The Animals are In Control! Back from another Organic grass-fed regenerational agriculture Farm training experience!

So I just had an amazing experience - being face to face with 1200 pound steer with wonderful organic grass breath. I was honored to do "farm sitting" for the weekend but first I had to be trained in on some project work to prep making a concrete pad. That was on Friday. Today we had the concrete mixer truck arrive - and the concrete pad got done!! So today is Tuesday. I was fed wonderful delicious organic food and wonderfully entertained by my closest friend and his family.

So essentially I had to learn how to drive an ATV Quad - and I did get stuck in the little "creek" - since there was a trick that had not been clarified to me. But I had to go in reverse to get myself unstuck and LUCKILY it worked. I had 800 pounds of water on a trailer that immediately "jack-knived" as my farm friend realized would happen (as I described it to him.). Then strangely the quad "stopped" and was not turning on - and the light system was not functioning properly. Turns out the quad has to be rocked back into neutral - which took me a couple calls to my farm friend.

The first time I called him was when I could not find the quick adapter connector for the new water pipeline we put in (last time I was there - see my previous blogpost). So I found his bag of it - stashed - and I thought all was well until the quad incident. So then I realized the herd of steer (with some cow) - were not following me or coming to my call to go into the new paddock. So then I called to say I think it should wait till the morning since the animals are in control.

I was partly joking but actually he called back to say my instincts were correct. What amazed me at 5:30 the next morning - when I walked out to the paddock, sure enough the cattle were desperate to follow me to new grass. This means that doing intensive rotational grazing with the steer only eating HALF way down the grass - is the NATURAL means for cow to want to move on to a new paddock. So I proved that myself without a doubt!

So then my farm friend later showed me a field down the road to say - that is the typical grazed land - it was extremely close cropped and this is problematic for a number of reasons. So people don't realize just how amazing and different doing intensive rotational grazing is. So it is a LOT of work though. the first night of training - we had to set up the TWO new paddocks (one for that night and one for the next day when I switched them). But also there were two cattle that had to be driven back to join the rest of the herd - and that took the whole farm family (plus me also).

Yes so I thought that was very intense because most of the time the electrical paddock fence was off and the cattle had escaped before. But now another string (line) had been added - and I later learned the earlier recent escape was considered a "fluke." But it's hard to say - but with two strings now we have more reassurance to be sure. In fact the next morning - I tried to fix one of the strings - using my rubber lined gloves. I thought a small plastic string with a little wire couldn't be so bad. But I had a hole in the rubber or maybe it was cuz the rubber was too thin. I Yelled out in primal scream as the electrical jolt surged through my bones! I then checked the solar charger and it was only 150 milliamps.

So that was the first day - I could not feed the dogs very easily since one of them is afraid of males and the other is a pup that likes to eat the others food. These are sheep dogs.  A third dog had disappeared (I discovered the next day it had been hiding the cooler wetland area of the farm). The two dogs at the house wanted me to pet them all the time whenever I took a break. I enjoyed staring into the eyes of the one dog as it stared back into my eyes - wanting to get its face closer. This is proven to increase oxytocin levels for humans - from human-dog eye interaction (spirit love energy).

So then on the second day - having gotten the herd moved then I felt a big relief. In the mean time I had staked out and filled around the wood frame for the concrete pad. Now it was time to start cutting rebar! But on the first try the blade broke and flew off. Then I could not figure out how to change the blade right away. I called my farm friend again. Then I called him back saying I realized I had to just use my hand to hold the blade so I could loosen the nut holding it in. He said when he had demonstrated to me to put the blade on then it must not have been tight enough and so broke and flew off - otherwise I should not have been able to loosen the nut simply by holding the blade (without using the lock button).

Yes so then I got a new blade going and they kept burning out - I got the first 26 count of rebar done and started into the second count of 20 but only got 2 down. I was out of blades. Also I didn't have enough stacks so I made my own with a bow saw. But I didn't realize the stakes that had been left next to the hammer (like a small sledge hammer) were just survey stakes and only half the size and width required to hold a concrete pad frame in. So the stakes I made were too small. At first I didn't realize this was the logical error and so I had to meditate on this - since I then was able to explain it to my farm friend after he returned from two days of being gone.

So then he cut a bunch of new stakes with an electrical cordless circular saw. Then I pounded those in this morning. Did I mention I was also feeding 15 piglets? Yes so I also cleaned any muck out of the water dispenser but they really didn't have much muck in there (just muck smell). So I used a big sledge hammer to pound all the stakes flush to the frame - and on the 2nd day I had put in all the fill around the frame.

So then when they got back we had to drive the whole herd to the middle area so that we could then separate out one steer to be slaughtered for beef. So this was considered to be the most stressful moment of the weekend and there was a big lightning storm on the horizon, surrounding us. Amazingly we pulled this off very smoothly and we were able to get back into the house before the rain kicked in. We considered this to be somewhat miraculous - and it was a great adrenaline-dopamine rush so we were very happy for an hour or two after words. My friend is very entertaining when he does imitations which he can do of all kinds. So I was laughing hysterical with some pain from doubling over.

It is hard to separate out the days - the monday morning then we were going to take the steer to the butcher but the trailer wood floor was busted through. We had to then take the steer back out and this literally was the most intense time - pretty much - yes - of the whole training. I was staring face to face with a steer that could jump the fence at any moment - 1200 pounds of steer. I had stared face to face with steers at the watering tank that I filled 4 times a day (for two days) - and that's when I could smell their wonderful organic grass breath. But this was very different. My friend's wife was very cool about it and she laughed at me later  - to her husband - about how nervous I had been.

So then we also picked up an earlier beef order from another butcher and I played with their puppy Collie dog - he loved to play hide and seek around this car with me. So he would sometimes appear on one side of the car and sometimes on another - and then I would have to guess and chase him. That game went on for almost an hour - as a 1200 pound steer now butchered was loaded up by my farm friend into his truck. So since the puppy needed attention then the butcher was happy that I was playing with the puppy, as the dog and I tried to "deke" each other out.

So the whole time with my farm friend - he trained me in on the local farm culture. I was dressed in my shabby and funny looking misfitting "bibs" or overalls - as my statement of absurdity against civilization (so to speak). But mainly we joked with each other - and then we laid out the rebar after he finished cutting and bending it - and figuring out how to set in the seats. So the days began to run together, each moment packed with something to do. I spent the morning unloading lots of gallons (hundreds) of pig feed into the sealed barrels for storage (the feed had been picked up from their farm get away trip).

So also one of the dogs did eat (after coming out of the wetland hiding) but then she was barking more and the other dogs were barking. It is very difficult to get the two house dogs back into the house at night - so I tried a bit of the meat I had been left for my own food. The one dog was having known of my ploy - she would eat the meat then run off again. I went to sleep and also meditated in full lotus - and then woke up around quarter to 10 - from her barking. I then shown the headlight into her eyes and immediately she went back inside the house! Did she get scared! (probably). Anyway considering how annoying (and clever) she had been - I was very glad to close that garage door. The other dog is way more mellow - so just goes back into the house.

So now... the mosquitoes were viscous in my car as I tried to sleep  after that rain - on Sunday night - but I survived and continued doing qigong. So then since Monday was delayed by fixing the trailer to deliver the steer - and it took us longer to figure out the rebar configuration - then we had to focus on prepping for today. It was very hot and I didn't have my water with me. So I almost got heat stroke and I had to rest (besides I didn't know what to do at this point and the concrete mixer truck driver was helping out with the shovel).

So I was spreading out the concrete - and I did step in it but tried not to - and I was given boots so I could "step" in it. I forgot to wash my boots off (oops). But I was cleaning with so much water - the other tools. So I think that's why my boots staid clean - as they were rubber boots. So pouring and "skreeding" the concrete was mainly done by the farm friend and the concrete mixer driver but I did a bit of the work by flattening out the concrete after it was pouring down the spout. We had two big cattle/sheep grazing pads - at the winter watering hole.

So I am probably missing quite a few things - but that covers most of the work. I was asked to help out again with hanging drywall (something I've never done). So this would be in the winter - maybe I will or won't depending on numerous conditions. But mainly I really enjoy joking around with my friend whom I've known for over 20 years. We've maintained the same interests for over 22 years - so that is pretty good situation. In fact we met after I stood up at a rainforest event - to point out it was international day against McDonalds! That was in 1997 and he came up to me afterwards to introduce himself. (he doesn't not even remembering this happening). He looked me right in the eyes and we very direct and so I invited him to chat at a local cafe - about the local activism scene in the Twin cities.

So then he invited me to move into a house (as I was looking for housing) and he rented a room with his girlfriend - in an house nearby the university (there were several international students there also). So around the same time each of us had started practicing Yan Xin qigong (I was with the Chinese community at the University and he was at a local community healing center). Somehow we realized we also had this common interest and so then he also began practicing http://springforestqigong.com around the same time that I found out about it (within a year).

Also then he did his senior theatre major project based completely on my research - a self-directed research paper I did while a graduate student. He used big puppets and a wild story that caught the eye of several theatre professors. So he was asked to re-perform it for a larger audience - and I did not even realize this at the time. I went to the show but I didn't even remember the puppets when he told me about it. I think I was just so stunned about him using my research - and honored - as it was radical progressive agriculture research.

Anyway so I also "babysat" their son who is a toddler. But he is so sharp that he taught me many things about farm equipment - like where the "raker" was and what did it do. Or the backhoe on his toy in the sandbox, etc. (I knew that term and what it was but the sun was melting my brain a bit). So I spent probably a couple hours total babysitting or their toddler was entertaining me. And in fact when I first met him he insisted that my name was a different one. We thought this was so funny that now that is my farm name at least more than half the time.

So then I realized suddenly that the reason country music (my farm friend is a lead singer in a country band) is so slow and seemingly boring is because farm ranch work is so INTENSE and stressful! I had always misunderstood country music up to this point!! I had always thought that because farm work was slow and boring that therefore that's what the music was. Now I knew better - by far. Everday was filled with severe intense moments - whether it was the ATV Quad getting stuck or the cattle not wanting to move or the quad not wanting to start or the concrete truck getting stuck (the tractor got it out) - or getting shocked by the electrical fence - or staring into the eyes of a 1200 pound steer stuck in a small space - about to jump the fence - or driving a whole herd of steer into a funnel to separate one steer out - or getting two "escaped" steer back into the herd paddock. It was endless intensity but my farm friend is addicted to intense experiences.

I lost ten pounds even though I was eating well most of the time. (one day I did fast into ketosis for the full day - from Saturday since the morning to Sunday night). So really a day and half but the last meal I had was lamb that was very strong with jing energy (lots of fat).

Anyway I also got a deep tan and sun burn - no blisters. I wore a "sheik" protection one day - my red turban hat from Morocco plus a white pillow sheet. So the rest of the time after that day - after my farm friend's family returned - I wore a cowboy hat they loaned to me.

So this farm also has lots of mini-forests (one that is at least five acres). They have an amazing array of birds, frogs, butterflies, and wildflowers - it is very quiet and a beautiful setting of plush lush grass that is very healthy. It looks like Shangrila in a way - or what it might look like. I was told that the cattle avoid stepping on bird nests if the herd finds any bird nests. This is very amazing information! 1200 pound "monsters" that are actually very emotionally intelligence. When I tried to move the herd - they stared at me and would not move into the new paddock. At first I imitated a cow - to encourage them. Nope. then I moved farther down into the paddock - so they would not be "scared." nope. So finally I moved the third post - since that way the opening space would literally by in front of their eyes. The 2nd post was only about 10 feet away but they refused to go around it to the new paddock even though they have followed me otherwise!

My friend told me it was a trust issue for the cows - a narrow space was not to be easily trusted when it was made by someone knew like myself. So it was not that the cows wanted to be "waited" on but rather it was the psychology of going through the confines of the paddock fencing itself.

So the worst case scenario was that the animals would have escaped. Since this didn't happen then I consider the experience to have been a success. My friend thanked me several times and so that made me feel honored. He works extremely hard and new he goes into the city to actually make MONEY versus the farm (which right now is a labor of love). But if they do get enough farm orders - then maybe he can fulfill his dream of being a full time farmer. Certainly it's already a full time job for both he and his wife who is the actual farmer who started the farm. He trained into farming via his wife. But he also knew how to build the farm house and the farm shed/barn, etc.

That's all - now I am yawning. It was one of the best times of my life to be sure. But for the actual farmers - their hard work continues nonstop as they restore and regenerative the soil fertility (by storing carbon). I even pointed out they could grow a lot of mushrooms in their forests and my farm friend said I would have to show them how someday.

Also we had to turn off the fence to do a lot of the concrete pad work - and I wondered why the little lambs would not just run under the fence. As I was informed - they could not be away from their moms and the mom would call them back. So there is a LOT of animal "psychology" going on at the farm. But as I realized overall the animals are happier and healthier - ironically - then the farmers! It is as if the cow-human-dog-sheep-pig relationship developed for grass to spread. 

actually I can personally attest to cattle changing their behavior. I was supposed to change the paddocks on the cattle - on Saturday night. The cattle were NOT AT ALL interested in coming to my call or following me. So I called my farm friend - I said - I don't think the cattle are "ready" yet - I said there's still some tall grass along the sides of the fence. He said my instincts were correct - that I could move them in the morning. I went out there at 5:30 am and the cattle were now following me EVERYWHERE! So - but they still did not go into the new paddock until I moved back the third post. Why? I told what happened to my farm friend - he said the cattle didn't trust me enough yet and so associated a Narrow Gate as not trustworthy. But the REAL KICKER to this story is that later my farm-friend showed me a "typical" pasture down the road - and it was very closely cropped - overgrazed, creating all sorts of problems. So I had just PROVEN to myself that the cattle Naturally DEMAND new pasture only when the grass is HALF eaten (not the typically overgrazed close cropped grass). And so people "ranching" are GOING AGAINST THE NATURAL DEMAND OF THE CATTLE. This is sad and tragic. Also when the grass is rotated after only half eaten - then it remains healthy and the manure is used to store as carbon - it literally rebuilds the soil. It's a beautiful regenerative farm but it takes a lot more work to intensively rotate the cattle (pretty much every day).