Spring 2026 Newsletter!
Well, it has been far too long since I posted a newsletter, and I do apologize for that!
Going forward, anticipate receiving quarterly newsletters from us. I thought I could write a monthly news letter easily enough, but with Facebook and YouTube also requiring input, sometimes I run out of time! Thank you for understanding!
A lot has happened since our last newsletter!
We successfully wrapped up all the “iorns in the fire” last fall, and got the animals in to shelter off pasture, and endured a long and very cold winter. This winter was below average in both temperature and precipitation… Even now as I write this in May, we remain below average in temperature, with frequent frosts continuing at night, and also below average in rainfall. This has only accentuated the affects of the drought we had last summer and fall, and soil conditions are very dry for this area for May. I believe that as warmer air eventually pushes into the region, so will more moisture from the south - at least that is my hope! We are still designated as being in a “moderate” drought by NWS, even after the snowmelt. For further information on the ongoing dry weather, follow this link: https://www.drought.gov/watersheds/New-England
We have upgraded/changed our equipment for the farm going into 2026.
We sold the red Case IH 485 tractor, and purchased a John Deere 3150. This ended up being quite an adventure, as we purchased the new tractor in Michigan… While this probably sounds a bit crazy (and believe me, parts of it was), the driving factor was price. The same tractor in the North East would have been in less good condition on average and several thousand dollars more expensive. Thus, we felt that the challenges of buying over a long distance were still worth it. For a summery of buying the tractor, please watch this video here:
Isn’t she a beauty? I don’t think the baler and haybine will push us around on the hills much anymore… :)
We managed to do some soil improvement last fall before the snow, and this spring.
We spread over 20 tones of Wood Ash on Farnsworth Hill field last fall, in an effort to improve pH and provide some needed elements. We also spread compost on the fields above us, and provided some fertilizer there as well. We cleaned up all the brush around Unity and burned it during the winter, and the access road into that field is currently being improved by a contractor, my hope is once this access is improved we can get some much needed wood ash and other materials out into that field and really start to see some improvements!
We have added 3 new calves this spring!
Dexter was our first, and he is a Holstein/jersey cross. He is very cute and has a big personality for being a little calf. Dozer (yes, that name matches his personality) came next, and he is a Holstein/Brown Swiss/Angus cross… and then Dahlia, she is our FIRST HEIFER, and is a Holstein/angus cross! All of them are very sweet, healthy, and doing well. They still require milk feedings 2x a day, so they are labor intensive at this phase but we do love them. Here are some pictures of the calves for 2026!
This is Dahlia <3
Dozer left, Dexter on right!
So what’s next on Moose Run Farm?
We are almost to hay season. We are also starting to get all the animals back out onto pasture now that forage has begun to grow. We have been getting equipment up and running for the year, and had to to some repairs/adaptations to the new John Deere in order to get it configured for our operation. I expect we will start haying the first or second week of June. At this point, growth has been delayed due to the cold temperatures, so I think haying will start a week or two later than normal. We also received some grant money for pasture improvement, so we are going to be working on seeding a new 1+ acre section of pasture to provide some additional forage, mostly for the poultry, but also for the boys as needed. This is designed to increase our rotational grazing circuit, and provide added recovery time for the pastures, especially during droughts.
Stay tuned for further updates, and as always, feel free to email or reach out to us on social media any time! Happy spring to you all! Thanks for being patient in gap between newsletters!
Seth and Sandy
