I didn’t sleep well last night. Two years ago, while performing a controlled burn, we had the wind pick up in the evening, and our fire threatened to get away from us. I will never forget it. Though we contained the blaze, the memory is a reminder, a warning, of how quickly a controlled burn can move. I know the area we prepared and am grateful that the state is helping us this year.
I love this time of year. Flowers are popping up everywhere, and our cattle seem to love the Spring weather, too. Our calves look fat and happy as they explore slightly further from their mother’s side. It makes me smile to watch them run, jumping high in the air as they go charging down the…
We’ve had a lot of traffic at the farm this month. I love having visitors and appreciate the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency running our burns. The burning is critical for our long-term goal of restoring native grasses and clearing the underbrush. But, our roads paid a high price. We have miles of gravel roads that…
It’s Sunday, so it’s time to go paddling. We headed out to paddle one of my favorite local rivers. We are fortunate that we live so close to the Catoosa Wildlife Area and have the skills to navigate down the Daddy’s Creek Canyon. This beautiful and exciting whitewater river is less than 30 minutes from…
After another windy night, I needed to check the fence along Glen’s Road. I rode side-by-side toward the Coal Creek Gorge. I only found a few limbs on the fence. I started at the branches using an electric chainsaw I bought last year. I am still impressed with how powerful the saw is. I could…
I walked along checking the fence line this morning and paused to check on one of our newest assets. In addition to utilizing controlled burns to clear the underbrush and restore the habitat at Coal Creek Farm, we have introduced Texas Longhorn cattle to our herds. These cows are very hardy, requiring less water than…
I am excited about the burn that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will do on Coal Creek next week. We carried out these burns ourselves for years, but having the pros involved reduces the stress factor. I hid a key for the fire crews to access the farm when they arrived. Dr. Dwayne Estes recently discovered…