The controlled burns over these past two days have gone well. When I met up with Lindsey this morning, he said we are on schedule to finish the final 50 acres this afternoon. I walked with him as he went to check the fire breaks and talk to his crew. They were all in high spirits and geared up to head back out. We have been fortunate that the weather has been favorable for burning this week. We are expecting rain this weekend—right on time.
It’s cloudy and overcast this morning at Coal Creek Farm. The rain will roll in around lunchtime, so we need a quick start this morning. It’s another good day for the cattle operation as we have eight newborn calves looking happy and healthy. We ran out of time with the Bush Hog yesterday, so today,…
Sunday is a day of rest in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. Life on Coal Creek Farm doesn’t stop, so even though I don’t have chores precisely planned, I still have things to do. It’s an excellent morning to split wood for the fire, and my youngest son has gotten good at making kindling. Afterward,…
We’ve had a lot of traffic at the farm this month. I love having visitors and appreciate the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency running our burns. The burning is critical for our long-term goal of restoring native grasses and clearing the underbrush. But, our roads paid a high price. We have miles of gravel roads that…
It’s feeling more like Spring. We had a busy morning with ten new Longhorn and Longhorn-mix calves born overnight. They all seem to be healthy, and their mothers are tending them as they should. That allows me to focus on other tasks. We are in a drought, so we have to be creative since Spring…
Yesterday was a good day for us. The weather cooperated, and the burn began as planned. Temperature levels, humidity, wind speed, and constant wind direction don’t line up as often as we would hope. So far, we couldn’t have asked for better burn conditions. Better still, the forecast is for a similar day today. I…
We were under a frost advisory last night. Every step I took this morning made a satisfying crunch underfoot. As I returned from my morning hike, I stopped to talk with my farm manager, Harold. He explained the rifle shot I had heard earlier this morning. Harold had shot two coyotes that have been sneaking…