Great Big Farmer

Great Big Farmer
  • 5.0 (1)
  • HOME & GARDEN
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

An "audio journal" of life on the farm.

  1. 6D AGO

    Essential Ordinary + Calf With Two Broken Legs + Old Ways To Start Grazing, Field Work + Garden Progress

    Coffee with friends in the driveshed. Forgetting Friday night, and splinting a calf with two broken legs. Fencing across the river. The "essential ordinary" makes things go smoothly. The disc needs repairs. It's probably safer to scratch your calves on the tail head rather than the head. Bo the barncat follows me to do more fence repairs. Vegetable garden progress, digging paths between beds, hardening off some seedlings. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    25 min

  2. APR 26

    Maintaining Field Edges + The Bull's Time To Shine + AI Plans For The Yearling Heifer + Ponding Water Has Impacted My No-till Soybeans

    Recording in the barn (you can hear the fence charger clicking away). I've spent about five days maintaining field edges and I'm not done this exhausting job. Rule of thumb....May 10th is the Bruce County day to put cattle on pasture. My fencing system is archaic. The field tractor needs my attention ASAP. The cover crop in the field named "Bobolink" needs to get turned in so that the biomass can broken down in time for planting. Rule of thumb...Mother's Day is the first day you can consider doing field work in Bruce County. Introducing the bull to the cows is my highest priority right now. Susan has helped me with a plan to artificially inseminate the yearling heifer (she is the bull's daughter). Abby and I have pulled the dash apart on the Honda Civic and we need a win with this job. The swather is a wild animal. The sweep auger for the grain bin is almost ready, which is good because I'd like to sell the wheat. My "no-till organic soybeans" experiment has been set back by ponding water. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    22 min

  3. APR 24

    Asking AI For Hobby Ideas + Hugging Trees And Sitting By The Ocean In BC + Not Living By My Core Values

    This episode is all about the fun I had, and how I was struck by the beauty of nature while on holiday in British Columbia. And then I get started talking about my decision not to fly and it seems like I couldn't stop talking about it LOL. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    41 min

  4. APR 8

    Hen vs Barn Cat + Retained Placenta + Equipment Repairs + More Rugby + Off-Farm Work + All Is Well Knock On Wood

    I've never seen a chicken break up a cat fight, until now. While Peter and I are busy welding and repairing equipment, a cow decides to have her calf. How I dealt with her retained placenta. I am starting to think about all kinds of spring activities including chainsaw work in the field edges, fence repairs, planting equipment, helping to coach boys and girls rugby at the high school, and off-farm contracting work. Busy days ahead! Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    28 min

  5. MAR 30

    The Bull Gets Nosy + A Spring Drive Through Mennonite Country + Wendell Berry's 1992 iv

    The bull and a nest of bees The importance of manure as fertilizer The skidsteer's time to shine Rugby is my volunteer work I am an idiot and wrecked my chainsaw A chill drive through Mennonite country My fence chargers can be repaired Mennonite and Amish farms look very different from English farms Our farm doesn't have any bare soil Today I can feel spring coming on!! Wendell Berry's 1992 iv @ 18 min 49 sec Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    22 min

  6. MAR 21

    Larry Kraemer And The Path To Organic Agriculture

    Are you thinking about making a move to organic agriculture? Larry Kraemer shares the details of his path from a life in Toronto to his organic farm near Kincardine. This is a great episode if you are thinking about transitioning from conventional farming to certified organic. Contents: Raised in Toronto Great memories of summers in Bruce County  The joy of hard work Operating a conventional dairy farm The challenges of high interest rates in the 1980's Running a business and raising a family while also farming Raising beef cattle The circumstances that lead to growing organic row crops Record keeping for organic certification can be easy! Grain storage Crop rotations Growing organic soybeans to illustrate what it takes to raise a crop organically Equipment and strategies to keep weeds at bay Marketing organic crops Farming as part of a rewarding life! Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    1h 6m

  7. MAR 6

    Celebrating Life

    This afternoon I travelled to Southampton to celebrate the life of a teaching colleague, Pat Joynt. This episode was recorded in the bank barn while sitting with the calves. The Present...until the 6:45 min mark. Noticing the small stuff in life. Calves, a barn cat, and hockey on the radio. The Past...from 6:45 to 16:47 min. Thinking about the joyous life of Pat Joynt and the unique community that existed in the high school where I taught. The Future...from the 16:47 min mark. It's time to start thinking about tomorrow. I call what I do each day the essential-ordinary. There is a lot to be said for finding joy in thoughts of tomorrow. As we all know tomorrow will be the new present, before living again as the next memory in the new past. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    19 min

  8. MAR 4

    Mouse Attack + Marketing Wheat + Getting The Bull Outside

    We get the sugar maple seeds planted, and a mouse helps to make things interesting in the seeding room. I worked on marketing my hard red winter wheat using an "everybody needs to win" approach. Teddy the bull sees the great outdoors for the first time since he got here. Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary Snyder Please contact me with your own stories. greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

    13 min
See All (16)

About

An "audio journal" of life on the farm.

Information

  • Creator
    Great Big Farmer
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Great Big Farmer
  • Show Website
    Great Big Farmer