Hello to all!
I haven't posted for so long now that most of you probably don't even
recognize my name. Either that or you thought I disappeared in the tall
grasses of some mismanaged pasture.
Actually, I got lost under a pile of unread emails. At the worst point
I had over 1000 unread emails! Every once in a while I would go through
some and read or delete, but I am always about 3 months behind the rest
of you. (by the way I subscribe to 3 lists - graze-l, dairy-l and brown
cow talk. Too many for a busy dairy farmer but all are so very
interesting.)
We milk about 75 cows; all purebred holsteins and 4 purebred Brown
Swiss. This is done in a 60 cow tie stall barn in Ontario, Canada. We
rotationally graze all our cows, dry cows and heifers (down to about 6
months old). I still hope to set up some calf pastures some day. I'm
thinking of going to MIG grazing next summer but I'm not sure I'll have
the time to do it right. Your input would be welcome.
I guess the real reason I am posting to the list is because I need to
cry on your collective shoulders! I am, like every farmer, fiercely
independent. However, sometimes it really bugs me that no one seems to
support my grazing efforts. I have never met a feed salesman or
nutritionist who knows how to balance rations around a pasture system.
My own vet and feed guy have never even walked my pastures! Every one is
polite enough but I always get comments like "not very many of my
clients pasture anymore" or " it's hard to balance a ration around
pasture, I don't have much experience with that" or "pasture is great
but. . ." or "all they get from pasture is 90% water". I'm sure
you get the point.
I guess as the owner/manager it's my own fault for not dragging these
guys out there and telling them "O.K. guys, this is what I want to do,
now let's make it work!"
It sure would be nice though, to get some enthusiastic support people.
Now that's exactly why we all love graze-l right?!
Anyway, thanks for listening to my drivel and thanks to you all for
always showing up in my inbox!
Sincerely Bill Los
"The righteous man understands the lives of his animals" Prov. 12:10
(based on an old Dutch translation of the Bible)
