Early December 2018 — Down on the farm

Winter caught us off guard.

Winter has come early to New England. Just the other day I heard a weatherman say that this has been the third snowiest November in Vermont since records have been kept. That said, there is still plenty of fall work left to do here on the Franklin Farm.  All of the heat on the farm, much of the hot water, and all of the maple syrup is produced by burning wood from the farm forest. Quite a bit of that wood still needs to be cut, split and stacked. John often spends the hours in between chores working on wood.

Another big job is bringing the hay crop home. David and John where able to put up over a thousand wrapped round bales this past growing season and many of them still need to be hauled back to the farm. David hauls hay home almost every day the weather is good. It’s not such a terrible job as he is inside the heated cab of the tractor most of the time. He intentionally waits until the days turn cold, as this protects the hay inside the bales from spoiling if any tears happen during the move from the hay fields.

Just before the first snow on November 30, the young-stock were brought back to the farm from their summer pastures. It is a good feeling to know they are all home and have a roof over their heads, a dry bed to lie down on, and plenty of quality hay to eat as winter comes on.

The job of taking care of all the cows and heifers now that they are back on the farm, takes quite a bit of time and energy every morning and afternoon. These everyday routines of care are called chores. I’ll tell you more about them the next time.

Until then, I hope you stay well and warm.

Mary Ellen