Running to the pasture

This video shows the first half of the herd (the pregnant cows) heading out to pasture for the first time this spring (and Micah provides a bit of narration!):

The rest of the cows are outside!

The cows loved frolicking through the spring grass in their new pen today.

Since we had a beautiful, sunny day today, we decided to move the rest of the cow herd out of the barn and into the pasture (having already moved the calves outside yesterday).  It's always so much fun to watch the herd leave the barn in the spring - they kick up their heels, roll in the grass and dirt, and run from end to end of their pen.  For being such big animals, they're surprisingly spry!

Running in the pasture

The entire herd was separated into three parts during the winter.  The calves were in the loafing shed, and the rest of the herd was split into the two loafing sides of the new barn: one side consisted of younger heifers and steers, and the other side held a bull and pregnant cows.  Since the herd has been separated for several months, they're in the process of re-ordering their hierarchy - i.e., butting heads and chasing each other.  Once they are reunited with the calves in a few weeks, they'll adjust their hierarchy again.

Enjoying the fresh grass on the west side of the new barn

Because the grass is still quite short, the herd will only stay in this pen until tomorrow.  We practice Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing with our cows: the herd stays in one portion of pasture at a time and is systematically moved to a new section of pasture almost every day.  This method allows grass to recover, increases soil fertility, and mirrors the natural herd migration that exists for large ruminants in the wild (think of bison).  We also use rotational grazing for the sheep and pigs, though they don't need to be moved as often as the cows do.

Freedom!

Soon the cows will be losing their shaggy winter coats.  They're so excited to be out in the green grass - it really feels like spring!

The calves are outside!

The calves left their winter abode and headed out to pasture today.

Throughout the rainy winter months, the cows stay sheltered in the barn and the loafing shed, where they eat haylage; the ground is simply too wet for them to be outside during the winter, and the cool weather keeps the grass from growing fast enough to provide sufficient nutrition for them (flooding is also a winter problem, of course).  During this past winter season, the calves (born last summer) were moved into the loafing shed behind the big white barn in order to separate them from the rest of the herd.

Spring has brought a series of warmer, drier days (despite that out-of-the-blue snowstorm), so we were able to move the calves out into the grass today - as you can imagine, they were super excited to taste some fresh grass!

Munching on green grass...

The grass is still quite short, so they'll need to be moved to new pasture once or twice a day for awhile.  The rest of the herd will be heading outside soon.

Piglets with their mama

Arabia's piglets are growing quickly and are becoming more adventurous - they've been leaving their elevated "nursery" area and have been scampering around the rest of the pen, rooting, oinking, and chasing each other.

I know that a lot of folks are excited to see the piglets and lambs in person...we'll be having our annual May Day gathering on Saturday, May 4th this year - hopefully you can come join in the May Pole celebration, greet the animals, and help us to usher in the spring season!  More details will be posted soon, so keep an eye on the blog and be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

The new barn's grand opening (part 2)

Here's a video of the cows entering their new winter abode back in November 2012 (see my previous post for more photos):

The new barn's grand opening

Cutting the ribbon (west side of the barn)

As I mentioned earlier, we were thrilled to have the new barn completed in November 2012 - it still needs a few finishing touches here and there, but it has been a fantastic shelter for the cows during the rainy winter season.  The cows are still in the barn but should hopefully be out in the fields again soon - for each sunny day we have, the fields get a bit drier and the grass grows taller!

We held our ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 9, 2012, and most of the members of the construction crew and Jubilee's crew - as well as some other folks who have been so significant in the process of getting that barn put up - celebrated with us as we cut the ribbon and ushered the cows inside for the winter.

Feeding alley

The center of the barn is the feeding alley, where bales of haylage (fermented grass) or hay (dry grass) are set out for the cattle.  The herd was divided into two parts (based on age, etc.); each part of the herd has a loafing area and eating area, where they have access to the haylage through a panel of stanchions.  Around 275 of the haylage bales that we've fed to the cows this winter were baled from grass here at Jubilee. 

Moo!

The loafing areas in the barn are carpeted with straw every few days.  Rather than removing the old straw and manure, we continually add layers of fresh straw on top of it; this method produces a wonderfully rich manure that will later be spread on our fields.  The cows are an integral part of the fertility of the soil throughout the entire farm.

I should also mention that building this barn in a flood plain was a big challenge - a huge pad of dirt had to be built up and leveled, and then the concrete foundations for the barn could be poured.  The final concrete pour was on August 21, 2012, and Farmer Micah got to put his footprints and a handprint in that last layer. :)  (For more information on flooding concerns in our valley, please visit the Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance).

Welcome!

Our new barn was completed in November 2012, just in time for the cows to head in for the winter.

Welcome to Jubilee Farm's new blog!  We'll be sharing bits and pieces of our day-to-day life on the farm, so be sure to check back for photos, videos, events, recipes, CSA updates, and some agrarian philosophy, of course.

Most of our CSA members don't get to see much of what goes on around the farm during our "off-season" sessions, since we only do deliveries during these colder months.  We're hoping that this blog can help to give you a bit of a taste of life on Jubilee, even when you're not here to pick up your shares and do u-pick.

As you can see in the photo above, we were thrilled to finish our new barn just in time for the cows to head indoors for the wet winter months.  More pictures of the barn will be up soon - but suffice it to say, we're so excited about this new addition!