Farming Life
View allAll Photos Tagged FarmingLife
To me it looks like such an inviting place. I purchased hay for our garden from a ranch in this area last fall. Nice people, living a different lifestyle from mine. They really are "making hay while the sun shines".
At one point the herd became quite orderly following this leader along the centre of the road. The queue of cows extended all the way back to that pink gate in the distance.
Note the white stork's nest to the right of the photo. Hard to see at this distance but there is a stork crouched in that nest.
Most villagers have a cow in this village and each morning they let them out from their barns onto the street to join the village herd. A herdsman then takes care of them whilst they graze on communal meadows (for a small fee). In the evening he returns them to the edge of the village where they make their own way home. Some villagers leave their gates open so their cow can walk straight into the yard while other villagers stand in front of their gate to wait for them. Occasionally if a villager forgets then the cow will stand at the gate 'mooing' until someone opens it.
Tibor has a flock of sheep that varies in size but is anything up to 600 strong after the lambing season. Here he is with part of his pack of livestock guardian and herding dogs.
Many people ask why does Tibor require so many large dogs? His flock graze on agricultural land on the lower slopes of the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania. Bears and wolves are regular visitors from the forest and they test the defences of his dogs, in the hope of gaining an easy meal.
Wisconsin is in the process of moving from small dairy farms to mega, factory farms. The small farmer is being squeezed out. Old barns around the state are being left to weather and fall apart. Is this good? It depends on who you talk to. It certainly has changed the landscape. And not for the better in my opinion.
While out driving around looking for snowy owls we came upon this old barn and the windows tell the story.
five barn windows
each one in a different state of disrepair
time marches on
Image and haiku by John Henry Gremmer
Pastoralist with pine shoots and red clover decoration on his hat.
Carpathian Mountains - Transylvania
Being one of the four seasons, following winter and preceding summer, Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth.
Vivid yellow flowers in spring make canola the most distinctive of Victoria's winter crops. It is grown for its seed which is crushed for the oil used in margarine, cooking oils, salad oils and edible oil blends.
© Taron Curtis, All Rights Reserved
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
Walking through the rice fields of Mai Chau as the day was winding down, I was struck by this perfect little scene. The path cutting through the vibrant green rice paddies naturally led my eye to the small stilt house nestled against the forest backdrop.
What caught my attention were those papaya trees standing alone in the middle ground - they created this lovely focal point between the expansive rice field and the dense jungle behind. The evening light brought out all these different shades of green, from the bright young rice plants to the deep emerald of the mountain forest.
Mai Chau Valley has this incredible peaceful quality that I wanted to capture - the simple harmony between the cultivated land and the wild forest, with just that small human presence of the traditional hut reminding us that people have farmed this land for generations.
I think what I love most about rural Vietnam is these quiet moments where you can see how people have shaped the landscape while still living alongside nature. This spot felt like a perfect representation of that balance.
Captured just north of Nada, Texas, this golden sunrise washes across a dew-covered rice field on a misty morning. Birds soar in the warm light, and the flat Gulf Coast landscape stretches quietly into the horizon—showcasing the serene rhythm of life in Texas rice country.
Explored May 5, 2021
Cows returning home from the pasture for evening milking. Each cow knows where it lives in the village and will walk through the gate left open for it.
Explored April 28, 2022
This is Melike with her six week old pup, a goat kid and Vihar a male Sarplaninac livestock guardian dog (LGD).
Melike lives with her family in an area with many bears. These large and brave dogs protect both the flock of goats and sheep as well as their human family.
A timeless tradition brought to life at the Weald and Downland Open air Museum in Sussex.
It was wonderful to see these three mighty Percheron horses ploughing the field.
The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Huisne river valley in western France, part of the former Perche province from which the breed takes its name. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were present in the valley by the 17th century. They were originally bred for use as war horses. Over time, they began to be used for pulling stagecoaches and later for agriculture and hauling heavy goods. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Arabian blood was added to the breed. Exports of Percherons from France rose exponentially in the late 19th century, and the first purely Percheron stud book was created in France in 1893.
Beginning in 1918, Percherons began to be bred in Great Britain, and in 1918 the British Percheron Horse Society was formed. After a series of name and studbook ownership changes, the current US Percheron registry was created in 1934. In the 1930s, Percherons accounted for 70 percent of the draft horse population in the United States, but their numbers declined substantially after World War II. However, the population began to recover and as of 2009, around 2,500 horses were registered annually in the United States alone. The breed is still used extensively for draft work, and in France they are used for food. They have been crossed with several light horse breeds to produce horses for range work and competition. Purebred Percherons are used for forestry work and pulling carriages, as well as work under saddle, including competition in English riding disciplines such as show jumping.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Captured tonight's sunset with the camera in my bookbag (Canon SX150). The best camera I had at the time but was able to expose for both the sky and land by using a small gorilla pod, bracketing and shooting multiple exposures.
Young transhumant shepherd in Transylvania (19 years old). Work starts at dawn with milking and ends doing the same at dusk. His season starts in April and ends in October.
Other than kilts, golden eagles and whiskey, Scotland is also well-known and liked for a certain breed of cattle - none other than the "Highland Coo" (cow).
I had the pleasure of spending some time with a very obliging herd, whose man of the moment - this particular bull - appeared to cheekily adore the camera. More than happy to oblige and pose, his manners did get the better of him and gave me the most humorous image I've ever happily snapped! I present the nose-licker...
(This image is available to purchase on Getty Images, therefore all copyrights are reserved.)
In Transylvania after milking the cows morning and evening the milk is then taken to the central collection point.