The grazing season on our farm starts sometime in early May. The grasses have grown tall enough for animals to graze again and the fields have dried out enough so that we can drive on them and pull the mobile animal houses from paddock to paddock without damaging the soils.
From then on, every week of Spring and Summer and Fall is capped off with pasture rotations for the pigs, chickens and turkeys. This continues until sometime in early December (usually), when the temperatures drop and the snow starts flying and it becomes clear it’s time for the Big Winter Move.
The Big Winter Move is the process of moving all the animals closer to us (and the barn). We do this so that we can keep a closer eye on the animals during the dangerous wintery months and so that we have shorter distance to haul water and food in the snow.
It sounds simple enough – we just need to move the big pig herd (comprised of 40-50 pigs, all at different ages) into the wooded paddock behind our house. And then do the same with breeding sows, the boar, and the laying hens too.
The lived experience of the Big Move is anything but simple though…not just because we never know when it’s going to happen since it’s entirely weather dependent. But because there’s a ton of intense planning and physical effort involved in clearing brush, setting up the new wooded paddocks, moving the animals group by group, and then getting everyone resettled in their new homes.
We were surprised to see such a big snowy storm hit us so early this year. To be honest, we weren’t entirely prepared for it, with all of our animals still in summer paddocks last week and none of our winter fencing set up. But we did what farmers do best – we hustled hard and we got the work done, together.
While the animals are happy exploring their new winter quarters, I’m feeling a twinge of sadness about having just watched the farm shrink overnight. We know the animals are warm and safe and for the next few months, we know that’s what matters most.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg