Fall Grazing...

Instead of trying to bale and wrap a sixth cutting of hay off our alfalfa fields here at home, Jim decided to graze the cows on them instead.

So, this morning, as the cows watched, (they knew something was up!) we fenced off the contour strip...

We gathered our fencing supplies...fiberglass fence posts...a hammer...and very important gloves (those fiberglass posts leave tiny, painful splinters in your hands)...

Pounding in a corner post...

Putting up the wire...

This 1958 Allis Chalmers D-17 has been around the farm since Jim's grandfather farmed.  Check out the handy "wire wheel"!  The tractor used to have a belt-drive, needed to run some types of farm equipment.  When the belt-drive was no longer needed, Jim's dad turned it into a handy "wire wheel".   Unwrap the wire when you're putting up a fence...wrap it back up again when you're finished...

We like to use this flexible but strong "Poly-wire" when putting up temporary fencing.  It's made of fiber and very thin metal, woven together...

Finally...Jim let the cows out of the meadow, and they meandered up the waterway to the alfalfa field...

That little speck in the alfalfa field is Jim...guarding the division wire that we put up.  The cows don't get the entire field at once...we'll move that wire every day to give them a new section.  That green field in the foreground is the barley that Jim planted about ten days ago.  It's really greening up nicely...

Munching away happily...

The cows were so happy to be grazing this morning!   We'll soon bring them inside again, where they can just lay down and make some milk! 

I don't think that's asking too much!