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two.sparrows.farm

What a stunning way to wrap up the holiday weekend

What a stunning way to wrap up the holiday weekend! 🌈
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It felt like our own private rainbow after a brief but intense rain storm. ⛈️
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It's been HOT but I'm not complaining - as someone who is perpetually cold, I love a good heat wave 😝
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The cows are a little unnerved by it still - just two weeks ago we had overnight frosts & highs in the 40's (15-20 degrees below average) ☃️
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Now, we're experiencing 15 degrees above average with highs in the mid-80's 🤷
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So, the animals aren't quite adjusted yet and they're spending most of the day in the shade, hydrating & ruminating on their lot in life. 🤔
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Early mornings, evenings & overnights are when grazing is done. 🌱
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We've switched from setting up new pastures in the morning to giving them fresh grass in the evening since that's when they're utilizing it better. 💪
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Either way, we're seeing the results it in the cream line on the milk & the color of the butter I'm making. 😍
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One of my favorite parts of spring is when the cows shed their winter coats and grow in their sleek, shiny summer coats. 🐄 They look beautiful! ...
Also, the extra milk they produce when grazing exclusively gives me lots of extra cream for homemade ice cream. 😜
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So, there's that too.🍨
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#rainbow #calmafterthestorm #springstorm #springrain #hot #humid #thisweatheriscray #grazingcows #grassmilk #realmilk #allthefat #realgood #reallocal #localfood #puremichigan

We are so excited for the incoming weather this we

We are so excited for the incoming weather this weekend! 👏
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We *may* have forgotten that it's actually a holiday weekend 🙄 🇺🇸
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But, our big plans include shifting our focus from farm projects to home/yard projects (like everyone else right now!) 😝
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Weeding garden beds, mulching, fixing random broken items (lawn mower, hot tub), and Dan even scored a new playset for the kids off FB marketplace already. 💪
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We had a herd member gift us some tomato plants that I'm potting and going to *attempt* to grow this year. 🍅
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In spite of farming, I have no green thumb and tend to seriously neglect my plants. 🤦
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But, a few pots of tomatoes can't be too difficult, right?! 🤷
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Give me these pigs to raise - zero anxiety. 🤗
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Give me a plant to keep alive - I can't even. 😂
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#thankful #grateful #warmweather #sunshine #blueskies #pastured #pigs #pork #localfood #stillstayingathome #farmlife #familytime

The not-so-great news is that our flooding this ye

The not-so-great news is that our flooding this year is worse than it was last spring, but last season it took months of rain to reach the same levels we reached in under a week this season. 😱
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But, the good news is that we have sun and warm temps moving in, which should help to evaporate and dry up a lot of the water. 🤞
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And, the cows can still graze - just on higher ground closer to the barn complex v. in lower ground. 🌱
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So, we're doing fine! 😎
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Feeling horrible for all the evacuations a little NE of us due to a dam collapse and rupture in the Midland area. 😱
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We are counting our blessings and soaking in this gorgeous spring weather (finally!) ☀️
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#farmlife #freshmilk #grassfedbeef #grazinglife #springgrazing #2020crazyyear #holisiticmanagement

Throwback to a peaceful + serene Saturday night 🌱
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We are inches under water now 🌧️
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Our ponds are swollen, the pastures have standing water and there's no sign of letting up until Tuesday morning 😱
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Just based on our rain gauge, it looks like we've picked up over 4" in the past 5 days 😬
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To put that in perspective, we average 3" of rain during the entire month of April (and 2.5" in May!)🤦
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While we certainly needed the rain, a washout is a lot of water to deal with! 🙄
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We're looking forward to some warm, dry weather to help absorb some of the "squish" we're wading through 😂
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#grassfed #beef #dairy #grazingcows #munchmunchmunch #happycows #somuchfood #onpasture #springblazeofgrowth #holymosquitoes #farmlife

To be completely honest, when Dan and I said "I do

To be completely honest, when Dan and I said "I do" 11 years ago today, this is not the life I envisioned. 🙈
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At. All.
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Like, not even on my radar.
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But, you know what?! I'm hella glad it is our life 11 years later.
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And I'm even more grateful that I chose a spouse based on character, a shared vision & values.
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Because those things tend not to change - sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse 😉
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I read this morning that the traditional gift for your 11th anniversary is steel, which I found rather appropriate.
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Steel is forged together by iron and carbon to be stronger than the individual elements.
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It's not flashy or sexy but steel is damn strong, forged by crucibles and tested to withstand almost any condition.
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It's a beautiful metaphor for marriage. ...
Neither of us bought a steel-related gift, unless you count the innumerable steel pieces of equipment and machinery on our farm. 😂
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Which (I hope) are outward signs of the inward reality - 11 years of marriage is not a banner year with diamonds and trips and fancy dinners (especially during COVID).
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But 11 years is strong, unassuming and tough.
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For us, it's filled with our joint farm work, mutual reliance on each other and the joy of our children.
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It's forged by the fires of so many unexpected experiences.
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11 years doesn't hold a candle to the 69 years of marriage my grandparents will celebrate this year. But 11 years isn't nothing, either. ...
#11yearanniversary #11yearsofIDO #farmmarriage #marriedlife #farmlife #kids #horses #cows #pigs #chickens #tractors #steelanniversary #familylife

Not a bad way to end each day 🤗 ... We've been

Not a bad way to end each day 🤗
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We've been experimenting with multi-species grazing this year and are pretty happy with the results so far! 🌱
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While the cows (beef & dairy) have access to a strip of pasture 24/7, we add our horses in each afternoon & through the evening before putting them away for the night. 🌙
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The horses need a "maintenance" diet compared to the cattle who need an all-you-eat-buffet of calories to pack on meat and produce milk. 🥛
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Restricted eating time ensures they won't get too fat 😉
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Horses tend to browse and move more consistently than the cattle herd so their presence naturally encourages more movement from the cows. 🐄
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They also select for different grass species so the result is a more even clipping graze across the pasture - both in terms of height and what species are eaten. 💪
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It's been really beneficial for the horses' health and working them daily is a good rhythm for them (and us!) 🐴
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We've read about farms who practice a similar concept with other herbivores like sheep and goats. 🐏 So, why not horses? 😂
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#experimentalfarming #farmlife #mentalhealth #pasturehorses #lotsofwalking #naturalhorses #calmhorses #grassfed #dairy #beef #farmlife

A day late on Mother's Day 🙈 ... We weren't abl

A day late on Mother's Day 🙈
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We weren't able to see our moms but we did manage some doorstep goody deliveries before the weekend to them 🤗
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We spent a lovely, low-key, normal (work-ish) day together 💞
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(With a bunch of other working moms!) 😂🐄🥛
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And if you see beyond Baylor's cheesy face, look at that green pasture! 🌱
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We're finally getting some good growth and have WARM temps with rain in the forecast 🙌
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I'm waking up feeling super grateful & hopeful on this Monday morning 😊
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#wakeupgrateful #springonthefarm #farmkid #babybump #34weeks #pasturewalks #cowsongrass #grassfed #grassfinished #beef #dairy #familylife #farmlife

It's been COLD. 🌡️ ... Legitimately, we saw s

It's been COLD. 🌡️
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Legitimately, we saw snow flurries several times yesterday 🌨️
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And, windy. 🍃 Oof.
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But, it's been sunny and after today I think we're starting a warming trend 🤞
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Still, we've been enjoying our family walks every evening to bring the cows up for the night. 🐄
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We still aren't quite ready to have them grazing 24/7 but SOON. 🙏
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The evening golden light is still gorgeous 💞
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We're hoping not too many of our tender grasses and plants are harmed by the hard freeze 🌱
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#grazingbeef #grazingdairy #grassfed #familytime #familywalks #farmlife #springonthefarm #polarvortex #snowinMay

Busy day today but Frank, here, doesn't know the d

Busy day today but Frank, here, doesn't know the difference 😂
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We're enjoying working in the sun and warm(er) temps - we might see upper 50s (!) before the deep cold rolls in. 🍃
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We now have the "super herd" grazing for larger chunks of the day. ☀️
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We run our beef and dairy cows together - the older milk cows tend to lead the herd and it's easier for the younger ones to learn our rotational system that way. 🌱
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They're moved every day, sometimes several times in a day to new ground so it's important they move as a herd AND respect single-strand fences.🤞
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One of Dan's larger projects this spring was inspecting and fixing fences before letting cows out.🐄
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He had to replace broken insulators, track down shorts, tighten wires, remove corroded wires, etc. 👨‍🌾
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Now, we have 7,000 - 10,000 volts running on both the cattle & pig fencing 👍
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No animals out now 😉
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#powerofasinglewire #respectthatfence #grazingbeef #grazingdairy #pasturedpigs #grassfed #grassfinished #rotationalgrazing #weneedwarmtemps #springonthefarm #springprojects

Piggies love their #rawmilk 🤗 ... Did you know

Piggies love their #rawmilk 🤗
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Did you know these guys fatten up faster on skim milk?🤔
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We take all the delicious cream and give them the extra - but fat doesn't make you fat!
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They are some spoiled pigs but it makes you wonder why all the official health guidelines recommend skim milk. 🐖
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We are wishing that we could live in this weekend forever - we have a slight cold front followed by a polar vortex/Greenland block coming our way this week. 😭
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Temps back down 5-15 degrees below average, clouds, rain and even a chance for wintry mix and hard freeze. 😱
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Apparently other folks in the country are dealing with a heat wave?! 🙄
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The weather is our livelihood and we need grass to grow 🌱
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If there's one thing farmers can always complain about, it's the weather right? 😂
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#milkfedpork #milkfedpigs #pasturedpork #berkshirecrosses #smallgroups #comingtoyourfreezer #blueskies #sunshine #springwhereyouat #pleaseMichigan

That evening light 💞 ... We are definitely tryi

That evening light 💞
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We are definitely trying to soak in the next few days of sun & normal temps ☀️
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We're hoping the warmth will stimulate grass growth enough to carry us through the cool front coming through this week 🌱
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We are still busy, busy with projects and spring work while the freight trains of hay season and a new baby on the horizon. 🤗
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May is our last full month as a family of 5 😱 We're realizing that we need to name this child & soak in the last moments we have with our "older" 3 😘
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#springlight #eveninggrazing #summercomesoon #longestwarmupever #grazingseason #familytime #stillshelterinplace #farmlife

A slightly less glamorous side to farming 🤔 ...

A slightly less glamorous side to farming 🤔
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Regular maintenance on our pipeline milking system means replacing all the rubber - milk lines, pulsation hoses, air lines, inflators, gaskets, etc.
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Because of the high temperature water necessary and regular chemical use to sterilize the equipment, the rubber tends to break down over time.
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Stainless steel, obviously, holds up to those elements but rubber will start to break down and allow small spaces for bacteria to hide. 😱
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So - very unsexy but very important to do on a regular basis! 👍
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We have a small system (only 4 milker units) so it doesn't take an extraordinary amount of time as it would on a "real" dairy farm 😌
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We've also learned to purchase our replacement parts from smaller companies that ship to us versus running up the road to DeLaval 🤑
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A broken milk cane (essentially a plastic elbow that is maybe 3") set us back $45 there versus $22 through the dairy supply company we found online.
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They were also charging us $12 for 4" air lines (each unit requires 4 lines) versus $1.99!
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One of the first lessons we learned in agriculture is that there are a lot of people making money off farmers - from equipment dealers to chemical supplies, seed dealers to regular maintenance just to do your job. 🙄
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In many cases, everyone is making money from the farm except the farmer! 👨‍🌾
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We are very fortunate for that not to be true here but it's a lesson to be learned, not having grown up in ag!
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#dairylife #smallscaledairy #microdairy #realmilk #wetakesafetyseriously #keepitclean #springcleaning #farmmaintenance #jackofalltrades #farmlife #springonthefarm

And just like that, spring calving wrapped up late

And just like that, spring calving wrapped up late Sunday night! 🙌
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We've had 5 calves born this month and now are enjoying a breather until June. 🙏
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Unlike most of our calvings, this one waited for an inopportune time, weather and needed help. 🙄
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It was the 4th time Dan has needed to assist with a birth in 6 years of dairy farming.
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Mom (Hollie) is a heifer who was about 10 days "overdue" which isn't unusual for a first-time mom.
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But, she had a large bull calf and waited until around 8 pm to start labor in the furthest point of pasture she could find ...
We left her alone to labor independently and checked her around 10 (she should have been licking off a calf by then)😬
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Instead, she'd made only a few inches of progress, the feet were still sticking out and the calf's tongue was slow to respond.🤔
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Of course, the flashlight died halfway out to the pasture, our little farm truck headlights weren't working and we had 3 kids sleeping in bed in the house 😴
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And, I had been laid up with a migraine all day.😕
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And, it was starting to rain. 🌧️
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So, Dan used his phone flashlight to see and his sweatshirt as a "chain" to pull the calf.👏
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Mom seemed super grateful as she hopped up and followed the calf as he brought it up to the barn in a wheelbarrow and used straw to dry the babe off 🤗
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Dan was pretty sore and tired on Monday morning! 😂
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Mom is a super calm milker and calf is doing great! 💞
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No name yet (he needs an H name!)
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#angus #holstein #jersey #bullcalf #assisteddelivery #freshborn #freshmilk #aprilcalves #springcalving

Baylor: the most excited #farmkid 😂 ... In my l

Baylor: the most excited #farmkid 😂
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In my last post, he was the fearless toddler on the tractor. This morning, he insisted on helping to milk. 🐄
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This kid was literally #raisedinabarn 👨‍🌾
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We are soaking in the sunny weather and trying not to gripe about the high winds today 😬
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Dan picked up a new-to-us trailer for hauling hay, which we are pretty excited about! 🚜
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And, the cows are back to grazing around 4 hours every afternoon which has everyone in good spirits 👌
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#freshmilk #freshcream #grassisgrowing #grazingcows #grassfed #grazingseason #springonthefarm #baylormerton #cheesyface

FYI: Video contains shouting 😂 ... We were able

FYI: Video contains shouting 😂
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We were able to graze the cows for a few hours yesterday afternoon 👏
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I was bringing them up for the night and couldn't tell why they started stampeding back towards me 🤔
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Then, I heard a small motor and a little voice yelling "Haw! Yip!" 🙄
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Baylor had dropped an electric wire (using the plastic handle), driven his tractor over it, and come about halfway back on the property (approx. 1/4 mile) 😱
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He arrived in style and said, "Mama! I save you! I drive my tractor and I save you!"💞
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We finally drive the cows back up to their yard and back to our family campfire for an evening of s'mores 😂
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What a #farmkid 🤷
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#baylormerton #2years10months #savingmama #tractortime #watchoutworld #grazingcows #aprilevening

My heart is so full checking with farmer friends l

My heart is so full checking with farmer friends lately. 💞
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I ache for those who are struggling amidst the COVID-19 crisis, but I'm also incredibly grateful that it's perhaps exposed some of the flaws in our globalized food system. 🌎
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I've spoken with several direct-market farms who are also overwhelmed with demand for their products, working like crazy to keep up and feel like this is how business should always be! 🤔
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My hope is that once people experience buying food locally, connecting directly with a farmer and tasting the difference, they will be hooked. 🤞
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We are seriously so lucky to have amazing farms in our area - today we were able to do a drive-thru pickup from @swallowtail_farm_mi for fresh greens and a spring bouquet for my birthday 🤗
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Anne is such a kind person she even saved some of her bouquet scraps for our daughter to make her own mini-bouquets at home! 😘
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Cecilia was SO happy! (You can see her arrangements in our story) Talk about a quarantine pick-me-up!💐
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I really encourage everyone to reach out and connect with a local farmer to buy SOME of your food. You won't regret it and it will make a huge impact. 👏
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#freshfood #freshblooms #freshgreens #weathersucks #stillgrowingfood #eatlocal #shoplocal #farmfresh

We are soaking in every glimpse of sunshine & blue

We are soaking in every glimpse of sunshine & blue skies that we can! 😎
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We are in the midst of a persistent cold streak at the exact time of the year we plan on a warm up 😕
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For us, this means likely purchasing additional hay since our grasses will not grow when temps are 20 degrees below average for this time of the year. 🌱
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On sunny, warm(er) days we can graze for 3-5 hours, very lightly and hope that we don't damage the grasses too much before we finally get warmer weather. It's a gamble. 🎲
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But even doing that we will run out of pasture on 60 acres very quickly. 😱
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Most days right now we can't risk it. It's just too cold. 🌡️
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We're also trying to keep in mind that with less planes in the air, there is less data inputs for the forecast models meteorologists use.
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Our local news has warned that this affects the accuracy of the models by as much as 15-20%😨
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So, we are hopeful things will turn around? 🤞
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Regardless, we are still in the spring flush of work. 💪
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Pigs arrived at butcher today (finally!), we're prepping for deliveries tomorrow, Dan finished a half mile of fencing and I was finally able to get in for a chiropractor appointment (essential when you're 31+ weeks pregnant and farming every day!) 😂
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#farmlife #weliveanddiebytheweather #pleaseMichigan #justcooperateforonce #weneedwarmtemps #grazingseason #springonthefarm #cowsgrazing #onpasture #beef #dairy #realfood #eatlocal

It's been a few days since my last update - mainly

NEW BLOG POST!! ... Food Security: Lessons from CO

Wouldn't have been a wild Wednesday without a fres

Wouldn't have been a wild Wednesday without a fresh babe to finish out the evening! 😂
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Reba is an Angus-Jersey-Swedish Red cross heifer who calved perfectly on her own and threw one strong, beautiful heifer calf! 👏
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Mama has a super sweet disposition so we're going to experiment with milking her 🤔
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#nonstopwork #springonthefarm #itdoesntstop #springfever #angus #heifer #freshmilk

The pigs gave a resounding, "No Thank You" to the

The pigs gave a resounding, "No Thank You" to the weather together and curled back into their house. 🌨️
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Wishing we could do the same but it's another jam-packed day chores, farrier visit, deliveries, a class Zoom meeting, farm fuel fill-up, and school packets to pick up! 🎒
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Plus, I'm working hard to plow through my farm emails as quickly as possible 😬
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We briefly saw the sun but the snow is falling again! 😱
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Generally, April showers come in another form of precipitation 😒🌧️
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But, the average high this time of the year is 60F, not 38 and 2020 has been full of all kinds of surprises already. 🤷😂
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#springonthefarm #snowinapril #2020 #theyearofthesurprise #expecttheunexpected #wednesday #busyday #homeschool #distancelearning #farmlife #eatlocal #livelocal #lansingmi #eatonrapidsmi #westmichigan

HAPPY EASTER!!! 🐰 ... We enjoyed a luxurious la

HAPPY EASTER!!! 🐰
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We enjoyed a luxurious late breakfast & a full day of work.🥞
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We prepped for the wind & rain storm coming in tonight by trimming some branches, securing barns, etc. 💨
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Anything that we could get done today we did instead of tomorrow. 👍
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But, cows are grazing and horses are brushed 🐎
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And we're curled up for a family movie after evening baths 🛀
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#nontraditionaleaster #covidholidays #alsofarmlife #stormprep #springonthefarm #farmlife #horses #onpasture #cowsgrazing #grassfed #freshmilk

Hard to believe that only a few short days ago we

Hard to believe that only a few short days ago we broke 70 F 😱
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Today we are soaking in the sunshine and appreciating temps near 50 F before a major storm system arrives just in time for Easter Sunday 😭
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Cold temps for the foreseeable future 🌡️
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BUT, we have officially started grazing our dairy herd! 🌱
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We only have our lactating cows out at the moment.
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Likely, we'll keep dry & beef cows on hay along with yearlings for another few weeks until grass growth really starts to take off. 📈
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We start them VERY slowly to help their rumen adjust to the change, offering just a few hours of fresh pasture per day.⌚
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Then, a little more each day and always in unison with hay.🚜
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Thankfully, the fields aren't too soggy and we're giving them large areas to graze no damage occurs. 👍
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As the spring progresses, we'll have them out for longer periods of time in smaller and smaller paddocks to increase the tightness of the herd and the impact of their eating.💪
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By December (and into January this year!) they will be back to larger swaths of ground to graze as growth slows to eventual dormancy. 😴
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And so begins the lovely art, science & gambling dance of grazing season. 🙏
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#farmkids #grazingseason #coolseasongrass #feedinghay #grassfed #holisiticmanagement #regenerativeagriculture #allthewalking #countyoursteps

Some good news from Tuesday! 🙌 ... Casey droppe

Some good news from Tuesday! 🙌
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Casey dropped her 4th calf - a bull named Charles 💙
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Calf chores are taking a lot more time for the kids with 3 newborns to care for now! 💪
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All moms & babies are doing great and we're ready to start lightly grazing soon 🌱
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#makethatmilk #springflush #wewantsun #warmerweather #grassisgrowing #dairylife

Wouldn't have been a long, slightly stressful Wedn

Wouldn't have been a long, slightly stressful Wednesday without an emergency vet visit! 😵
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Last night, we prepped well for the severe storms but somehow we woke to 3 cows on our lawn this morning 🙄
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The wind had knocked a gate just open enough for them to squeeze out, then they blasted through a wire fence (likely in the dark and rain) AND managed to open a giant, heavy slider door that was closed to one of our barns 🤔
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They polished off around 100# of grain between the 3 of them before grazing our lawn and lounging in the early morning fog. 🌫️
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After losing Ivy this winter, we are super careful about where we store grain and literally did not think it was possible for any animals to find our stash this time. 🤷
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But, between their spring fever, high winds and storms that can spook them, they made it! 😒
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We weren't taking any chances so we called our vet out - thankfully, it was during business hours (even though it was an emergency call) and we needed to do an annual visit in the next 30 days anyway. 👍
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After IVs of sodium bicarbonate and stomach tubes of mineral oil they are munching on their hay just fine 🙌
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The rest of the day really didn't go too poorly but isn't complaining the thing we do during quarantine?! 😂
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#largeanimalvet #farmlife #springfever #ihategrain #wednesday #emergencyfarmcall #homeschoolfortheday #sciencelessons #worstdayoftheweek #dairylife

We welcomed this beautiful girl to the farm yester

We welcomed this beautiful girl to the farm yesterday morning! ❤️
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Birth was quick & easy and we couldn't be more excited to have her mom (Zelda) on the milk line! 🐄
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Welcome to the world Zinnia! 🏵️
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#heifer #calf #freshlyborn #holstein #jersey #angus #freshmilk #cowsofinstagram

We're still alive over here! 🙌 ... Still catchi

We're still alive over here! 🙌
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Still catching chickens, getting dirty, bottle feeding calves, milking cows, putting out hay and serving our incredible farm members 🙏
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Everyone is healthy & we're slaying spring projects off our list while we wait on more calves yet to be born 👍
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We're soaking in the sunny, warm days & growing grouchy about the cold, gray ones 😂
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But, we aren't taking a second of it for granted right now. 🌿
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We're grateful to be working, paying our bills, homeschooling the kids and living the best spring farm life 💚
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#covid19 #shelterinplace #essentialworkers #foodonyourtable #farmersfeedyou #busierthanever #worktogether #springonthefarm #spring2020 #farmlife #farmkids #wildandfree #familytime #soakingitallin

It wouldn't be a chaotic (delivery) Wednesday with

It wouldn't be a chaotic (delivery) Wednesday without a birth 😂
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We've only been waiting weeks for some cows to start calving 🙄
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Our ol' faithful cow Peggy Sue dropped her 7th calf this morning - a bull named Paul 💙
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Peggy birthed like a pro and Paul drank his colostrum like a champ 💪
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Easy start to calving season 🤞
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We have 2 more cows due in the next few days and 2 heifers who have about 2 more weeks to go 🐄
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And we have 60 F in the near forecast with sunshine ☀️
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Happy day!! 😎
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#notanaprilfoolsjoke #bullcalf #jersey #7thlactation #grassfed #healthy #cows #springcalving #springonthefarm #bringonthebabies #bringonthesun #growthatgrass

Trying to capture the best part of today! 🙏 ...

Trying to capture the best part of today! 🙏
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Spring peepers, temps in the 50s and SUNshine!☀️
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The day pretty much went downhill from there 😂
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We had falling temps, 40-50 MPH wind gusts and more rain 🌧️
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We've received just below 2" since Friday morning 😱
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So, we have a good layer of "saturation" going on the farm right now 😜
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Because of the severe pressure systems change, I spent most of the day in bed with a pretty intense migraine. ☹️
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Thankfully, they've tapered off in the past few weeks but I've experienced more migraines this pregnancy than before - it was my 29th migraine 😵
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I've been using hot/cold packs, peppermint, the "wait it out" method and caffeine since I don't normally consume it (I've also been off coffee since October 😱)
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The pain is manageable after 24 hours 🙌
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But the goods news is that our pastures are greening up quickly with cool season grass growth 🌱
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Ideally, we'd like to be transitioning from hay to pasture in the next 2-3 weeks but that will depend on soil temp, grass growth and soil condition (we don't want to churn up wet pastures with too much hoof traffic early in the season) 🐄
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We are STILL waiting on cows to calve BUT we have 4 making sizeable bags so we know we're close 🤞
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We're still under the "shelter in place" order in the Mitten and definitely making the most productive use we can out of that time 💪
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Honestly, we'd probably be productive regardless of the order 🤷
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Between the hustle of spring projects that naturally arises this time of the year and knowing that we have less than 3 months before baby boy arrives, the fire is lit. 🔥
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In addition to the calf barn last week, we tackled cleaning & organizing our huge hay barn this weekend so it's ready for hay come June 🚜
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And I've organized and deep cleaned almost every room in our house except the kitchen 🔪
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Every person only has clothing that fits them, is season appropriate and does not contain holes 😂
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And I sorted, organized and washed clothes in storage by age (& my entire car is full of bags ready to donate!) 😎
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Anyone else feeling accomplished & ready to tackle April?!🌷
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#springonthefarm

A scene from the #covid19 crisis 😍 ... Our dail

A scene from the #covid19 crisis 😍
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Our daily business operations aren't changing but it's still spring and that means lots of projects! ...
While we wait on the 4 cows that are pregnant and due within in the next month, we decided the calf room could use an overhaul.🐄
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This room had originally been built for housing calves but had also been used for storage, a chicken coop, etc.
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We spent 2 days of "extra" time hauling trash out, sweeping cobwebs, repairing walls (you can see where calves have previously damaged boards) and building new stalls for babies.
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Everyone pitched in and it's not the prettiest thing you'll ever see but it's CLEAN and ready for new calves 💪
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Side note - we are pretty ready for non-Carhartt weather! That's the true sign of spring!🌷
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#bringonthecalves #familyfriendlyfarming #getoutside #barncleaning #carhartts

This morning sounded like spring but looked like w

When your co-worker coughs without covering her mu

When your co-worker coughs without covering her muzzle with her hock 😷 ...
Seriously, show some decency Fiona. 🙄
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#cowvid19 #figureitoutfiona #showsomemanners #socialdistancing #raisedinabarn #stillmilkingcows #covid19

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