Moving cattle

It has been a very busy week. I am at the time of year where the cattle go from the corral to the pasture.

These cattle are such voracious eaters they are going through the grass faster than usual. Add in this cold and dry Spring where the grass hasn't grown as much as usual and it is no wonder I have to move the cattle around sooner than usual.

Normally I can get five days use of the NE pasture. This year: three days.

Before the cattle go out in the back pastures I let them in my fruit tree and garden area and also my yard. This year the cattle lasted only a little over a day before the grass in the fruit tree and garden area was eaten down. Less than previous years.

Tomorrow I will let them in my yard. I estimate that grass will last only a day.

Tonight with the NE pasture eaten down the cattle were getting a little restless as they didn't want to put in the work to eat the last of the grass. So I gave them a bale of hay.

I only have a few things left to protect in the yard before I let the cattle in there tomorrow. I had bought some nut trees at the annual Plains nursery Memorial Day sale and I need to protect those trees ands shrubs.

The good news is that it has rained the past few days. We got a quarter of an inch of rain on Saturday and we got a nice soaker rain this morning. We really needed the rain and need more of it. Before the rain the grass felt dry and crunchy like it does in mid July. And the soil was so dry it would float dusty in the air when I dug pocket gopher holes.

Oh yeah... remember my garden I finally planted on Friday? Saturday night the temperature dropped to 31 F. Yup! Below freezing! It looks as if the frost got a few of my plants. Man, you'd think with a late as I planted my garden I wouldn't have to worry about frost! Where is global warming when you need it?

Naturally I could write more. How could I not after having the cattle in the fruit tree and garden area? But it is late and I am tired. It was yet another night where a bowl of popcorn was my supper.

Here are a few photos taken a few hours after I let the cattle into the fruit tree and garden area. Notice in the middle of the second photo one heifer is licking the head of the other heifer. They don't always fight.