We are preparing for our last class with Frank Porter this spring. "Creating a rain garden with Native Plants". Using native plants are more important than ever it seems as they do not need extra water, soil amendments, etc and do not take over as non native plants do. The class is $60, Saturday, June 27 and deposits need to be in by Wednesday June 24…. so we have time to purchase supplies and plan snacks and lunches (included in the fee).
Lambing finished in April with 14 new lambs now out in the fields with the 13 mothers. We have only 3 new bulls for next years beef but are buying them exclusively from a neighbor who assures me there are more on the way.
We purchased 17 bales of hay from a neighbor that does not spray or use round up. My hay will be cut once the ground dries out. I had to find a new source for cutting as my usual hay baler has had some health issues.
The garden is doing well and we are starting to have a few things to harvest already. Garlics, basil, parsley…… kohlrabi, onions, tomatoes, sweet corn, squash and more.
The Boy Scouts spent a weekend camping out and planted another 100 hardwood seedlings for us and helped with the chores in early May.
Hope all is going well for everyone else…. we are keeping busy here! J
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Ready for spring? We have been planning some classes for the coming months to help you design the garden that is right for you.... Check out the listed classes below. Classes are limited to 20, so please sign up soon. J
Landscaping
with Native Plants
March 28,
2015
9 am -4
pm
Planning a landscape for wildlife, whether a whole yard or fifty square
feet, means simply identifying the creatures you want to attract, analyzing
your present landscape and designing your new one to meet the need of your new
tenants.
Wildlife need food, water and cover. By selecting plants for a maximum
diversity of flowering and fruiting times, planting them in a structural
arrangement to offer cover, and providing a reliable water source, you will
entice beneficial wildlife to visit and, perhaps, to take up residence in your
yard.
Think about what you want and need. Do your children need a place to play? Do you have pets? Do
you want trees and shrubs to be placed to help with energy savings for your
home? Do you want to attract wildlife or a water feature?
In this workshop we will learn to prepare the site for planting. We will make soil to help the plants
become established. We will discuss ecosystems, plants and create a landscape
designed for each participants yard.
REQUIREMENTS: A copy of “Back to Eden: Landscaping with Native Plants”, pair
of work gloves and gardening clothes.
Native Plant Identification and Propagation
Date: April 25, 2015
Time: 9AM to 4PM
There is nothing more
satisfying than to discover a wildflower during one of your outdoor excursions
and being able to identify properly the botanical name of the plant. For many
plant enthusiasts, however, plant identification can seem an insurmountable
task. I have heard folks say “I did not take Latin in high school.” Or, “They
did not offer botany.” Like any new endeavor, you take one step at a time. We
will learn the basic steps to identify wildflowers and native grasses during
the morning sessions. In the afternoon, we will learn how to propagate native
plants from seeds, cuttings, and root divisions.
·
Requirements: You
will need a copy of Lawrence Newcomb, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. New
York, 1977. Please bring a pair of gardening gloves, gardening clothes, and
hiking boots
·
Cost for Class $60 includes
Lunch and supplies.
Rock Gardening with
Native Plants
Date: May 30, 2015
Time: 9AM to 4PM
Rock gardening is a highly specialized way
of gardening with plants normally adapted to high altitude growing conditions.
It was at one time the preserve of wealthy landowners, especially in England,
who had the means not only to create rock gardens but enough influence to gain
access to the rare and difficult to-grow species to plant in them. While
enthusiasts continue to search the globe for plants to add to their
collections, many aficionados are surprised to learn that there are beautiful
native species growing in the Ohio Valley that are perfectly suited to use in
rock gardens. Another way to enjoy rock gardening is to use troughs, more
commonly known as hypatufa containers. Hypatufa is a mixture of Portland cement
with peat moss and perlite.
We will learn how to design and construct
a rock garden, identify native species that can be used in rock gardens and
hypatufa containers, and construct a hypatufa container to be taken home at the
end of the day.
Requirements: You will need a pair of
gardening gloves, work clothes, and boots. Please obtain a copy of Back to
Eden: Landscaping with Native Plants. We will be referring to it throughout
the day.
Class cost is $60 including lunch and
snacks. See last page.
Creating a Rain
Garden with Native Plants
Date: June 27, 2015
Time: 9AM to 4PM
In recent years, the amount of damage to
private and public property because of flooding has totaled billions of
dollars. As mountains are reduced to negligible semblances of their former
stature; as more highways are built and paved; as more new homes are
constructed; and as more parking lots cover once productive meadows, the
ability of the soil to absorb rainfall is limited. These impervious surfaces
are areas that quickly shed rainwater into already overtaxed storm drains and
nearby streams and rivers. One way to help prevent this runoff and pollutants
from pouring into our precious waterways and contaminating underground water
supplies is to create a rain garden. A rain garden, quite simply, is an
attractive and landscaped area that has been planted with native wildflowers,
grasses and sedges that grow naturally in wetlands. These beautiful gardens are
built in depressions, which have been designed to capture and filter storm
water runoff from rooftops and driveways around the home. In this workshop, we
will learn the basic techniques of constructing a rain garden and identify the
native plants that can be used successfully in them.
·
Requirements:
Please obtain a copy of Back to Eden: Landscaping with Native Plants. We
will refer to it throughout the workshop.
·
Cost
of Class is $60 including Lunch and snacks. Please see last page for sign up information.
Dr. Frank
W. Porter
Dr. Frank W. Porter is the owner and operator of
Porterbrook Native Plants, located along the beautiful Ohio River in Meigs
County, Ohio. For the past twenty-five years, he has been collecting seeds and
plants of native species from the Ohio Valley region and growing them in
display gardens to determine their suitability for home landscapes, land
restoration, and green space in urban environments. He has also been studying
the native grass and sedge species of this region. Dr. Porter recently wrote, Back
to Eden: Landscaping with Native Plants, which was published by Orange
Frazer Press in Wilmington, Ohio. His book was awarded the Evergreen Book
Silver Medal for Nature Conservation from the Living Now Book
Classes will be held at:
Jenkinson Farm and Gardens
4283 Marshfield Road
Athens,
Ohio 45701
740-541-4190
For additional information
please check jenkinsonfarmandgarden.blogspot.com
We have only been farming since 2010, but do not
use herbicides, pesticides and antibiotics only as needed. We are planning to apply for “Certified
Organic” status in the future.
Registration
must be made and paid in advance, as class size is limited
and to assure lunch and snacks.
Checks should be made to Jenkinson Farm and Gardens,
$60 per workshop/per person.
Sorry we are not yet able to accept Credit Cards. Refunds will be given if notified 48
hours prior to class.
Name of Class (Please Circle
class that you are taking.):
*March
28, 2015, Landscaping With Native Plants
*April 25, 2015, Native
Plant Identification and Propagation
*May 30, 2015, Rock
Gardening with Native Plants
*June 27, 2015, Creating a
Rain Garden
NAME________________________________
ADDRESS______________________________
CITY/STATE/ ZIP CODE__________________
CELL PHONE______________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS__________________________
DIETARY PREFERANCES* *VEGETARIAN__________________
*FOOD
ALLERGIES_______________
*OTHER________________________
Classes will be held
at:
Jenkinson Farm and
Gardens
4283 Marshfield Road
Athens, Ohio 45701
740-541-4190
For additional information please check
jenkinsonfarmandgarden.blogspot.com
We
have only been farming since 2010, but do not use herbicides, pesticides and
antibiotics only as needed. We are
planning to apply for “Certified Organic” status in the future.
We
have just been notified of receiving the Athens County, Soil and Water
Conservation Department “Conservation Cooperator of the 2014” award.
Directions: (Use your GPS at your own risk or turn it on after reaching
Athens, Ohio) From Athens takes 33 South to Route 32/50 West to Albany. Just after Lake Snowden turn right at
the light (going past Marathon) to the first right. This is Lee Street…. take Lee to the first Stop sign
and turn right again. You will be
on 681 West…. follow this out of town. As it takes a large turn there is a new
road starting… this is Marshfield Road.
Go straight on this road 1.8 Miles, looking for the cluster of brown
buildings on your left. We are at
4283 Marshfield Road…go up the lane and park near the barn.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Spring 2014
June 18, 2014
Where does the time go?
Wow I started this entry a month ago today and am just getting back
to my computer to finish it.
Spring is nearly over and we waited for the final frost to start
getting our summer vegetables in the ground. the potatoes (Blues, Reds, purples) are planted on the hillside
above the blueberries and below the red Raspberries this year, as we regularly
rotate our crops.
Last years Garlic patch has most of our cold weather plants-
cabbage, brussel sprouts, brocolli, and Onions.
The Sweet potatoes and pumpkins are going above the Bee Hives
where we had peppers, basil and others last year.
The Open House April 28 was a huge success with 70-80 VISITORS
coming by in a FOUR-HOUR window. Scott
was able to show off his woodshed and outdoor WOODBURNER, WHICH heats our new
buildings. A few folks did
hike to the pond and back. Most
enjoyed the barn with the lambs and new calves.
We now have nine bull calves, Holsteins and Jerseys from local Dairy’s
that work with Snowville Creamery.
Four just finished their daily formula, the other five are already in
the pasture and doing well. We
sent our last two bulls from last year to the butcher this week. So our beef will be limited again in a
few MONTHS…SO purchase it early!
We had an Eighth lamb the evening of April 28, after everyone left. Miss Cecilia, the runt lamb that we
hand fed last year because her mother did not have enough milk gave birth in
the evening. Because she really was
not mothered she had no idea what to do.
I found the lamb the next morning in the barnyard all cleaned and
looking for its mom, following the dogs around. Jasper and Jade, the Pyrenees
had taken care of the newborn and she was literally sucking on their long hair
looking for milk. Once I assessed the situation and called in Celeste Taylor
again and she helped me to connect Mom and Baby. Cecelia was put on a halter in the barn and the baby quickly
learned to Suckle when Mom is standing still and eating. After a few Days the Mom realized the
baby was hers, and the relief to have her milk suckled regularly and both Lamb (Miss
April) and Cecilia are in the field with the rest of the flock.
Our beehives were checked a few weeks ago by the local state
inspector. The bees survived the
winter but swarmed and left. Then Robber
bees came through and actually stole the honey. I have no bees and no honey. I
have so much to learn about Bee keeping. I feel like this is my weakest link on
the farm, though I have lots to learn in all area.
Gratefully all of our perenials survived- Blueberries, Raspberries,
Asparagus and horseradish-the winter was tough, but they are tougher. The fruit trees seem to be in good shape
with a few apples and pears, but no peaches this year. So we are so glad to get
the winter over and on with life. We have already harvested the cherries, a couple pies, a couple batches of Jam, and some in the freezer and extras going to workers and friends who dared to climb the tree and or ladder!
Hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying this warm
weather while we have it. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Athens Farmers
Market Saturday
9-12noon. We
will be starting to go to the Wednesday market soon, and will be at the Thursday
Evening Market starting in July.
Thanks again to everyone that came to the open House.
Judy
Sunday, March 9, 2014
After Eighteen Months of Construction...
the buildings are almost finished.
In the photo below you can see the changes and additions made. Left to right, The barn was painted brown
and Roof repainted a lighter color, to reflect the light and cut down on the
rust. Recycled windows were put in
to give natural light. Electric
and second had Gymnasium lights were put in the barn to light it up in the dark
of winter. Doors were put on East and West ends. A new chicken coop was added to start pullets. The floor was cemented and divided
stalls were put in with doors to each area.
To the right of that is the Wood Shed. A former cement pad was used and extended, and metal was
recycled from the lean to storage areas next to the garage. These were all
repainted the brown to match the barn with a new light colored roof. Next there is the outdoor woodburner
which heats the greenhouse, a two story classroom/gallery including a kitchen, office, bedroom, bathroom
and Scott’s two-car garage. Gratefully
Scott likes to cut wood and we still own property full of hardwoods.
Continuing to the right is the 1000 Sq foot greenhouse, which is
more of a florida room. At this time only half of the greenhouse has plants and
the other has tables for workers to enjoy the warmth and natural light in the winter
while planning for our next season.
Attached to the Greenhouse, also wheelchair accessable is the two -story
classroom/gallery, and kitchen and bathroom. A space for a future walk in Freezer
and cooler. Upstairs is an Office,
lounge area and bedroom. Again we used as much second hand/ recycled appliances, windows
and doors as possible.
Scott has been enjoying the heated two -car garage this winter for
his cars and the pick up. He is
still debating putting some gym equipment in this area in the future as it has
a great view of the pond and an attached patio where the back up Generator is.
The final big addition is seen as basically a large concrete pad,
but in fact is a 23,000 gallon cistern collecting and filtering the rain water
from the roofs of all the buildings including the house. After the Derecho and Drought of 2012,
we felt this was a necessity, as we used at least 23,000 gallons of water one
month that year for the animals and to irrigate our plants.
I think I am most proud of being able to serve this Multi filtered
water to our guests, use it on our plants and to water our animals. Its
analysis is
·
Hardness 0.23 gpg (3.5 wastes SOAP, causes scales to clog
pipes and heaters); PH 7.1 (indicates slightly alkaline); Iron, Magnesium, Tannins: 0.00 ppm; Sodium Salts 39 calc ppm (over 250 ppm affects taste); Total Dissolved Solids 43 ppm (EPA suggests a 500ppm as
a maximum contaminant Level); Everything else: Turbidity, Color, Suspended Matters, Iron
Bacteria, Odor are all at 0.00 levels.
Final touches of lights in the classroom/gallery and kitchen are
to go up this week. Odds and ends
will be finished and we can move to continue to have classes.
Please mark your calendars for some up coming
activities.
·
March 20- Thursday ‘s, 10-12noon, Painting classes with
Jeff Risner $15 per Class.
Lunch will be available for a $10 fee usually including
a soup, salad and savory. Feel free to bring a bag lunch if you prefer. The green House is quite warm and balmy
at this momment and will be where we will have class during inclement weather. Park
in Front of Green House & Barn if you can.
·
Open House- Saturday April 26, 12-4 pm. Come see all
the babies! The lambs will be in the
barn by then. We are also getting
some new Bull Calves that are always adorable. Tours and hiking around the farm and pond encouraged. It will be a great time to get out and
hopefully enjoy some spring weather in the country. I will try to have my staff there to explain all that we
have done.
My goal for this year is by harvest season to have regular Classes
re: canning and Freezing vegetables and fruits. And by September go into some
craft classes and sewing classes to go back to the basics. When I was growing up Canning and Freezing
was a big part of my family experience. I also used to make all my own clothes
while in High School. I want to
start doing that again. I will
keep you all informed. I am also looking for people that would like to do some
teaching…crafts, cooking, basket weaving, woodworking, etc. With the current economy I want to
offer classes to people to save Money and be more self sufficient.
Gratefully we have survived the 12 snow storms of the winter. So far lamb count continues at 7, three
ewes and four rams. All Moms and
lambs are healthy and doing well. Last
year we lost at least two Moms and their babies just during lambing, it was
hard to deal with. Check out the following videos of the lambs and their energy.
This week we learned that Sheep like Humans can have lack of
protein affect their wool. The
wool was coming out in large clumps, similar to hair falling out. With all the
ewes either pregnant or lactating, the fields covered with snow, and continued
cold some of their wool is coming out in clumps. We are now giving them more grain to maintain their protein
levels as they continue to get through this winter.
We are down to three bales of hay from 2013, our freshest and most
nutritious that have been kept in the barn. I have a few bales from 2012 that the tarps have blown off
but we can still have the dry hay in the middle. Again this will be lower on
the nutrition scale and we will be continueing to give high protein grain to
supplement their needs.
We are still planting seedlings in the greenhouse for spring planting
and to sell at the Athens Farmers Market.
The Executive Committee there is still trying to make a decision to
where we will be moving to as of April 1.
There are some very hard decisions that must be made. I trust their judgement as this is not
an easy decision, and there are many pros and cons to each possible new site.
I am just looking forward to getting out to see all my customers
again after two months post knee replacement. It is going well but I do not seem to get my stamina back as
much as I did when I was younger.
We will have beef for sale again March 15 at the Athens Farmers Market. All Pasture fed here at the farm.
Friday, February 7, 2014
February 7
It’s a girl!
January 26 we had our first lamb of the season born on a Sunday
afternoon.
Mom is Goldie One Ear,
one of our oldest ewes. Mom and
Lamb seem to be doing well until monday evening, just as the sun was setting
when I saw Jasper the houdini pup playing with the lamb like it was his
personal toy.
The next day, we put Jasper into the barn to give the Mom and Baby
a rest. We started giving mom some
extra feed, minerals and a mixture of molasses with stinging nettle tea to help
with Anemia problems, increase the immune system and help her to increase her
milk production. (Stinging nettle tea is great for everyone. I have been drinking it the last few weeks myself.) Everyone seemed to be doing well; even with the -17 degree
temps last week.
We continue to keep extra bales of our freshest hay near the
shelter area to help as wind breaks and give the sheep a chance to eat the hay
when the ground is covered with snow and ice.
Monday morning this week with at least 7 inches of snow on the
ground all of my help were stranded by the weather and I am not steady enough
on my feet yet, after this knee replacement to go out into the field without a
chaperone.
By 5 pm I made it to the barn to feed the chickens, check on the
cows and guinea fowl, then prepared food for the sheep and the two
pyrenees. Scott came in just as I
was going to the field.
We made it to the field but the baby lamb was nowhere to be
found. Feeding the adult sheep and
the dogs as a distraction I found the lamb resting in the hay in the lean to
shelter.
It was weak, thin and limping a bit in the back right leg.
I called my Sheep expert, Celeste Taylor who came straight over
with her medicine bag and expertise.
She examined both Mom and Baby and acknowledged the Mom has limited milk
production and the baby maybe showing signs of hunger and muscle weakness. We put a warming jacket on the baby,
gave it a dose of selenium, some B vitamins and a supplemental bottle. Mom got a drenching of molasses and
Stinging nettle tea.
Tuesday morning Jasper, who had been allowed back in the field
over the weekend, was taken back to the barn. HE had quit playing with the lamb, but seem to be focused on
herding them, almost to the point of stalking, as Mom and Lamb would try to
have some quiet time. I am sure
that was not helping things.
Baby Lamb and Mom have really done well the rest of the week. The
bottle supplement and warming coat seem to be helping also.
It seems like a really long winter already, esp being pretty much
confined to the house with the knee replacement.
Scott has been great with extra chores and keeping me in ice for
the knee. Gratefully his employees
gave him the box set of the BBC/PBS series “Doc Martin” and we are almost up to
the fourth season…enjoying the sunny countryside of Cornwall, England and a
General Practitioner that has horrid bedside manner.
JJ spent a few days
helping me when I got out of the hospital and we started the HBO Series “Game
of Thrones.” I read the five book series starting the end of August, and at
least have a clue to what is going on in this complex show.
I am looking forward to getting back to the Farmers Market on
Saturday. Missing the month of
January recovering from the knee replacement has been great but I miss seeing
all my friends and Customers.
Gratefully I have progressed well enough to get driving privileges at 24
days post op, as to the usual six weeks.
For the Market we have a few bulbs we have started that will be
available for sale, as well as some pots of Arugula, cilantro and parsley for
your kitchen to have fresh herbs at home.
Our meat products are limited and are at half price at this time
as we will be butchering again in a few weeks and need some freezer space. We have some beef, lamb and mutton all
sealed and frozen.
Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday! Judy
PS: To all the Artists out there we will be resuming our Painting
classes and Lunch in March on Thursdays.
Jeff Risner has agreed to teach again. We have a cook and the green
House is already set up with Tables for Rainy days and/or warmth as
needed. We are just waiting for
the ice and snow to clear as well as the final work completed on our farm
improvement project. I will have
more information as soon as possible.
J
Friday, January 24, 2014
January 24, 2014 Are you keeping warm?
January 24, 2014
Are you keeping warm?
I hope your Holidays were happy and you have good memories now
that we have moved into the new year.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with Family in Lancaster and had a
quiet Christmas and New Year on the farm. We entertained a few friends and
relaxed with Family that could be with us.
I did minimal decorating this year. I had planned on purchasing a live tree and planting it
after the holidays but the time flew by and it did not happen. We have several such trees between our
two properties and it is fun watching them grow.
WE have a small table in the living room that i decorated with a
basket of large pinecones and a holiday silk flower centerpiece. In front of them on a red mirrored
scarf that was a recent gift from family visiting India, I set up a nativity
scene that my father-in-law carved and gave us when the children were
young. Next to it was a small bowl
of white stones.
The white stones were in memory of Nelson Mandela who died in
December. When we purchased the
farm in the early summer
of 2009 I had already planned a trip to South Africa. We literally moved in and ten days
later I was off for three weeks in South Africa with a group of Artists,
sightseeing and visiting South African Artists from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
During that trip I visited Nelson Mandela’s home in Soweto, a few
blocks from Desmond Tutu and later in Cape Town went to Robbin Island with my
Travel buddy. I stood in the cell
where he had been held as a prisoner 27 years, walked the halls and yards. The bus took us to the quarry where he
and other prisoners were made to quarry White Granite. I for some reason chose not to make the
trek to the quarry but my friend and traveling buddy picked up a small piece of
the quartz for me as a gift. I was
touched and brought it home and put it on my bedside table.
WE were still moving in and one day the stone disappeared. I looked everywhere for it. I was frustrated and upset. I blamed
the workers who probably thought they had brought it in with the cuffs of their
pants or shoes and simply threw the stone into the driveway.
After a few days I realized the futility of my anger. It would not
bring that stone back and it was just a stone. It represented a man who could forgive so many horrible
wrongs. It was just a stone.
I ended up collecting white stones from my driveway. They fill the small bowl and remind me
to not take life so seriously and forgive. Life is too short for anger.
Yes, I still get upset but the stones remind me of so much.
WE lost a world renowned leader who taught us to forgive and take
the high road. There are so many
amazing good people in this world who rarely if ever get acknowledged for doing
the right thing. We seem to hear
only about the bad in the world.
We need to remember all of the good things in life.
In early January I lost another one of my Aunts. My Mother’s younger sister, Kay. She has always been a mentor. raising
three sons and adopting two of my girl cousins. She and Uncle John raised chickens, usually a small beef
calf each year for butchering later, had a garden and canned and with the boys
hunted with bows and musketloaders on an acre of land on the edge of a corn
field. She was always so upbeat
and encouraging. She is missed.
On the way home from the funeral that friday I heard the news of
the “polar Vortex” coming with the coldest temperatures we have had in 20
years. I made it home and
gratefully the ground was frozen enough to get my tractor in the fields to move
fresh hay Bales into the fields to act as wind breaks to be rolled out later
for the sheep.
The five bulls had been grazing in the front hay field but had no
overhead structure for wind and weather protection. I spent the next few hours preparing the barn stalls to put
the bulls in. the cows are more susceptible to the cold weather than the sheep.
By the time the cold weather arrived Tuesday January 7 I did what
I had been preparing to do for several months. I entered the hospital for another knee replacement: The
temps that morning were -8 that morning with wind chills to -16.
Gratefully the animals all survived the temperatures and we are
prepared for the continuous cold weather.
Daniel is still going to the Farmers Market on Saturdays.
Eggs and dried basil are available. The lamb we butchered in the fall has been all sold, but
after checking with the health Department we will be selling lamb that was
butchered late 2012 and is still in sealed packages. That lamb will be half its original price as we would like
to move it along. Usually any meat goes to half price after six month from
butchering date at least for us. We also will soon have pots of herbs:
Cilantro, arugula, basil and more.
We will be butchering the bulls in February. The spring crops of cabbage, kale,
brocolli and more are coming up in the green house.
Stay warm and thank you all for all the calls and notes. Judy
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
November
November
Another month has
whizzed by and things are slowing down in the fields. We are still
cutting Kale, have some chard, spinach, turnips, kohlrabi, parsley, potatoes,
apples and pears. The cider sold out even after starting to ferment.
The 25 new chicks from last spring are starting to lay plenty of eggs, up to 2
dozen a day.
We took a young lamb
ram to butcher this week and will have some lamb roasts, chops and ground lamb
next week at the Farmers Market.
The Guinea fowl
hatched out a few weeks ago and we have gone from six chicks to two. We
are keeping them in the Barn to protect them from predators and have only lost
one in the last two weeks.
The garlic will be
planted this week for next year. We are cleaning up the garden beds esp.
around the blueberries, red raspberries and asparagus that should be producing
enough to sell next spring.
The weather changed
before we could gather any honey this fall so we will continue to feed the two
hives (a water and sugar mix) to give the bees energy to continue to make honey
for the winter.
We had a small scare
last week as Jasper the new pup was limping around (as he continues to find
ways to get out of the field) and one of our older ewes was limping
terribly also.
I took Jasper to the
vet and he was given a clean bill of health so we put him back in the field.
We were afraid the
Ewe had foot rot that had extended up her leg. We have been checking them
all regularly and a few had to be treated with topical Copper Sulfate for the
infection. Sometimes the infection can become contagious and the entire
flock needs to be put down.
Gratefully the Ewe’s
feet were fine. Rocky is just
getting a bit rambunctious as the girls are in Estrus at this time and he is
getting a bit rough with them
all…. as well as protecting them from the new pup! Within a few
days everyone was walking and running with out any issues and I can relax.
The main projects for
me these months are to look for receipts for tax purposes. I finally hired a
bookkeeper…. I know my limits and organization is not one of them anymore.
The other project is
to finally get started on the Federal grant we received to replace a large part
of our perimeter fencing. Dan and I, with some additional help pulled out
the older perimeter fencing last weekend. We should have the first phase
completed by Thanksgiving. New Cedar posts and four inch square Tencel
fencing, complying with organic standards to help us when we apply for Organic
Certification in coming years.
Hope everyone out
there is well and enjoying the season! Best wishes from the Farm.
J
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