fence post, gloves and hammer
Ag Ed 101,  Cattle,  Farming

Springing in to the spring work

With the snow all gone, its time to start the field work. The first thing that has to be done in the spring is fixing the fences. That’s top priority.
The fences have to be fixed before the cows realize they can go anywhere they want. (remember, up until the snow melted, they were confined to the area where we fed, away from the fences) Once they realize this, the first thing they do is walk the fences. And they will always find were it’s broke. Guaranteed. This winter was really hard on the fences. When there is a lot of snow on the fences, especially if it crusts over at some point like this year, the snow will actually pull the wires down with it as it settles, breaking the wire. I remember one year the snow was so heavy that it actually pushed the posts into the ground. That was crazy! One wonderful thing we do when fixing fence is push the needed new posts in with the tractor loader. It makes putting in new posts so fast. It’s amazing how many posts we can push in in a day. We do have to do it early in the spring, when the ground is still soft. Once it dries up, we can not push in posts.

pushing posts
Using the tractor to push in fence posts

This year the guys went around and pushed all the posts in and spliced the wire, so all I had to do was hammer staples. Easy enough for me. I can hammer staples way easier than I can splice wire. Until I hit my thumb with the hammer, or scratch my arm with a barb. Then I have to take a break and feel sorry for myself. And if there is an ant hill at the post, I don’t hammer those staples. I hate ants. Honestly, who can stand in an ant pile and hammer staples! Not me.

fence post, gloves and hammer
Beautiful view from the fence line.

The next thing on the spring work agenda is harrowing the fields. We start in the pastures. It’s kind of like raking your yard in the spring. Only on a larger scale. Here is a picture of our harrow.

harrow
My Farmers tractor and our harrow

My Farmer built it. It does an amazing job! It is built out of a couple railroad rails. The harrow sections, the part that is like the tines on a yard rake, are made from digger links (these are the links from the chain on our old potato diggers). As my son says, this implement is 80 percent land leveler and 20 percent harrow. It sure does work great for our fields. It’s a little to harsh for our newly established hay fields, so we have a different harrow we use for that.

harrow
Our harrow and a wonderful view of the mountains.

The one draw back about this harrow is its size and weight. It is extremely heavy and it does not fold up. It does not fit through our gates. When we move from field to field we have to pick it up with our forklift and put it sideways on a wagon or our semi-trailer, to haul to the next field. It’s a pain, but it’s sooo worth it.

I like harrowing. The hardest part is being able to see where you have been, so you don’t waste time going over a spot you’ve already done. Look at this picture below. This is my view from my tractor seat. I am supposed to go back right along side where I just harrowed. Can you tell where I have harrowed and where I haven’t?

Harrowing View
Harrowing View

Ya, me neither. If you look real close, you probably can see it. Some times, its pretty hard to see. Here’s another view. You can see the harrowed part in this field easier.

harrowing
Wondering where I should be driving.

But the line that you can easily see is not the line I need to follow. There is one more done swath in there. I mess up and follow the wrong line a lot. I’m learning that the secret is to look out ahead and not right beside. You can see the line way out ahead better. So it’s keep looking way, out straight ahead, but yet keep on eye on where you’re at. Hey, isn’t there a life lesson in that? Live in the minute but always keep your eye on the future. Dang, that’s pretty good, huh. Haha! And that’s how I am……….Livin’ the Life, the Farm Life that is……

57 Comments

    • admin

      You would be welcome to come roam around!! Yes the harrow is VERY heavy!! kind of scary heavy. lol Thanks for taking the time to read my blog Ramae.

    • admin

      It is hard work, but as my Farmer says, “better then having a real job”. only it doesn’t pay as well. LOL Thanks for stopping in Brittany!!

  • Suzan

    Spring here on our small organic homestead is always so busy, often times feeling overwhelming. What a beautiful spread you have there with such a gorgeous view!

    • admin

      Yes Suzan, spring time can for sure be a bit overwhelming! But as you know, we do what we can do and just keep on truckin’! Thanks for stopping by!!

  • Anna

    Back in my country when we were kids, we were helping our grandparents with farming. And it is a lot of work in spring. But such a rewarding thing to do. And you have amazing views there with gorgeous mountains. Enjoy!

    • admin

      Thanks for stopping in Anna. I love my views, and it’s a short distance when we want to take a break and drive to the mountains.

    • admin

      Thanks for taking the time to read a bit of a glimpse into my life on the farm. It was pretty foreign to me when I married into this family!

  • Leigh Ann

    I’m a farm gal too and this is a very familiar sight at our place this time of year. Looks like you totally getting the hang of that tractor. That’s awesome!

  • Dawnmarie @ EnjoyingtheDays

    Farm life is definitely not a lazy life. I did not realize that the fences has to be repaired every single year. Of course, there is probably a a long list of things that need to be done to maintain a farm about which I am not even aware as a suburbanite. Thank you for sharing this glimpse into your world.

    • admin

      Just like maintaining a household, there is always something that needs done, over and over. Thanks for taking to time to stop in and read my story.

  • Kyndall Bennett

    I think my fiance would like to have a home where he can have a small farm since he grew up helping to raise goats with his mom and chickens with his neighbors. I think I would get a bit nervous trying to take care of bigger animals though.

    • admin

      It has taken me a while to get use to the big animals, but I love working with them now. Thanks for stopping in Kyndall!!

  • Karla

    I grew up in farm country in Southern Illinois. My folks were teachers, but most of my friends were farm people. I LOVED going to their farms and helping with chores. Of course, my friends weren’t thrilled with constant chores, and I saw how much work a farm is, but it was novel to me. If I actually had to farm, I’m sure it would be a comedy of errors.

    • admin

      Oh, if this farm relied on me, it would for sure be a comedy of errors!! LOL I’m like you, I visited my cousins farms growing up, not ever imagining that I would marry a farmer. Thanks for stopping by!!

  • Sheila

    Such a beautiful place you live! I have three acres in FL and I have farm chores too. Just not as much as you! Be strong and keep giving this great info.

    • admin

      Thanks Sheila. I am trying to plan a vacation to Florida this year!! That is if I can pull my Farmer away. lol Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read.

  • Kelley

    I love the view on your property. The farm life is so cool to me since I live in the city. It looks like you have a great farm life and manage the seasons well.

  • Malia

    I have read about ranchers riding the fences to find the downed parts of the fence, but never actually knew why the fences were always breaking. Definitely never knew about harrowing (and my goodness that is hard to see where you’ve been!). Thanks for this window into farm life!

    • admin

      Our fences are always in worse shape because of the snow. Places without snow or less snow have breaks but not as bad. Thanks for stopping by and readying!

  • Lina

    Your farm looks amazing! I have only been to one farm (sister in law’s) and it is so much much hard work. Never knew why the fences are always needing fix.

    • admin

      Thanks for stopping by Lina! Yes, it is hard work, but its just what we do. My Farmer says it better than having a real job. LOL

  • Angela Greven | Mean Green Chef

    Wow, you have such a beautiful spread there, nice that the loader makes pushing in posts easier, especially when you have that many to check and fix! I’ve used an auger in the past it’s fast but cumbersome. I look forward to reading more about your beautiful farm and adventures. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  • Eileen Thorsen

    Oh my word, what a beautiful place! Can I come visit?! Ha! My dream is to have a tiny little farm one day with some goats, chickens, miniature horses and cows, etc. Hoping the kids will love animals as much as I do as well as that country living!

    • admin

      Oh YA…..that happens a lot with me. I figure I have to do that so I never take it for granted. 😉 Thanks for stopping by Cindy!

  • T.M. Brown

    Man, I miss open spaces like that. I mean, I love where we are now and all that we can do here, but I do miss the quiet, serene, gorgeous open land. You do quite a bit of work, though ~ kudos to you!!

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