Great Big Farmer

With the steady rhythm of the electric fence charger in the background, I think about the calves that were just picked up to be sold. It seems like this gets harder for me as the years go on. I don't think I like the calves more than I did in the past, I'm just more aware of my affection for them. I read a few pages from Sun House by David James Duncan. He writes about the relationship between an old rancher the land and his cattle, and those who will be nourished by their bodies. After reading, I think about the same. I conclude "if the cattle are living in the beauty of the world, then so am I". When I listened to this recording later, this really stuck with me. It is the essence of ecological farming and I believe this notion transfers to the production of tomatoes, honey, apples, wheat and whatever else we raise. 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

Rambling about all kinds of stuff today. Thinking about the quality of the pastures and how much grazing time is left. Will the Super El Nino allow for a longer grazing season? Had the same problem with the combine; it definately needs a new belt. The sourghum-sudan cover crop will be left for the deer. Still no fix on the flooding from upstream farms. Upcoming jobs include rolling the composting manure windrow, cut Queen Anne's lace, and get the new disc and cultivator ready for next spring. Beavers are eating the cover crop, and have some interesting slides down to the water. I volunteered at the Ripley Fall Fair where it was noted how polite everyone is, even when a bit tipsy. Nice community! 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 ramble on about the beavers who have set up a temporary home in the deepest part of the river. Seems like equipment repairs are happening all day, every day. Picked up a wider disc and I ramble on about that. Working on firewood, tooth test for soybeans, cover crops need rain, calves go to OLEX next week, and to finish a sound you'll recognize if you prep your own fire wood. (Sep 23) 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 thought I had rambled in previous episodes, but in this one I have outdone myself! Prepping the combine for soybean harvest. The planter is repaired and almost ready to be put away. The cows are wondering why I'm talking to myself. Fall maintenance on the White 2-62 tractor took so much longer than expected. It's weird that there are flies on the cows this time of year. My cattle brand is Bar Double A, the same as my ancestor Molly Lyle in Arrowood Alberta. I'm thinking about forcing the graze on this paddock. Another fantastic evening to be in the pasture with the cows. The sound of cows munching red clover to finish. (Sep 14) 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 ramble on... about the organic audit coming up and a whole bunch of other things such as field histories, receipts, tags for seed bags, transferring anecdotal notes to summary sheets, and things I would do differently in hindsight. Then I suggest that planning cover crops by seeds-per-square-foot is a good idea and better than pounds of seed per acre. Flint's calves are always awesome, and I wish she would have a heifer to keep. My calves are chill when they get vaccinated. I had to change the hydraulic hose fittings on most of my equipment because my new Ford tractor is weird. I reflect on this audio journal. When I search the internet, I include .edu in the search criteria. 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

Before rambling on about other things, Tom calls the cows "Bruce County Style" to cross the river. Sounds of the crossing and the cows feasting on apples. The question of the best number of cows to keep in my little herd is contemplated in non-directional monologue style LOL. At this point in the fall, I'm starting to plan for the end of the grazing season. (Sep 5) 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 got concerns about the number of apples on the ground where I am about to move the cows. If they eat too many, one or more might bloat which is a real concern. The DIY loose salt or mineral feeder is described. These have been great and have really stood up well over the years. (Sep 5) 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 confused the neighbour's cows bawling with mine. Well not me, my cows. Using a zig-zag path to help erosion on hills. Chisel plow to rip for compaction in the heifer barn field. Breaking shear bolts. Kincardine seems to be in the rainshadow of Michigan's "thumb". Wendell Berry influenced me greatly. Red clover in the mineral mix has resulted in a good stand in the most distant paddock. This remote paddock is a resting place for deer and this morning, it is providing habitat for meadowlarks, snakes, and monarchs. There is nothing like a program of rotationally grazing cattle to increase biodiversity. 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

We like to make a small fire and sit around it at night. There is a line of maple trees along the east side of the front yard, and their trunks support a supply of wood that helps to make a cozy space. A ring of field stones defines the fire pit, and six or eight chairs are arranged in a somewhat coherent circle. The best seats face west with a clear view of the setting sun over the sloping west treeline of the farm. This is the place where we entertain friends, and where the kids have had their small parties over the years. Sitting there happens most nights when we are free, and we tend to have a fire on weekends or in the shoulder seasons when it is cool. On this night, we enjoyed a small fire and were taken by the loud and consistent chorus of crickets and grass frogs. You'll also hear Oakley's patrol barking. I think he's letting the coyotes know that he's on duty. He is a Maremma livestock dog, so it is in his DNA to continue like this all night and every night. Needless to say he sleeps most days LOL. He is a gentle, intelligent, and independent dog, and a fierce defender of the property. 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

Rambling on about care and management of weaned calves. Not seeing peas emerge in the cover crop. It makes no sense to worry about things on the farm that are out of my control to change now. In the barn with the newly weaned calves. Very few stress days for these calves. Weaning "across the gate" vs "separation". Jumping back to the start of the recording to the sounds of morning...about a minute standing on the cow path where the pasture, river and woods meet. Recorded September 3, 2026. 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

Walking the group from a paddock back to the barn. The old time way to call cattle in Bruce County is "Coo Bos" and its origin is the Scottish reference to highland cattle; Coo= cow Bos= the Latin genus species Bos taurus taurus.The herd is super happy today, but I wish they were chill. They know where the apple trees are. Pigeons startle a cow and in an instant she runs at me like I wasn't there. Cicada in the background. Moving gates and sorting out the cows. Weaning nose-to-nose. 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

The old water line is tough to work with. No leaks. Making the unused electrical feed neat and secure (this bowl is energy free). Lots of water pressure. Stripping the concrete forms. I cut myself. Setting the water bowl in place is not easy by myself. Getting it going went really well. Podcasts I listen to sometimes focus on exciting stuff, not grunt work like this. Installing the 2x6 barrier allows access to both sides of the bowl. 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

Late summer pasture move. Reasons for moving the cows. Finishing up by checking the water, salt, and mineral. Soybeans are maturing. 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

Lots of detail here, 'cause everybody wants to hear about concrete forming! LOL I ramble on about how the concrete pad will meet the requirements for the installation of the bowl. 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

Growing cover crops and grazing cattle is the best! Rapids in the Kincardine Creek between two pools. Simple three point hitch spline repair. Difficult tire packer repair. Breaking out concrete in the barn. Perfect growing conditions for germination. Fade out with river sounds. 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

The manure-compost pile has warmed up. The tire packer is very broken and I'm glad nothing else was damaged when it came apart. I calculated that the seeding density for this cover crop mix is 44 seeds per square foot, which is very high and I'm glad about that. Looking ahead...but for now, it's time to get some rest. 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

Rambling while unloading seed bags. Big problem with the seeder metering mechanism. The right way to live my life. 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

Early morning. Recording while checking compost temperatures and walking the soybean field. Pulling weeds tall weeds, trying to decrease the seed bank. Making the disc sing. Magnet finds more fence wire and a plow point. Lots of prep for seeding the cover crop... 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

Overall, things are going great this summer, but I'm late getting the cover crop planted. First disc needs to be repaired, and the supplier to the machine shop is slow to courier the bearing that's needed. Also, the new tractor needs a lot of attention before it can be used reliably. It would be easy to miss one key maintenance issue that could result in costly damage to the tractor. Right now I'm really focused on the flushing and conditioning the radiator and coolant system. It sounds basic but that sort of thing is a really big deal. There have been so many things to manage to farm organically, and I haven't done a good job with farm composting. The cattle manure is a valuable input and it is best applied as finished compost instead of fresh manure and straw. So, the manure has been moved to a field edge where it has been windrowed. I'll record temperature data and rolll the windrow periodically until it is fully composted, then apply the compost to the field that currently has soybeans next spring along with a cover crop. As usual, the cows and calves are happily grazing their paddocks. 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 would advise anyone to trust the engineered specifications for tractor fluids, and don't follow the advice of the retailer...it's important. Custom repairs are a lot of fun. The way that animals forage for food is a lot like the way humans have managed Earth's oil resources. Early on cattle graze plants that have the lowest perceived cost:benefit ratio. Pasture plants that are palatable and easy to access. Later, less palatable plants or those that are farther away are grazed. Isn't that analagous to the manner that we have obtained oil? 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