Green Grass, Grazing Pigs & Baby Lambs

By the middle of April, things are looking good around here.

There's green grass everywhere, especially on the range. Cows are fat, baby calves are slick and healthy, and everything looks good. 

Did you know we turn all our cows out on the range BEFORE they calve? We do not watch our cows or heifers (first-time moms) calve. It's their job to go out and "get the job done." So in May, when we gather the range, there are baby calves EVERYWHERE!

On the home place, the grass is about 4-6 inches tall and putting some serious weight on our cattle, which will be harvested in the next 1-3 months. At this time of year, our cattle can gain 2-3 lbs of weight PER DAY! That's some serious weight gain and delicious-tasting beef!

Speaking of some serious weight gain, our pastured pigs are doing the same. We just harvested the first batch of pigs a few weeks ago, and they were PIGGY FAT. Pigs thrive in early spring due to cooler weather, which helps them gain weight. They crave fresh green grass in the springtime, going grazing for the new grass shoots. Although they mainly consume grains, they value the green grass to balance their diet.

And finally, it's my favorite season of all... Lambing season. Over 50% of our sheep have had their lambs in the last week. Sheep typically lamb closely together, and quickly fill a pasture with bouncing baby lambs! It is always incredible to watch this frail baby lamb be born, struggle to get up to get their first drink of milk, and then, less than 24 hours later, bounce around and chase other lambs.

We love the newness of spring with green grass, happily grazing pigs, and baby lambs.