Cattle on the Book Farm

Who knows how long it has been since cattle have clipped the grass of the pastures at my dad's farm (probably over 20 years ago), but they are there now! Yesterday my dad and I went up to Grandma's Dexter Farm to pick up our cow and a bull calf (soon to be steer). We went with the idea of picking up Karen (pictured in posts below), but when we arrived he had a few younger and better looking choices for us. We ended up bringing home a 2-year-old heifer who is bred to calve in the spring. She is quite a bit younger than the other option, but she will also be a first timer this spring so that factored into the choice I had to make. After talking with my dad and deciding that we could make it work, we ended up bringing home RAD's Victoria (don't you just love registry names!). Oh, and a bull calf ... soon to be a steer ... and later to be supper.

These two have mostly been fed hay their entire lives (the bull calf probably his whole life) so I think they will start to fill out a little more and get a little shine back to their coat once they get on some good pasture. We are going to ease them onto the pasture so they don't gorge themselves on the fresh grass and become bloated. Right now they are in a rather small paddock, but it won't take much to get them out onto one of the pasture paddocks that will be divided by electric fence. I'm excited to have this little start going and to learn about grass-finishing beef and rotational grazing (I don't think we will be able to call it "managed intensive grazing" until I make it down on the farm).

Be sure to stop by next fall for some great grass-fed (or salad bar if you're Joel Salatin) beef!