The Bovine Bugle

Winter returns, sap continues

Last week, winter came back. There were 3 to 4 inches of snow on the ground when I got up one morning! This white stuff will breathe a little more life into the sugaring season. The livestock didn't seem too upset by the snow, but Ben and Justin were disappointed that school wasn't closed. A neighboring school district was closed for the day. It continued snowing pretty good throughout the morning giving us another couple of inches. The snow on top of the mud made for pretty sloppy going while handling round bales and manure this morning.

I was glad that yesterday afternoon I put equipment undercover and bedded the older heifers pole barn before the storm hit. The pole barn gives shelter to the animals wintering outside. I built a bedded pack for the animals to stand and lie on. Instead of scraping out the bedding and manure everyday, like I do in the freestall barn the dairy herd stays in, I just keep adding hay and sawdust to provide a dry, clean area for the animals. By the time the animals stop using it in a few weeks, the bedded pack will be over three feet thick. This material is great for the composting operation.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont