MONDAY

You will remember that the Title Rule is that I must write the first thing that comes into my head and no changes. Well, Monday is the first thing that has come into my head. As in, it is Monday today and I leave for California before dawn on Friday. Lots to do.

This warm weather is playing havoc with my fields. The animals pathways and frequently travelled areas are getting very torn up- the big pigs especially have eradicated all signs of pasture just with their high heels and massive weight.

I was thinking how destructive that was but then I thought about the migrations through these plains of literally millions of buffalo – and they can’t have always had sunny days!

This must have trampled thousands of acres into muck and manure. ( No one shows that in an artistic rendition). And the herds were so huge they took days ( weeks) to pass one point. In the rain. So if the migration of the bison were a natural part of the growing of the plains then surely the mud is part of that cycle?

Ruminants on open ground is part of a healthy ecosystem and all these ruminants traveled in herds so … I am trying to work out how ground trampled by a thousand hooves – or a thousand times could be good for the soil.

Or did they migrate? Maybe they merely roamed. We need a guest speaker.

And no I don’t believe in mob stocking the pasture as you know. In the summer my animals have gates opened or closed daily so they don’t eat the pasture right down. It is my graze and roam theory to develop strong pasture. I am a grass grower!

The buffalo – whose million years of fertilizing regime the modern corn and air growers are sucking dry out here – were definitely a mob.

I need to think further.

I hope you have a good day.

Celi