I wish it wouldn't...

I spend about half of my time wishin’ it would rain, and the other half hopin’ it won’t. This weekend we got both. Jacob took a vacation day on Friday and cut about 10 acres. (That’s some dedication, huh? A vacation day!) Eddie, Jake and I (John) cut another 8 acres Saturday morning under gray skies, on a day that was supposed to have a 20% chance of rain. A few clouds then a quick shower about noon that really didn’t even get the ground wet. The day ended up sunny and dry.

I heard the rain at 4:30 am. It rained until about 5:30. After a few hours of "I wish it hadn’t," I was reminded (by that little voice in my head – Yes, God even speaks to Methodists!) that we probably already have enough hay and that this new field is lagniappe. Anyway, the Flagon Pasture is so dry that the dust is unbelievable.

So I’m glad it rained. No, wait I wish it hadn’t…
--John

Saving the Family Farm

We hear a lot about the disappearing family farm.  As I travel around our state, I see hundreds of wonderful old “Home Places” that are overgrown with weeds and seem to be forgotten. I wonder about the family that sacrificed to build a small family place only to, for whatever reason, move on to life without the farm.  Not so long ago, every little pasture you passed while driving had a couple of cows to sustain the family that operated the little farm.  Those places are now mostly empty.

One of our dreams is to, in some way, help save some of those places by keeping them productive. 

Cattle need hay. Lots of hay.  We currently cut our hay from several of the old “Homeplaces” in our community. It helps us by providing a good place to produce a hay crop, and I hope our neighbors find value in keeping these farms alive a little longer.

We believe the family farm doesn’t have to disappear. Life goes on, things change. But, I like to think there’s a group of old farmers looking down on us that appreciate our trying to make the farm last a little longer. 
--John

Recent Activity

It's been a while since our last post, but there hasn't been a lack of activity on the farm. We've made some great strides in the last three weeks and I can't wait for you to see how things are coming.  There have been countless hours of pushing up debris, burying debris that wouldn't burn and discing. We finished the fence on the west side of the property two weeks ago. This past weekend Eddie, Bob and Uncle Chuck drilled the water well. We also cut hay on four different pastures. We finished baling the third pasture yesterday and we already have fifty three rolls on the ground! John made a "handshake" agreement with our cattle supplier to hold our price until December when the grass is ready. We will be going to his farm in mid September to choose and tag the cattle we'll be purchasing. From this point on I think our primary focus will be on planting grass and finishing the fence. We work every Saturday starting around 7:30 a.m.. Give us a call or email if you want to come help or just see how things work. We'd love to have you! I am posting some pictures of all our recent activity on the website. www.butterfieldfarm.net/life_on_the_farm

-Will

Bulldozing is finally finished!  There is still so much more land that needs to be cleared, but that will have to wait until a future date, perhaps next summer.  For now, we have more than enough land cleared for our cows to have plenty of healthy grass to enjoy.  We had a number of mechanical problems--went through two rented bulldozers, five (five!) hydraulic hoses, two truck tailgates (ask Will about that), and a few ATV problems.  Soon we will disc the land and begin planting grass seed.  I'm excited about finally seeing a pasture full of lush, green grass bordered by Flagon Creek, which is absolutely beautiful, as well.  The creek has a number of spots that just scream for a rope swing.  If only there was no possibility of snakes!

We've had a few recent health problems in the Butterfield family.  Will had his gallbladder removed, Laney was hospitalized for strep, and Grandma Ardena had a procedure to help with nerve pains.  Butterfields are resilient, though, and we have quite a network of family and friends to help during hard times.  There has been no shortage of shoulders on which to lean.  I'm so thankful to be a part of this tightly knit family!

Bethany