May we present a “year-in-the-life” at the Johnson Ranch.
Below are the various experiences common to the seasons throughout the year.
Calving
Let’s begin in the spring. There is the newness of life in all aspects; the melting of the winter season, fresh buds appearing and the birth of baby livestock. Calving begins the middle of March with first year momma’s (heifers) that we keep an eye on in the corral at home. Cows calve in the pasture (usually in much colder temperatures than is depicted in the photo), but we are watchful of those, too.
Pre-working
When the ground is warm enough to sprout the first flush of weed seeds, because we do not spray a herbicide, we pull the tool-bar through the ground to uproot them before planting seed.
Rock-picking
Often-times pre-working kicks up rocks that were under the soil. Rock-picking is a multi-seasonal job. If we are able, it is ideal to pick rocks in the summer and fall before the ground freezes.
Seeding
Seeding usually begins the latter parts of April and continues through May, of course, depending on weather. Within our rotation plan, we seed a green manure crop, usually sweet clover, that will be incorporated into the soil the following year.
Here Matt is inspecting the depth of the seed and will make adjustments if necessary.
Baby Chicks Arrive
We order baby chicks through the mail and schedule them to arrive later in the spring after the harsh storms (hopefully) are over.
There are daily chicken chores and a yearly coop cleaning that takes place.
Branding
Branding is a community event that spans from the end of May through June, as each neighboring herd enlists each others help to accomplish this large job.
Summer-fallowing
Because of our location and local weather pattern, summer-fallowing is a necessary practice in our cropping system to keep weeds from growing and consuming the moisture that is present in the soil from snow melt. Summer-fallowing begins a soon as the pre-working is finished and will continue throughout the summer and into the fall, depending on weed growth.
Irrigating
Irrigation at the hay ground near Hinsdale along the Milk River coincides with all other summer farming jobs and consists of preparing the ditches, monitoring the flow and checking on the saturation of the ground. The land is flood irrigated at least 3 separate times, producing up to three separate cuttings of hay.
Swathing
The forage plants need to be cut and laid in a windrow at the proper time to preserve nutrition for the animals in the winter months. Along with the irrigated hay ground we also cut and bale dry land hay.
Raking
Part of the hay-making process is raking, which brings two swathed windrows closer together, this dries the underside of the hay and speeds up the baling step.
Baling
Because we have a convenient set-up to feed round bales, this is the type of system that works best for our operation.
Breeding Season
Towards the beginning/middle of July we turn the bulls out with the cows to time the gestation period for babies to be born in mid to late March.
Fencing
Fencing is an ongoing, multi-seasonal task.
Maintenance
Like fencing, maintaining, working on and repairing equipment or machinery isn’t bound by any season and we have projects going year-round. Of course, during high usage times, there is more incidents of break-downs.
Harvesting
Harvesting in the fall is the highlight of our labors. The seed has sprouted, grown and ripened over the summer. It takes many hands and equipment to bring in the harvest, and the days are long, but it is what we have waited for all summer.
Grain Storage
Organically, all grain has a paper trail: from the field to bin to sale. Bins are cleaned and readied for the seed just prior to harvest. Seed goes from combine to truck and is augered from the truck into the bin where is stored until is sold and hauled to the buyer in semis.
Stacking Hay
Putting the hay up in stacks in the hay yard is done in the fall. The bales are loaded on a semi-truck and hauled to the yard to be stored for feeding in the winter months.
Moving Cows
Depending on water and grass availability, the livestock is moved from pasture to pasture. We also trail them to the farmyard in the late fall to wean the calves, vaccinate, and pregnancy test the cows.
Shipping Calves
In the late fall the calves are sold to a buyer. At this time we load them onto trailers and weigh them at a community scale. We keep some of the heifer calves to raise as part of the herd.
“Working Livestock”
What we refer to as “working livestock” could be anything from testing bulls, vaccinating cows and heifers, or doctoring the cattle in various ways. It usually means that we are working in the corral with the animals.
Pregnancy Testing Cows
In the winter, after the calves have been shipped to the buyer, our veterinarian comes to the ranch and tests the cows and heifers to see which ones are pregnant.
Office work
Alongside the many of the physical jobs we as farmers/ranchers do, we also need business skills. The winter is monopolized with governmental paperwork, organic certification paperwork, seed marketing, sales records, budget planning, tax filing and seed sourcing for next year.
Winter Feeding
The heifer calves that are retained, are kept in the corral and bucketed feed pellets through the winter. The main herd is fed the various types of bales that we put up in the summer months.