This is a rapid-fire look back and what I was up to farm-wise in 2024.

Bonus double-rainbow

Dairy

2024 was my second calendar year of running a small dairy. On the whole, it was nice to be going around a second time – already having the supplies I needed, with a sense of how to get things done with what I have.

It’s a lot of work but you get to see some great sunrises (and sunsets).

Grazing

In 2023, I shot myself in the foot by having the whole place bushhogged in late summer, expecting fall regrowth. Instead, there was an early fall drought and I had no residual grass on the ground.

This year, I decided to graze aggressively in May and June to get as much fescue as I could before it went to seed and before it became unpalatable. I think it worked well: none of the pasture looked like “amber waves of grain” in mid-Summer and fescue seedhead production was minimal.

Also, it helped having a small “dry herd” of the two young heifers (above). While the dairy cows were grazing the choicest grass, the dry herd could be assigned to something less wonderful that also needed to be muched down.

Drying off

After having the cows artificially inseminated in late 2023, they were due for a dry period in the summer of 2024. This is so that their bodies can focus on growing their new calves and getting “back in shape” for milking again. For me, it meant I didn’t have to milk at all in the month of June. We took some small trips to visit family during that time which was a treat.

I’m planning my next dry period for Dec 2025-Mar 2026. If I can get all the cows bred close enough to one another, I’ll be able to take more time “off” – and I’d rather not be milking during the cold of winter!

Calves

I tried raising calves this year with the same approach I used last year: calves with mom during the day, separated at night. The calves grew well and I got enough milk. I found a rhythm where I’d keep a few cattle panels, along with some rope or hardware for joining them, along the perimeter fence. Then, as the cows were rotating through that area of pasture, I’d set fencing panels up into a small pen, and use it for putting the calves to bed for a week or so.

(This example pen is actually from the day they were sold, but you get the idea.)

The big downside was how much time this ended up taking. Because calving was so spread out, I ended up separating calves every night for five straight months. In retrospect, I should have sold the calves as bottle babies and saved myself the trouble.

In any case, they grew out nicely and I sold them after they were all weaned.

Working with RAWMI

In early 2024, I got in touch with the Raw Milk Institute about improving my process and getting “listed” on their website. I shot videos of the pastures, milking, clean-up, and bottling, and met with Sarah Smith and Mark McAfee by Zoom. They had a lot of good feedback so I changed several things:

• Added larger mats to the dirt/woodchip floor of my milking shed
• Got enough microfiber cloths to use a fresh one for every cow, every day
• Added sanitizing teat wipes to the udder cleaning routine
• Added an acid rinse to the daily machine cleaning regimen
• Started testing coliform count on an occasional basis
• Sanitize the bulk tank after washing it instead of before filling it

I’ve been really delighted with the results. For broad-spectrum bacteria tests, a good goal for clean milk production is 5000 cfu/ml. This year, my numbers have come down from 1,500-2,500 cfu/ml to 100-200 cfu/ml. Another test is coliforms, where the goal is below 10 cfu/ml. I starting running this test this year and my coliform count is almost always 0 cfu/ml – there have been a few non-zero results along the way, though.

I haven’t finished the listing process, but honestly, it’s because I already got what I was looking for: an expert review of my process, actionable feedback, and evidence of its effectiveness.

The only downside is that it’s more expensive. Instead of chlorine bleach, I’m using an acid rinse that costs $50/gallon (including freight delivery)! But it’s definitely worth it, considering the measurable improvements in cleanlienss

New fences and watering system

Over spring and summer of 2024, I worked with the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District to design and implement new rotational grazing infrastructure. I got three new cross-fences to my existing pastures, two frost-free waterers, and an in-ground, frost-free water hookup.

The new gear has been wonderful (I’m especially loving the waterers this time of year) but implementation was bumpy. Between my own misunderstanding, some bad communication, and some project management issues, it cost more than I was expecting. My fence was way over spec – and I paid for it – but it turned out to be a fair price for what it was.

The best thing about the new fences is weaning: I practice fenceline weaning which requires … well … a fenceline. Now I have plenty of them.

Hay

It was another rotten year for hay farmers (and hay shoppers), with a long, hot mid-summer drought. I was able to get first-cutting alfalfa/orchard grass bales for $100 each, delivered, from the same guys I got hay from last year. So far, the cows are chowing down on it and producing as well as they did on the second-cutting hay last year.

Here, the bales are up on pallets and tarped to keep them dry until they’re fed.

Also, I had several bales left over from last year which I stored in my little barn. During the summer, yellow jackets made a nest inside one of them. Ew!

Cheese

This was a quiet year for cheese. I didn’t make any hard cheese at all. With a new baby in the house and other projects on my docket, I just couldn’t make time for it. But I’ve been making soft cheese at least once a week … no complaints here!

Land and Pasture

Trees!

In the spring, we put in a lot of trees around the house. Grelen put in several big ornamentals (two catawbas, a kentucky coffee tree, a hop hornbeam, a black gum, a white oak, and several big shrubs). We put in several edibles: three chestnuts, three persimmons, three hazelnuts, three elderberries, three mulberries, two heartnuts, two jujubes, three figs, two pawpaws, a pomegranate, 25 strawberries, 25 asparagus crows, six rhubarbs, and a gooseberry. We did a lot of watering to keep them going during the summer, but so far, everything is looking good.

I put in a lot of tree tubes this year, too, and I’ve been amazed at the results. They aren’t pretty but boy, the tree grows fast and straight. I’ll definitely use them for any other trees I plant – it’s like a time-warp for tree growth.

Drought

We had another hot, dry spell in late summer this year. I fed a bale or two of hay, trying to give the grass a break. The second hay cutting barely happened around here. It was really small. Some farmers made a third cutting because we got some decent rain in the early fall and a little bit of grass growth after that.

I’m hoping to put in some permaculture-style on-contour swales this year to improve my rain absorption. Also, I plan on buying and extra 5-or-so bales of hay to keep on hand for drought conditions next summer.

Clearing Brush

During the summer, I heard some advice about using trees for cattle shade. It was to remove the lower limbs of the tree, as high as you can, so that the useful shade of the tree falls far from the trunk of the tree. This prevents an over-accumulation of manure and hoofprints – and prevents the muck and parasite load that would follow. So this winter, I’ve been limbing up all the big junipers around the farm and I can tell it’s going to be a big improvement.

Other

New Baby

In this post, I have tried to make much of my accomplishments on our little farm. But my wife obviously takes the cake: this year, she gave birth to our fifth daughter!

Eclipse

We enjoyed watching the solar eclipse this year as a family.

Chickens

This was the first year I didn’t have a full-scale wipe-out of the flock by some predator. That was nice! I hatched a batch of Icelandics but mostly sold them, and kept a few that were hatched by broody hens, but I seemed to have bad luck on those hatches (mostly cockerels…). In late October, egg production plummeted by both the hens in the field and the hens in the hoop coop. It’s the first time this has happened to me. I’ve tried adding supplemental light and I am getting an egg or two a day now … but not the dozen per day I used to! I’ll be curious to see if they pick back up in the spring. Assuming they do, I’ll hatch a fresh batch of replacements. And maybe I’ll start getting more adventurous with free-ranging the older hens.

’

This year, I did two batches of 50 broilers each. One was early – starting at the beginning of March – and the other was late, starting at the beginning of October. The early batch worked great. They were out of the brooder just in time for things to start warming up. For the late batch, I’d say I just barely got away with it: if cold weather had come sooner (or if processing day had been any colder), it could have been a real mess.

Timber Framing

It was a relatively quiet year for timber framing, but I did make a simple arbor for my sister-in-law’s wedding. When I ordered timbers, I asked for “either all red oak, or all white oak,” but in the end, I got a mix. Fortunately, it turned out symmetrical and besides, it was covered in flowers for the ceremony!

We got a dog

After deer decimated everything during the drought, we adopted a half-wild hound dog from the Fluvanna shelter. We named her Belle. I had no idea how hard it would be to get her trained enough (even to be a farm dog!) but she’s settling in at last. We’ll see if she keeps the deer away in the spring.

Looking ahead…

Some thoughts and goals for 2025:

• Install swales, small holding ponds, and appropriate overflow earthworks
• Repair the dam where it’s starting to wash out
• Track down New Zealand genetics for breeding in May/June, to get on spring calving schedule
• Consider the vegetable garden “a project” this summer: really try to actually grow something this year