MENDING WALLS

Published in the Intermountain Farm and Ranch April 15, 2011. 

            In 1914 American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) wrote the poem “Mending Walls.” In this poem he talks about fixing a stone fence with his neighbor, each being on his own side of the fence. Twice he used the phrase: “Good fences make good neighbors.”

            As cattlemen, we know how true that is! Cattle roaming free can cause a multitude of problems:

• If they happen onto Conservation Reserve Plan acres, the owner of the land can be fined, whether he is the owner of the cattle or not. 
• If cattle wander and graze on alfalfa fields when the plants are in certain stages, they can bloat.
• They can cause considerable damage to wheat and barley fields.
• Pasture ground can be over-grazed by trespassing animals.

            Mending fences is part of working with cattle, part of having land, and part of being a good neighbor. There are many ways for the fences to become broken, torn down, and ruined. The blame can be placed on wild animals (especially elk and moose). Hunters and people on snowmobiles or four wheelers will sometimes cut fence wire to get easier access to areas of interest. Other factors that wear out fences are weather, age of the fence, and just plain wear and tear. It doesn’t matter what or who caused the broken fences, they have to be mended.

            Spring time, before the cattle are moved to summer pasture, is a busy fence mending period. It seems that when cattle are moved from pasture to pasture, they walk the fence of the new area. If there is a weak or broken spot on the fence, it will be found almost immediately and the cows will wander through and into areas where they are not supposed to be. Therefore, it is a wise rancher who checks fences before moving cattle into a new pasture.

            Fencing is hard work, especially if the fence is on a hillside. We use our John Deere Gator to get us in close proximity to most of our fences. But there are still some areas where we have to walk the line. When in those areas we like to work in pairs because of the equipment needed: the bucket of nails, staples; hammer; wire stretcher; a chain saw to cut limbs off trees, and sometimes the entire tree has fallen over the fence; and a bottle of water.

            When the spring fence mending is done, that doesn’t mean that the fencing is finished for the year. Older poles can rot below the surface of the ground, thus weakening the fence, or the wind will blow a tree over a fence. A cow will spot that weakness and with a little push the fence can go down. So the fences have to be ridden all the time there are cows in the pastures.

            A lot of our fences are within the perimeter of our own land, but there are some which border neighbors. It is good but not always possible if the owners of both sides of the fence can work together in making repairs. One’s goal is to keep the cattle in, the other’s goal is to keep the cattle out.

            I like to go out fencing with the men. It isn’t easy work but it is a job that when finished, you can see you have accomplished something.  Often wild animals can be observed; the spots where the deer, elk and moose work to get their antlers off can be seen. It is actually a quiet job other than the sounds of the hammer and sometimes the chain saw.

            Mending fences is a constant job and a challenge. But when fences are maintained, or fixed as soon as a problem is found, neighbor’s friendships are also maintained or fixed as soon as a problem comes to light.

Yes, I agree with Robert Frost. “Good fences make good neighbors!”        

           

           

A Time to Sow

Tulips blooming in spring

      Published in Intermountain Farm and Ranch on April 1, 2011     

 Spring is really a time of hope, of working on the goals that were decided on during the cold winter months when the ground was frozen and unworkable. Time spent in front of the fireplace, or in the kitchen over a hot bowl of soup and rolls fresh from the oven is planning time. Pencil and paper or maybe just conversation, but goals are set forth. Should we increase the cattle herd? That new hay sounds promising. What about our irrigation system? Then as the snow starts to melt, the corrals become muddy, robins dare to return, those goals gradually become workable – step by step.

            Spring brings forth optimism. Our thoughts are positive as we enjoy warm spring days after a cold white winter. Surely things will mature and produce. We already talk of the harvest, of what needs to be done and what can be done.  But there is a lightness of spirit in the talk. The outlook for the availability of water for irrigation is good. We haven’t faced the hot summer days, threatening our crops with devastating hail, or drought.  We are looking at a new set of guidelines in the spring. Everything, yes everything, will be okay!

It is good to see the tractors out in the field, the land being readied for spring planting. As the first soil is turned, there is a rejoicing of the spirit as the new beginning starts to unfold.  The smell of the soil as it is worked for the first time brings a feeling of hope, a feeling of rightness, a feeling of thankfulness of having a job to do and being able to do that job. Seeds are sown and the ground is watched daily for the green sprouts to immerge from the brown soil. It’s a birth of the plants, the birth of dreams. 

            The new crop of calves play tag out in the pasture while the mama’s peacefully graze and watch their offspring. I see baby lambs in a friend’s pasture that are also enjoying the warmer spring weather. Oh life is good when the trees start to sprout green leaves, when the rhubarb peaks its head out to see if it is safe to come forth from its winter sleep. You can’t help being optimistic when you are greeted each day with the song of the meadow lark.

            There will always be challenges. The price of fuel and fertilizer has risen this year to the point above raised eyebrows. How do we continue farming when the expense is more than the income? Yes, there are good prices for cattle and grain right now but will those markets last until harvest when we have some produce to sell? The fence lines at the ranch need to be evaluated as to what repairs need to be done before we move the cattle to their summer pastures. Is there winter-kill damage on the winter wheat? Even with these challenges to be faced, there is a feeling of anticipation as we load the pickup with fencing material, or hook the disk on the plow.

Farming is probably one of the biggest gambles that anyone ever worked with. I have often suggested to Boyd that we take our farm/ranch operating money to Jackpot in the spring. We would then know in a few hours whether we had made a profit or not. But what would we do with the rest of the spring, summer and fall? It’s probably best that we spend those months working and wondering if we will make money, or if we will have a crop to harvest.

Even with busy work schedules, we seem to have the time to become excited over the grass turning green, the daffodils daring to bloom when the nights are still cold, the buds on the trees and bushes. Yes, life is good on the farm. We love it and appreciate the opportunity that we have of being part of that life!