Great Big Farmer

16:15

Remain Calm, Neighbour's Cows Not Mine + Chisel Plow...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/10/06

I confused the neighbour's cows bawling with mine. Well not me, my cows. Using a zig-zag path to help erosion on hills. Chisel plow to rip for compaction in the heifer barn field. Breaking shear bolts. Kincardine seems to be in the rainshadow of Michigan's "thumb". Wendell Berry influenced me greatly. Red clover in the mineral mix has resulted in a good stand in the most distant paddock. This remote paddock is a resting place for deer and this morning, it is providing habitat for meadowlarks,

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10:34

(September 3) Night Sounds By The Fire Pit + Oakley's...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/10/05

We like to make a small fire and sit around it at night. There is a line of maple trees along the east side of the front yard, and their trunks support a supply of wood that helps to make a cozy space. A ring of field stones defines the fire pit, and six or eight chairs are arranged in a somewhat coherent circle. The best seats face west with a clear view of the setting sun over the sloping west treeline of the farm. This is the place where we entertain friends, and where the kids have had their

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13:19

Care And Management Of Weaned Calves + Other Stuff +...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/10/05

Rambling on about care and management of weaned calves. Not seeing peas emerge in the cover crop. It makes no sense to worry about things on the farm that are out of my control to change now. In the barn with the newly weaned calves. Very few stress days for these calves. Weaning "across the gate" vs "separation". Jumping back to the start of the recording to the sounds of morning...about a minute standing on the cow path where the pasture, river and woods meet. Recorded September 3, 2026.Find your

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12:00

Weaning + Bruce County's "Coo Bos" + Apples + Cicada...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/09/16

Walking the group from a paddock back to the barn. The old time way to call cattle in Bruce County is "Coo Bos" and its origin is the Scottish reference to highland cattle; Coo= cow Bos= the Latin genus species Bos taurus taurus.The herd is super happy today, but I wish they were chill. They know where the apple trees are. Pigeons startle a cow and in an instant she runs at me like I wasn't there. Cicada in the background. Moving gates and sorting out the cows. Weaning nose-to-nose.Find your place

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32:05

A Deep Dive Into The Minutia Of The Water Bowl Hook...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/09/15

The old water line is tough to work with. No leaks. Making the unused electrical feed neat and secure (this bowl is energy free). Lots of water pressure. Stripping the concrete forms. I cut myself. Setting the water bowl in place is not easy by myself. Getting it going went really well. Podcasts I listen to sometimes focus on exciting stuff, not grunt work like this. Installing the 2x6 barrier allows access to both sides of the bowl.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from

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9:09

Late Summer Pasture Move

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/09/14

Late summer pasture move. Reasons for moving the cows. Finishing up by checking the water, salt, and mineral. Soybeans are maturing.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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9:00

Energy Free Water Bowl...Describing The Forms And...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/09/14

Lots of detail here, 'cause everybody wants to hear about concrete forming! LOL I ramble on about how the concrete pad will meet the requirements for the installation of the bowl.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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16:13

Appreciating The Cover Crop + Other Stuff + River...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/31

Growing cover crops and grazing cattle is the best! Rapids in the Kincardine Creek between two pools. Simple three point hitch spline repair. Difficult tire packer repair. Breaking out concrete in the barn. Perfect growing conditions for germination. Fade out with river sounds.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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20:39

Tire Packer Shaft And Bearings Destroyed + Very High...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/30

The manure-compost pile has warmed up. The tire packer is very broken and I'm glad nothing else was damaged when it came apart. I calculated that the seeding density for this cover crop mix is 44 seeds per square foot, which is very high and I'm glad about that. Looking ahead...but for now, it's time to get some rest.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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14:29

Cover Crop Costs Aren't Just The Price Of The Seed

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/29

Rambling while unloading seed bags. Big problem with the seeder metering mechanism. The right way to live my life.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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21:47

An Interesting But Insanely Busy Day Recorded Early...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/29

Early morning. Recording while checking compost temperatures and walking the soybean field. Pulling weeds tall weeds, trying to decrease the seed bank. Making the disc sing. Magnet finds more fence wire and a plow point. Lots of prep for seeding the cover crop...Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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14:38

I'm Late Getting The Cover Crop Planted + Making...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/28

Overall, things are going great this summer, but I'm late getting the cover crop planted. First disc needs to be repaired, and the supplier to the machine shop is slow to courier the bearing that's needed. Also, the new tractor needs a lot of attention before it can be used reliably. It would be easy to miss one key maintenance issue that could result in costly damage to the tractor. Right now I'm really focused on the flushing and conditioning the radiator and coolant system. It sounds basic but

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18:21

Custom Repairs + Comparing Grazing Cattle With The...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/23

I would advise anyone to trust the engineered specifications for tractor fluids, and don't follow the advice of the retailer...it's important. Custom repairs are a lot of fun. The way that animals forage for food is a lot like the way humans have managed Earth's oil resources. Early on cattle graze plants that have the lowest perceived cost:benefit ratio. Pasture plants that are palatable and easy to access. Later, less palatable plants or those that are farther away are grazed. Isn't that analagous

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14:06

Weeding With An Amish Hoe + Cutting Back...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/23

I think hand weeding a field is called roguing for weeds, and I'm doing that using my Amish Hoe.Other stuff...coffee time...a trip to the mennonite machine shop...swapping the fluids on the new tractor...2nd cut baling went well....cutting the sourghum-sudan cover crop. There are three lines from Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" that really stand out.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own

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18:54

Chisel Plowing Opens And Stirs The Soil + Making A...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/23

I think a chisel plow does a nice job of opening compacted soil. It does so by stirring, without inverting the earth like a moldboard plow. I have a notion that this better maintains soil structure, and that fungal associations will be more easily reestablished in the pending cover crop. Just my opinion here, though.Unfortunately, an old wire fence was unearthed. It had been buried in a roll in one spot and needs to be cleaned up. It is brittle and will be a hazard for tractor tires even with a

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16:00

Moving On From Wheat Harvest + First Pass With The Disc

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/22

With wheat harvest finished, it's time to reflect...but not for long because the wheat stubble is growing weeds and a cover crop needs to go in shortly. I decide to "double disc" the hard, dry ground.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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6:30

What It Sounds Like In The Combine

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/03

This is what it sounds like while harvesting wheat with a White 8700 combine.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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6:00

Wheat Harvest...Getting It Done

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/03

Are you curious about how the combine worked?Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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26:10

First Time Using A Combine + The Mindset Of A Stoic

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/08/03

Today's the day! Tom rambles on about his old farm equipment, specifically the various machines needed today and their cost. Then he does a deep dive into combine settings....a very deep dive. With all of this old equipment in operation he talks about a stoics' mindset when farming. Next episode...post harvest discussion.Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. - Gary SnyderPlease contact me with your own stories.greatbigfarmer@gmail.com

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45:33

Summer Heat Changes Work Routines + Wheat Harvest...

Great Big Farmer ·

2026/07/14

The sound of birds and insects. Daybreak as I check on the cows and move them to another paddock. A lot has happened since the last episode of this audio journal, and most of it has been quite good fortunately. With wheat harvest imminent, I reflect on the success or otherwise of the farm in terms of its' different parts. Hay production, winter wheat, soybeans, and the cattle. As a former teacher, I couldn't resist assigning a grade to each...LOL. Why am I still grading things in my retirement?Find

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