Grass Based Farming

What sounds easier - plant once and harvest indefinately. Well actually, its not all grass and sometimes it needs re-planting.

The thing I really like about this is after the hay has been put away - the animals go out and fertilize it and it comes back up again to hay again, and again, and again.

For variety, we made several different hay fields - an alfalfa, clover & timothy, an oat field that only gets baled when the seed heads are ready and the chicken hay (sunflowers, millet and soy beans) which only gets baled once the seed heads are in.

The animals are fed well this way - rain or shine. Since they get no harmful cholesterol producing fats via grains, they will be healthier animals and they produce low cholesterol meat, eggs and milk, which is better for our own dietary needs.

Winters the animals are in the barn during the coldest part but still enjoy the fresh sunshine stored in the hay.

We reserve the sweetest oat hay for the ewes and nannies while milking since they don't get grains to hold them in the milking stantion for long and hay keeps them there till the job is done.

And our chickens get the baled chicken hay over winter and as part of their daily scratch summers. It keeps them busy and adds carbon materials to their stall. They still get excited when they find a bug in the middle of their winter hay.

All animals get hay over winter and "run on the fields" summers- even the chickens "work the field" in their tractors.