The new conversation is when (and if!) we should add a cow. I tend to get very excited and want to move quickly. James balances me nicely and asks the right questions so we can actually plan and be ready for said cow before we end up bringing one home.
The biggest question is how to feed the cow. Our “pasture” is completely unimproved and has been downright neglected for the last 15-30 years. We have started by mowing as we can, so the cut grasses can decompose and new growth will be encouraged. Do we need to have a good pasture before we can have a cow?
Fun fact: excess milk and whey can be used as excellent, all-natural, fertilizers!
The beauty of the cow is that it’s manure (solids and liquid) will do an amazing job fertilizing the pasture, which will improve the pasture’s ability to feed the cow! All of our reading suggests that rotational grazing is the best way to maintain both the pasture and the animals, with the goal being to end up buying a minimum of additional feed.
At Ebenezer Homestead, we have chickens and goats already. If we add a cow, the goats and the cow would lead the rotation. Then, about 3 days later, the chickens would rotate in to eat fly larvae and other bug protein from the manure (making it sterile!), spread the manure to fertilize the pasture, and add their own fertilizer.
So, on this rainy Saturday, we are going to try to map out where we might put a barn and where our rotational paddocks could go. One step closer to fresh milk, ice cream, butter, better gardens, and more fertile pasture.