Bicoastal’s Virginia Journal – Counting Sheep

[Bicoastal]

New owner of a ~19 acre property in Central Virginia, 30 minutes from Charlottesville. The goal is sheep for competitive sheepdog training as well as raising the kind of meat we like eat. The property is currently fenced in mostly barbed wire that contained beef cattle. A creek running along the back is the sole water source outside of the house. I am waiting on my contract with Natural Resources Conservation Services for financial assistance with an exclusion fence along the creek, cross fencing, and installing water sources.

While I am happy to be eligible for three NRCS programs, it also means waiting until contracts are finalized and funds are distributed, anticipated in July. The delay might be just as well, since lumber prices are so high. Those in the know anticipate lumber prices will come back down in Fall 2021. Expectations are clashing with reality.

I have ordered 20 BBW turkey poults for arrival in June and two Hampshire piglets, if I can get a processing date in 2021.

My background is horses on a 100-acre corn and hay farm, a few roping steers. I have a full-time job and hope the farm can break even on livestock costs through sales and tax breaks.

Early spring farm projects are cleaning out the barn one stall at a time, repairing the tractors -then learning how to drive them!-, building a turkey brooder, rehabbing the chicken coop and run, and installing a pig pen in the woods. I might eat the costs to install a temporary fence for a handful of sheep. I will probably have to buy a truck sooner than later.

The house is older and DIY. Every stone turned over reveals a problem, so it very much needs attention. But the house does not excite me like the barn and property!

 

[SA Farm]

I still don’t have a truck! Lol
Last year we rented a U-haul to get our hay in...and you wouldn’t believe what you can get in the backseat of a car when you’re motivated
Looking forward to following along with your new endeavours

 

[thistlebloom]

You have a lot of projects on your plate as well as a full time job! I predict not a lot of thumb twiddling in your future. Your new place sounds nice, especially the barn .

 

[Alaskan]

New owner of a ~19 acre property in Central Virginia, 30 minutes from Charlottesville. The goal is sheep for competitive sheepdog training as well as raising the kind of meat we like eat. The property is currently fenced in mostly barbed wire that contained beef cattle. A creek running along the back is the sole water source outside of the house. I am waiting on my contract with Natural Resources Conservation Services for financial assistance with an exclusion fence along the creek, cross fencing, and installing water sources.

While I am happy to be eligible for three NRCS programs, it also means waiting until contracts are finalized and funds are distributed, anticipated in July. The delay might be just as well, since lumber prices are so high. Those in the know anticipate lumber prices will come back down in Fall 2021. Expectations are clashing with reality.

I have ordered 20 BBW turkey poults for arrival in June and two Hampshire piglets, if I can get a processing date in 2021.

My background is horses on a 100-acre corn and hay farm, a few roping steers. I have a full-time job and hope the farm can break even on livestock costs through sales and tax breaks.

Early spring farm projects are cleaning out the barn one stall at a time, repairing the tractors -then learning how to drive them!-, building a turkey brooder, rehabbing the chicken coop and run, and installing a pig pen in the woods. I might eat the costs to install a temporary fence for a handful of sheep. I will probably have to buy a truck sooner than later.

The house is older and DIY. Every stone turned over reveals a problem, so it very much needs attention. But the house does not excite me like the barn and property!

Is that a town and church in the distance?

 

[Alaskan]

I still don’t have a truck! Lol
Last year we rented a U-haul to get our hay in...and you wouldn’t believe what you can get in the backseat of a car when you’re motivated
Looking forward to following along with your new endeavours

We have many trucks.... only 1 runs...

 

[Baymule]

What an adventure! What kind of sheep are you going to get?

 

[farmerjan]

One word of advice.... READ EVERY SINGLE LINE IN THE AGREEMENTS WITH THE NRCS for the fencing and the water/well drilling.....There are some restrictions that you might not like.... # of years that you are restricted for certain uses.... and no matter what you do....MAKE SURE that there is a gate large enough for a tractor to get into the "set aside" land along the creek so that you can do some mowing to keep the trash cut back. Plus, if you have a drought, or like when we had the derrachio back 10 years ago or whenever it was, and we had no electricity for days, in 100 degree heat, we turned animals into the creeks where we could because there was no way to haul enough water to keep them from having heat stroke or dehydrating in that heat. Granted we have more animals than most.... but it is still the same thing.... no electricity means you have to find alternative water sources; usually in a big hurry.
There are some things in the agreements that we have decided are not worth the hassle or the control they have on you..... and we are not going to go through them for some projects that we want to do. It is something to be sure you can live with for the years that they require... most are like 20 years of restrictions and specifications.

 

[Bicoastal]

@Alaskan good eye! Yes, that farm (not mine: notice the sheep-proof fencing. One day!) has a gorgeous view perched on the side of a valley. There is a quaint white church in the background. Wouldn't call it a town so much.... the church, a tack store, and farms.

@Baymule hair sheep. On paper, I like Katahdin/Dorper cross for larger carcasses and parasite resistance. In reality, I will end up with whatever mixy mix lambs I like for health and dog work that are available in the local sheepdog circle. Different breeds have different reputations for how they typically respond to dogs.

@farmerjan thank you for that caution. I wish the agent would send over the generic contract now. I haven't seen any of the requirements or restrictions yet. My beef cattle neighbor across the street participated and is happy so far at two years in. He has a lot more land to work with than I do. I was told I can put as many gates into the exclusion fence along the creek as I wish, but they will be at my expense. Thank you for the suggestion to ensure I can get a tractor in there. I was just thinking a walk gate for the dogs to take a dip. Yikes!

 

[farmerjan]

If you have several lots that will be along the exclusion fence, then you need a gate from each pasture/lot into the area in case you have to access it for water or something. And you may want to run fences straight across to divide it, to the perimeter fence on the other side, so that in the case of HAVING to access for water, all the lots will be able to use it simultaneously. That will mean more gates... and more gates to go between sections so you don't have to go into and out of each lot/pasture. I know it sounds like alot.... and it is.... but a couple of times going back and forth you will be wishing to high heaven that you put in access points. No, you don't have to do it all at once.... but if you divide the exclusion area, you will want it. We have used fence panels to temp divide the fenced off area to use the water... and the time restrictions will run out soon for this piece of property, so then we will fix it the way it is useable.....if we manage to buy this farm.
Plus we want to be able to graze it off because it has so much JUNK scrub brush and stuff and we need to get it cleaned off/out. All that scrub also harbors the coyote population.... and we have enough problems with them as is.
Please understand, I am not against these programs. For some, many, it is a good way to get animals fenced out of creeks, where often they do make a mess of the banks and can add manure and contamination to the water. So do deer and many other species of wildlife. But cattle can make a bigger mess. The thing is for cattle, if there are designated areas that they can access the water without tearing up the banks then they will usually use it.
Besides that, for the sheep, they do little damage to banks and will keep the vegetation mowed down better. If rotated out, they are more of a benefit to cleaning up things like that.
Again, if there are any cattle in the future, then you will benefit from the program. As long as you can agree to the time limits on keeping the animals out of the areas. But you really do need to be able to access it with more than a walk through gate. Even a small tractor to get in and out to bush hog needs at minimum a 10 ft gate... and you better hope that it isn't slick or muddy or anything that can see you sliding into a post or needing to get the angle just right to get through.
BEEN THERE-- DONE THAT. Another thing, if for some reason you need to use a 4 wheeler or something to chase a loose animal, you need to be able to get it in and out easily. Or, if you have something get in there, and need to get it out, they will more likely go through a big gate than a little walk through 4 ft size gate.

I understand that you plan to train dogs.... and they will be able to do most of the "herding".... but plan for the worst. If an animal gets down, a ewe lambing that got in there and is down, how are you going to get it out? The dog can't herd it if it is down.... You don't want to cut a fence; if you have a gate that you can get a pick up in, you have a chance to get a down animal out.... better yet, a tractor with a front bucket, in get the ewe in the bucket, drive out.

We rotational graze as much as possible, so the creeks don't get constant hard use. We restrict some access to creeks in places where we rent, so they can't go in any and everywhere they want....there are ways to take better care of the land without fencing animals totally out of the creeks every place.

Make sure the waterers will accommodate the heights of the possible livestock.... Lower for the sheep will work for the cattle.... too high and the sheep will have problems.

Just some things to think about. From someone that has worked with and against the system.

 

[Bicoastal]

I finally have something farmy to report on.

Farm Business:
I have established an LLC. That feels so adult.
Learned bad news and good news from the county commissioner's office. The previous homeowners did not apply for land use. I also missed the deadline for applying for land use this year. BUT there is no longer a five-year requirement. So I'm going to proceed as if I'm aiming for land use this year, while knowing there is a little less pressure. Next step is the SS-4 form -on which I got stuck- and then opening a checking account for the farm.

Farm Excitement:
The dogs ran over to a groundhog hole behind the chicken coop and were swiveling their heads every which way listening. Then I realized *I* was hearing sounds underground. Grunting, digging, squeaking and squealing. All three of us are standing at the hole staring down. I started having doubts about WHAT may come up outta there so I started calling the dogs away. The instant we back off, the opportunity is seized and two groundhogs fly out! One of them dashes back in and the other takes off for another hole. My little female Border Collie right on its tail. I'm screaming at her and hauling the male away. I fall down on the slick muddy clay, never stopping my shouting , and the nasty critter with its big teeth stained the color of tobacco made it to the next hole.

As a teen, we had a stray dog turn farm dog that was a machine for all of his <30lbs. He was the same color as the groundhogs so you couldn't tell what was happening in the swirls of fur and dust and commotion that were his attacks. There was certainly no calling him off. We had to wait til the dust settled to see the outcome.

Now as I adult, well, I kinda panicked imagining my fluffy, elegant, sleep-on-the-bed Border Collies getting torn up in the process of killing a giant angry rodent fighting for its life. I was hoping the dogs' activity and harassment of the many holes over the past few months would dissuade the groundhogs from moving back in come Spring, but theyyyyyyy're baaaaaack. Now I have to figure out how to eliminate them before there are physical encounters.