Archive for October 2015
Farm Skills 101 Diary: Birth, Butchering, and Bearings
By Cassi Dutcher • Farm Skills 101 Student The third and final weekend of Farm Skills 101 was abundant with varied activities. At Seven Pines Farm in Verndale, Minn., we spent a significant amount of time handling dairy cattle. We learned how to put cattle in a head gate, assess health, administer medication and put…
Read MoreFarm Skills 101 Diary: Fencing as Practical Art Form
By Cassi Dutcher • Farm Skills 101 Student We did so much fencing in Farm Skills 101 Week Two that for two nights I dreamed of nothing but fencing and high-tensile wire. When creating systems for forage based livestock, appropriate fencing is critical. For the vast majority of the history of agriculture, ruminants were not…
Read MoreFarm Skills 101 Diary: Practical Knowledge Already Absorbed
By Cassi Dutcher • Farm Skills 101 Student The first weekend of this fall’s semester of Deep Roots Farm Skills 101 was stacked with practical skills. We spent time building fences out of the most efficient materials for rotational and multi-species grazing as well as removed outdated fencing. Our carpentry skills portion of the…
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