Tools Of The Trade

This picture sums up a lot of the tools we use around the farm.  It was taken a day or two ago, as the children were waiting for daddy to finish up milking and take the cows back out to pasture.  Allow me to break it down for you.

The most obvious tool here would be the golf cart.  I suppose a real rough and tough farmer would have a 4-wheeler or a horse, but we’re rookies so we’re rockin the golf cart.  Because it was here and we like to work with what we’ve got.  That being said, we will likely be the death of this golf cart and will then need to purchase it’s replacement.  But that’s a whole lot cheaper than buying a 4-wheeler or horse or tractor!

Next up we have buckets.  We use buckets all day every day.  Big ones for soaking grain for the chickens and for clabbering skim milk for dogs and chickens.  Little ones for collecting kitchen scraps for the chickens and for making up dinner for the dogs every night.  Various sizes for collecting weeds as we pull them.  I used to buy palm and coconut oil in gallon buckets so we have 8 or 9 of them floating around.  Plus a goodly assortment of 4 & 5 gallon sizes.   Can never have too many buckets on a farm!

On the back we have one of our poly reels and a bunch of step in posts.  These are what we use for moving the cows around.  They are absolutely wonderful as we prefer to move the cows several times per day.  We hope to eventually use them for the sheep as well, but not until we have perimeter fencing done.  That way if the sheep get “out,” they won’t really be out.  Just in the wrong place.

Speaking of perimeter fencing…we’re getting so close to having the first round done.  Paul worked by moonlight till about 2am one night and then decided it made more sense to just get up at 4:30am and be out working at first light.  Then milk cows and do chores and have lunch and NAP!  He woke Ethan up to go along last time and now Micah won’t stop asking if he can go next time.  Fun bonding time I guess.  If I weren’t on baby duty I would be out there with them.

What else….?  Do children count as tools?  We use them to catch chicks that haven’t figured out that they’re supposed to spend the night inside the coop.  They also come in handy when moving sheep longer distances.  If bribed, they make decent weed pullers.  Then too, they like to greet and entertain customers.  The fuel and maintenance necessary to maintain them is often overwhelming but they’re learning to earn their keep.

As a side note, this heat is getting old!  We’re getting close to having our first of two shade structures done.  But for now, if the sections where they cows need to graze don’t have shade we don’t put them out to pasture until after dinner.  They get to go hang out in a grove of trees not too far from the barn during the hottest part of the day and then eat their fill at night.  A bit backwards from what they’re used to but they seem to be adjusting.  We’ve taken a hit on production but still have had plenty to satisfy customer demand.  Just means I’m not getting any butter or cheese, but I don’t mind a little break.

The Farmer’s Wife

June 19, 2016June 19, 2016 by psessen Leave a comment