After a week in Madera before and after her Mom’s back surgery, Robbin wanted to see a different landscape when she got home yesterday. And having missed 20 some-odd head when I fed Paregien’s on Thursday, we decided to make another pass through those cows, put out some mineral and the last of our supplement tubs while getting another count this morning.
At the Ides of September with a half-waxed moon, the calves have begun to come. This fresh one hidden, not moving a hair, doing exactly what he was told while mama came to greet us.
Portrait of a four year-old cow not too far off from having her third calf.
Our cows are in pretty fair flesh for the moment, but as they calve they’ll lose much of their fleshy look, compounded further with having to nurse a calf. Feed and water is short after our dry spring, and though we tend to understock our pastures, we will have to keep plenty of hay in front of these cows until it rains. We’re currently feeding 25 lbs. of good alfalfa per head per week, but I suspect we will be doubling that in October. As E. J. Britten used to say, ‘You can’t starve a living out of a bunch of cows.’
drycrikjournal 
AMEN, John! They are lookin’ good for such a year!
Sophie
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Thanks Sophie. I don’t remember a year so short and dry since 1976-77. We fed barnfuls in winter dust, the images of which haunt me still. As you know, we need some early rains to avoid such catastrophic consequences. Meanwhile, it’s a matter of keeping hay in front of our cows.
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Some of your photos look like paintings.
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Thanks Burl, I’ll take that as a complement.
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