Great Big Farmer

I found a comfortable spot to sit/ lie down on a hillside near the river, with a view of the grazing cattle, the river, and the small field I call the bowl. Oakley came with me as well as a barn cat who probably thinks he is also a dog and should come on long walks.  It was nice of my friends to turn up in the rain for the EFAO field tour last week. I was expecting about six people but there were...

Having heard a calf bawling in the distance, I decided to see if it was one of mine. It seemed like a good time to record a farm update. It was nice to hear the sound of the river, plus the grassland and forest birds. It really was a beautiful morning! Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gma...

This episode was recorded at about 6 am across the river, as I checked in on the cattle after their recent move. It is nice to hear the birds in this nice little clearing at the edge of the water. Soybeans are planted and the electric fences are all up and in decent shape. I'm also thinking ahead to planting cover crops, fixing equipment, planting cover crops, and haying season coming up. I'm so t...

Finding time to record an episode isn't easy. Oakley decdides to spend time on the neighbour's porch. Critical tractor repair goes well. Bringing a White 8700 combine home from Londsborough. Looking for a break in the weather to plant organic soybeans. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gma...

Somewhere upstream, a farmer has altered the path of water. Cutting deep gulleys and picking up soil, it made its' way onto this farm. Slowing in a waterway with natural grass banks lined with trees, the water dropped some of the soil and stone. Pulled by gravity and unable to flow in the plugged waterway, it flowed into our pastures and cropland. With deposits of six to eight inches, the pasture...

Grazing season has officially started! I've got some noisy audio here from a windy day. It is also dry enough to get the disc out on the field, another step toward getting organic soybeans planted. I used noise reduction on the raw audio, but it's still noisy at times. That's okay for me though, because it's the reality of the day. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from...

When to let the cattle out on grass the first time is a big decision. This episode is a good one if you are new to rotational grazing. If you are an experienced grazer, you might reflect on what you do and possibly pick up some new ideas. I also talk about running the disc to incorporate a cover crop that was planted last August. It had a huge amount of biomass, and I have been a bit concerned abo...

Coffee with friends in the driveshed. Forgetting Friday night, and splinting a calf with two broken legs. Fencing across the river. The "essential ordinary" makes things go smoothly. The disc needs repairs. It's probably safer to scratch your calves on the tail head rather than the head. Bo the barncat follows me to do more fence repairs. Vegetable garden progress, digging paths between beds, hard...

Recording in the barn (you can hear the fence charger clicking away). I've spent about five days maintaining field edges and I'm not done this exhausting job. Rule of thumb....May 10th is the Bruce County day to put cattle on pasture. My fencing system is archaic. The field tractor needs my attention ASAP. The cover crop in the field named "Bobolink" needs to get turned in so that the biomass can...

This episode is all about the fun I had, and how I was struck by the beauty of nature while on holiday in British Columbia. And then I get started talking about my decision not to fly and it seems like I couldn't stop talking about it LOL. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

I've never seen a chicken break up a cat fight, until now. While Peter and I are busy welding and repairing equipment, a cow decides to have her calf. How I dealt with her retained placenta. I am starting to think about all kinds of spring activities including chainsaw work in the field edges, fence repairs, planting equipment, helping to coach boys and girls rugby at the high school, and off-farm...

The bull and a nest of bees The importance of manure as fertilizer The skidsteer's time to shine Rugby is my volunteer work I am an idiot and wrecked my chainsaw A chill drive through Mennonite country My fence chargers can be repaired Mennonite and Amish farms look very different from English farms Our farm doesn't have any bare soil Today I can feel spring coming on!! Wendell Berry's 1992 iv @ 1...

Are you thinking about making a move to organic agriculture? Larry Kraemer shares the details of his path from a life in Toronto to his organic farm near Kincardine. This is a great episode if you are thinking about transitioning from conventional farming to certified organic. Contents: Raised in Toronto Great memories of summers in Bruce County  The joy of hard work Operating a conventional dairy...

This afternoon I travelled to Southampton to celebrate the life of a teaching colleague, Pat Joynt. This episode was recorded in the bank barn while sitting with the calves. The Present...until the 6:45 min mark. Noticing the small stuff in life. Calves, a barn cat, and hockey on the radio. The Past...from 6:45 to 16:47 min. Thinking about the joyous life of Pat Joynt and the unique community that...

We get the sugar maple seeds planted, and a mouse helps to make things interesting in the seeding room. I worked on marketing my hard red winter wheat using an "everybody needs to win" approach. Teddy the bull sees the great outdoors for the first time since he got here. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories....

I learned some lessons when Flint the cow suddenly became maximally aggressive when a strange person entered the bank barn. Also, it is a requirement of organic certification to maintain field histories. The added bonus is you can look back on a field and really get a sense what worked and what didn't. I discuss the challenges presented when cropping this field and some of the steps I have taken s...

As they say, if you have livestock you're going to have deadstock. That's always in the back of my mind when I check on the cattle and the calf I noticed today didn't look right. Also, I have a few minutes to check on the tree seeds that I put in the fridge. Jan 11 - tree seeds placed in damp paper towel then stored in ziploc bags in the fridge Feb 25 - checking the seeds 46 days later Walnut, bir...

If I hosted a field day, would anyone even come? Do I have any useful knowledge or experience to share? These are some of the questions that come to mind as I entertain the idea of hosting an open house "field day". As this episode was recorded I arrived at a few tentative conclusions. I think I have some experience to share when it comes to rotationally grazing cattle because I've been doing it f...

Sure I'm a farmer. But I'm also what you'd call a contemplative. Here is the poem, I Have Decided by Mary Oliver. Let me know what you think! Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

I'm hoping that you might find something in this episode that will help you during calving season, especially if you are just starting out! I think there might be a couple of takeaways for experienced farmers too. I talk about my calving bins, keeping safe when near a new mom, home made electrolyte solution, colostrum, milk replacer, selenium-vitamin E, castrating, and many other things. Here is s...

greatbigfarmer@gmail.com Four calves in 48 hours. Frozen water lines. A calf that doesn't know how to suck, and another that is the sort I call a runner. A heifer in heat and a frustrated bull. Anxious momma cows, and every barn cat wandering around to check out the excitement. A circus. I'm tired. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Find your pl...

greatbigfarmer@gmail.com June 22 is right in the middle of haying season. I decided to set my phone in the field and capture the sound of the wind, grassland birds, insects, and passing cars. The sound of the farm in summer is something I never want to forget. Skip ahead to 2:17 if you want to use this episode in your contemplative practice. Or just play it for your cat while you are at work. Up t...

greatbigfarmer@gmail.com The plan is to put together an "audio journal" for the coming year. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to farm, and have been doing so for quite a number of years now. When my farming life is over, I want to remember some of the details that I'm sure would otherwise be forgotten. And so here it is, the first episode. I've decided not to edit very much, if at all,...