What are some of the day-to-day challenges of farming life?
Weather is a great challenge in this livelihood and, as I said, it greatly affects the livestock’s health during winter. Our calving season relies greatly upon weather conditions. Calves are born wet and if it’s too cold, they may get cold too quickly and be unable to get up and get the colostrums (mother’s first milk), which is only available for about 9 hours after birth. They will likely be exposed to sickness and also dehydration. We can take care of them with new better bagged colostrums. Cows that have their first calf have far more trouble and require our assistance much more. This is why we have a heifer-only pasture, which has easy access to the corral. This means we can help pull calves and take care of them. This pasture is also for any older cows and any animal that we feel may need help so that we can help them live. Irrigation can be a challenge as well. We sometimes have droughts, which mean we get many grasshoppers. This can be a problem as they take over and eat the cr
