Twenty Tons of Hay
Well, here is where your money goes when you pay Emily for analysis and advice!
Each one of these bales is ONE TON. Two tractor trailer loads have to be purchased every fall, usually in September because you can't trust the roads after that. One tractor trailer load is at least 20 tons. 20 tons feed all the creatures with hay for seven weeks approximately, except the elderly deer for whom we buy extra-extra fine hay called 'flakes.' (They have no teeth: that is what causes death if nothing else does in very elderly deer, elk, etc.) These bales make a wide stack taller than the roof of the shop. All the animals line up, reverently, when the truck comes onto the ranch. They know they will be living through the winter, and they are grateful. I love that look on their faces.
In addition to the dairy-quality hay and supreme quality hay, 200 pounds of grain a day are fed to all the animals.
The elderly deer's diet is supplemented with apples, pears, grapes and other soft produce all year.
Wild birds are supplied 25 pounds of seeds a day.
My backhoe unloads and stacks the hay. See the picture? It's quite the show! Look at how green this hay is! - and it smells fresh and minty! My backhoe is paid for. Equipment like this costs two luxury cars. Even its tires are spendy, let alone repairs. It is a workhorse.
And after all this is done, what do you have? - an elk with a mouthful of good green and a look on her face of "This is good grass."

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