Calves in the Pasture

It was finally warm enough to take the doors off of the Ranger.

They’d been on the ATV for six months, having been hung on their hinges as soon as the wind started to bite. Every time in May I considered taking the doors off, the temperatures would drop.

Finally, the 80s showed up, and I swung the doors off the hinges and laid them in the garage for a (hopefully) six-month break.

This is usually a sign of summer.

For a few days after removing the doors, temperatures dropped again, and I wondered if I’d jumped the gun. It’s been wet and rainy and cold this spring, preventing crop producers from entering their fields to plant their corn or soybeans. The five-year average amount of Indiana corn planted at this time is 73%. Right now, we only have 14%. This has made for stressful times for many farmers.

Because we focus on livestock and hay, we have not had these same travails. However, we have been working in a lot of mud and wet conditions while feeding the livestock, and work on a chicken tractor (a movable coop that will allow the chickens to forage while being protected from predators) has been delayed several times. The up-and-down temperatures have been tough, as well. 

As of late, though, there have been good photo opportunities. Calfie has started eating Big Calf feed, along with her milk.

The cows have been moved from their winter pasture, and I visit them with the ATV. They follow the vehicle, eager for their mineral.

Sometimes, I have a furry helper. His name is Toby.

The calves like to hide in the grass.

And after chores, Golden Hour contains the perfect light for enjoying the creeks and taking pictures of the local sites.

(Granted, the fields aren’t supposed to be that yellow….we hope the farmers can enter the fields soon to replace those plants with crops.)

With the doors off of the Ranger, I can ride around town enjoying the warm breeze and the sunshine that lingers ’til late.