The runway...

http://youtu.be/wIaRUAXA9_E
Made a short video of the runway around the pastures.  This is just the uphill stretch along one side.

Oak Hill is evolving...

As the goat herd has grown, horses have come and sadly gone (RIP Poco) and I have learned more about soils and healthy land, the layout and approach at Oak Hill has continued to evolve.


This is a picture of the original pasture layout and dry tracks for the horses:

This is the layout now:

Pastures 1 through 4 are a mix of grasses, clovers, herbs and useful weeds.  These are rotated between the goats and horses.  Pastures 5 and 6 are browse just for the goats, with a variety of hardwoods, some pine, and lots of honeysuckle and multiflora rose. 
Watch for posts coming soon about pasture rotation, the mix of herbs and weeds, a discussion of salad bar goats and results of the latest soil tests.

Dynamite HumiZyme arrived today!

Today my neighbor very kindly delivered my barrel of HumiZyme. I'll be taking soil samples this spring then applying the HumiZyme. I have quite a pasture To Do List this spring:
Clear and fence the rest of the runways
Soil tests for all 3 pastures
Research and purchase a tow-behind fertilizer sprayer
Get the 1960's John Deere running to tow the sprayer

The fainting goat kids have started arriving to fund the equipment upgrades and repairs. Love those goats!

The middle pasture that was fertilized last fall with Dynamite products and a bit of natural salt has significantly more grass growth this spring. Very interesting - I'm excited to see what the soil tests show. I've already had enough forage growing to cut the goat hay consumption in half this spring.

Spring has sprung!

Carrie and the critters at Oak Hill

Pastures resting until spring 2010

The ground is frozen solid and covered with snow. The pastures are resting and regenerating until spring.

Come spring, I will be:

• finishing the runways
• applying Dynamite Humizyme fertilizer www.dynamitemarketing.com/carrieeastman
• overseeding with orchardgrass, bluegrass, sunflowers and assorted herbs

Meanwhile, the new fence charger works wonderfully and easily deters the goats and horses, even through their thick winter fur.

Happy New Year! Stay warm!

Carrie

updates on Dynamite fertilizers

I took baseline soil samples in 2007. After that, green manure was applied (actually, the horses and goats applied the manure by pooping in the fields)
In 2009, I took more samples in the middle pasture.
Then I applied a combination of Dynamite Prescription Treatment for Soils & Crops and the Dynamite CCF (growth accelerant)
Below are the test results:

Nutrient	2007	Pre fert/CCF	Post fert/CCF
pH	6.2	6.9	7.4
Nitrogen (N)ppm
Phosphorus (P)ppm	12.0	29.0	44.0
Potassium (K)ppm	487.0	1073.0	939.0
Magnesium (Mg)ppm	325.0	274.0	299.0
Calcium (Ca)ppm	1818.0	2803.0	3208.0
Zinc ppm	2.4	2.9	3.6
Copper ppm	5.3	7.8	6.8
Sulfur ppm	20.1	21.4	21.0

The soil in pastures is alive with various organisms, including the forage or crop growing on/in it. The biological processes of this system are very similar to human or animal bodies. I found it fascinating that the pH of the soil became more alkaline, just as it would in a healthy body as it became increasingly mineralized.
Also, the calcium levels in the soil came up dramatically without the additional of any lime. I also bypassed the testing service recommendation to add phosphorus and nitrogen.
The high potassium levels appear to be due to the large applications of manure. In humans, a sodium deficiency causes potassium to leave the cells and become extracellular. A similar dynamic exists in soils. The future addition of sodium should cause the soil organisms to pick up the extra potassium.
Conventional soil advice is to add magnesium to offset the potassium levels. However, magnesium can harden the soils.
I just applied more Prescription Treatment and added 2 pounds/acre of Dynamite Natural Trace Mineral Salt. In a couple weeks I'll have another soil test to see if this reduced the potassium levels.





Found links to some interesting testimonials about Dynamite's other fertilizers, HumiZyme and HumiZyme Plus.
http://www.dynamiteonline.com/results.nsf/0c719854ce9c2312882568aa001d03fd/8ea890d734966c7d882569440083cc50?OpenDocument
Shows regrowth after mowing
http://www.dynamiteonline.com/results.nsf/0c719854ce9c2312882568aa001d03fd/cf1a33471168be1c88256be00013d3a0?OpenDocument
Shows root development after planting
http://www.dynamiteonline.com/results.nsf/0c719854ce9c2312882568aa001d03fd/2846637b28c74a8a8825734c0082b5fc?OpenDocument
Shows increased hay yield. 3 tons off a 2 acre field.

Also, www.seaagri.com has some interesting information about seawater-based fertilizer. I prefer to use the Dynamite brand and add NTM salt, to avoid possible heavy metal pollutants in the ocean. There are lots of great links on this website, and information about how seawater works on soil.

Wachters sells seaweed-based fertilizer that can also be used to bring up sodium and iodine levels in soils.

http://www.turfdiag.com/InterpretSoilTestReport.htm How To Interpret A Soil Test by Steve Frack. This is a fairly conventional discussion with good descriptions of the various components of a soil test.

My goal for the pastures is triple or quadruple yield of mixed grasses/legumes/weeds to feed both the horses and the goats with maximum balanced mineral content. I will be able to feed less hay and supplements, and also minimize sugar risk for the horses.

Until next post, may your soils thrive!
Carrie

Fencing

As I'm shopping for fencing for the runways, and also am replacing the fence charger, this seemed a timely topic.
There are four types of fences at Oak Hill:
The perimeter pasture/runway fence is permanent and must keep the horses on the property when they are in the runways. This fence does not have to contain the goats.
The fence that separates the runways from the pastures must be horse and goat proof. The goats are not allowed in the runways, as they faint when startled and could get trampled by a horse by accident.
The third type of fence surrounds the goat pens and must be goat and predator proof.
The fourth type of fence encloses the horse corrals.

I chose electric fencing for the perimeter. Board fence was higher maintenance, and also outside my planned spending. I researched various types of electric fence and decided that HorseGuard sounded like my best option. http://www.horseguardfence.com/ HorseGuard makes a 1 1/2" tape fence with stainless steel wires. The fencing held up well in tests for weathering and high winds, is highly visible to the horses, and will break if a horse gets seriously tangled up, while withstanding lesser impacts without damage. I've had this fencing up for at least 6 years now. I've had trees fall on the fence, trucks drive over it, had lightening strikes, high winds - the fence still looks as good as the day I installed it and carries a charge well. I had one small section loose all it's wires and terminals from a direct lightening hit. I'm using a 3 strands, with the top set at 4 feet.

For the inner fence that creates the runways, I've used some less expensive electric tape fence that is 1" wide. I've noticed that this less expensive fencing stretches much easier than the HorseGuard and is already sagging in spots. I've set the inner fence at the same 4 foot height, and the bottom strand lower at only 12" above the ground to contain the goats. This only works for Fainting Goats - I would not suggest a single strand for containing any other goat breed.

The fence charger or controller is a critical part of any electric fence system. Here are some good websites I found during my research.

http://www.ibiblio.org/farming-connection/grazing/features/fencemis.htm 17 Mistakes To Avoid With Electric Fencing by Wayne Burleson The article focuses on electric high tensile. However, many of the suggestions are useful for tape fencing.

http://www.ruralmfg.com/mall/EG000_EnergizerGuide.htm A chart that gives joules, number of ground rods and effective distance for various chargers.

http://www.zarebasystems.com/PRODUCTS/FENCE_CONTROLLERS.ASPX Zareba manufactures electric fence systems, including chargers.

Besides looking for the appropriate voltage and joules, I suggest looking for a charger with fuses you can change yourself and lightening protection. I'm also looking for at least 5 joules, to prevent voltage drop if the line touches vegetation, and also at least 4000 volts on the fenceline to handle goats and my shaggy pony. I've used a number of chargers over the years. I've tripled the fencing I need to charge, and added goats, so I'm shopping for a new charger that can handle the increased load. So far I like the Dare for it's all-weather construction and easy-to-service modular circuitry. http://dareproducts.com/products-fenceenergizers.asp

The goat pen fencing is 4 foot welded wire, and I'm adding electric tape 6" above the ground and along the top as predator deterrant.

The horse corrals are wooden board (oak) with locust posts. I chose wood to have a fence that would withstand pressure from confined horses and work even during extended power outages.

Until next time, happy fencing!

Carrie

PS - the horses aren't the only critters enjoying the runways and woods corral...

This wild turkey came strolling down the new runway and into the woods corral the other day.

Bottom pasture before mowing

Looking pretty rough before mowing. The goats love these wildflowers and weeds. Great view!