I think fall is my favorite season. I've always liked change, and for some reason, the changing weather of autumn appeals to me. I enjoy the sense of things wrapping up - this year's leaves coming off the trees, this year's irrigation season ending (usually on October 15).
Fall also brings a sense of promise - of new beginnings - that is directly related to the annual cycle of our farm. If the weather cooperates in the fall, we get a germinating rainfall (like we got weekend before last). A germinating rain gets the grass started, and if we get a stretch of warmish weather after this rainfall, the grass really takes off. Every day now, I can see more green in our pastures. This fall grass growth is critical for carrying our animals through the winter months.
Finally, fall is our main breeding season for the sheep. Most breeds of sheep are seasonally anestrous, which means they only breed when the days are growing shorter (and which also means they have their lambs when there is grass). We put our rams with the ewes on October 1 this year, which means the lambs will begin arriving in late February or early March.
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Mo keeping track of our newest bummer lamb If you raise sheep, at some point, you'll have a lamb whose mother won't - or can&#... -
Here's the next installment from my Sheep Management Basics talk: Overview – Why Not Lamb in a Barn? Conventional wisdom indicate... -
Cross-posted and adapted from my Ranching in the Sierra Foothills blog... As anyone who has read this blog at all in the last 12 months k...
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