This herd of black Aberdeen Angus is just down the road from us, and they all stopped for about 5 seconds to look at me, then went on munching!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
It's Hay and Cattle Country Too!
Grey County is also the number one producer of hay in Ontario, and the number two for cattle, primarily beef cattle. So as you drive around the landscape you see a lot of hayfields and pastures, with a variety of breeds of beef cattle munching away.
The last of the hay is being gathered in. I've watched this field over the summer, and this is the 3rd cut of hay the farmer is getting - mostly alfalfa at the end of the season rather than grasses. But a 3rd cut is unusual around here, made possible by the summer's continuing cool weather with plentiful rain.
This I think is a second cut, and the farmer is nearly finished cutting the hay, hoping for the hot weather of the last two days so it can dry in the sun a bit I expect.
And down the other road is a herd of Charolais, on the crest of a hill a little ways off when I took this picture. All part of the farming landscape of Grey County.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Interesting! Just a beautiful place you live... :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks. We enjoy it!
DeleteHi Gnome- Thanks for visiting my blog. Looks like we enjoy the rural landscape in common.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting.
DeleteGrey County must be a very profitable county --with hay production and cattle... Neat!!!!! Looks like an interesting area --and a perfect one to take good photos.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
It may be almost as nice as Tennessee!
DeleteSuch gentle beauty in those rolling hills.
ReplyDeleteYour alfalfa fields look so green. Hay fields here are quite brown. I have a large pasture behind me and another one on the north side but they don't have all the cattle in them they used to have, but are cut for hay. But I have trouble trusting cattle. Once I was going to pick walnuts and had to drive through a cow pasture, it didn't seem like a big deal until I got into the pasture and the cattle came trotting over and surrounded my car. I panicked and backed like crazy for the gate where I had to get out to open it to get out with the cattle thundering across the pasture at me. I just managed to back and close the gate before they caught up. Whew! But they ate my radio antenna off. Probably I'm just silly, and they are warm and friendly(?).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure they're warm and friendly, but when I see 6 year olds showing cattle at the local fall fair, I don't worry too much!
DeleteThese multiple cuts of hay are incredibly destructive to ground nesting birds and are a major component in the decline of many species.
ReplyDeleteDavid Gascoigne
Waterloo, ON
www.travelswithbirds.blogspot.com
You're right. Luckily there are many beef farms where hay doesn't get cut ver y early, so the bobolinks get off the nests, but it's a serious problem from that side.
ReplyDeleteLove looking at wide open fields like that, so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI bet the farmer is thankful for tractors!! : )
Cows must be very curious animals - they come down to the fence and watch me pass by too. I always want to pet one but don't know if they would like that. Have you ever tried to pet one?
It's very pretty there. LOVE that first shot of the rolling hills.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at a 3rd cut; plenty after last year's drought.
ReplyDelete