andy peterson

This has been an unbelievable autumn. The weather has been gorgeous and it’s made for a warm invitation to finish summer projects before winter sets in.

This year’s crops yielded really well. Our hay and corn silage supplies for winter are some of the best in recent memory. The timely rainfall this summer really played a critical role in keeping plants nourished and productive. Although summer started rather cool, July and August provided the necessary heat units to spur plant growth. Our cows came off of grass this fall looking plump and content. They weaned off strong, healthy calves that are really starting to settle in and grow well. 

Last week we pregnancy-checked our cowherd and saw good results. Pregnancy-checking is critical to the survival of a cattle operation. Open (non-pregnant) cows lose money. They consume feed and have nothing to show for it.

Weaning time is an autumn tradition around my family’s farm. It’s as synonymous with fall as Football Saturdays and pumpkin patches. Recently, we separated our 2011 calf crop from their mommas. Everything went smooth for the most part. Of course, the calves took it harder than the momma cows but after a day and a half of full-out bawling and whining, peace stepped in and normalcy was restored. As a rancher, I love getting in the new calf crop and evaluating them. 

The weather this fall has been a huge blessing. Weaning time naturally is very stressful for the calves. They’ve depended on their mothers all summer – it’s all they’ve known – and now it’s time for them to depend on themselves. It’s time for them to enter the next season in their lives. The sunshine and heat has made this year’s process much more palatable. 

Last Sunday night's Earth Day Community Dinner at the Birchwood Cafe was an event for the ages.

It wasn't just the food that made it that way, although the exceptional four-course menu (and appetizers) created by chef Marshall Paulsen featured pork belly, fiddle head ferns, beef tongue, and more (most foods purchased directly from local farmers). It wasn't just the music performed by Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers either, although that was terrific too. It wasn't just the lovely dining room, which was decked out with the Birchwood's Sunday best.