This week I have spent quite a bit it of time fixing fence for the pastures. That chore is easily forgotten through the winter and early spring but now that the cows are on pasture it is a necessity. It was a brutal winter for trees being down and laying on the pasture lines.
The cows are actually about a week to 10 days ahead of my usual schedule but due to a tractor repair needed, they got onto pasture a little early. I’ve read that you want the grass to be in the three to four leaf stage of growth before you graze. That is because the grass in the spring needs to go from taking its reserve energy for growth to putting energy back into the ground to stimulate the microbes to start their nutrient scavenging process. That takes place in that transition period.
I know the cows are glad to be on pasture. It just changes my emphasis as far as chores go. Anyway, good fences make good neighbors and I know where that statement comes from. The new yearlings are not quite up to speed in respecting the hot wire fence yet. I’ve had a couple of time I needed to move them back into their pasture. That’s just the rhythm of 100% grass fed beef. I think that is one of the things I like about farming. The cycle changes as the seasons change always giving me new and interesting jobs to tackle.