Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

Years ago I bought a soft cover book by Ortho called "All About Growing Fruits and Berries" . The book was magazine sized, 8 x 10 or 10 x 12? and has excellent illustrations on pruning fruit trees. I still have it. After I used the book my fruit trees really did well. Some fruits bear on new wood, some on old wood, so it is important to know which do what in order to have a crop. After getting the boo I realized why my apricot never bore - it fruits on 2 year old wood. I had been pruning it back each year. Duh!

That Ortho book is probably out of print, but if you can find something like that it would be easy for you to prune your own trees. Also, if you cut the tops down, so they don't grow so high they are easier to pick from. My trees were semi-dwarf and produced plenty of fruit for the family, to give away and make tons of jam for my Boutique jam and pickle business. Once you have gotten the shape right, they are fairly easy to keep up with every winter. I bet there are probably some U-Tube videos of how to prune your trees. Jackson & Perkins has videos n pruning roses so maybe some of the mail order nurseries or garden shows have videos up on the net.

 

[Mike CHS]

All of our fruit trees are full size species but I keep them on the dwarf size range. I had a link from a nursery on growing full sized trees in a compact environment but I can't find it.

 

[Ridgetop]

Here are pix of DS3's new calf. Weighs 400-450 lbs. What do you think of him. Have not seen him in person. Told DS3 to use his judgment from raising other meat animals when choosing him. Let me know what you think of him. I told him to try to buy one that was about 650 lbs. but he liked this calf. He paid $600 for him. Straight Angus.



Not wearing halter and lead rope. Think he is in large enclosure. Why do they never listen?! Not my problem.

I gave my son the web address of BYH and told him to sign on. Maybe when he and his family try to catch this calf we will get another generation of Ridgetop livestock stories! LOL

 

[Baymule]

@Ridgetop we fed out our calf for 8 months. He dressed out at 502 pounds. Using hanging weight, total cost, including purchase, feed and processing, worked out to $3.10 per pound. Our DD sends us pictures of Goldie as they eat him for supper. LOL The latest meal we had from Goldie was spaghetti. It was well worth it and we’ll do this again.

 

[farmerjan]

@Ridgetop ... calf looks pretty nice. Got a decent rump, good top line. Think he will do good but they are going to wait an extra 6 months for meat, than what a 650 lb feeder would have done. At about 6-650 it seems like they just start to "grow" and gain. I would rather have 6-7 wts to turn out than 5 wts... but the market here dictates best price per lb at 450-550 and less feed in them at that weight. That's why we sell them. $600 at 450 lbs is about 1.35 lb so better prices than here... we were getting 1.65-1.77 for steers 450-550 ....
If the lot looks like the pictures, the calf will come to feed fairly quickly... not like he has knee deep grass to go out in.... so a plus to get him trained to come. But I agree, halter and long lead would have hastened the process and given the calf a little respect for pulling against the rope.
Yep, we as parents/adults, don't know nuthin......

 

[farmerjan]

Dentist this morning, stopped by TSC and saw a pull type cart that can be towed by a tractor/mower ... with a dump bed... didn't go in to get any prices, figure I can do that this evening on the computer. Lowe's didn't have any outside and I came on home. Got the cow in, she was being stupid going around in circles with the calf, not kicking, didn't want the grain, then settled with her butt in the corner and the calf got a good nursing. Let her back out and put the calf back in the alley. Yesterday he was not very aggressive and I got some B complex, but today he stuck right with her. So will hold off on any B shots for appetite stimulant. If she allows him to go on her like this, hoping that this weekend she can go out in the lot with 801 nurse cow and her calf for a couple weeks, then if the calf is aggressive enough to go on the cow, take them up to the other nurse cow field for the summer. Bull will be going in there late June to breed the few that calved this spring and they can get bred back. Hope this dummy will become a better mother...
Came in to get some more ibuprofen. Need these durn knees to not ache so much. Bathroom trip and something to drink....

I am going out to soak the trees here, and prune off the couple of broken branches while the water is running. Then going down the hill with the coolers to get the freezer emptied. Got a few boxes I can get on the truck with the coolers I think. Maybe get the rose bush too. Nice out, mostly sunny again... was 48 this morning.

 

[Ridgetop]

Gave DS3 the BYH website address and he went on and read what I wrote. He questioned whether DS meant "Dumb Son" or? I told him it depended on the context! LOL The calf is now in a smaller corral with a halter and lead rope. Son was just anxious to post his photos to family. He posted on the family thread as his new 400lb. baby! LOL

DS3 didn't want to go to an auction here since none in his area and most of the animals here are rejects or unhealthy. Calf has been vaccinated by seller. He is happy and has a nice calf. He may decide to butcher him young for baby beef. He said he thought he could butcher in 6 months but I told him probably take a lot longer to put on weight. On the other hand Angus are a slightly smaller breed so the calf may have enough meat on him by then. I don't think he will keep him until July 2022 when next Fair will probably come around. If he likes raising this calf his son can practice showmanship with it, and he can get him a good prospect for the Fair eventually. Next time we go up I will take up one of the kid's show sticks and DS3 can show DGS3 what to do. Practicing on this calf will give him confidence for another steer.

Hopefully the cow will wise up, I really get disgusted with first timers that won't accept their babies. Usually they will accept them after a day or so but we jug our lambs so the mamas can't escape their duties. LOL Once the calf is attached, maybe seeing 801 being a good mama will help. She will do better next time, otherwise we know where she goes!

 

[farmerjan]

Don't blame him for not wanting to buy at auction... especially for a single.
It will be a baby beef for sure if he wants to butcher in 6 months. He will maybe gain1-2 lbs per day.... 50 lbs a month... so maybe 7-800 in 6-8 months... A good rate of gain for us on pasture is 1.5-2 lbs per day for a beef at pasture.... good lush pasture. That is what most beef farmers are hoping for. Some who do real good rotational grazing can get as much as 3 lbs per day. But that is exceptional. A heavy grain ration will give better gains, but you have to be careful with acidosis.... and hay is necessary for keeping the rumen in good condition. But really, you know all this from the sheep. Beef does not gain like lamb... and your lambs are exceptional gainers.... but beef has alot more body/frame to grow in order to gain meat/muscle growth.
Practicing on this calf will be good. I hope that his disposition is good so DGS3 has a good first experience.

This heifer is the first in YEARS that did not want the calf. Have had them not understand the calf needs to go to the "back half" to nurse.... backing up when the calf first tries... licking and mothering and all.... but this one is just not interested. We'll see. At least she is not kicking like she wants to kill it... just totally blah.... We'll see; but it is definitely one strike against her already.
Came in and ate a sandwich... headed out.

 

[farmerjan]

Don't blame him for not wanting to buy at auction... especially for a single.
It will be a baby beef for sure if he wants to butcher in 6 months. He will maybe gain1-2 lbs per day.... 50 lbs a month... so maybe 7-800 in 6-8 months... A good rate of gain for us on pasture is 1.5-2 lbs per day for a beef at pasture.... good lush pasture. That is what most beef farmers are hoping for. Some who do real good rotational grazing can get as much as 3 lbs per day. But that is exceptional. A heavy grain ration will give better gains, but you have to be careful with acidosis.... and hay is necessary for keeping the rumen in good condition. But really, you know all this from the sheep. Beef does not gain like lamb... and your lambs are exceptional gainers.... but beef has alot more body/frame to grow in order to gain meat/muscle growth.
Practicing on this calf will be good. I hope that his disposition is good so DGS3 has a good first experience.

This heifer is the first in YEARS that did not want the calf. Have had them not understand the calf needs to go to the "back half" to nurse.... backing up when the calf first tries... licking and mothering and all.... but this one is just not interested. We'll see. At least she is not kicking like she wants to kill it... just totally blah.... We'll see; but it is definitely one strike against her already.
Came in and ate a sandwich... headed out.

 

[Ridgetop]

Bad mothers are auction bound for sure.

I think you have to prune the roots to dwarf regular trees. Plus keep cutting back the top group. You see that in orchards where the entire orchard looks like it has a flat top hair cut! LOL Careful pruning is also used when espaliering fruit trees. Less fruit crop, but often better and larger fruit. Fruit trees have been espaliered since Roman times so were no dwarf varieties then, just selective branch pruning and some root pruning for courtyard trees.