I'll take the dirt road...

...going right through our farm.

Last week we constructed our cow lane. Saying we "re-constructed" our cow lane would be incorrect, because that would make one assume that at one point we had constructed one, when in reality, we only put up the fence and did nothing with the actual lane.  So, we finally know the answer to the question "how long can a start-up farm go without constructing cow lanes?" .....12 years.




Looking to the South, towards the farm, you see the original lane on the left.  This year's by-pass is on the right.  All the spring rain made the by-pass necessary, just to get the cows to the barn.

Here, you see even the by-pass getting bad.  We knew we would not be grazing this section of the farm next spring if we did not fix this.
 

This was Rick's emergency fix so we could leave the farm and go get that bale unroller.  It rained just prior to our trip, and this was unpassable.  (looking North from the barns)
 

What a waste of pasture!  This picture just makes a grazer's stomach churn.

First, the dozer took off the mud and topsoil from the original lane. 

 

We rolled out an 8ft wide layer of geotextile cloth.  The cloth keeps the gravel and crushed concrete from sinking to China. On top of the cloth is a layer of gravel.

 

On top of the gravel is a layer of crushed concrete.

 

Each layer is packed with a roller.

Rick and I, with help from the boys, framed up pads for the water tanks to sit on.  The white tube is protecting a water hydrant that we plug into with a hose hooked on the water tank.  We'll back fill around the drinker pads with clay and soil, and replant those areas.  The cows will stand on the drinker pad to drink.

 

Ta-Da!!!  If it only went that fast.  A predicted two day project turned into three.  We did two half days of school and took the third day off.  To finish this project we will replant the by-pass areas of the pasture back to grass along with the area around the drinker pads.

 

I'm sure you noticed the increase in the price of the milk and butter you have bought at the store.  For various reasons the price of milk is up, and I am glad to share with you the ways we have been trying to be good stewards of the additional income.   By fixing the lanes, our cows will be less stressed and cleaner, employee moral will be raised and we will be relieved of some of the effort needed to maintain the quality of milk we strive for.  We are always careful and intentional when the price of milk is up. We tithe accordingly.  We pay bills, put money into savings (for dry time and taxes), then work on project(s), and finally pay off debt.  We look at it as an opportunity to use the high year to prepare ourselves for the lower year that usually follows.  I told Rick it seems as though God has provided financially for the abundance of repairs we needed this year (up 60% so far) so next year, with potentially lower prices, we will be okay having already fixed those things.  Its just as (or more) important that we not waste God's blessings when they come in abundance...and always be thankful.