We have been tilling our middle back field.  We are trying to get rid of the swamp grass and plant pasture mix grass to increase our grass production.  I love doing tractor work.  I get to watch the animals, both the domesticated/non-native critters and the wild/native ones.

cows

vultures

Here is the swamp grass we are trying to get rid of.

swamp grass

And here is the next pasture that we tilled and repainted two years ago, and it is still doing great with very minimal swamp grass.

field

I noticed that the blackbirds and robins really enjoyed my tilling.

robin and blackbird

The swallows real liked it too.  I think I was stirring up some bugs for them.

swallows

The field rodents did not like it.  I was disrupting their home.

field rodent

It gave me time to think too.  I was thinking about how I am destroying presumably native/wild grass and replacing it with non-native/domesticated grass to increase feed production.  And using petroleum (in this case diesel) to do this.  This is the essence of agriculture.  There are way too many people to survive with hunter/gatherer food collection.  But modern agriculture is not sustainable.  Eventually this system will collapse.  But in the meantime, I am supplying some food and fiber to ourselves, family, friends, neighbors and even internet strangers with our little farm.  And we are providing food for our domesticated and wild critters.

my view while contemplating

After four days of work, the tenacious swamp grass is tilled.  We just need one more quicker tilling, and we can replant.