Kristin Kimball | May 6, 2016
There is a very specific feeling you get at the end of a long day, when you are very close to the bed you desperately want to be in, and you glance out the window to see the sunset and see instead eight half-grown heifers high-tailing it down the driveway, washed in the soft orange light. The mind rebels – it just can’t be – and then is quickly resigned. Back into the pants you’ve just stripped off, jump into the boots, call the dog, and hurry to head them off. These Jersey calves were born in fall and so had not yet grazed, and their first nips of sweet green grass were novel, intoxicating. They galloped south, then north, then scattered, some west, some east, before allowing themselves to be bunched up and lured back to the barn they had come from; they had knocked a hay feeder into the electric fence and thereby won their freedom. Let’s hope they aren’t smart enough to do it again. The dairy herd has been on pasture for a week now, grazing a strip of fall-sown rye and a piece of clover-rich pasture in Superjoy. The cows head out of the barn after milking at a fast trot, teats swinging, eager to get back to the work of eating. When they come in, their udders are tight with milk. Production has jumped, and the quality of the milk has changed, too. It is foamy when I put it through the filter; the butterfat is softer, and butter from this cream will be bright yellow. The cows themselves smell different now, their breath and their skin both earthy and green. It is such a pleasure to milk clean, happy cows, and a pleasure, too, to go to the field with them, lie down for a minute and listen to them graze, that rip rip sound that is the source of their contentment. As the animals move onto pasture, the winter bedding packs are being turned and made into compost, to be spread back on the fields. Ben and Brandon spent many hours on the skid steer this week, taking the pack out scoop by scoop, and then turning the rows to keep them hot and active. The rich compost that results is what feeds the plants that feed us. Cameron, Taylor, Phil, Brandon, Aidan and Charlotte spent a lot of time around the butcher shop this week, butchering hogs. Practice makes perfect – they’ve become a fast and efficient crew. It’s good to get these sized-up pigs in the freezer before they put on too much fat. On the other side of the circle of life, Birdie had her piglets – a nice litter of 12, with 10 surviving. Yesterday, four ewes gave birth to seven lambs, but now the pace is slowing down. We have sixty lambs on the ground now, and no bottle babies, and no losses. Much credit for that goes to the animal team, and Conor in particular, for keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Soon, we’ll combine all into one big flock and move to fresh pasture. Members, if you can make your quarterly payment early, we would much appreciate it. We have a big grain payment due, and cash flow is squeaky tight, as it often is this time of year. Finally, Lakeside School is having their Spring Fling this Saturday at 5:30 at the Essex Inn, with food, music and a silent auction; all proceeds benefit the school. That’s the news from Essex Farm for this bright 19th week of 2016. Find us at 518-963-4613, essexfarm@gmail.com (mailto:essexfarm@gmail.com) , or on the farm, any day but Sunday.
–Kristin & Mark Kimball
