table (in addition to understanding the workings of a homestead, connecting to nature, and connecting to self).
Each week I plan to add this little section so you can follow along and see how the farm moves through the seasons - weekly work in the garden, with the animals, maybe in the kitchen, and anything else that stands out. Something that fuels my fire is connecting customers with the farm & farmers, growing lasting relationships, and helping them have a deeper understanding and relationship with food.
More onion seed was sown, as the first round did not germinate well. Ugh.
I potted up a whole bunch of medicinal and culinary herbs with hopes that they will make their way into your herb gardens this spring.
Klee fixed the fan in the high tunnel! That fix-it-up chappie can do it all! The vibrating fan made a terrible sound and I told Mike I would quit if I had to listen to it another second! Ah, back to bird song and the wind through the trees and laughing children….
Carrots, cilantro, and dill were thinned
We celebrated Heron’s 13th Birthday! I now have two teen boys in the house and a little girl who talks and acts like one.
Klee’s robotics team placed first in their competition last weekend! They will now take their robot to the state competition! When Klee is not at the market, he is building and competing robots, naturally.
I transplanted head lettuce and basil in the high tunnel.
We finally pruned the orchard! We’ve been doing this for 16 years now and really have no idea how, but it’s always fun to climb the trees (Heron’s favorite task) and feel like we are doing great work.
We are patiently (kind of) awaiting the birth of Stormy’s first calf. Her udder and belly are huge, she waddles about, and she is very swollen on her rear side - all signs that we shall soon be rich in milk!
Local Friends, we will be at the last Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market of the season tomorrow and then you will find us at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market! On the table you will find spinach, lettuce mix, greens mix, arugula, carrots, the last of the garlic, and frozen tomatoes. The spring greens are AMAZING!