From the Farm: Week Beginning May 21, 2023

The farm’s inaugural springtime season is underway! The market garden is bursting with seeds – corn, beans, sunflowers, tomatoes, onions, chard, lettuces and more. The cattle corral has been built both herds will experience weaning efforts. “

A brief update regarding the cattle-weaning:

It is important that the calves nearing one year in age are weaned from their mothers. This is to ensure the calves themselves develop appropriate psychological and nutritional independence from their mothers. This prepares them to support their own nutritional efforts towards natural foraging behaviors, supplemented with minerals and an occasion snack (e.g., apple).

For the mothers, weaning becomes particularly important so as to ensure the appropriate nutritional resources are being directed towards the mother’s self and the development of the mother’s calf within utero. We are anticipating the developing calves to be born beginning about September (2023) through the end of the year. This will also be the beginning of the mother cows (Angus-Simmental) entering a rotational grazing strategy. Prior to our taking over this herd, the cows had free-range to the property.

For the beef herd (Angus-Simmental), there is one heifer and two bull-calves (soon to be steers), who are entering weaning this week. For the second herd (or group), there is one calf to be weaned from her mother. This group is separated from the beef herd as they were purchased separately and primarily with the intention of the mother being a homestead dairy cow.

To support the weaning efforts, the calves will be near their mothers though secured in the corral or a separate paddock respectively. This will help to lessen anxiety in the calves and mothers at the time of weaning while encouraging them to increase in their own independence. 

– Mathew