Thistledog's Farm

It’s colder in St. Paul than in San Diego, as you might imagine.  I wish I had a small space heater in my room, to warm my feet – can’t seem to get them thawed out.  

Other than that, and the minor drawbacks related to travelling alone, I’m having a really good time at the conference.  Being among fellow grass farmers for the first time ever is really gratifying and encouraging.  And the speakers are, in a word, terrific.  We all sat and listened to Jerry Brunetti this afternoon, spellbound, as he moved through nutrional analysis of “primitive plants” (otherwise known as weeds), soil chemistry and mineralization, and the soil-building properties of water.  He spoke with a fluency and passion for his subject I’ve not heard in a very long time.

There are farmers from all over the country and across the globe here, taking this short course on grazing management and livestock genetics prior to the conference beginning on Wednesday.   Some are already in production, others are just planning and preparing, like me.  Old-timers and greenhorns, and a surprising number of women.  I’m glad to see that. 

The fellow to my left at our table is from Wisconsin, waiting to retire so he can start a little grass-fed herd on a piece of land he owns.  He too, wants to have draft horses to help with the work.  The woman behind me, from Missouri, is also making plans to start farming in about six months, and like me, is here to learn and meet others doing the same. 

And the very friendly chap with work-worn hands on my far right manages a 200-cow dairy farm in England; he’s here to learn how to improve diversity in their leys, among other things.  We lunched together today, eating our sandwiches in the noon-time chill and chatting about pasture rotations and the farms he visited in New Zealand. 

I loved every cold minute of it.  It’s nice, very nice, to be in the company of farmers.