The hills of Grieb Ranch are turning green.

We have prayed for rain. We have brought the cows home. Rain has come. One of the last storms of 2014 brought with it flash flood warnings and a 36 hour power outage at Grieb Ranch. Living on a hill and living outside of town makes rainstorms extra fun for Grieb Ranch.

Note the ruts in the hill where the rain came down fast and hard. This scenario gave Grieb Ranch a flash flood warning.

A 36 hour power outage force studying by candlelight.

We rejoice in the rain for the grass is growing, slowly. Supplemental feeding is coming to an end. To best manage the green grass Connie has staked out pastures for rotational grazing. This is where the cattle feed in one area then the pastures are moved to another location so the grass can regenerate. One time she forgot to also fence off a faucet and the young bulls broke the faucet. Oops, now it’s a fix-it item.

Even with the rain, the grass is still very sparse . Three years of drought have minimized the re-seeding of the native grass. So careful management and more rain is necessary to help bring the green grass back at a rate that will feed the cattle.

Grieb Ranch is still praying for rain as even with around 3 inches falling in the latter part of 2014, no new storms are on the horizon for awhile.