• Don’t cut back….

    …on the minerals.  We’ve noticed in the past week or two that the cows have suddenly increased their intake of minerals.  We’re assuming the bitterly cold temperatures have finally done-in the fescue grass, which is pretty good feed in the winter.  But the cows (or in this case, the young bulls) know best.  We’ve also begun to put a bale of hay in front of our growing animals—the bulls and heifers—and it is interesting that they know how to balance their intake between the alfalfa and regular hay. As the old saying goes, God taught the cow all it needs to know to be a perfect cow! Incidentally, our main herd…

  • Gerrish visits Thistle Hill….

    ….Jim Gerrish, that is, the nation’s leading pasture expert.  We’re fortunate to count Jim among our friends.  He’s the one who convinced us eight years ago to “go red” before red was cool. More than that, Jim’s counsel on a wide range of grazing issues has been invaluable in both raising our Devon and finishing animals for meat.  Above, he’s just great company and the world really won’t miss the few bottles of red we destroyed during his visit. After staying the night (and checking out some of our herd and pastures as the sun went down), Jim went on to star in a series of programs put on by…