Ararat Farm Newsletter February 2024
Hello Everyone, we hope you have had a great February. It’s been a busy month with several big things happening on the farm. There have been big repair things as well as maintenance things happen on the farm this month. We had to construct a new shed/workshop as well as replace pumps and several other things. The animals have been doing well this month. Cows and horses are on hay still and the piggies are slowly but surely growing and enjoying the comfort of the barn. Well, let’s get started on all the updates.
Summary for February:
The Herd’s love of the tractor
Little Piggies love the scraps
Construction of the new shed/workshop
Pond maintenance
Spring Pump Repair
Enjoying some fun blessings among the stressful ones
The Herd
During this season as you know the cows are strictly on hay with the grass all short and dormant. Most of the year the cows are always excited when they hear the tractor but during the winter they love the tractor because it is bringer of good things. They love to see the tractor bring hay and most times go bucking and kicking after it.
The Pigs
The piggies are all doing well. They are growing slowly but they are growing and are still training and getting use to us coming in and petting them. They come running when they hear the scrap bucket and snarf the food down. We have also been giving them charcoal for their gut health which they really enjoy.
New Shed/Workshop
The big storm in January as most of you know destroyed our shed/workshop that stored tools, supplies and equipment including the welding trailer. We designed and with help were able to rebuild a new shed within about 2 days. It was an expensive repair but we designed this shed to be helpful storage but very versatile for everything we need to do on the farm.
Pond Maintenance
Everything on the farm has to be maintenance including ponds. Most of the ponds on the farm have not been maintenanced in a while. They need to be cleaned out and resealed at the base. So we started with the pig pond which had a tremendous amount of leaf litter and mud. We dug in out and resealed it. Now we are waiting for rain to fill it back up again.
Spring Pump Repair
There are days for maintenance and then there are days for repair again. This month our main spring pump which pumps water collected from the springs into a spring box then pumps up the ridge burned out. It is an expensive piece of equipment on the farm and vital or success on the farm. After much troubleshooting we found we had to just purchase a new one. There is never a dull moment on the farm.
Rest in the Blessings
With all the big things that have happened on the farm and everything being stressful. It is a blessing to take and afternoon, saddle a horse and just go for a ride. It's helpful to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life, appreciate the blessing the Lord has given and rest in His sovereign grace.
That’s All Folks
Well that pretty much wraps up the update for the month of February. It’s crazy the we are already almost to march. It’s been busy and we thank you for taking the time to visit and catch up on the latest happenings on the farm. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
Your Ararat Farm