Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

@Bruce I could have gotten milk from this farmer if I really wanted, I have never asked..... I was going to go by the farm where I have one of my cows as I can get milk there whenever I want it. Plus he has some jerseys too, so the butterfat is pretty high.
I did go get milk this afternoon, and talked to the farmer for a bit. He was planning to sell out in May but may wait for the fall now. He likes his cows, but none of the boys want to take it over because there is no money in it. His one son is driving a truck and made over 4,000 last month. Why would he milk cows for maybe 400 a month after expenses. This farmer and his wife had started making donuts a couple years ago and now do it 2 days a week and make more than he makes on the dairy. Then I went to Food Lion to grocery shop. Not many people in the store, and the shelves were kinda empty too. No TP and only a few pkgs of paper towels. I don't need any. I did get some sausage links and bacon that was on sale to stick in the freezer as insurance. Also got several pkgs of seafood that were on sale too to add back into the "stock" that I have been eating down since the surgery & all. Got some nice red grapes on sale too. A few cans of soup to put on the shelves but not much variety there either.
And of course, restocked on my depleted ice cream....... lo and behold, the pineapple sherbert was on sale too. In fact I doubt I got more than a half dozen things that weren't on sale. I got in one of those ride on carts (for old ladies and gimpy people like me !!!) and just rode up and down the isles looking. Haven't done that in ages. Not many people so I could look. Couldn't find any dry split peas as I want to make split pea soup with the ham bone. I thought I had some but can't find them. Might have been tossed when the stupid mice got into the house and I had them practically take over. Then got the cats outside and have only had a couple of occasional ones since. They are so trap smart that I am going to put out poison now to get rid of these couple cuz they are making a disgusting mess and I don't have any inside house cats. You can't keep them out as the foundation is stone, and there are plenty of little places they can squeeze through to get in. I now try to keep everything in the vacuum canisters to keep it fresh and the vermin out. I do want to start going through some of the stuff though and sort and all and then pack into cartons what I am not using. I also have 5 gallon buckets that I have lids that fit them that you can screw on the lids, and I keep alot of stuff in them. It keeps the stuff pretty good. I hate mice and rats.

 

[farmerjan]

Couple of things to add. Started out at 53 this morning, got up to 74 late afternoon in the sun. It poured down a couple times last night, and we had some wind whipping around the house this morning. It also came down in buckets with the wind blowing the rain everywhere for about a half hour then it blew out and the sun came out. There are parts of sw Va that don't have power and might be a day or 2 to get it badk but not here. We didn't get the real bad stuff.
Wound up with 2.3 inches of rain total..... that's alot and there was quite a bit of localized road flooding too.
Temps are dropping and supposed to get down into the mid to upper 30's tonight.

Now that's not the worst of it..... we are supposed to have a "clipper" come through Tues eve into wed morning... with SNOW FLURRIES and possible light accumulation in areas over 2000 ft. Which we are here.....
Sure, why not ......

Going to go in and wash the dishes in the sink and then maybe go get a shower I think., Didn't dare take one last night or this morning early because it would have been my luck to lose the power in the middle......covered with soap... UGH!

 

[Mini Horses]

Saw that you all "may" get some flurries up your way. We are too warm with the coastal water, so rain. Good, I don't; want snow!! It is getting cooler for a few day, poss late frost. Makes me feel better to have not gotten plants in garden. LOL

We had about 100,000 without power this AM, down to about 30 000 late day. Fortunately not me..

I did see a report on all the veg crops that are being plowed under -- processing plants closed -- schools & restraunts closed, transport to food banks a problem. AND Mexican imports arriving. Not only with this be an issue for fresh now but processed foodstuff later as canned/frozen vegs.

The farmers are taking a huge hit!! People will be looking for food -- all kinds --- No work for many, food banks hard pressed to supply. This is months....not just today. I see a really big, big problem!! So much so that I am considering a couple feeder pigs, again. Something I don't really want to do. LOL

 

[Bruce]

@Bruce I don't chicken fry rib eye steak! That would be a hanging offense! This is Texas, the only thing we like better than chicken fried round steak is grilled rib eye steak, medium rare.

But you chicken fry LAMB!!! That IS a hanging offense! Show up here next Monday for your sentencing

This farmer and his wife had started making donuts a couple years ago and now do it 2 days a week and make more than he makes on the dairy.

Pretty sad commentary on the state of dairy in this country isn't it!

 

[Baymule]

In Texas, cattle are still King. Sheep, not so much. So I’m free to cut the leg of lamb into round steak, debone, tenderize, season, flour it up and drop on hot grease. Tasty! BWA HA HA HA

 

[Baymule]

@farmerjan, would a yearling Jersey and Hereford Cross make good beef or would I need to keep it longer. I would be able to keep one over the winter in the Pig Palace and keep alfalfa and Feed for it, but would need my Pig Palace back come spring.

 

[farmerjan]

OKAY, Let me do my "B#$@%ing for a second because it has been a total "SHT" 24 hours.... well, no not total, there is a silver lining.

Last night after a partly sunny day early, having had 2.3 inches of rain, I was ready to be in the house. Had gone to talk to my farmer where my one cow is, did some grocery shopping and all that. I was in my sleeping long sleeve T-shirt, sitting on the bed with my ankle/foot up about 8:30. All of a sudden heard the chickens squawking.... It has just started to rain and is like in the 40's. I go "running out there, in my T-shirt, SLIPPERS, and crutches.... and damned if one of the hens was dead. "They" dug under the house part of the moveable coop, because the ground was soft from the rain, and killed one hen and was gone by the time I managed to get hobbled out there. The sorry SOB couldn't just eat the eggs ( of which there were 4 because I hadn't gotten them gathered up)..... NOPE had to kill the hen and leave the eggs.
I was so furious..... 6 MONTHS, since my son broke his hip and no problems... all winter and nothing trying to get in..... I was gone nearly 3 weeks for the surgery & rehab with a friend feeding and only in and out..... NOOOOOO it had to wait til now. So, in the pouring rain, I dragged the live trap over there, locked them in the house part after moving it, and left the dead hen in the run. Of course this morning I still hadn't caught anything.... but it is set again this eve,
I will practically guarantee it is a coon.... I have seen one a few times out near the road back before I had the surgery when I was coming home from testing. Sure it could be a possum.... but they will usually go for the eggs first as they are "easy". The feeder was more than half full since I had just done them and moved the pen to new grass.

I took the pair that is left, up to m y sons after calling and asking if he had a pen they could go in. His dog is all around up there so he has next to no problems with the "varmints". I had wanted to put electrified netting all around the garden area to prevent something like this happening.... but of course it was vetoed because it would make it look trashy.... of course chickens on a farm look trashy out running on the grass too.... that's why I had to move the meat birds last summer.

So my chickens are not here, and as soon as they get the road in at my son's property, I will set up the "meat bird pen", and also the pen for these guys, and move them there so my son has all his pens open as he is going to hatch some of his purebreds and will need the space.

I did find out that the farm where I get the "left-behinds" is getting a new batch this week, so in about 6 weeks they will go out and with the warmer weather by then..... plus hopefully I will be more mobile too, so I will get b irds again if all goes well.
With the current situation, I think that is is very important to go on and start getting them again.... if I do nothing but have a bunch just for barter for things like vegetables from that neighbors garden....

BUT, the good thing out of this...... I was still pretty bent out of shape today over losing that hen..... and I called the guy we rent the pasture from.... whose wife's parents place has been empty for several years, that I was interested in last year.... to see if they were still thinking of selling it.... YES they are. Talked to them for about a half hour on the phone and she said that she is going to talk to her 2 sisters, and see what they can agree on, but all 3 said that it was time to sell it last year as none of their kids want to move into it. It is part of a piece of property where they have a Christmas Tree farm, and I said naturally I didn't want that , as it was part of their business, and she said that they would have to see what was the minimum amount of land that they could split off with the house..... But I think they will be willing to work with me. She said they will get back to me in a few days, then I needed to come up and go in the house with them and look at it. She said that the upstairs needs work as some of the plaster has come off the walls from no heat for the last 5-6 years, but that her mom had only used the downstairs for the last 10 years she had lived there before passing. The bathroom had been added, years ago, and is right off the bedroom downstairs, and the kitchen had been "updated back in the 70's", and with just her parents, then just her mom, I am sure it isn't all worn out.
We talked the possibility of rent to own, but that I would rather buy it if we could come to terms.
I told them that I had been talking to my girlfriend from the post office, they know her, and her husbands' parents house that they had put on the market and didn't get sold and that he had to do some work on it and put in a new kitchen floor and some other stuff; but that it wasn't as suited since the driveway didn't go up to the house and with the ankle replacement, and then possibility of knees in a year or two, that this place would be more suitable since it was more level. I said that if they weren't interested that was fine too, but that I was seriously looking as I plan to be out of where I am before winter. That I had never really planned to stay here in this house renting this long, and I wanted to have my chickens at my house with no complaints, and that it was dumb for me to keep paying rent. I said that it wasn't like I "had to move" , because I don't..... but I was ready to be done. I said that if they just wanted to take out whatever personal things that were left there, that I had my own fridge and washer/dryer and stove and all in storage if they needed to be replaced. I just wanted to get into my own place to do my own thing.

They seem real interested as they have had renters and it always is left that they had to clean up afterwards..... and that they really need to do something rather than let it sit. They are my age.....
She even said that they would consider renting it if there was alot of problems to go through to get it surveyed off and split off the other property; until all that could be done.
I said that if they didn't want to that I fully understood, but that I was ACTIVELY looking and would be doing something this year as I am going to be in my own place before cold weather.....

And everything I told them is true. Not to push them into anything or making it sound like I was trying to "convince them to do something soon" by mentioning the other place.... because I have talked to Barbara & her husband about his parents place..... I just don't especially like where it is.... but I would go there if there is nothing else, and then find something else and rent it out if I had to.
I AM GOING TO BE OUT OF HERE BEFORE WINTER !!!!!!!!! ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

I just decided that I was not going to wait for my son to talk to them as he gets sidetracked...... and doesn't always do things as fast as I think they should get done..... you know like the shoemakers kids never seem to have shoes..... well, mom's requests sometimes just get pushed back and "overlooked - forgotten" You all know what I mean. Tired of that too... so maybe this is more of a "real possibility" than I knew.....

I will be practically next door to where my "nurse cow" field is too.... so taking care of chores will be so much more convenient. And then I can easily have my milk cow closeby at the nurse cow field..... This house is only 2 miles from my sons property, so still could keep the meat birds there since he has no intentions to "develop" that piece of woods where the entrance road is going through up to the cell tower...... And I can get my peach trees moved this fall early...... and get all my purebred chickens set up right there at the house.

I don't want to get my hopes up too much.... but when I first called and started talking to David about the place, he said wait, let me put this on speaker phone so my wife can hear you too, since it is her family place, but also because I think she really will be interested in what you are saying......
If I can get it "as is" , and they don't have to put any money into it, it ought to be alot cheaper..... plus they would not have to keep up the lawn and all there and the taxes and all that and not get anything back. I said that I would be glad if they wanted to owner finance it, so that they didn't have to claim the income from selling it or whatever they wanted to consider. That I thought I could probably get a mortgage all according to what they were asking.... but a bank might want alot more done to it.... so they would be better off if they "financed it" for a bit, with a downpayment, then there would be alot less "legal crap" to deal with.

LETS HOPE a little bit......

 

[thistlebloom]

I'll hope with you! That sounds like a very good plan to me, I hope things move in a good direction for you and you can have your own home to do as you please with.

 

[farmerjan]

Okay, to the mundane stuff. We had another 4/10 inch of rain with the stuff last night. PLUS, there was some sleet and some traces of snow along the sides of the roads in the shaded side at noon today... tonight is supposed to be colder too. Already down to 37.... it was down to 37 last night and up to 62. It will be colder tonight. The forecast is for a freeze warning tonight and I bet we get down a bit more by sunrise.

Had a farm that only tests a couple times a year call and wants to test so we are going to test on Friday. I explained that I am not working as fast due to the ankle and the awkwardness with the boot and all; plus I won't have any help since Michael is back to work. Plus that I would need some help getting the meters into the barn because I cannot carry things and use the crutches..... He said he thinks it will be fine, he will get one of the other guys to get all the numbers of the cows..... so I think he is pushing to get a test done. Okay by me. I have explained it as best as I can....

Then got another set up for Saturday afternoon.... If it rains I will have help, since friends won't be able to haul the cattle out to their place in WV that they asked Michael to help with.... it is a tough place to get in and out of if it is dry.... NOT HAPPENING if it is wet.

Then another farm on Tuesday that I will have help from the girl that has been helping me some at the 500+ cow dairy. This is the farm she milks on, and Tues is her afternoon off, but she said she would be glad to come help test.... she's not greedy but it does help that I do pay her to help. That is spacing them out a little bit better..... Fri is over 200 cows, but Sat is only 75 cows so I can handle it myself I think. Got 3 or 4 more to do this month... so ought to be able to get them in without making myself as miserable as I was after last weekend's marathon........

Well, it is midnight.... I didn't sleep much after last night's upset...... so think that it is time to go to bed.

GOTTA GET BETTER.....

 

[farmerjan]

PS..... @Baymule I will answer you about the beef tomorrow..... sorry, just realized that you had posted it and that I hadn't answered you back yet....