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It's All About Balance

Writer's picture: TinaTina



Good morning, dear reader. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, we are finally getting some much-needed rain. Isn’t it interesting that one often complains about rain until it is lacking? Every living thing needs water to survive. Yet when we have a wet spring or a week of rain, we complain, become downtrodden, or experience the blues—however, precisely what is needed is rainfall and water to keep the lifecycle in motion. Humans are a fickle lot.


Recently, we experienced more than twenty days without rain. As a farmer, I believe one is more attuned to nature and the weather than the average individual. When a farmer experiences drought, it affects not only the ability of plants and flowers to grow but also their livelihood. When we are lacking in rainfall, our goats are affected. The grass in the pasture is not dense, nutrient-rich food without rain. Instead, it becomes like a popcorn snack; yummy at first but empty calories. Without consistent rainfall, our girls cannot make as much milk without supplemental feed such as hay and sweet feed. However, like the grass, hay is not as nutrient-rich and cannot provide the necessary vitamins and minerals for a healthy diet. A lack of rain can affect the girls’ diet for a year or more because the bailed hay lacks needed nutrients. Farming is an act of balancing with nature.


Our girls are well cared for; some may say they are slightly divaish. They have a lovely, clean, cool barn to hang out in when it is hot and sunny or raining. The girls have three pastures to rotate, so they always have well-grown, dense fields to graze. We also provide an endless supply of hay for them to graze should they prefer hay over grass. If unhappy with the state of the pasture or the hay becomes less than they believe they need, they stand and holler and let one know the circumstances are not to their liking. One has not lived a full life if one has not experienced a herd of unhappy nanny goats. We knew the rain was needed when the ladies stood out in a heavy shower, ate grass, and played. It was as if they were grateful for the cooler weather and refreshing shower.


Lack of rainfall also affects how our baby goats grow. It makes sense that when the rain is lacking, the pasture fields lack nutrients, and the babies do not grow as well. Two years ago, we had a very dry year. The girls born that year are much smaller than those born during a typical, healthy growing season. We supplemented their diet with hay, grain, and mineral blocks, but the lack of pasture fields affected their growth. Rain is indeed essential for healthy living.


One will not hear me complaining about the wet weather on this blissfully rainy day. Bring on the rain. Let it fall, wash away the dirt and dust, sustain the land, provide much-needed nutrients, and help my girls to grow and improve their health. I am grateful for the rain and all it provides. We need balance and harmony in nature and our lives. Too much of a good thing is detrimental, and too much restraint is unhealthy. It’s all about balance.


On this beautifully overcast, rainy day, stay safe, be smart, find balance, and keep washing your hands.

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