Category: Fencing

Turning Old Burnt Out Hay Fields to Grazing Pastures and Gardens

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It’s been just a couple weeks short of two years since we moved our animals on to this property. 

The Barn Property Sept 2022

When we were asked to come there and use the land and barn, the fields were mostly old and burnt out, full of invasive and toxic weeds. Two years later through the use of rotational pasturing, and regenerative farming techniques these are those fields today… 

While the original goals of the Property Owners, of “Just keep the trees from growing in, and the fields from getting over taken” with hopes of getting rid of the toxic and invasive plants. Although we wanted to help showcase the work, and help make this place even more beautiful. We’ve used Goats, Pigs, Chickens, Rabbits, and now Sheep to help improve this wonderful old property. Just look at those hay fields now! A true testament to the capabilities of these wonderful birds and animals! 

Not only have we helped keep the fields from growing in, we’ve helped to eliminate many of the weeds, both toxic and invasive. Although it’s still a work in progress! Sheep need adequate pasture grasses and forage to thrive and our shearer and others, and even the wool quality of the sheep have all testified to this being the case! It’s incredible to see the transformation that’s taken place! 

We’ve even managed to turn some of this ground into gardens!

2024 Garden at The Barn Property

Using deep bedding for our animals through the winter helps provide well composted hay and manure to help naturally grow the gardens. The whole thing is laborious and yet rewarding. We work mostly by hand, employing time honoured methods and let our animals do most of the heavy lifting! It’s a labour of love, one where we always strive to be good Stewards.

From Past to Pasture

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Goats on New Pasture

My Hobby of the past 30+ Years is Family History and Genealogy. Growing Your Family Tree is one of Two Books I have Written on the topic, and after Three Decades of Research and learning You’d think I’d have learned it all! Right? Not so! 

There is always something new to learn! Especially, now, in the area of DNA Research and Results. One of the things is that various Sites, like Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Genomelink, look at the DNA Results a little differently. It’s the same DNA , but for example I’ve always known, intrinsically, that I was at least part Aboriginal. While it didn’t show up in Ancestry, because of the way they look at it, it did show up on MyHeritage! It shows up as MesoAmerican, and I discovered that just after returning from a beautiful vacation to Costa Rica in 2018. I had a real heartfelt connection to that place! Then I discovered that not only do I have a percentage of MesoAmerican DNA, but Costa Rica is in the centre of the place that those Ancestors lived! Imagine! 

Now, today, after coming in from doing chores, and moving the Goats to new pasture, I’ll move the Sheep to their new pasture tomorrow, I opened my email and had a message from Genomelink. They look back, claiming at least, to go further back, looking at ancient ancestors. They show that I have a percentage of Kazakhs Nomad DNA. Now, if You’re like me, You probably just said, “What the Heck is that!?” Right?

So, wanting to know who the Kazakhs Nomads were, and how that might affect me today, I did a Google Search. I mean really, if it’s that “Ancient”, what if any affect can it have on me today!? Right?

Well, here’s what I found…

Kazakhs’ nomadic way of life represents one of the oldest forms of subsistence known to humankind. Throughout the year, Kazakh nomads engage in livestock herding, including goats, sheep, yaks, camels, and horses. They continuously move with their animals, seeking better pastures and adapting to changing seasonal conditions. It is not uncommon for families to relocate up to four times annually, adjusting their dwellings accordingly.
thecontrapuntal.com

So, as they say, the more things change, the more they remain the same! Certainly our Ancient DNA plays a part in our present, and probably our future! Moving Us from the Pastures of the Past to the Pastures of Future! 


Now for something different…

Imagine a Home Cook from Nova Scotia on the Cover of Taste of Home

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Lara and Her Three Daughters Weather The Winter Storm

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Lara and Girls Weather The Storm

After a pretty mild Winter, Nova Scotia has been hit with a major Winter Snow Storm! More snow in one Weekend than All Winter! Compared to other areas like Halifax, and Cape Breton, where they declared a State of Emergency, we got off easy here in Bear River.

However, after a pretty decent Saturday, We got hit over night as the Temps dropped and the snows moved in. Leaving our Berkshire Sow, Lara, and her three daughters out in the cold. So to speak. It also used up most of the battery on our Solar Power Electric Fencer. Thankfully, even in these conditions Lara and Her Gals respected the fence and stayed in their pasture. Although they were waiting and glad to see me when I got there today!

Pigs really are incredible creatures, and while they only need minimal shelter to weather storms, it was a bit much! They were ready to get out of the elements, but we’re also patiently waiting for me when I got to them today. They, as they most always do, faithfully followed me back up the hill from their pasture to the Barn.

Once inside they were, of course, happy to eat, but they weren’t shivering, nor were they overly food aggressive. Pigs are always happy to eat, and always at least a little too excited and somewhat aggressive when they are presented with Food. So, even though, as the video shows, the tips of their hair was covered in snow and mostly ice, they weren’t really as bad off as I thought they might be! Thankfully.

See, Lara’s daughters are part Mangalitza, also spelled Mangalitsa, or Mangalista, and they have woolly hair that covers them and help keep them warm. Pigs also have a layer of fat under their skin that helps act as insulation.

What happens, even with Lara who’s a Berkshire Pig, is they grow a somewhat thinker coat in the winter. This helps, as the heat from their bodies keeps the hair closest their bodies dry and the ice forms on the tips. Even when faced with cold temperatures, I think it was about -7°C or 20°F over night, with mixed precipitation. While They’re usually not out in that, the best laid plans of mice and men, and apparently pigs, often go awry! To loosely coin a phrase from Bobby Burns in His poem, “To a Mouse“.

Anyway, by the end of the day all were back in the Barn and as warm as Pigs in a Blanket! Well… Almost! 😉