I suppose the word anticipating could really be replaced with the word dreading. The forecasts are predicting triple digits starting Sunday. We have been fortunate that they have held off this long. Usually the triple digits hit in May. In anticipation of the heat, we have to get organized to provide shade, mist, and plenty of water for all living things on the ranch.
Last year we added misters for the poultry. I find plumbing one of the easiest tasks with pvc and all the neat little fittings available. Misters just require the little mist fittings placed in couplings and set between lengths of pvc. We also put "quick release" attachments on most of our hoses. This allows us to easily change from a spray nozzle to an animal waterer to tree or plant waterers. Every little task that can be shortened makes it much easier to withstand long enough to get the chores done before the intensity of the sun roasts you. A quick release versus unscrewing a hose to get the next task done is appreciated, not to mention prevents your hand from getting burned on the metal end of the hose if the sun has already been at work.
Animals need to be watered early in the morning after the water in the lines has cooled. If we run water mid-day out of the hose, the water is so hot it could scald. The animals should be fed early as well, so that they have an appetite. We are learning that the Great Pyrenese (which are not a hot climate dog) are more apt to eat early in the morning than after the heat of the day. Once the heat comes on full force the animals are looking for anything to protect themselves from the heat, so eating is not a priority. Just after the sun comes up, the animals are the most active. The chickens seem relieved to have the opportunity to run around and scratch in the morning.
I had always learned, coming from the east, that watering at night is not preferred because of the potential for molds to grow. Well, the lack of humidity in the desert seems to negate this watering no-no. I find that the early morning watering works, but night-time allows enough time for the water to seep into the earth. Otherwise, evaporation pulls the water away from the plant. I believe that the night watering works best for trees and larger plants. Gardens with lots of mulching and such seem to be okay with the early morning watering as well. The mulching and overgrowth of the plants limits the evaporation somewhat. Watering in the day where water pools can increase the potential for scalding of plant leaves from the reflection of the sun upwards onto the plant.
Shade for plants and animals is helpful as well. I had tomato plants that survived an entire summer under a sun shade material. The direct sun just seems to be to intense for any plant that is labeled for direct sun. Short of the succulents and cacti, afternoon shade gives plants a much better chance of survival. The sun gets to be too intense for the horses as well. We currently have not put our shades in the horse pastures, so the horses come in for the day and out at night. That is, until the mosquitoes get to be so bad that the horses have to be in at night also. I will rotate them out for a few hours in the early morning and evening and in during the heat and mosquito feeding times.
Lifestyle changes are also in order to get through the desert summer. Outdoor chores really need to be done at sun up and sun down. I understand how the "siesta" came into being. You get up extra early, nap in the heat of the day, and stay up late finishing the day. Unfortunately, there are things that have to be done in the heat of the day, so I have yet to accomplish a "siesta" schedule. The other problem with this schedule is that it is also the mosquitoes' schedule. So clothing to protect from the biting pests becomes a necessity. I dress in Donald's old jeans with a long sleeve shirt buttoned to the neck and down to the wrists. Socks (not ankle-socks but crew or something that covers the ankles) with closed-toe shoes prevent the nasty bites on the feet. I always regret the attempt to dash out in flip flops to do something quickly. I always end up with nasty bites that are quite embarrassing when I'm in public with sandals!
Domestic chores have to be modified to keep the house cool. The use of appliances such as the dishwasher, oven or dryer really need to be during the night. Trying to cook or bake in the summer is miserable! If wash requires cold water, you're just out of luck until late fall when the night time temperatures cool enough to cool the water in the water lines. We now officially have warm or hot water from the water lines only. Cool water has to be cooled in the fridge. Showering requires the cold dial only, because if you add the hot dial, you will burn yourself. And that is coming from someone that likes HOT showers.
I am very thankful that we have an air conditioned cab in our tractor. This allows us to do fieldwork anytime of the day if necessary. Occasionally, I will use the little red tractor that is an open cab for raking or other ranch work in the summer. I have to do it at dawn though, and I have driven with a can of mosquito spray, spraying as I ride through the fields. I set the tractor at the highest speed possible to get the job done without throwing the hay into the next field, just to outrun the mosquitos and create a breeze. I much prefer the John Deere.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Visit to Polyface, Inc in Virginia
We returned from our trip to the east coast. While we were there Donald and I visited the Polyface Farm in Virginia. We spent the morning hiking around the farm, studying the chicken trailers, hog hangouts, broiler rotations, cattle clean up, and poultry butchering station. We talked with several people working on the farm as interns. Matt was spending a year at Polyface learning about the sustainable methods of farming in order to eventually run his own place to provide food for his own future restaurant. He'll spend next year in New England at another farm.
The poultry are all grassfed with lay mash for the layers. They hang out in a fenced in area with a large shelter that is moved every three days, guarded by a Great Pyrenese. The shelter provides the obvious shelter, but also numerous nesting boxes. The shelter is set upon a frame like a sled that makes it mobile. There are also numerous low boxes with 3/4 sheltered, 1/4 wire-topped, that house the broilers, located over another hill. These are moved daily. The manure is high in nitrogen and the constant relocation provides fertilizer for the fields. The cattle were previously located in these fields, evident by the cow pies, from which the birds eat the bugs. Closer to the farmhouse there are several large laying hen barns as well.
The hogs were up over another hill in the woods. We were told that they were there to eat the tubers/roots, and were munching on branches when we visited. The cattle were located around a cluster of outbuildings and we were told that they were "cleaning up." Indeed they were. They were chewing through the weeds that had grown up from the spring rains. We appreciated the fact that the cattle were provided with 24 hour grazing opportunity, so that lying down in the grass, chewing their cud was not thought of as a waste of good grazing time. Grass is plentiful.
We watched the butchering station for a while and talked to a visiting family (ironically from Prescott, AZ) that were helping. They butchered 350 birds that morning and were preparing to cut up many into pieces for sale. A large majority are sold as whole birds, but the pieces drew a larger price for the additional labor.
We are planning on starting some meat poultry during the winter months this coming season. We will attempt to replicate some of the methods that are implemented at Polyface Farms. We will work on a much smaller scale to begin, really just wanting to provide for our family and friends initially. I am curious to see what Salatins' from Polyface think of the Freedom Ranger chickens that they are now just raising.
I chatted with a beef rancher at the Casa Grande Farmers' Market about his farm and our visit to Polyface. He was very excited to hear about it as they will add poultry to their processing this coming year as well. He was familiar with the Freedom Rangers and interested in alternatives to the Cornish Cross commonly raised here for the breast meat. I will have to look into these birds as an option. Emma is opposed to raising most of the birds for meat, but told me that at least the Cornish cross are doomed anyway. They grow too large for their frame and if were not butchered, they would not enjoy a long life anyway because of their mutated size. I appreciated that perspective.
All the trees, grapes and blackberries were mulched this morning. It looks like we will be at 100 degrees very soon. The mosquitoes are terrible already. I contacted the company that manufactures Altosid for information on application rates. I will continue to research mosquito eradication for the rest of my life it seems.
The poultry are all grassfed with lay mash for the layers. They hang out in a fenced in area with a large shelter that is moved every three days, guarded by a Great Pyrenese. The shelter provides the obvious shelter, but also numerous nesting boxes. The shelter is set upon a frame like a sled that makes it mobile. There are also numerous low boxes with 3/4 sheltered, 1/4 wire-topped, that house the broilers, located over another hill. These are moved daily. The manure is high in nitrogen and the constant relocation provides fertilizer for the fields. The cattle were previously located in these fields, evident by the cow pies, from which the birds eat the bugs. Closer to the farmhouse there are several large laying hen barns as well.
The hogs were up over another hill in the woods. We were told that they were there to eat the tubers/roots, and were munching on branches when we visited. The cattle were located around a cluster of outbuildings and we were told that they were "cleaning up." Indeed they were. They were chewing through the weeds that had grown up from the spring rains. We appreciated the fact that the cattle were provided with 24 hour grazing opportunity, so that lying down in the grass, chewing their cud was not thought of as a waste of good grazing time. Grass is plentiful.
We watched the butchering station for a while and talked to a visiting family (ironically from Prescott, AZ) that were helping. They butchered 350 birds that morning and were preparing to cut up many into pieces for sale. A large majority are sold as whole birds, but the pieces drew a larger price for the additional labor.
We are planning on starting some meat poultry during the winter months this coming season. We will attempt to replicate some of the methods that are implemented at Polyface Farms. We will work on a much smaller scale to begin, really just wanting to provide for our family and friends initially. I am curious to see what Salatins' from Polyface think of the Freedom Ranger chickens that they are now just raising.
I chatted with a beef rancher at the Casa Grande Farmers' Market about his farm and our visit to Polyface. He was very excited to hear about it as they will add poultry to their processing this coming year as well. He was familiar with the Freedom Rangers and interested in alternatives to the Cornish Cross commonly raised here for the breast meat. I will have to look into these birds as an option. Emma is opposed to raising most of the birds for meat, but told me that at least the Cornish cross are doomed anyway. They grow too large for their frame and if were not butchered, they would not enjoy a long life anyway because of their mutated size. I appreciated that perspective.
All the trees, grapes and blackberries were mulched this morning. It looks like we will be at 100 degrees very soon. The mosquitoes are terrible already. I contacted the company that manufactures Altosid for information on application rates. I will continue to research mosquito eradication for the rest of my life it seems.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Prison Follow Up
Wonderful news today. The private prison company has withdrawn its proposal for the Casa Grande site. People came together and worked to spread the news and generate community support. The local businesses that would have suffered if the proposal went forward, were instrumental in organizing and providing support for our efforts. It is very satisfying to see the power of the people have an effect.
I started a Facebook Group, NO PRISONS in Casa Grande, AZ that allowed people to post relevant information regarding the opposition to the proposal. I posted all the links I could find regarding the private company and its business relationships in other parts of the world, Letters to the Editor from local papers, and meeting notices to gather everyone to organize. I had never created a "group" on Facebook, so I learned a lot during the process. We ended up with almost 200 members in just a short period of time.
It looks like the company had other sites that they were also pursuing and will put their bid in with another city. My condolences.
I started a Facebook Group, NO PRISONS in Casa Grande, AZ that allowed people to post relevant information regarding the opposition to the proposal. I posted all the links I could find regarding the private company and its business relationships in other parts of the world, Letters to the Editor from local papers, and meeting notices to gather everyone to organize. I had never created a "group" on Facebook, so I learned a lot during the process. We ended up with almost 200 members in just a short period of time.
It looks like the company had other sites that they were also pursuing and will put their bid in with another city. My condolences.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Busy Spring
Various activities are in progress around the ranch. Plan B on the tree watering trench was implemented. Plan B was to add water lines with drip heads to water in between the pasture irrigations. My trench slope only allowed the water to travel about half way down the perimeter line of trees. We'll probably have to create a reservoir and add a pump to get the water to travel as far as needed.
I planted a pomegranate tree, one lemon tree, and three blackberry vines. We have an area that we have devoted to the "orchard." This is to the west of the garden area. Currently, around the chicken yard (south of the garden area), we have chain link fencing to keep the predators away from the "ladies." I have always found chain link visually unappealing. So I planted grapevines last season to grow up and cover the fencing. The black berries are now planted in between the grapes to add to the eventually fence cover. We have a long way to go, but they are doing well so far.
Recently, in our attempts to create an easier maintenance schedule for the care of the ranch, we have started to install divided chicken runs. Emma has been very busy hatching and raising her new generations of Black Orpington bantams, Bourbon Red turkeys, White Call ducks, and Black Crested White Polish chickens. Now it is necessary to separate them. We will add six narrow runs with one roof over them. The back side of the shelter will be situated so as to allow us to remove a section of the chain link material. The grapes and black berry vines will be trained to cover this wall and provide some cooling effect as well.
Donald has been spending all of his spare time doing maintenance on the tractors and implements. Changing filters takes an entire afternoon, as there are so many on one tractor. The expense of hydralic oils, engine oils and filters (fuel, air, hydralic, A/C) is high. This is something that really has to be monitored for the annual budget. We will probably have to have the knives sharpened on the baler this year. The baling string that ties the hay bales together is knotted and then cut by the baler. We work with a two string baler so the knives get a good deal of work in a season. The knotters are greased after every cutting. After all the oil changing, the oil has to be contained and transported to a location that recycles used oil. Finding containers that are manageable to do this is a whole other project. The pickup truck is next in line for care.
For identification purposes, we have labeled our fields as 1A and 1B (approximately 2.5 acres each) which are the pastures for the horses to graze, 2A and 2B (10 acres each) where 2A is currently not planted and 2B has the original Bermuda from the previous owner, 3A and 3B (10 acres each) both of which were planted with a giant Bermuda last season, and finally 4A and 4B (10 acres each) which will be planted in the next month or so with giant Bermuda. The giant Bermuda grows taller but maintains a leafy length, as opposed to some varieties that grow tall but develop a stalk on the undergrowth, limiting the nutritious leaf for the hay.
I discovered that all of my Bougainvilla plants did not survive the winter freeze this year. I am very disappointed as they looked so nice in front of the property last fall. The early December freeze was the culprit and I was unaware until it was too late to help them. Live and learn. I really want to replace them for they are very hardy once they are established. I will have to think on that.
The trees are all green now and the winter weeds are turning brown already. I've seen at least six rattlesnakes this spring. Our Great Pyrenese warned us of the one that had made its way to the foundation of the house. The fear that one of the dogs will get bit is on-going for me. Donald takes the rattle snakes with a rake or fork and puts them into a tall barrel and drives them away to relocate them. I am of the mind to just chop them, but Donald has always had a great admiration for all things herpetological, so I respect that. He tells me if the snakes are coming it is because there are rodents to eat. I have become a great fan of the King snake. After watching one eat a Side-Winder rattler in my barn, they are always welcome. We have several that live around the property and I am protective of them. They will eat the young rattlesnakes and that is just fine with me.
It won't be long and the opportunity to open windows at night will be long gone. I am enjoying the refreshing mornings. The mean little biting gnats have had their meals on the horse's ears, but seem to have run their course. We haven't officially broken 100 degrees yet, which is unusual. The first part of May generally brings the triple digits, so I am thankful.
I planted a pomegranate tree, one lemon tree, and three blackberry vines. We have an area that we have devoted to the "orchard." This is to the west of the garden area. Currently, around the chicken yard (south of the garden area), we have chain link fencing to keep the predators away from the "ladies." I have always found chain link visually unappealing. So I planted grapevines last season to grow up and cover the fencing. The black berries are now planted in between the grapes to add to the eventually fence cover. We have a long way to go, but they are doing well so far.
Recently, in our attempts to create an easier maintenance schedule for the care of the ranch, we have started to install divided chicken runs. Emma has been very busy hatching and raising her new generations of Black Orpington bantams, Bourbon Red turkeys, White Call ducks, and Black Crested White Polish chickens. Now it is necessary to separate them. We will add six narrow runs with one roof over them. The back side of the shelter will be situated so as to allow us to remove a section of the chain link material. The grapes and black berry vines will be trained to cover this wall and provide some cooling effect as well.
Donald has been spending all of his spare time doing maintenance on the tractors and implements. Changing filters takes an entire afternoon, as there are so many on one tractor. The expense of hydralic oils, engine oils and filters (fuel, air, hydralic, A/C) is high. This is something that really has to be monitored for the annual budget. We will probably have to have the knives sharpened on the baler this year. The baling string that ties the hay bales together is knotted and then cut by the baler. We work with a two string baler so the knives get a good deal of work in a season. The knotters are greased after every cutting. After all the oil changing, the oil has to be contained and transported to a location that recycles used oil. Finding containers that are manageable to do this is a whole other project. The pickup truck is next in line for care.
For identification purposes, we have labeled our fields as 1A and 1B (approximately 2.5 acres each) which are the pastures for the horses to graze, 2A and 2B (10 acres each) where 2A is currently not planted and 2B has the original Bermuda from the previous owner, 3A and 3B (10 acres each) both of which were planted with a giant Bermuda last season, and finally 4A and 4B (10 acres each) which will be planted in the next month or so with giant Bermuda. The giant Bermuda grows taller but maintains a leafy length, as opposed to some varieties that grow tall but develop a stalk on the undergrowth, limiting the nutritious leaf for the hay.
I discovered that all of my Bougainvilla plants did not survive the winter freeze this year. I am very disappointed as they looked so nice in front of the property last fall. The early December freeze was the culprit and I was unaware until it was too late to help them. Live and learn. I really want to replace them for they are very hardy once they are established. I will have to think on that.
The trees are all green now and the winter weeds are turning brown already. I've seen at least six rattlesnakes this spring. Our Great Pyrenese warned us of the one that had made its way to the foundation of the house. The fear that one of the dogs will get bit is on-going for me. Donald takes the rattle snakes with a rake or fork and puts them into a tall barrel and drives them away to relocate them. I am of the mind to just chop them, but Donald has always had a great admiration for all things herpetological, so I respect that. He tells me if the snakes are coming it is because there are rodents to eat. I have become a great fan of the King snake. After watching one eat a Side-Winder rattler in my barn, they are always welcome. We have several that live around the property and I am protective of them. They will eat the young rattlesnakes and that is just fine with me.
It won't be long and the opportunity to open windows at night will be long gone. I am enjoying the refreshing mornings. The mean little biting gnats have had their meals on the horse's ears, but seem to have run their course. We haven't officially broken 100 degrees yet, which is unusual. The first part of May generally brings the triple digits, so I am thankful.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Irrigation
One of the most important jobs when growing grass for hay is irrigation. Through trial and error our irrigation process has evolved. When we first arrived at the property in 2004, we made a visit to the local irrigation office. The Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District (MSIDD) is the group that organizes the distribution of irrigation water from the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal system to us and our neighbors. This CAP started many years ago and the repayment for the project to the federal government by the state was based on the projected price of cotton many years in advance. The state owed the feds for the construction of the canal system and the details have elluded me despite some shallow investigation. "Desert Cadillac" is a book about the wheelings and dealings of the possession of water in the southwest. Water is like gold to people in the desert.
We made a deposit to MSIDD so that we could order water to irrigate our fields. We call at least 24 hours in advance to schedule the amount of water, approximate time duration, and to what water box it should flow through. In 2004 the cost of water was $21.00 per acre foot. That is a foot of water on an acre of land. The water box houses a meter which tells us the flow rate of the water and a numerical reading that informs us of the total acre feet that runs through to our fields.
The guys that drive all over the district monitoring the meters and starting and stopping water, start their day at 7:00am and make it back to the office by 3:00pm. If you need anything done after hours it will cost us $50.00. The start of our water is delayed by the amount of time it takes for the guys to drive from the office to our water box and the shut off is early enough to give them time to get back to the office by 3:00pm. That means that we have between 8:00am and 2:30pm to get assistance. We have to have their personnel open and close the gate for our water or adjust it to increase or decrease the flow rate. That is the rule, and the big padlock on the chain on the wheel that opens and closes the gate enforces that rule.
Before we could begin watering we had to do some modifications to our ditch that runs from east to west at the southern end of our fields. The previous owner had applied for a grant through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to have the ditches (previously dirt) converted to concrete ditches. To make a long story short, the contractor did not do an acceptable job in the opinion of NRCS and told the previous owner not to accept the work. The previous owner told NRCS that he would accept the work, took the check and then told the contractor that he didn't accept the work and wouldn't pay them. So he stole the money. As a result, we can not get any further assistance with the ditches and they are very thin in places and crack easily. We spent time mending cracks and knocked out pre-cut circles in the ditch to attach corrugated pipe to direct the water into the fields at three points on each field. This required hauling a trailer with a generator, concrete mixer, and water in a barrel (gravity fed) to install these. The project seemed endless, but we finally got all but two ports complete. The two remaining port holes are on a field that we have not at this point planted. Donald also spent a great deal of time and energy hand shoveling the ditches of accumulated silt and debris. This has to be done regularly to keep the ditches clear to handle thewater volume, otherwise the water will overflow.
When we started we asked lots of questions about how much water we should expect to use for our fields from local farmers. The advice was to call for shut off when the water reaches 2/3 of the way down the field. Each of our fields are 1/4 of a mile long. The meter measures the amount of water used to calculate our bill. Our very first irrigation was a family affair. We all waited excitedly for the water to make its way down the ditch. Our yellow Lab, Star, was present and made the best of the experience. We even videotaped the "irrigation celebration."
Through the years we have made some changes to our irrigation process. When the mosquitoes hit mid-summer in swarms so thick, the horses had to be put in the barn to prevent them from hurting themselves in their frantic runs to get away from the pests. It was miserable, and we all still dread mosquito season. In attempts to at least minimize the mosquitoes, and decrease water usage (as the price has gradually increased to $45.00 per acre foot by 2009), we began working with calculations of acre feet of water per field. We now take a meter reading and switch water to the next field when the prescribed acre footage has been sent to a field. So at this time we water our 10 acre fields with approximately 1.5 to 2 acre feet per field each irrigation session. This helps to minimize the standing water. Of course, insects have become very adapted to the infrequent rain fall of the desert and complete full life cycles within days when water becomes available. So we still have a mosquito issue, but it certainly is not as bad as when we took the advice of the locals, waiting for 2/3 of the field to be covered.
We have investigated non-toxic products to add to the water in attempts to eradicate the mosquitoes, but haven't found anything that works with our ditch system as of yet. If there is anything that would drive me from this lifestyle it would be the mosquitoes. I just can't tolerate them myself, let alone the severe irritation they are to our animals, and the fear of West Nile disease. We have two Mosquito Magnets running all season long and the horses wear flysheets and fly/mosquito spray. Each horse stall has their own sprayer misting fly repellant intermittently throughout the day and night. As soon as the sun starts to go down, we go inside and don't come out until daybreak through the summer season. The grasses are full of mosquitoes looking for cooler hiding places, so that the horses' noses are covered with mosquitoes while the graze. They have blood spots all over their bodies from smashing blood-filled mosquitoes with their noses.
We receive a monthly statement from MSIDD which informs us of our usage and the balance. We must maintain money in the balance in order to receive water. There are mistakes that appear at times, so it is very important to keep accurate records of the meter readings to compare to the statements. We currently have four land owners that share the leg off of the canal in which the same water box provides the meter readings. It is manageable at this point because for the most part we are able to communicate when we are planning to water and coordinate any "handing off" of the water. I always will call into the dispatcher to make them aware of the meter readings and time at which any exchange from us to another or vice versa occurs. In the future as we increase the number of users on the ditch, it will be necessary to start our own group with a designated water master to coordinate water assignments with the locals and MSIDD. We still haven't gotten too far with this project, probably because we know it involves a great deal of research and clarifying the legal ramifications of the responsibility.
One of the on-going challenges of the irrigation process, particularily for me, is the tumbleweeds that tumble across the desert and into the ditches. There are points along the ditch that have turns or piping that the debris will get clogged. I try to clear the ditches when they are dry. I am strong enough to toss dry tumbleweeds, but if the wind is blowing them in once the water is in the ditch, I am in for a weight lifting experience. There have been times that a clog has overflowed and I have to fork the compressed debris out as fast as possible, so as not to wash out a roadway or waste gallons of water (that we pay for). I have been in tears struggling to continue pulling debris out, laughing at myself crying in self pity and from the burning pain in my shoulder muscles. See I irrigate during the week when Donald is away at work, and I am on my own to do the job. I am very thankful when there is no wind on an irrigation day.
Another challenge to the ditch system is the gophers that dig from upwards of 50 yards away, up to the concrete ditch. They dig out vacancies below the ditch that make it vulnerable to cracking. Once a crack occurs the water will leak through the gopher's tunnel system to a lone hole yards away, where the water accumulates quickly. The vegetation is always thriving in these areas. We have tried to pour concrete into the holes to fill, but the space is so vast that we discovered that it never fills. We patch cracks now. We also drive heavy equipment next to the ditches in order to crush any pockets that the gophers have dug and to smash the tunnel systems to stop up the water passages.
At this time we have developed a day to day irrigation which allows us to sleep through the night, or a one-nighter that requires us to switch from field to field after approximately 5-6 hours if the flow rate is 5 cfs. The flow rate has to be below 7 cfs or the water will overflow the ditches. At that speed the water can't force itself through the port holes fast enough and will eventually spill over the ditch. We have worked it out so that the 4.5-5 cfs flow rate allows us enough time to water the three planted fields overnight with out requiring the assistance of the irrigation personnel that would cost additional money. This is assuming that they get the cfs set correctly before they leave or that there are no scheduled changes in the night that may increase or decrease the flow rate. Decreases are less of a problem. We just water longer. Increases are a problem. If the water is coming too fast we finish watering before any one is on duty and we have no where to send the additional water.
Today is and irrigation of one of the horse pastures. This field only requires approximately .5 acre feet to irrigate sufficiently. However, today I will be testing the tree watering trench that cuts into the northern or low end of the pasture and feed northward to all of our newly planted trees. I am hoping to use this method of watering so that I can eventually discontinue the process of hauling water from our well in the front loader of the tractor to water each individual tree. I will have to do so until the trees are established and from time to time when the summer temperatures become extreme this first year. Eventually, I would like to add trenches with tree wells around the various horse areas (arenas, roundpens) in order to provide some shade and of course the beauty of trees.
I have to go and close the neighbor's gates so that the water will make its way to our property and dig out a few clumps in my tree trench, so the water will make its way to the trees this morning. Nothing like a little manual labor to start my day.
We made a deposit to MSIDD so that we could order water to irrigate our fields. We call at least 24 hours in advance to schedule the amount of water, approximate time duration, and to what water box it should flow through. In 2004 the cost of water was $21.00 per acre foot. That is a foot of water on an acre of land. The water box houses a meter which tells us the flow rate of the water and a numerical reading that informs us of the total acre feet that runs through to our fields.
The guys that drive all over the district monitoring the meters and starting and stopping water, start their day at 7:00am and make it back to the office by 3:00pm. If you need anything done after hours it will cost us $50.00. The start of our water is delayed by the amount of time it takes for the guys to drive from the office to our water box and the shut off is early enough to give them time to get back to the office by 3:00pm. That means that we have between 8:00am and 2:30pm to get assistance. We have to have their personnel open and close the gate for our water or adjust it to increase or decrease the flow rate. That is the rule, and the big padlock on the chain on the wheel that opens and closes the gate enforces that rule.
Before we could begin watering we had to do some modifications to our ditch that runs from east to west at the southern end of our fields. The previous owner had applied for a grant through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to have the ditches (previously dirt) converted to concrete ditches. To make a long story short, the contractor did not do an acceptable job in the opinion of NRCS and told the previous owner not to accept the work. The previous owner told NRCS that he would accept the work, took the check and then told the contractor that he didn't accept the work and wouldn't pay them. So he stole the money. As a result, we can not get any further assistance with the ditches and they are very thin in places and crack easily. We spent time mending cracks and knocked out pre-cut circles in the ditch to attach corrugated pipe to direct the water into the fields at three points on each field. This required hauling a trailer with a generator, concrete mixer, and water in a barrel (gravity fed) to install these. The project seemed endless, but we finally got all but two ports complete. The two remaining port holes are on a field that we have not at this point planted. Donald also spent a great deal of time and energy hand shoveling the ditches of accumulated silt and debris. This has to be done regularly to keep the ditches clear to handle thewater volume, otherwise the water will overflow.
When we started we asked lots of questions about how much water we should expect to use for our fields from local farmers. The advice was to call for shut off when the water reaches 2/3 of the way down the field. Each of our fields are 1/4 of a mile long. The meter measures the amount of water used to calculate our bill. Our very first irrigation was a family affair. We all waited excitedly for the water to make its way down the ditch. Our yellow Lab, Star, was present and made the best of the experience. We even videotaped the "irrigation celebration."
Through the years we have made some changes to our irrigation process. When the mosquitoes hit mid-summer in swarms so thick, the horses had to be put in the barn to prevent them from hurting themselves in their frantic runs to get away from the pests. It was miserable, and we all still dread mosquito season. In attempts to at least minimize the mosquitoes, and decrease water usage (as the price has gradually increased to $45.00 per acre foot by 2009), we began working with calculations of acre feet of water per field. We now take a meter reading and switch water to the next field when the prescribed acre footage has been sent to a field. So at this time we water our 10 acre fields with approximately 1.5 to 2 acre feet per field each irrigation session. This helps to minimize the standing water. Of course, insects have become very adapted to the infrequent rain fall of the desert and complete full life cycles within days when water becomes available. So we still have a mosquito issue, but it certainly is not as bad as when we took the advice of the locals, waiting for 2/3 of the field to be covered.
We have investigated non-toxic products to add to the water in attempts to eradicate the mosquitoes, but haven't found anything that works with our ditch system as of yet. If there is anything that would drive me from this lifestyle it would be the mosquitoes. I just can't tolerate them myself, let alone the severe irritation they are to our animals, and the fear of West Nile disease. We have two Mosquito Magnets running all season long and the horses wear flysheets and fly/mosquito spray. Each horse stall has their own sprayer misting fly repellant intermittently throughout the day and night. As soon as the sun starts to go down, we go inside and don't come out until daybreak through the summer season. The grasses are full of mosquitoes looking for cooler hiding places, so that the horses' noses are covered with mosquitoes while the graze. They have blood spots all over their bodies from smashing blood-filled mosquitoes with their noses.
We receive a monthly statement from MSIDD which informs us of our usage and the balance. We must maintain money in the balance in order to receive water. There are mistakes that appear at times, so it is very important to keep accurate records of the meter readings to compare to the statements. We currently have four land owners that share the leg off of the canal in which the same water box provides the meter readings. It is manageable at this point because for the most part we are able to communicate when we are planning to water and coordinate any "handing off" of the water. I always will call into the dispatcher to make them aware of the meter readings and time at which any exchange from us to another or vice versa occurs. In the future as we increase the number of users on the ditch, it will be necessary to start our own group with a designated water master to coordinate water assignments with the locals and MSIDD. We still haven't gotten too far with this project, probably because we know it involves a great deal of research and clarifying the legal ramifications of the responsibility.
One of the on-going challenges of the irrigation process, particularily for me, is the tumbleweeds that tumble across the desert and into the ditches. There are points along the ditch that have turns or piping that the debris will get clogged. I try to clear the ditches when they are dry. I am strong enough to toss dry tumbleweeds, but if the wind is blowing them in once the water is in the ditch, I am in for a weight lifting experience. There have been times that a clog has overflowed and I have to fork the compressed debris out as fast as possible, so as not to wash out a roadway or waste gallons of water (that we pay for). I have been in tears struggling to continue pulling debris out, laughing at myself crying in self pity and from the burning pain in my shoulder muscles. See I irrigate during the week when Donald is away at work, and I am on my own to do the job. I am very thankful when there is no wind on an irrigation day.
Another challenge to the ditch system is the gophers that dig from upwards of 50 yards away, up to the concrete ditch. They dig out vacancies below the ditch that make it vulnerable to cracking. Once a crack occurs the water will leak through the gopher's tunnel system to a lone hole yards away, where the water accumulates quickly. The vegetation is always thriving in these areas. We have tried to pour concrete into the holes to fill, but the space is so vast that we discovered that it never fills. We patch cracks now. We also drive heavy equipment next to the ditches in order to crush any pockets that the gophers have dug and to smash the tunnel systems to stop up the water passages.
At this time we have developed a day to day irrigation which allows us to sleep through the night, or a one-nighter that requires us to switch from field to field after approximately 5-6 hours if the flow rate is 5 cfs. The flow rate has to be below 7 cfs or the water will overflow the ditches. At that speed the water can't force itself through the port holes fast enough and will eventually spill over the ditch. We have worked it out so that the 4.5-5 cfs flow rate allows us enough time to water the three planted fields overnight with out requiring the assistance of the irrigation personnel that would cost additional money. This is assuming that they get the cfs set correctly before they leave or that there are no scheduled changes in the night that may increase or decrease the flow rate. Decreases are less of a problem. We just water longer. Increases are a problem. If the water is coming too fast we finish watering before any one is on duty and we have no where to send the additional water.
Today is and irrigation of one of the horse pastures. This field only requires approximately .5 acre feet to irrigate sufficiently. However, today I will be testing the tree watering trench that cuts into the northern or low end of the pasture and feed northward to all of our newly planted trees. I am hoping to use this method of watering so that I can eventually discontinue the process of hauling water from our well in the front loader of the tractor to water each individual tree. I will have to do so until the trees are established and from time to time when the summer temperatures become extreme this first year. Eventually, I would like to add trenches with tree wells around the various horse areas (arenas, roundpens) in order to provide some shade and of course the beauty of trees.
I have to go and close the neighbor's gates so that the water will make its way to our property and dig out a few clumps in my tree trench, so the water will make its way to the trees this morning. Nothing like a little manual labor to start my day.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Balancing Ranch, Family, and Community
Lately I have been very busy with the challenges of juggling the various tasks and obligations of the demands of the ranch, family schedules, and concerns regarding the developing community. We have two daughters that have their areas of interest. Many require lengthy drives to get to scheduled classes, lessons, or activities. As we are situated out of the limits of the nearest city, Casa Grande, even simple tasks such as grocery shopping require at least 45 minutes driving round trip. When there is a trip to town planned, it is just that "planned." Every errand is coordinated with the mental map drawn out, so as to mark everything on the list. When we are going to the "city," that is further north in the valley, coolers are packed to take advantage of the markets that are currently unavailable in Casa Grande. It becomes a race around the city to accomplish all the errands before a class or lesson is over. I use my Blackberry task list to organize the errands, with accompanying alarms, so that I am urged forward to the next, for time is running out and then "Ding" time to pick someone up and go back to the ranch.
The day to day chores of the ranch generally have become automated. The care and feeding of the animals is a pretty set routine that we take for granted now that we have worked out all the kinks, making it all flow without any real disruptions. I suppose the dogs are the ones that require the attention to detail. We have acquired several dogs that have been abandoned in the desert. One adopted us after realizing there was usually someone or something here at all times to keep him company. His name is Bear and he is truly a desert survivor. He must be upwards of ten years of age at this point. I will be supplementing his diet with some glucosamine, as his hips seem to be giving him trouble these days. We have two Great Pyrenese/Border Collie mixes. They were abandoned by the guys managing the sheep at one of the fields several miles away. I suppose the fact that the pups were crosses was enough of a reason to leave them behind. The pups had a rough start and have a tendency to be too aggressive for my comfort, but we intended on them to be our "security patrol." We had both the Pyrenese, Titan and Zeus, neutered to avoid complicating the dynamics of our "pack." I can't imagine how aggressive they would have been if they had remained "fully intact." Their aggression is directed at other dogs, but they do their job alerting us when something or someone is skirting our property. They have worked out a heirarchy within our "pack." Fearing for Bear's safety, he has been banished from the immediate area surrounding the house, staying outside the fence. Zeus is the alpha male, often putting Titan in his place. It is disturbing to all of us to have to witness these battles, but interfering only makes it more aggressive and longer lasting. Over time Zeus seems to have developed a specific posturing that signals his dominance, standing rigid with his long tail curled around the back of Titan, growling momentarily, until he is assured that Titan understands his place once again, avoiding the snapping teeth and all-out fights.
As a result of this continual heirarchal battle, care and delicacy is required at feeding time. These dogs all know that the humans are the real leaders and have been through all of the training establishing this fact. We can take away their food at anytime during their meal or make them sit and wait until given the release to eat. But we have learned that the easiest way to get through their meal time is to physically seperate them. The release back into their territory must be done in a certain order as well to prevent any squirmishes.
So why do I acknowledge these conflicts? When it comes time for the family to make a trip away from the ranch, it is necessary to find someone to take over these chores. We have never done this in all the years that we have been here. When we traveled to the John Day ranch, we hauled all the animals with us, even the rabbit that we had at the time. But once we invested in the Bermuda fields in Casa Grande, we were required to be here through out the summer growing season. As we accepted our long summers in Casa Grande, we accumulated more and more animals and chores to go along with them through the years. As I have said, we have a comfortable routine that any one of us is capable of doing if it falls to our charge. But to ask someone else to step in conjures images of training sessions to review the processes and procedures, making the temptation to leave someone behind if travel is required, very appealing.
And so we have continued now for the last six years that we have resided on the ranch, always having a family member present. But the time has come to make a family trip back to Maryland. Donald's mom has passed away and it is time for all of us to return to the east. We have not been there together since 2000. The girls were just little toddlers really. To make the trip, Erin will have to miss a couple days of school, and Emma will miss a couple rehearsals for Les Sylphides, a community service obligation, and piano lessons.
It is so tempting to bail out and stay home, sending the rest of the family off to Maryland. But it has to be done at some time, so I have begun to pre-plan. We have to consider the irrigation schedule. In order to keep the fields alive, the irrigation schedule has to be manipulated so that the fields will not require watering while we are away. The irrigation of the horse pasture must be planned so that both sides of the divided pasture are dry enough for the horses to be turned out while we are gone, but not so dry that we lose the pasture. Refilling water and visual inspections of the horses would be necessary. If the fields aren't dry enough then the horses have to stay in the barn, requiring hay feeding twice daily and stall mucking. I would like to make less work for someone, so that we are not imposing as much. Of course, if we actually were to get rain while we were away, then the horses would be in the barn requiring more attention anyway. All the trees will have to be watered in advance.
The dogs feeding procedures will have to be reviewed and demonstrated, so as to prevent our care giver from running away in fright after a dog fight breaks out. The little Chihuahua will stay with Grammy giving them both some companionship and hopefully not too much inconvenience for Grammy. The Lab will inhabit the house for the most part, but letting her out to do her business requires the containment of the big boys from the yard, so that she is not bothered by the youngsters. Star the Lab is pushing twelve years and really can't take the enthusiasm the pups (over a year now, but Star can literally walk under their bellies). She adds the additional challenge of being allergic to just about everything and requires a special diet and monitoring.
The poultry shouldn't be too much of a problem. Collecting their eggs, feeding and watering, along with turning on and off their misters to survive the heat of the day should cover their requirements. Although, Emma has a huge new flock of ducklings and chicks that will all need special attention. I am going to have to convince Emma not to put any more eggs into her incubator that would have a hatch date while we would be away. That will be hard for her to agree to, since she is having a very successful hatching season with some rather difficult birds to hatch. The Emu is intimidating and will also require training and demonstration for the feeding and watering. I am always leary of that giant, inquisitive bird. I always feel like Pebbles the Emu would really like to take a peck at one of my eyes. We joke that one must wear goggles, gloves, and males must wear an athletic cup, when entering her pen. She is curious and attempts to peck jewelry, freckles, and logos on your shirt.
I have contacted the president of our local 4-H club to manage the ranch while we're gone. If she can confirm, I will feel much better about leaving, as she has had a great deal of experience with animals. She has raised lambs too, so my new Jacobs would be in good hands. With technology today, she can call or text if there is a problem. So the pre-planning and set up for the ranch is on the agenda for the next three and half weeks.
In the meantime, the proposal for the prison is still being debated and will be presented to the council during the time we will be gone. Opposition to this prison is extremely important to our family and ranch business, so missing the first official presentation is a little frightening. Not that I personally can stop the proposal, but I have done a lot of research on the company making the proposal and they are not impressive. I will have to share this with others that will speak at the meeting, so that this company's indiscretions are fully revealed. I will have to trust others to be articulate and thorough.
Leaving for even a short time will require a great deal of work in advance to make things run smoothly. There are always those unpredictable disasters that can destroy even the best laid plans. I suppose I should have instructions for what to do if the well stops functioning. The air conditioning could go out on us, leaving poor Star in the heat after being pampered with cool temperatures indoors for the last eleven summer seasons. I better find a number for a repairman for that as well. The utility company's number will be necessary for power outages. Those happen randomly out here in the desert. I'll have to leave Bear to ward off the coyotes. In addition, I will have to convince myself to let things go into the hands of others for the week. Now that may be the biggest challenge of all.
The day to day chores of the ranch generally have become automated. The care and feeding of the animals is a pretty set routine that we take for granted now that we have worked out all the kinks, making it all flow without any real disruptions. I suppose the dogs are the ones that require the attention to detail. We have acquired several dogs that have been abandoned in the desert. One adopted us after realizing there was usually someone or something here at all times to keep him company. His name is Bear and he is truly a desert survivor. He must be upwards of ten years of age at this point. I will be supplementing his diet with some glucosamine, as his hips seem to be giving him trouble these days. We have two Great Pyrenese/Border Collie mixes. They were abandoned by the guys managing the sheep at one of the fields several miles away. I suppose the fact that the pups were crosses was enough of a reason to leave them behind. The pups had a rough start and have a tendency to be too aggressive for my comfort, but we intended on them to be our "security patrol." We had both the Pyrenese, Titan and Zeus, neutered to avoid complicating the dynamics of our "pack." I can't imagine how aggressive they would have been if they had remained "fully intact." Their aggression is directed at other dogs, but they do their job alerting us when something or someone is skirting our property. They have worked out a heirarchy within our "pack." Fearing for Bear's safety, he has been banished from the immediate area surrounding the house, staying outside the fence. Zeus is the alpha male, often putting Titan in his place. It is disturbing to all of us to have to witness these battles, but interfering only makes it more aggressive and longer lasting. Over time Zeus seems to have developed a specific posturing that signals his dominance, standing rigid with his long tail curled around the back of Titan, growling momentarily, until he is assured that Titan understands his place once again, avoiding the snapping teeth and all-out fights.
As a result of this continual heirarchal battle, care and delicacy is required at feeding time. These dogs all know that the humans are the real leaders and have been through all of the training establishing this fact. We can take away their food at anytime during their meal or make them sit and wait until given the release to eat. But we have learned that the easiest way to get through their meal time is to physically seperate them. The release back into their territory must be done in a certain order as well to prevent any squirmishes.
So why do I acknowledge these conflicts? When it comes time for the family to make a trip away from the ranch, it is necessary to find someone to take over these chores. We have never done this in all the years that we have been here. When we traveled to the John Day ranch, we hauled all the animals with us, even the rabbit that we had at the time. But once we invested in the Bermuda fields in Casa Grande, we were required to be here through out the summer growing season. As we accepted our long summers in Casa Grande, we accumulated more and more animals and chores to go along with them through the years. As I have said, we have a comfortable routine that any one of us is capable of doing if it falls to our charge. But to ask someone else to step in conjures images of training sessions to review the processes and procedures, making the temptation to leave someone behind if travel is required, very appealing.
And so we have continued now for the last six years that we have resided on the ranch, always having a family member present. But the time has come to make a family trip back to Maryland. Donald's mom has passed away and it is time for all of us to return to the east. We have not been there together since 2000. The girls were just little toddlers really. To make the trip, Erin will have to miss a couple days of school, and Emma will miss a couple rehearsals for Les Sylphides, a community service obligation, and piano lessons.
It is so tempting to bail out and stay home, sending the rest of the family off to Maryland. But it has to be done at some time, so I have begun to pre-plan. We have to consider the irrigation schedule. In order to keep the fields alive, the irrigation schedule has to be manipulated so that the fields will not require watering while we are away. The irrigation of the horse pasture must be planned so that both sides of the divided pasture are dry enough for the horses to be turned out while we are gone, but not so dry that we lose the pasture. Refilling water and visual inspections of the horses would be necessary. If the fields aren't dry enough then the horses have to stay in the barn, requiring hay feeding twice daily and stall mucking. I would like to make less work for someone, so that we are not imposing as much. Of course, if we actually were to get rain while we were away, then the horses would be in the barn requiring more attention anyway. All the trees will have to be watered in advance.
The dogs feeding procedures will have to be reviewed and demonstrated, so as to prevent our care giver from running away in fright after a dog fight breaks out. The little Chihuahua will stay with Grammy giving them both some companionship and hopefully not too much inconvenience for Grammy. The Lab will inhabit the house for the most part, but letting her out to do her business requires the containment of the big boys from the yard, so that she is not bothered by the youngsters. Star the Lab is pushing twelve years and really can't take the enthusiasm the pups (over a year now, but Star can literally walk under their bellies). She adds the additional challenge of being allergic to just about everything and requires a special diet and monitoring.
The poultry shouldn't be too much of a problem. Collecting their eggs, feeding and watering, along with turning on and off their misters to survive the heat of the day should cover their requirements. Although, Emma has a huge new flock of ducklings and chicks that will all need special attention. I am going to have to convince Emma not to put any more eggs into her incubator that would have a hatch date while we would be away. That will be hard for her to agree to, since she is having a very successful hatching season with some rather difficult birds to hatch. The Emu is intimidating and will also require training and demonstration for the feeding and watering. I am always leary of that giant, inquisitive bird. I always feel like Pebbles the Emu would really like to take a peck at one of my eyes. We joke that one must wear goggles, gloves, and males must wear an athletic cup, when entering her pen. She is curious and attempts to peck jewelry, freckles, and logos on your shirt.
I have contacted the president of our local 4-H club to manage the ranch while we're gone. If she can confirm, I will feel much better about leaving, as she has had a great deal of experience with animals. She has raised lambs too, so my new Jacobs would be in good hands. With technology today, she can call or text if there is a problem. So the pre-planning and set up for the ranch is on the agenda for the next three and half weeks.
In the meantime, the proposal for the prison is still being debated and will be presented to the council during the time we will be gone. Opposition to this prison is extremely important to our family and ranch business, so missing the first official presentation is a little frightening. Not that I personally can stop the proposal, but I have done a lot of research on the company making the proposal and they are not impressive. I will have to share this with others that will speak at the meeting, so that this company's indiscretions are fully revealed. I will have to trust others to be articulate and thorough.
Leaving for even a short time will require a great deal of work in advance to make things run smoothly. There are always those unpredictable disasters that can destroy even the best laid plans. I suppose I should have instructions for what to do if the well stops functioning. The air conditioning could go out on us, leaving poor Star in the heat after being pampered with cool temperatures indoors for the last eleven summer seasons. I better find a number for a repairman for that as well. The utility company's number will be necessary for power outages. Those happen randomly out here in the desert. I'll have to leave Bear to ward off the coyotes. In addition, I will have to convince myself to let things go into the hands of others for the week. Now that may be the biggest challenge of all.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Raising Our Own Meals
Yesterday I spent several hours driving to New River, AZ to pick up two lambs. These are Jacob sheep (I posted a link for more information about this breed). I decided to get this particular breed because of its smaller size and desirable meat product. Yes, these are for next year's processing. I am told that the fat deposits along the breast bone on these lambs, so that it is in demand with the gourmet restaurants for their menus.
The girls are definitely giving me a hard time about the idea of taking these animals to process (I have a hard time saying slaughter) next year. They really aren't on board with the idea. Although, they have both raised hogs that they have sold at auction with the 4-H. Of course, those porkers didn't end up on our table. This is a test for me as well. I have to admit baby animals are so cute and cuddly, it is hard to believe I will be willing to haul them down to the University of Arizona's meat lab next year.
We have been trying to get started on raising more and more of our own food. The livestock for the meat and our garden for the veggies. We even have plans for a mini-orchard. One of the first issues with the livestock is housing them in secure pens. That takes extra labor and we have a list of priority items that are directly related to generating an income for the ranch that are at the top of the list. Food is for the family.
The other consideration is where to put the meat. We don't have a freezer for this and always seem to have other expenses that have prevented this purchase in the past. I figured that starting with a smaller animal would be a good training tool for the entire experience. Hence the lambs. I am told that when these animals are "dressed out" they end up only being about 40 lbs of meat. I imagine that now that we have them, the freezer will become a little more important as the time comes and we'll make the purchase.
I have taken over the girls' 4-H hog pen with our new lambs, so a new pen for the lambs will be in order come fall. We have a design for a line of livestock pens with a large turn out run for their exercise. We just have to find the time to get it built. It will need to house the lambs, an Emu and a hog or two.
Donald wants to raise a hog for our freezer next fall. The girls have had their hogs through the winter months and that has been manageable. As the weather heats up it is very difficult to keep the hogs from stressing, so processing in the spring eliminates that difficulty.
Another idea in the works will be meat poultry. This isn't going over too well with Emma, as she has names for all her chickens and spends a good amount of time getting to know them. So my meat flock will have to be seperate from our egg layers and her show birds. What I would like to do is have a mobile pen that would be placed in the pasture for the chickens to graze, relocating as necessary. I'd like to try grass fed as we have a good deal available. I have talked with Emma about what type of birds would be best for my project. She recommended the Jersey Giant, but then conceded that the Cornish Rock cross would probably be best for her soft heart. This cross is a "fast grow" and she figures that they can't survive their own bodies weight gain, so they would die anyway, so she could accept that as opposed to a chicken that could potentially have a long life. Of course, it may be a ploy on her part to put an end to my meat poultry project altogether considering my Thanksgiving turkey experience.
I raised a Broad-Breasted White turkey for our holiday meal last year. I went to the neighbor's day-before-Thanksgiving gathering to learn how to butcher and clean turkeys and ended up with an extremely large bird for our feast (no roasting pan large enough, even with the oven racks removed). To sum it up, it was a disaster. The meat could only be described as turkey jerky. I ended up throwing it in the trash, not even feeding it to the dogs. Emma warned me that the mutant birds bred for fast growth weren't the way to go. Perhaps she is thinking that I will have a similar experience with the chickens and give up.
As I build my courage and we build the fencing, we will eventually move up in size to the steer. The realities of an animal that size take some serious considerations. Hauling isn't so hard when it is a calf, but when it is full grown it has to be hauled in the horse trailer. Getting a full grown steer into a trailer may be easy for the experienced, but I will practice with the reduced-size experience of the lambs first. The hogs haven't been so bad, because the girls have spent time walking their pigs around the property. They have to do this so they can participate in the Showmanship classes at the county fair. It also builds the muscles so that the hog is a better meat product in the end. Honestly, the size of a steer is intimidating to me. I was always fascinated that my mother's favorite animal was a cow knowing that she is afraid of our horses. I have a great appreciation for animals that understand they have their space and I have mine and the spaces only intersect when I decide they will. Cattle seem to go where they want and if you're in their way, you may get smashed into a fence as they go by. I am determined to work through my personal fears and accomplish our goals.
As for the garden, we have had a challenging start. We planted tomatoes and green peppers, grapes and herbs, melons and carrots. The first go around we realized that the Jackrabbits and Cottontails had to be fenced out, for they ate all my early plantings and nibbled away the growth of anything coming up the day after we excitedly noticed. So the rabbit fence went up. In the meantime the chicken flock had grown enough that they were expanding their range and quickly discovered that a brief moment of flight landed them into the area of "good eatins." By the way, chickens love green pepper leaves. I came out one morning and all that was left were a long line of green stubs sticking up from the dirt. Oh the heartache.
We eventually re-fenced to keep our own chickens out and we were growing the garden. Things were yummy and it was so convenient to walk out and pick what we needed for a recipe or salad. The seasonal differences were a little tricky for me after having a small vegetable garden years ago in Ohio. It is just too hot during the Arizona summer to plant the same way I did up north. I spent a lot of time trying to find specific literature about planting in the desert and had some nice plants producing well by early spring.
Watering the garden was done with drip lines buried just under the surface. Sprinkling or spraying water here is wasteful. Evaporation is high. The drip lines get the water to the roots under the surface and decrease the evaporation. The watering schedule was set on a timer for convenience. Of course we had to trench over to the garden location and put in two drip line connections for each garden bed row (eight 40-45 foot beds). That was laborious as usual. But the location of the garden just so happen to be the previous owner's roundpen location, so the earth was extremely compacted and it took the neighbor's tractor to break through the earth. This was 2005, before we had purchased any significant equipment.
The garden was growing well and it was time to leave for Oregon for several weeks. We had a neighbor lined up to check on things. Shortly thereafter we received the call that our well pump had died and the neighbor wanted to know what to do about the garden and tree watering. The work that needed to be done on the well had to wait until we returned, so we lost the garden and some trees. The garden has been waiting ever since for me to get back to it.
But I am determined to start again this year. I have taken the back hoe and dug up the earth at least 3-4 feet down to loosen up the soil. The clay soil really lends itself to the making of bricks. So I have amended the soil with organic manure from the local organic dairy and gypsum sand from the local quarry. I have mixed this with the back hoe like using a big spoon. Unfortunately, the clay chunks are still clay chunks and really need to be tilled to break them up. The motorized hand tiller can't even get through them. I have revised my plan to focus on one bed row. I intend on getting more composted soil to add to the bed and watering in attempt to break down some of the clay chunks and hand till (yes with my own hands and garden tools). I then intend on framing this first bed up with wooden planks to make it a raised bed for perenially plantings. Once the framing is in I will not be able to use the tractor to re-till or disc in the future, so this one will grow permanent plants; herbs, asparagus mostly. And I better do it right.
With all that we don't know about the chemicals and additives that are put into the foods at manufacturing and processing plants and feed lots, I prefer growing my own if we can. I suppose that is the point, we can so why not? We have the space, we have the motivation, we just have to make time. We learn as we go. Even if we think we have done all the research, there is always something unique to our experience that teaches us another lesson along the way. I figure the people have managed to raise crops and livestock in our history before the technology and machinery of today, so we should have a pretty good shot at growing enough to put a few meals on the table.
The girls are definitely giving me a hard time about the idea of taking these animals to process (I have a hard time saying slaughter) next year. They really aren't on board with the idea. Although, they have both raised hogs that they have sold at auction with the 4-H. Of course, those porkers didn't end up on our table. This is a test for me as well. I have to admit baby animals are so cute and cuddly, it is hard to believe I will be willing to haul them down to the University of Arizona's meat lab next year.
We have been trying to get started on raising more and more of our own food. The livestock for the meat and our garden for the veggies. We even have plans for a mini-orchard. One of the first issues with the livestock is housing them in secure pens. That takes extra labor and we have a list of priority items that are directly related to generating an income for the ranch that are at the top of the list. Food is for the family.
The other consideration is where to put the meat. We don't have a freezer for this and always seem to have other expenses that have prevented this purchase in the past. I figured that starting with a smaller animal would be a good training tool for the entire experience. Hence the lambs. I am told that when these animals are "dressed out" they end up only being about 40 lbs of meat. I imagine that now that we have them, the freezer will become a little more important as the time comes and we'll make the purchase.
I have taken over the girls' 4-H hog pen with our new lambs, so a new pen for the lambs will be in order come fall. We have a design for a line of livestock pens with a large turn out run for their exercise. We just have to find the time to get it built. It will need to house the lambs, an Emu and a hog or two.
Donald wants to raise a hog for our freezer next fall. The girls have had their hogs through the winter months and that has been manageable. As the weather heats up it is very difficult to keep the hogs from stressing, so processing in the spring eliminates that difficulty.
Another idea in the works will be meat poultry. This isn't going over too well with Emma, as she has names for all her chickens and spends a good amount of time getting to know them. So my meat flock will have to be seperate from our egg layers and her show birds. What I would like to do is have a mobile pen that would be placed in the pasture for the chickens to graze, relocating as necessary. I'd like to try grass fed as we have a good deal available. I have talked with Emma about what type of birds would be best for my project. She recommended the Jersey Giant, but then conceded that the Cornish Rock cross would probably be best for her soft heart. This cross is a "fast grow" and she figures that they can't survive their own bodies weight gain, so they would die anyway, so she could accept that as opposed to a chicken that could potentially have a long life. Of course, it may be a ploy on her part to put an end to my meat poultry project altogether considering my Thanksgiving turkey experience.
I raised a Broad-Breasted White turkey for our holiday meal last year. I went to the neighbor's day-before-Thanksgiving gathering to learn how to butcher and clean turkeys and ended up with an extremely large bird for our feast (no roasting pan large enough, even with the oven racks removed). To sum it up, it was a disaster. The meat could only be described as turkey jerky. I ended up throwing it in the trash, not even feeding it to the dogs. Emma warned me that the mutant birds bred for fast growth weren't the way to go. Perhaps she is thinking that I will have a similar experience with the chickens and give up.
As I build my courage and we build the fencing, we will eventually move up in size to the steer. The realities of an animal that size take some serious considerations. Hauling isn't so hard when it is a calf, but when it is full grown it has to be hauled in the horse trailer. Getting a full grown steer into a trailer may be easy for the experienced, but I will practice with the reduced-size experience of the lambs first. The hogs haven't been so bad, because the girls have spent time walking their pigs around the property. They have to do this so they can participate in the Showmanship classes at the county fair. It also builds the muscles so that the hog is a better meat product in the end. Honestly, the size of a steer is intimidating to me. I was always fascinated that my mother's favorite animal was a cow knowing that she is afraid of our horses. I have a great appreciation for animals that understand they have their space and I have mine and the spaces only intersect when I decide they will. Cattle seem to go where they want and if you're in their way, you may get smashed into a fence as they go by. I am determined to work through my personal fears and accomplish our goals.
As for the garden, we have had a challenging start. We planted tomatoes and green peppers, grapes and herbs, melons and carrots. The first go around we realized that the Jackrabbits and Cottontails had to be fenced out, for they ate all my early plantings and nibbled away the growth of anything coming up the day after we excitedly noticed. So the rabbit fence went up. In the meantime the chicken flock had grown enough that they were expanding their range and quickly discovered that a brief moment of flight landed them into the area of "good eatins." By the way, chickens love green pepper leaves. I came out one morning and all that was left were a long line of green stubs sticking up from the dirt. Oh the heartache.
We eventually re-fenced to keep our own chickens out and we were growing the garden. Things were yummy and it was so convenient to walk out and pick what we needed for a recipe or salad. The seasonal differences were a little tricky for me after having a small vegetable garden years ago in Ohio. It is just too hot during the Arizona summer to plant the same way I did up north. I spent a lot of time trying to find specific literature about planting in the desert and had some nice plants producing well by early spring.
Watering the garden was done with drip lines buried just under the surface. Sprinkling or spraying water here is wasteful. Evaporation is high. The drip lines get the water to the roots under the surface and decrease the evaporation. The watering schedule was set on a timer for convenience. Of course we had to trench over to the garden location and put in two drip line connections for each garden bed row (eight 40-45 foot beds). That was laborious as usual. But the location of the garden just so happen to be the previous owner's roundpen location, so the earth was extremely compacted and it took the neighbor's tractor to break through the earth. This was 2005, before we had purchased any significant equipment.
The garden was growing well and it was time to leave for Oregon for several weeks. We had a neighbor lined up to check on things. Shortly thereafter we received the call that our well pump had died and the neighbor wanted to know what to do about the garden and tree watering. The work that needed to be done on the well had to wait until we returned, so we lost the garden and some trees. The garden has been waiting ever since for me to get back to it.
But I am determined to start again this year. I have taken the back hoe and dug up the earth at least 3-4 feet down to loosen up the soil. The clay soil really lends itself to the making of bricks. So I have amended the soil with organic manure from the local organic dairy and gypsum sand from the local quarry. I have mixed this with the back hoe like using a big spoon. Unfortunately, the clay chunks are still clay chunks and really need to be tilled to break them up. The motorized hand tiller can't even get through them. I have revised my plan to focus on one bed row. I intend on getting more composted soil to add to the bed and watering in attempt to break down some of the clay chunks and hand till (yes with my own hands and garden tools). I then intend on framing this first bed up with wooden planks to make it a raised bed for perenially plantings. Once the framing is in I will not be able to use the tractor to re-till or disc in the future, so this one will grow permanent plants; herbs, asparagus mostly. And I better do it right.
With all that we don't know about the chemicals and additives that are put into the foods at manufacturing and processing plants and feed lots, I prefer growing my own if we can. I suppose that is the point, we can so why not? We have the space, we have the motivation, we just have to make time. We learn as we go. Even if we think we have done all the research, there is always something unique to our experience that teaches us another lesson along the way. I figure the people have managed to raise crops and livestock in our history before the technology and machinery of today, so we should have a pretty good shot at growing enough to put a few meals on the table.
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