Got milk!!!
AFTER.
This winter, with all the dry (electrically insulating) snow we have had in Vermont, our attempts to wean 9-month-old calves were thwarted by those who were willing to take a weak hit from the single-strand polywire, in order to continue their habit. We ran a second, grounded polywire just below the hot wire to gain the respect we deserved for our 10kV reading. We did this by wrapping the second polywire around each pigtail, on the conductive metal part, pulling it tight and attaching a little binder clip to keep it from slipping down. Only once did we need to tie a broken ground wire. (Lesson learned) Peace has been restored on the farm
Two yearling steers chosen to keep our bull Justin company.
Breath taking view of the Conserved “Sawyer Bay Farm” – credit John Larabee at Camp TaKumTa
Another great year for grazing is drawing to a close. It’s amazing to watch the calves fill out so quickly! This beautiful steer is only 17 months old, after two growing seasons on our certified organic pastures. And let’s not forget to give mama credit for the 10-month head start on the highly sought after product of “raw grass milk”.
We are thrilled to announce that our farm is Animal Welfare Approved by AGreenerWorld.org.
We work hard to improve conditions for the animals under our care and are proud to have achieved the rigorous standards required for AWA certification.
We very much appreciate your support, which has enabled us to produce meat in a way that is healthy for people, the animals and the environment.
Enjoy dinner baked in NOFA-VT’s wood-fired pizza oven. And walk off the calories on a farm tour. NOFA pizza social
You are invited!
What a crazy spring. First the rain, then the tall green grass, then the seed heads announcing “you have to hay NOW”! We seized a 2-day window of sunshine and began to mow. The baler broke down, and the sun set (with beautiful color) on windrows of hay. The next day, the baler was fixed in the field, and the show went on. But everything else worked, so here are photos and videos of some of the equipment we used.
little bull calf, getting acquainted with mama
Wahoo! This grant helps us build an animal welfare station for cattle comfort in the field. It has a scratching station, free-choice mineral feeder and an oiler for fly control with organic treatments. This is going to make for some great youtube footage. But meanwhile, here are the youngsters trying to figure out what it’s good for.
