I visit my friend Cedo’s farm now and then, and since her family are far from here it is helpful if I post some photos for them. I also learn more every time I go so it’s very interesting for me. I will probably be posting farm reports now and then so feel free to click on by if you are on farm overload.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day last Saturday. If I hadn’t been driving I would have been snapping photos all the way. It was sunny, everything was green, and the mountains looked spectacular. It was one of those days of postcard and tourist magazine photos so we really enjoyed the drive.
Cedo has six cows being boarded at another farm so they have access to lots of grass. She wanted to see them so she called the guy from that farm. While we waited for him to arrive she started checking things on her farm.
Cedo checked the calf who had been having problems with diarrhea. At one point she was skin and bones. She looks much better now but the diarrhea seems to have returned and her tail end didn’t look so good.
The pigs were very excited to see us, thinking we might be bringing lunch. It was health check time though, and Cedo is afraid they have some parasites because their eyes don’t look right and they are losing hair from their skin on their hips.
Soon, the guy from the other farm arrived in his truck/taxi, and off we went. It is interesting that in Spanish there are three words for cows – one for a calf (tenero/a), one for a cow (vaca or toro), and another for a mid size cow (novillo/a). The cows we went to see were mid size, and will be considered adults once they have had calves.
It looks like a pretty nice place for cows.
Cedo was thrilled that these cows look very healthy and happy.
Six of the cows are hers.
While she talked to the guy caring for them, I used the time to snap some photos. It’s a gorgeous area and the owner has done a lot of really nice landscaping.
Everything is lush and green, and so beautiful. I can see why people like to live in this area. It’s higher so it’s cooler, things grow here that don’t grown down at sea level, and it’s so beautiful.
There was one spot where you could see the ocean in the distance.
The house belongs to a women from the US. She has lots of land so she rents it to the caretaker, and he in turn charges people to keep their cows on this land.
After the visit to the other farm, we returned to Cedo’s farm to continue making the rounds.
Next, we visit the young cows on Cedo’s farm. There is also a cow who is expecting very soon so she is hanging out with the young ones.
They were very interested in us until they realized we didn’t bring lunch. Cedo calls the caretaker to bring lunch, and then make some other calls.
The caretaker was very popular when he arrived with lunch.
It is always something! This cow has an eye infection.
One other also has an eye infection. Cedo says this must be treated quickly before it spreads to the others, and left untreated it can lead to blindness.
These young cows are growing up and need more grass, so Cedo made some calls to find them a farm with enough grass and a source of water where they could be boarded. She was successful and they should have been picked up on Monday. She is also concerned about the cow who is due to deliver soon. Another went into labor a couple weeks ago with an especially large calf she was unable to deliver. The vet went out to help, but they were unable to save either the mother or the calf. Not only is this very sad, it is also a big financial loss. We are all hoping the next delivery goes much better!
Next, it is off to check the grass.
As we walk to the other side of the farm the views are so pretty I couldn’t resist taking some photos.
Our destination – a field of grass that was planted a few months ago. It was growing well so it has been added to the rotation of fields for grazing. It seems to be doing well after grazing, and Cedo ordered some fertilizer to help it along.
Another view of the grass in this field.
Cedo makes more phone calls. I snap more photos.
Mora berries in another field. The are very tart but very tasty. They are not so good for cows though, so Cedo instructed the caretaker to “fumigar” which at first I thought was bug treatment, but is actually treatment to kill unwanted plants.
Another view of the ocean in the distance.
The other side of the farm is checked and we make our way back to the milking area where the cows are eating lunch. Thankfully the bull is also eating lunch tied to a railing so we didn’t have to worry about him on our outing. When we returned he was surprisingly mellow and didn’t object to our presence.
The cows are eating lunch, chopped grass sprinkled with molasses – yummy.
The noisy geese make the rounds, honking all the way. They are the farm watchdogs.
One of the cows was not eating and looks thin. She was put in this space for examination of her mouth. Nothing wrong was found there, so Cedo calls the vet for advice.
So, farm visit results – one calf with diarrhea, pigs with parasites, two calves with eye infections, and one cow who doesn’t want to eat. The recommended medicines are on hand at the farm except for one of the recommended meds for the cow who doesn’t want to eat. We stopped by the dairy coop on the way back to get it, and Cedo took the bus back up yesterday to deliver it. She said at that time the cow was eating better and looked like she would be OK.
Farming is a tough job with a narrow profit margin. Food, vitamins, minerals, medications, boarding at other farms, illness and loss of animals, weather, and other factors all affect the bottom line and some farms in the area don’t make it. I asked why she doesn’t just rent the farm to someone. She said she did that in the past and it didn’t go well. Renters just don’t take care of things like an owner, and it took a considerable amount of cleaning up and repairing to put the farm right again after that. So, my friend isn’t exactly kicking back in her retirement years, but that also has its good points. She definitely keeps active and involved with life.
