We turned everything out on green rye pasture today, April 28th.
It feels amazing, so amazing.
We have never stopped feeding hay so early in the spring before.
All I can think about is last year.
At this point last year, we were bracing for the 2022 Drought 2.0. and all of our cows were on a barren dryland field. Sand blew every day because it was so dry and every morsel of nutrition those cows ate came from a hay feeder. Last year the cows were embarrassingly thin, and the calves looked rough and mediocre from a harsh winter. Even though we fed an exorbitant amount of feed from the end of February to the middle of May to try to catch them up it wasn’t enough. Then, during the summer, the grass ravaged from the 2022 drought, was malnourished and void of nutrition. Things were further compounded by Ergot poisoning in the western wheatgrass which caused necrosis of soft tissues in the cattle if they ate too much of the fungus that grew on the seedhead of the grass. Which killed one yearling bull, and severely affected two others so much that one lost 2/3 of his tail. What resulted was the worst breed up wreck we have ever seen, timed at literally the worst point in history to have one, when cattle were at an all-time high. We are still reeling from the effects of that breed up wreck. Not only are we 80 head short of being fully stocked but also the cows have calved incredibly slowly. Usually, we are 80% done in the first 21 days. This year, we were barely 60% done by that time. Currently, at day 34, we are finally 80% done.
No, this was my dream last year. This is what I ached for, yearned for, knew we had to have to save the herd and now it has come true. This year the cows are in excellent condition slicking off already and the calves are a picture of health. We have never had calves look this good before. Furthermore, the Lord has blessed us with two inches of rain in the last two days. With this generous shot of moisture this world is going to pop with green grass growth with the warm temperatures that are coming this week. Already, the canyon bottoms and hills are greening up with growth that I haven’t seen since 2020 and the wheat crops look amazing. No doubt the spring this year has been sublime. We have been blessed with such undeserving grace, and I give thanks to God every day for His blessings bestowed.
Late Sunday afternoon I drove down to the Blackwood creek bottom a few miles down the road. With the recent moisture, I wanted to walk along the creek bed that meanders back and forth amongst cottonwood, hackberries and ash trees to search for morel mushrooms. As I walked alongside flowering plum and chokecherry thickets, I heard the songs of meadowlarks, robins, sparrows, and even a bluejay ring out from the treetops. Two mule deer raised their heads up from grazing the alfalfa and when they saw my approaching presence quickly bounded into the hidden protection of the trees. As I hunted for mushrooms through the trees, I spied turkeys in the distance and more deer. The dry creek bed still had standing water and the grass in the bottom was laid over from the recent draining flood waters. Deer had left tracks on the steep sides where they had crossed or walked down to take a drink. Smooth brome grass was starting to grow in thick patches amongst the trees and stinging nettle which thrives in the shade of trees was almost eight inches tall. A few trees were starting to bud out but by and large the trees were still dark and leafless from winter, however the forest floor was well on its way to being a carpet of green. The rye we sowed into the alfalfa the previous fall waved in the breeze and the alfalfa stand beneath its canopy looked bright and healthy. As I searched for my elusive gourmet prize, I couldn’t help but note that the creek bottom was a nurturing ecosystem of abundant life. Although, I never did find any mushrooms.
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”
XO Megan
This Cowgirl's Story 