Hope for our heifers

With the abundance of precipitation we've had this fall here in central Minnesota, the conditions in our heifer yard are approaching short-term hopelessness. We feel awful about the mud, but we really have no other place to put them. So, until the ground freezes, it's pretty much a 'grin and bare it' situation.

There is hope for the long-term, though: concrete. Now that the majority of our mental energy is no longer being spent on the manure pit, we've started talking about options for pouring concrete in the heifer yard next summer. We know that our next farm improvement project will be some sort of heifer shed, shelter, or structure along with concrete lots.

We don't anticipate being in a financial position to build a heifer facility for a couple of years yet. But we're thinking we can go ahead with some concrete already next summer.

As we move forward with the planning process for our heifer facility, we need ideas. If you have a great heifer facility — or know of one — let us know, either by email or a by posting a comment below. We know from past experience that visiting other farms and seeing how those farms operate is the best way to gather ideas for our own farm.