Showing posts with label cattle lane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cattle lane. Show all posts

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Lane

We're having an excavation company (T.H. Miller) work on our lanes from the barn to the pasture.

We originally fenced in the lane, and the regular dirt worked fine for a few years, but now it's bumpy and gets messy in the rain. With their bulldozer and compactor they can do it quickly and well.

We'll have to add gravel over the years, but with the cows' cooperation, hopefully it'll last a long time.



The compactor rolls and vibrates over the dirt.



Part of the neat and clean lane.



The cows, sniffing it out as they walk down it for the first time. Can you feel their excitement?!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Lawn, lane, and laundry

After Kris being so busy with the calves and the hay, it really seems like everything's slowing down. Case in point? I came home tonight and he was mowing the lawn! Before we farmed, Kris actually enjoyed mowing the lawn. It was a nice change from his indoor job. But after you own actual tractors and spend all your time outside anyway ... Thankfully, my mom still enjoys mowing and frequently does ours.

But there's always more to do. Today Kris met with an excavation company to talk about grading and adding gravel to the lanes. The lanes are what you call the areas where the cattle walk to and from the barn and other pastures. (Sort of like driveways or hallways, but when it's in a field and it's a pasture, they're called lanes.)

They need grading so they drain. Obviously, anytime the cattle walk on these areas when it's muddy, it makes a mess. This makes it harder to clean them for milking, too. When the lanes are graded, it makes for drier land and cleaner cattle. They're going to start on it soon.

Not only did Kris have time to mow our lawn, but he also bought and installed a new washing machine. You can't last very long on a farm with a broken washing machine. There just aren't enough work clothes to go around. When it broke, my dad suggested taking a load down to the creek and beating them with rocks like the olden days. That was pretty much my only other option. No matter how much my mom likes mowing the lawn, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to do my laundry.