At Widden Brook Farm, winter changes the pace of almost everything.
We sit high on Nullo Mountain, where cold nights and short days slow grass growth right down. The cattle still need to feed, of course, but the pasture takes longer to replace what has been grazed.
By August, we are well past the Winter Solstice and the first small shifts begin; the days stretch out, we get patches of warmer weather and growth starts to pick up again.
That does not mean every paddock is suddenly ready.
This winter has put more pressure than usual on some of our pasture; feral cattle have also been grazing across the farm and feral pigs have rooted up pasture, killing grass and leaving bare ground. Both unwanted activities deplete feed in places and leave us with less grass than we would like as we come into spring.
It means recovery matters even more.
Moving is only half the story
It is easy to look at grazing management and focus on the movement of cattle; the herd is here today and somewhere else tomorrow or a few days after.
But for us, the important part is what happens after the cattle leave.
The pasture needs time because through the coldest part of winter, that recovery is slow; days are shorter, there is a lot less sunshine and far less photosynthesis happening. We are well past the Winter Solstice and as the days get longer and warmer weather returns, the growth rate slowly begins to lift. Our job is to keep watching what is actually happening and manage the grazing pressure around that reality.
This year, because of the depredations of feral cattle and pigs, that has required more flexibility than usual.
And if that were not enough, we are also running two herds. Most of our cattle are together in the main herd with our bull, Moose, but Maggie and her calf are running separate.
Maggie had an operation late last year. and while she has recovered well, she is old for a breeding cow and we have decided not to join her, i.e. let her get pregnant, this year as she needs the time to recover properly.
Managing her separately makes the grazing plan a little more complicated, but the decision itself is simple - It is better for Maggie and she is important to us. Not only is Maggie one our foundation herd, she is also boss cow in the herd and even our bull, Moose, follows where she leads. Because she trusts Darren completely - he always knows where the best grass is - we can move our little herd without fuss anywhere on the property.
Recovery is part of the work
There is a temptation to think of rest and recovery as the absence of work, but on a farm, it is often the opposite; recovery is doing something.
The grass is rebuilding after grazing, drawing on root energy to put out new leaves which means the soil is staying covered. Animals are regaining condition and a cow that has been through surgery is being given time before she is asked to carry another calf.
None of those things are dramatic but they are part of running the farm well.
That is one of the reasons we follow Holistic Management principles. The land, the livestock, the farm business and the people doing the work are not separate pieces. A decision in one place affects the others.
This winter is a good example.
Feral animal pressure has reduced feed. Cold weather has slowed pasture growth. Maggie needs different management from the main herd. We cannot change those facts by sticking harder to a plan, we need to respond to the conditions and adjust the plan..
Why this belongs in a story about what we make
Elderflower Mist Sparkling begins here too.
The elderflowers, the spring water, the seasonal ingredients, the choices we make about how we run the farm; they all come from the same place.
We do not think of regenerative farming as a claim that sits beside the bottle, it is simply part of the way we make decisions.
The same preference for patience continues in the processing shed. We ferment in small batches, bottle ferment and allow time to do work that cannot be hurried.
Moving cattle and fermenting elderflower sparkling are clearly not the same job but they ask something similar of us - observe, pay attention, do not take more than the system can give and allow enough time for recovery.
Move, rest, recover
Three simple words but this winter has reminded us how much judgement sits inside them.
