Snow + Cattle = Lots of Fun
/We readily admit that our cattle are spoiled and pampered. With our winters cold and wet, we make sure that they always have access to dry shelter with clean bedding and plenty of nutritious haylage to eat.
With the help of my tenacious son (Emmett), feeding out the cattle with the snow blowing sideways was delightfully fun. Working as a team, we cleared out the old feed and broke open those 1,400 pound frozen haylage bales. We even convinced our farm dog, Rudy, to help. The tractor was pre-warmed and started easily to help us handle those heavy bales which is always a good sign.
The cattle were grateful for the feed and showed their appreciation by their loud chewing at the feeder. Even the calves were covered in snow and loving it (photo credit goes to Emmett)! There is never a shortage of pets and scratches behind the ears for our cattle.
Even with machinery to help with the heavy lifting, there's always enough manual labor to keep us connected to our livestock and land. My face was ready to fall off from the freezing wind, but I was warm and dry under my jacket and gloves.
Rich
