Pastures

mostly about making them last until fall

Update on pasture food preferences of Soay sheep

Update on pasture food preferences of Soay sheep

Much has been written about the grasses and other edibles Soay sheep lived on during their thousands of years on the tiny islands of the St. Kilda archipelago and how that compares to their relatively posh existence these days on the grass pastures here in North America. There also are plenty of articles about what […]

Read More →

Read More →

Water water everywhere: a 10-year look-back

Water water everywhere: a 10-year look-back

As we approach the end of 2015, we are encouraged by the report of over 60 inches of snow on Big Red Mountain, the only source of water for our Little Applegate River once the rains diminish in April and stop altogether in May. Last year there was no snow on Big Red – zero […]

Read More →

Read More →

“Ram lookin’ over a four-leaf clover…”

“Ram lookin’ over a four-leaf clover…”

Yesterday was a stunningly beautiful early autumn day in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains, a perfect day to photograph the rams leaving our farm for eight (so far) new homes in the next few weeks. Now I’m back inside with a couple of hundred photos and struck by how many of them show an […]

Read More →

Read More →

Soay sheep by birth, piglet by behavior: gorging on summer grass

Soay sheep by birth, piglet by behavior: gorging on summer grass

I was out yesterday taking pictures of our adult ewes to send to people who have taken advantage of our half-price sale when a sweet 2013 ewe, Winfield, walked right up to me and began shamelessly chowing down everything in front of her nose. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud, […]

Read More →

Read More →

It’s March, and the yearling Soay rams love their new spring pastures

It’s March, and the yearling Soay rams love their new spring pastures

Out here in Oregon where we have been spared the endless rounds of blizzards and ice storms, our year-old rams can’t get enough of the emerging pastures. I was photographing parts of our fencing earlier last week for an earnest post about how to construct a fence that will keep Soay sheep safe and happy, […]

Read More →

Read More →

Pasture rotation — spring growth, summer growth

Pasture rotation — spring growth, summer growth

Everyone here at Saltmarsh Ranch, animals and shepherds alike, heaves a sigh of relief each spring when the sheep and their guardian llamas first move out of their winter hay feeding areas and onto pasture grass.  To be sure, the sheep cannot help but gorge themselves, creating havoc with their excretory functions but putting huge smiles on their faces and ours.  […]

Read More →

Read More →

Top