THE ROLLER CRIMPER
I finally had a chance to try out the roller crimper, a new tractor implement that I was excited to use. The winter rye and other cover crops we’ve planted rebuild the soil when they decay, but also act as a mulch to suppress weeds and help reduce runoff. The cover crops break down slower when the stem is snapped, as opposed to being cut with brush hog. It’s an 8’ red crimper filled with water to add to the weight. I was able to add the 100 gallons of water with our new rain catchment system. It was all ready to go and I started to make the outline of the south field.
When working our hilly and non-geometric fields, I have to first establish the border of the area I’m going to work and make a few passes. I was outfitted with ear protection, a bandana, and lab style safety glasses to avoid all the pollen and debris that covers me and the tractor throughout the whole day (the cover crop is four to six feet tall). The tractor is almost on full throttle to speed through the field and make it up the hills with 2635 pound crimper behind it. As I finished a few passes, I noticed something lying in the field. A fawn was on its side with fresh blood on it and the crimped crops around it. I knew what had happened, but was surprised that it hadn’t moved hearing the tractor so close. Ry, our farm hand, told me that they’ll dutifully wait until mom comes back to the same spot if she leaves. This coupled with events of the previous weekend, heightened my awareness of the cycle of life and death on the farm.
Molly and I traveled to the great land of cheese for our sheep and llama this past weekend. Arena, Wisconsin is the home of Double Ewe Farms, which was our wonderful source for our Katahdin sheep, and close to another farm selling guardian llamas. We were able to spend some time on the sheep farm to learn about care and breeding. We saw the birth of three lambs, though the first was dead. They did their best to save it (one is a veterinarian), but sometimes that just happens. Seeing these two ewes birth their three lambs gave us a great perspective on what a healthy birth looks like versus one that is in distress (hence the still birth). An experience that will give us direction for when we are lambing in the spring of 2018. Later when we toured the pasture, a beautiful lush space with plenty of happy sheep, we found a lamb that was dead. It may succumbed to a bit colder temperatures or been the small one of triplets that struggled to have a chance, but it just happens. Vince, the third generation owner/shepherd of the farm, told us “where there is livestock there is deadstock”.