Monthly Archives: April 2011

Pasture Party

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Herbivores get happy when they find grass plants to eat, so do I. My
happiness is probably not as deep nor as gustatory as my cattle,
although we both feel relief. I am relieved that I no longer have to
feed hay and the cattle are glad they no longer have to eat it. It is
the season to pasture cattle and that means it’s party time.

Most pasture is still brown however we will break on through to the
“other
side,” where the pasture is always greener. I don’t mind some old
forage as it balances out the new grass. It provides some fiber to
dilute all protein in the new grass and keeps cattle stomachs
healthy. I can pretty much guess what state the grass is in by the
consistency of the cow patty. I want something about the consistency
of pumpkin pie (sorry if you’re reading this with breakfast.)

I have grazed the cattle for the last several years on a rotational
basis. What this means is the cattle eat small pieces of pasture for
a few days then are moved on to the next section. This way, they eat
the best of the vegetation and keep the pasture in a growing or
immature state. I plan to move the cattle more often this year as
that should give them more carbohydrates which will help the heavier
cattle finish more quickly. It seems the cattle eat a higher
concentration of protein the further
down the plant they eat. Younger cattle probably benefit
more from higher protein as opposed to more energy; however I believe
cattle typically find the food they need so everyone should find
something of benefit to eat.

I plan to use something called a “brix refractometer” this year. I’ve
seen these used by beekeepers to check sugar content. Sugar is the
energy that helps cattle finish well so the refractometer should help
me find the best pasture for my cattle. It’s not like I plan to pass
over some pasture because of my readings however I can discover which
grass or legume varieties get me the energy I desire. I can also find
out what time of day the plants have collected enough sunshine based
on sugar content to provide my best weight gains.

Finally, I think I have finally achieved my best management practice
in grazing cattle; I am not making any hay this year. Each time I cut
hay, I remove nitrogen and nutrients from the soil which
means I have to add fertilizer the following year. When the cattle
harvest that forage themselves they will return almost all of it to
the soil in manure. The act of cutting hay also removes the canopy of
grass and legumes which keep the soil cool-a perfect environment for
earthworms. The worms do the work of converting leftover grass and
cattle scat back into soil, they also keep the soil aerated and able
to hold more rain.

Soon I will invite several of my favorite bovine buddies to join me
in a salad bar made of alfalfa, orchard grass, clover, rye grass all
surrounded by a garnish of electric fence. It may just appear to
others as cattle doing what cattle are good at, however for me it is
a pasture party.

Time Well Spent

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(I posted this late because of computer modem problems, my apologies-GN)

 

Time Well Spent

I am now middle-aged and have fully engaged with the idea of my own mortality. Having reached this point, I question how best to spend my time left on earth. This week I answer my own question.

First off, I am not spending time trying to earn my way into heaven as that is a gift and can only be attained through that very realization. I am trying to spend my time well; to be a good steward.

I’ve spent much of my adult life being productive, which is very rewarding. I take pride in a well-built fence or a household project which has reached successful completion. The danger here is to use your time for only work and turn your back on relationships.

I think public service is a good way to spend time. I think people believe that public service is something they do for others but it actually does more for those who perform the act. Anytime I perform a small act to benefit animals it makes me feel really good. I focus on animals because I’ve gained so much from spending time in their company.

A person needs recreation lest they run they chance of becoming a dull boy/girl. My most enjoyable times are not spent at our lake house (which we will never have,) on some sandy beach drinking pina coladas (hate sand/like beer,) nor on a cruise to exotic ports (I can’t swim.) My best times are at home with Lisa.

Once a week, Lisa and I go to the Island, the island in our kitchen. There is something so nice and intimate about being alone, seated across from each other, just sharing space. We also share space with the cats as they we lay newspapers down on the counter top so they can enjoy this time with us. Winter evening are best as Lisa and I watch the storms pass us by as we watch the flame of a corn stove over the others’ shoulder. We share our day and plans for the future and wait for supper to get ready. There is something so nice about cracking a few cold beers and knowing you are spending time with a woman who will not share this moment with anyone else. It is my best time.

I always hear about people who want to be remembered after they’re gone. They want to leave a legacy so their memory is not forgotten. We only celebrate the birth of two Presidents who left a tremendous legacy so I would say securing your legacy is not a good way to spend time. You will be remembered by those who you considered as family and few others; you just have to leave them something decent to remember.

Spending time well really has more to do with balance than the actual acts; so much of life is that way. A few moments spent with people you care about are worth more than hours spent in a vegetative state watching television. You just spent a few minutes of your time reading my column, I hope it was time well spent.

Letter to Dave

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Spring of 2011 has been a lukewarm affair; it seems too timid to make
an
appearance and give notice to winter of its own death. The slow onset
of the spring reminds of a long wedding engagement; they both make me
question the sincerity of intent and intensity. I suspect you will
receive this letter against a background of snow and cold-not what
you’d expect on the week-end of Palm Sunday.

I know this is an old story around our home but we received another
stray cat last week. If there exists a map for cats then apparently
all of its trade routes cross at our farm. The reality of the
situation is that this little guy was dropped off without even his
front claws for protection. He desperately desires to once-again be a
house cat and stares through the window and tries to skirt in
whenever we open the door. I will never understand the human who
abandons a house pet in the wild with neither the skills nor the
tools to survive. I wish I could make people understand that this is a
cruel act. Former Marine drill instructor, R Lee Ermey, is oft quoted
as
saying he could teach anyone provided he could “get his hands on
them.” I think the next time I catch someone abandoning a pet along
our road we will have a remedial session right there on the gravel.

That said Dave, the new cat has been named in your honor. Dave is the
color of a Creamsicle and loves attention. I can even carry him
around the porch or let him sit on my lap. Dave has our heated
cat house to himself and is being fed some generic cat food we keep
for guests. We plan to bring him into the pound eventually however
his visits are intermittent and
so has kept himself outside of our schedule for repatriation. As
much as we’d like to let him into our
lives, we already have three in our own bunch and, unlike the
Brady’s, that is enough for
now.

This summer should be the most exciting ever out in the pasture. I
have a few new management practices that
should make our land an even better place to grow cattle. I drive
truck during the sugar beet harvest each fall and I spent any down
time in the truck reading books about grazing so I have a few new
ideas to try. Most of these techniques deal with forage testing or
time spent on pasture and cost little in time or money to implement
which makes me happy-I like quick and cheap. Anyway, “brix
refractometer” will soon become part of my daily language, more on
that later.

Dave, tell all hi and here’s wishes to all in Carrington, North
Dakota a beautiful spring. I also hope everyone’s sump pump is in
working condition.

You’re little bro

Old Friends

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I’m not a person to give up on a vehicle due to rust. A man once told me “the cheapest vehicle you purchase is the one you already own.” This person was a mechanic so he may have possessed vested interests, however I think the statement was correct. It is better to fix the vehicle you already know than to purchase something new.

1998 was the year I purchased my first “good” pick-up. It was a maroon and white,1989 Chevrolet 2500 four wheel drive which I found on a lot in Bismarck, North Dakota. I mounted running boards, fender flares and a General Motors cup holder to make it mine and truly loved the truck. A few years after the purchase, I found myself driving an awful lot and traded the pick-up on a Ford Aspire. I felt bad about leaving my truck behind, almost as bad as driving that horrid little car made my contorted upper body ache.

Darrel is my brother, he is now a half-century old and wise but showed wisdom even a decade prior to this milepost. Darrel needed a truck and happened upon a gorgeous ’89 maroon and white Chev’ 2500 sitting at the parking lot where I’d left it. Darrel purchased the pick-up and it stayed in the Nelson family. I teased Darrel that it was always uncomfortable when all three of us were together; almost like dating the same woman.

In 2006 Darrel bought a new pick-up and I had the opportunity to make another intelligent purchase. I was now the owner of my first “good” pick-up. Darrel had used the pick-up in his business but it was still the same horse I remembered. It has many miles on it now and has seen several engines and transmissions but still has the same familiar heart beat, it was like I’d driven it only yesterday.

I recently had some body work done on my pick-up. Nothing fancy, just fixed the running boards and doors-the cab corners will just have to stay rusty. It’s true what I was told as it is much cheaper to purchase more time with this vehicle than buying something new. I just wish I’d never sold it in the first place but am fortunate that I know both of it’s owners from the last 12 years.

It got me thinking about relationships. I have old friends that I rarely see. I see Mike on his way to the field, Kenny and Ryan during funerals, Danni at the hardware store and Dave did some plumbing for us. I rarely see Shawn or Daren. Still though, we have a shared history, like my old pick-up, that unites us across borders of time and distance. They were my first “good” friends and even though we’ve all acquired rust and dents through life, each time I see them it’s like I saw them only just yesterday.

I picked the truck up from the auto body shop just this week. It really didn’t look any different but it was better in ways that are important. I guess it’s like old friendships, never changing but improving with time.

I am somebody

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A person toils in anonymity so much of their life and only hopes to
catch a sliver of occasional spotlight. My recognition came last week
and it arrived via US Mail; I have finally made it.

I like to purchase tools on occasion. I don’t like cheap wrenches or
socket sets because they cost you more than a good set does because
they break and you need to replace them. I like the Northern Tool
catalog company because they have good stuff. Now, my good sense in
choice of tools doesn’t always extend to good shopping. I make a few
purchases of “quality tools” which I probably don’t need but it is
just this sort of impulsivity which brought me to instant
acknowledgement.

Tuesday afternoon, I became a very important person; I received the
Northern Tool catalog-in hard cover. I have received many soft cover
catalogs from Northern and even a couple seasonal catalogs, however
this tome of products arrived hard covered, bound and encased in the
most indulgent of cardboard wrappers. It was beautiful.

There it was, my name on the back of the hardcover Northern Tool
catalog. The whole experience reminded me of the scene in “the Jerk”
where Navin Johnson (played by Steve Martin) found his name in the
phone book and was overcome with happiness. He said “this is the kind
of spontaneous publicity, your name in print- that makes people. I’m
somebody now!”

The look of the catalog brought me back to days spent awaiting the
Montgomery-Ward Christmas catalog. I remember the surge of adrenaline
and hit of lightheadedness that accompanied the glossy pages of stuff
I didn’t need, but desperately wanted. Tuesday, I was like little
Ralphie from “the Christmas Story,” when he finally received his
“official Red Ryder carbine-action, two-hundred shot, range model air
rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time.” I
felt validated, excited and very much like I had taken an important
step towards being an adult.

Last night, I placed the catalog on the coffee table next to my spot
on the couch. The cover consists of a beautiful wood grain background
with the familiar Northern Tool logo stenciled, in an understated
manner, along the top. The catalog is filled with hand tools powered
by non-human sources, tractors, power washers, power screwdrivers,
power seats, power sawmills, power everything, except for power
suits. Every page is like one more step as I ascend “macho mountain.”
It is lovely to feel like such a complete man, all from the comfort
of your own sofa; complete with soft blankets, three cats, remote
control and coffee.

I brought the catalog to work, just to show off. I became the center
of attention if only for a moment. It could have been the beautiful
bound and printed form of all tools of the manly arts gathered in
place. At second thought, it could just be the change receiving the
catalog had made in me-I, like Navin Johnson, had finally become
somebody.

.