Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

@Mike CHS , I'll be glad to help any way I can, on the loading spot for the cattle. But to make it simple right off the top of my head. Your steers are getting fed some grain right? All we do is set up portable panels, or old gates or anything, get them to come in for grain and don't shut them in for a couple of days. Then one day just shut it. I am assuming that you will be loading them on a cattle/stock/horse trailer..... back the trailer up to a corner, put a corner of the panel against the trailer and SECURE IT. We just tie them to the trailer with a couple of baling strings. Open the trailer, pull another panel up to the other side of the trailer and tie. Then use the gate/panel that was across the back of the trailer as a crowd gate inside the pen.....like it is hinged on one side. I know that this is not explaining it very well. But for just the 2 steers, an 8x8 pen is plenty big to get them into with a little feed/bribe. Then you can crowd them into the trailer with one panel/gate. One thing about cattle. If you make them go straight into something they will often balk at it. They do better if they have to walk around a partial barrier and go towards a hole from a bit of an angle for some reason. Plus using the gate or panel as a "crowd gate, you can keep them from turning around and going back in the other direction. Once they start, do not give them time to think it over..... just keep the momentum going and keep them moving. Looking forward to seeing what you have in mind....

 

[Mike CHS]

Thank you. That's pretty close to how we handle the sheep when they are in one of the big paddocks away from our handling area.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @farmerjan,

Refresh my senile memory again, please -- when is your angle surgery?

 

[farmerjan]

Hey, all. It's Thursday morning, a cold 22 to start but the sun is out. Been a crazy week. Had a sunny nice day on Monday. Set up in the morning to test a farm that evening and went to town and got a couple of protein tubs for the first calf heifers. The weather was calling for some snow to come in on Tuesday, so wanted to get a few things "together" while the weather was nice. Fed at my son's, the chickens all got extra feed and water. Hit nearly 60 and was comfortable. Tested that eve and had to go back Tuesday morning (2x herd). Tuesday morning, clear roads, cold 28 and cloudy. Started snowing about 8 a.m. and the ground was covered in half an hour. Had 2 inches by 9:30 when I went to the house to do the computer work. It was putting it down. Of course their internet wasn't working right with the snow so couldn't finish the computer work. Went back to the barn to get the meters to take home and literally drove in 2nd gear. Of course the state hadn't gotten to the back roads since it was snowing so fast and hard the main roads and interstate gets the priority. I have about 3 1/2 to 4 miles of all downhill to my house from this farm. I mean really downhill with curves. I did it in 1st gear and only slid a little twice but I was so glad to just get there in one piece. I got halfway backed up to the house in the "driveway" and the truck slid so I just stopped and let it stay there or it would have gotten really stuck in the grass.
Spent the rest of the day in the house!!!!!! The meeting of our local cattle assoc was cancelled. Schools were cancelled in anticipation of the snow which was kinda funny when it was perfectly clear at the normal school bus pickup times, but a good thing afterall because it would have been a nightmare going home. Schools were closed again on Wed as they got the back roads cleared off, and were 2 hrs delayed today. The kids had just gone back to school on Monday after 2 weeks off for the holidays.... So one day in and 2 days out. Got the samples packed but they didn't go out because UPS won't come down here in this weather and I don't blame them. They went out Wed.

We got about 5 inches total. It stopped by about 3-3:30 and there was some sun showing by evening. Wednesday was some snow showers early, then clearing. I went to the farm as they had gotten internet back, that morning, and did the stuff then left from there to go to Winchester (2hrs north) to test the big jersey farm. We did the afternoon milking for a change. Had to be there a little bit early because of getting the computer info in, and milking started at 1:30. Normally I would go up the night before and do their 2 a.m. milking but they needed to get done as the wife was going in for a hernia surgery on Thursday (today). The roads were good once I got on the interstate but there were lots of places you could see where people had slid into the guardrails, and the medians with ruts and stuff. It was a long day, left here at 9:30 a.m. and got home last night at about 9:30 p.m..

It was down to 22 again this morning, but the sun is out and is up to 38. Supposed to be up to the upper 40's or better. The snow is half gone already and will pretty much melt today. But if not, the coming rain will take care of it. Forecast is calling for rain, warming trend, temps up to the 50's and 60's for the next couple of days. Totally crazy. And it will make it a MUDDY MESS.

Going to get the samples packed from yesterday. Then go up to my son's after it warms up a bit more and do the chickens. Hopefully he will be able to start doing them pretty soon. He will have to carry a couple of buckets with feed and water and is not up to that yet, just some walking although he is not supposed to be doing much for another week.

Going to a neighbors for dinner this evening. We help them with working their calves in the spring, and gathering and hauling the calves to town in the fall to sell. We also make their hay for them.

@Senile_Texas_Aggie , the surgery is set for Feb 6th. Pre-op appt is the week before, Jan 31st. It will give me a chance to go down, do the pre-op stuff, and make sure I know exactly where I am going the following week. Also get all the arrangements made for the rehab after and all that stuff. Probably will go down the night before (4-5 hrs south of here) and I am hoping it will be an early morning deal. Our local hospital is a Duke affiliate, so don't know if the rehab will be down there or done here. If here, don't know about the transportation back up here. I will be in hosp for at least 24 hours I'm told. So all this to figure out yet.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Hey, all. It's Thursday morning, a cold 22 to start but the sun is out. Been a crazy week. Had a sunny nice day on Monday. Set up in the morning to test a farm that evening and went to town and got a couple of protein tubs for the first calf heifers. The weather was calling for some snow to come in on Tuesday, so wanted to get a few things "together" while the weather was nice. Fed at my son's, the chickens all got extra feed and water. Hit nearly 60 and was comfortable. Tested that eve and had to go back Tuesday morning (2x herd). Tuesday morning, clear roads, cold 28 and cloudy. Started snowing about 8 a.m. and the ground was covered in half an hour. Had 2 inches by 9:30 when I went to the house to do the computer work. It was putting it down. Of course their internet wasn't working right with the snow so couldn't finish the computer work. Went back to the barn to get the meters to take home and literally drove in 2nd gear. Of course the state hadn't gotten to the back roads since it was snowing so fast and hard the main roads and interstate gets the priority. I have about 3 1/2 to 4 miles of all downhill to my house from this farm. I mean really downhill with curves. I did it in 1st gear and only slid a little twice but I was so glad to just get there in one piece. I got halfway backed up to the house in the "driveway" and the truck slid so I just stopped and let it stay there or it would have gotten really stuck in the grass.
Spent the rest of the day in the house!!!!!! The meeting of our local cattle assoc was cancelled. Schools were cancelled in anticipation of the snow which was kinda funny when it was perfectly clear at the normal school bus pickup times, but a good thing afterall because it would have been a nightmare going home. Schools were closed again on Wed as they got the back roads cleared off, and were 2 hrs delayed today. The kids had just gone back to school on Monday after 2 weeks off for the holidays.... So one day in and 2 days out. Got the samples packed but they didn't go out because UPS won't come down here in this weather and I don't blame them. They went out Wed.

We got about 5 inches total. It stopped by about 3-3:30 and there was some sun showing by evening. Wednesday was some snow showers early, then clearing. I went to the farm as they had gotten internet back, that morning, and did the stuff then left from there to go to Winchester (2hrs north) to test the big jersey farm. We did the afternoon milking for a change. Had to be there a little bit early because of getting the computer info in, and milking started at 1:30. Normally I would go up the night before and do their 2 a.m. milking but they needed to get done as the wife was going in for a hernia surgery on Thursday (today). The roads were good once I got on the interstate but there were lots of places you could see where people had slid into the guardrails, and the medians with ruts and stuff. It was a long day, left here at 9:30 a.m. and got home last night at about 9:30 p.m..

It was down to 22 again this morning, but the sun is out and is up to 38. Supposed to be up to the upper 40's or better. The snow is half gone already and will pretty much melt today. But if not, the coming rain will take care of it. Forecast is calling for rain, warming trend, temps up to the 50's and 60's for the next couple of days. Totally crazy. And it will make it a MUDDY MESS.

Going to get the samples packed from yesterday. Then go up to my son's after it warms up a bit more and do the chickens. Hopefully he will be able to start doing them pretty soon. He will have to carry a couple of buckets with feed and water and is not up to that yet, just some walking although he is not supposed to be doing much for another week.

Going to a neighbors for dinner this evening. We help them with working their calves in the spring, and gathering and hauling the calves to town in the fall to sell. We also make their hay for them.

@Senile_Texas_Aggie , the surgery is set for Feb 6th. Pre-op appt is the week before, Jan 31st. It will give me a chance to go down, do the pre-op stuff, and make sure I know exactly where I am going the following week. Also get all the arrangements made for the rehab after and all that stuff. Probably will go down the night before (4-5 hrs south of here) and I am hoping it will be an early morning deal. Our local hospital is a Duke affiliate, so don't know if the rehab will be down there or done here. If here, don't know about the transportation back up here. I will be in hosp for at least 24 hours I'm told. So all this to figure out yet.

Wow...you have a lot on your plate! 2am milking daily? How long are you there? How many cows? Next, I hope your wife’s surgery goes very well today... I will keep her, and you all, in my thoughts. . Lastly..the ankle surgery. Im not sure if you know this but I had two done. In 2018 I torn a tendon....perineal on the outs of right ankle. BUT.... I had 7 mths of 2 1/2 hrs PT twice a week..plus I worked crazy at home...I’m better than ever now! I pray you will have the same, or even better results! Here’s the key...I tend to overdo it..not sure if you guys picked up on that yet...but...try not to go too hard, because injuries set you back. I got thrown out.. twice...temporary breaks...just work hard and listen to your body. I’ll be pulling for you!! I’ll be watching your thread like crazy for updates on how many marbles they make you pick up with your toes.

 

[Baymule]

Wow...you have a lot on your plate! 2am milking daily? How long are you there? How many cows? Next, I hope your wife’s surgery goes very well today... I will keep her, and you all, in my thoughts.

Psssssttttt…….. Farmerjan doesn't have a wife. She meant the wife of the owner of the dairy she was testing at...…..LOL

 

[Baymule]

Surgery Feb 6!! And you are driving yourself to the hospital I suppose? Yeah, you need to find out where rehab will be. You don't need to leave your truck at the hospital all that time. Can someone take you to the hospital? If your rehab is down there, the hospital can arrange for transportation to the rehab facility. If rehab is at home, could someone pick you up and take you to rehab?

 

[farmerjan]

Thanks @Baymule . I thought at first maybe I wasn't typing correctly, and that maybe I was under the influence of the super strong Ibuprofen I was taking, and not making any sense.

@Duckfarmerpa1 : they are milking 200 registered jerseys. Normally takes about 4 hours in a double 5 side opening, parlor; but the daughter couldn't get off her job to come help, and so we did the afternoon and the guy who helps milking just isn't as fast. Took from 1:30 to 6:30 to milk that afternoon. When we test the morning milking I go up and stay overnight with the farmer and his wife, then they start milking at 2 a.m. and we usually get done between 6-6:30 a.m.. Then I would do the computer work, and then go to another small farm about 20 min away and test them. They started @ 7:30 a.m.. 20 +/- cows in a 10 stall stanchion barn, so 2 groups of cows....10 in to milk, 2 at a time, then 10 out and the next 10 in. Not efficient for farms with any number of cows, but that is how it was done for years and years before "parlors" were built. But that small farm sold out the first of Nov.... so only the bigger farm to do up there.

Heard on the radio just the other day, that Va has lost 18% of its' dairy farms in the last 2 years. Something like 56 in 2018 and 48 in 2019.... so say 100 dairies in the last 2 years. That means that if there were 500 dairies still in Va, then over 100 have closed down in 2 years to under 400 now. And it is like that in nearly all the "dairy states". The big get bigger to try to spread the costs out over an increasing number and the small farms go out.

The ankle replacement has been in the "working on it" stage for nearly 5 years... trying to find a dr that I felt comfortable with and that was not pushing the "just fuse it" mentality. Finally found one through a recommendation and am very comfortable with them. Mine will be a 2 part deal though, besides the main replacement ,I also am having another smaller "joint" fused because there is no "replacing it" and I have so much arthritis in it that have less than 15% use of it and alot of pain. Could do the replacement only, but then this might bother me in 6 months, or 5 years.... and I would have to be laid up again. So going to do both at once and be done. It will be several months, he said about 3-4 total.... due to the fusion having to totally heal before I do any weight bearing. Can't take the pain anymore, so I am thinking that this is a step in the right direction. If all goes well, then the knee will be next year. Tired of not being able to walk like a real person without the pain and being so unsteady on my ankle.

 

[Mike CHS]

Bearing the pain reaches the point that you can't do it anymore so I hope you do what makes your future better.

 

[farmerjan]

@Baymule , I will not be driving down myself, have to have someone go with me. I have to find out about the rehab in the next few days, and now that I have a PCP, will see if she can get some of this pushed through for me also. I don't plan on coming straight home..... want to have someone else helping me get the pain situation under control, and to make sure of what exercises/rehab I will be doing since anything will be non-weight bearing. Plus the followup appt is set for 2/20/20 for stitches removed and all..... so really would be better if I am there and then come home. Just printed off a bunch of stuff..... it is all done on the internet now so I am going to talk to the PCP and ask her about what she can do to get it co-ordinated. I really don't want to come right home, and there really isn't anyone to "take care of me" and dammit, I've earned the right to have some of this, paid in forever to medicare, come back to me. They want to give it to all the illegals, well, I've paid in my fair share..... so I want to get a little back. It also will take some of the stress off everyone.....and I should be up and getting around some.... I'm still going to be pretty limited with the no weight bearing and with having to keep it more elevated to control the swelling and such.