Coal Creek is a cattle farm and an environmental experiment, and a lifetime of memories. I am not sure which is more important, but they seem to go hand in hand…I now often remember specific locations like the spot my oldest daughter Beatriz found a special mushroom or my oldest son Sam photographed a Common…
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…
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…
Out walking on Winter Road this morning, I stepped into the woods to check out some of the recently burned woods. In addition to clearing the underbrush and allowing us to reseed native grasses that will prove fodder for our cattle for years to come, we are also restoring the habitat of the Northern Bobwhite….
As I walked towards the barn this morning, I took a short detour to check on the water flow coming into our upper pond. Adequate water supply is critical for our cattle operation, and protecting water quality is a job I take seriously. Cattle have healthier lives when they have access to clean water. I…
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…
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…
I love this time of year. This morning I saw the first Indigo Bunting of the season. Our area of Tennessee is in the flight path of dozens of migratory birds. During Covid, my children and I recorded more than 60 different species of birds. They aren’t a profit center for the farm, but I…
I was excited to head out this morning and walk through the newly-burned fields. It’s always interesting to see the land in this charred state. Even though the fire engulfed the pre-planned areas, some shrubs and trees remain unscathed. It’s called a “patchy” burn which creates a diverse “mosaic” on the landscape. Still, much of…
The controlled burns over these past two days have gone well. When I met up with Lindsey this morning, he said we are on schedule to finish the final 50 acres this afternoon. I walked with him as he went to check the fire breaks and talk to his crew. They were all in high…