The Bovine Bugle

The grazing paddocks need a clipping

The cows are making their second rotation through the grazing paddocks. That means its time to start clipping the pastures. After the second time through the pastures, much of the grass left by the cows is heading out and too mature for the cows to graze, and weeds such as buttercup, thistle, and dockweed are getting tall. We use a Rhino rotary mower to clip the mature grass and weeds so that the next time the cows go through, the grass is plentiful and just the right height for grazing.

Ben does the majority of pasture clipping and this year took on the duty of changing and sharpening the blades on the rotary mower. He informed me that we really needed a new hand grinder to do a good job sharpening the blades. On our next visit to his uncle's farm and home store, he found just the grinder he needed. I told him if this would insure his maintaining the rotary mower then I would gladly purchase the grinder for him to use. With 45 acres of pasture to clip with a 6-foot mower, I wanted to keep Ben going any way I could. Hopefully in a month the pastures will all be clipped and set for the rest of the summer.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont