SEASONS BLEATINGS!
- OCTOBER
My daughter, Josie, modeling an October
inspired shawl which was recently sold.
October
chores
October is such a
busy time! Finishing up the fall mohair shearing... keeping the breeding groups
where they belong... preparing for the winter weather to
come...
like painting the house roof! Thanks to
friends Gary and David who painted my roof for me! It is so nice and SHINEY!
Another
project is fencing in a new pasture for some winter grazing! Lots
of fun things to share... so read on!
Isaac
Breeding
News
This year's boer and angora
bucks are now with their respective groups. That means MARCH will be meat
and angora kid birthing. Sheep and dairy goats will begin in FEBRUARY of 2007 .
The meat goat group is covered this year by a nice meat buck named Isaac on loan
from Little Valley Ranch. Dairy's are bred back to Beniesoit Tate Tristan (his
last year here). All colored angoras are to be bred by a buck of my own
breeding: HMFF Amadeus. The white angoras are bred by Feanaro (a nice South
African/Texan from Joan Tutell... bought him last year, but he was too young to
serve... this year he is in the groove!)
The sheep are divided into two groups: the Border and
the Blueface Leicesters.
If you are thinking ahead towards NEXT years breeding
season, 2006 kids are available for viewing on the Colored Angora buck
page
HMFF Rook
Need a herd sire for your sheep? I still have two
yearling leicester rams plus some young dairy buck choices that could do the job
this fall for you. I am also considering selling my Benesoit dairy herd
sire this year.
Beniesoit Tate Tristan
Grazing School - I just got back and highly
recommend taking this great course at your earliest opportunity! Not only will
it help to qualify you for the many cost-share programs available for farmers,
but it also will give you new ideas for achieving your goals and solving
problems. My goal is to be able to make better use of the forage I
have, feed less hay,and along the way help foil parasites. I have to
admit I was the ONLY sheep and goat person in a roomful of cattle farmers (and
the only woman operator), but we were all there for the same reason.
Here in Missouri we are blessed with rainfall
and pasture that can be grazed the better part of the year, if it is managed
properly. Of course , the other side of that coin is the increased issues
with parasites... but BOTH can be addressed using intensive rotational
grazing techniques. The two things that hold people back from doing it
are 1. money and 2. getting water to each paddock. USDA cost share
programs address both of these concerns by offering to pay the lions share
of the expenses, IF you take the Grazing School course and agree to follow up
with the prescribed techniques.
By adding new fenced pastures and strip
grazing those pastures with the aid of polywire, I hope to better utilize the
pastures that I have and provide better forage on a year round basis to my herd
by allowing more time for each section to rest and re-grow. Soil testing,
fertilizing and re-seeding the fields, and improving water systems are
also in the five-year plan. I will share the process with you all as
things move along.
Step One: soil testing in the
new field I have planned to fence this winter. The field has
lain fallow for at least 10 years now and is in poor condition, with
exposed rock in places (ie not much topsoil), and invaded with broomsedge
and small scrub brush. I gathered
20 samples from throughout the field , mixed the soil together and
took a sample to the Extension office for testing. I was
pleased to find earthworms (which my grandaughter gathered for fishing) at each
test site, which gave me reason to hope that the soil is capable of sustaining a
better stand of pasture.
Grazing School farm
tour
One other gem gleaned from Grazing School: a great
water tank idea. Check out the pictures! This reservoir
could run off an existing deep well system OR feed from a pond, a spring
or even a natural seep. I saw many examples of this idea during our farm
tours. this will definitely be on my short list of improvements to the farm.
Washing
Fleeces
HMFF Customers want to know how to wash their fleeces
and how I handshear with scissors (as seen in last months notice). I have
been working on that! This month see the pictorial on preparing
and washing
fleeces
6th Annual Fiber
Retreat Put March 9, 10, 11 , 2007 on your
calendar now! This popular and affordable fiber retreat is held at the GW
Carver Multi Purpose Building in Jefferson City, MO . Focus in 2007 will be
Knitting with key note speaker: Melissa Leapman. Of course, spinning, weaving,
crafting, felting, lots of food, vendors, etc too.
Enjoy that beautiful fall weather!
Kathy Barger-Harbert
Herbal Maid Fiber Farm
Rosebud, MO
