TLR Newsletter

Until the recent atmospheric river drenched the Central Coast, the outlook for the 2021 grazing season was looking bleak.  The soil was bone dry, the remaining vegetation in the fields was crisp, hollow, and yellow, and the animals subsisted on alfalfa hay.  Although the majority of Octobers have at least one light rain, October 2020 was a dry month, without a single drop, and as one dry month led to another, the urgency of the situation grew steadily. Even before the fall, signs were on the horizon that this winter would be subpar.  Forecasters predicted a moderate La Niña event, and we knew that this would be the winter that we implemented the water harvesting strategies we have been researching over the years.  The two primary tools we are implementing are called subsoil ripping , and swales .  This month we'll discuss subsoiling, and next month we'll cover swales. Subsoil ripping is performed by dragging a deep shank with a small blade behind a tractor....

As most customers will remember, Turning Leaf Ranch was nearly burned in the River Fire of August 2020.  Although the ranch was spared by the fire (thanks to the many(!) firefighters on the scene), our next concern turned to the giant burn scar that lies just feet from the property line.  TLR is at the base of the beautiful Santa Lucia mountain range that runs parallel to the Pacific coast.  These rugged mountains are remarkably steep, covered in brush and scrub trees, and they hadn't seen fire since the 1940s.  This sounded like a recipe for mudslides this winter, as the fire burned and killed scores of trees, and interrupted the soil's ability to absorb water. Late in January, as the recent storm approached, we watched with trepidation as areas around burn scars were all evacuated due to the risk.  Sure enough, our fire region was eventually evacuated, and we huddled in town at a hotel room until we got the all clear from the county to go back.  We knew t...

Despite being a small operation, it is remarkable the number and variety of tasks that we complete over the course of a year.  Spring time is a particularly busy time, with the beginning of the pasture rotation (and all the tasks that come with it), lambing and kidding season, planting trees, sunflower, radish, and beets for grazing, etc.  Here is a small sampling of our spring time agenda: Repair fencing Seed pastures Install temporary electric fencing for paddock-shift grazing Prepare planting media, and plant tree seeds Prepare animal handling facilities Prepare safe/dry space for new farm arrivals (kid goats) Graft high-yielding fruit trees Propagate new fruit tree rootstocks Handle the peak lambing and kidding season Use chickens to prepare the soil for sunflower Prepare irrigation drip lines Collect spent hay and manure for composting Clean up the books and prepare for tax season Repair animal rain shelters Prepare willow cuttings Naturally, this is only a starting point...