Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

Motion furniture takes a beating.

 

[farmerjan]

Long day. Left around 7 to go test after putting in hoses and all to use with the meters. Got to the farm, set up, he ran the sanitizer and then milked/tested. Wasn't bad. After the system washed through after milking, got loaded and left around 10:30 to come home.
Stopped at the co-op as they said today would be a good day to get those stabalizer things put on the car... that they had ordered. So, I stopped on the way home and said if they could fine, if not I could do it another day since I had to work this morning. It worked out, they were not busy, so spent over an hour there while they took off the broken one and the other one, and put the new ones on. One less thing to worry about when it comes time for inspection in Dec.....
Could not find the paper I needed to send samples to lab so had to call and leave a message for the lab to e-mail me a copy so I could make some new copies to have here. She did not get back to me by 2 so I finally left after eating the other half of the salad, and went to bush hog. Samples will go out tomorrow; the list was there when I got in a little bit ago. Printed off 5 copies, but with my luck he will not test again....

Got the one big field done, and went into the next field... made several passes around the outside, and did around a bunch of trees near the gate, then came across the field from the back side and made a couple passes back and forth, like cutting the field in half. Alot of ledge and rock in this field too; There are a couple of sink holes in this field and I do not remember where they are so wanted to bush hog where I was sure of.... and could see. It was getting late so after about 4 hours of bush hogging, I quit. My feet and knees were really starting to ache....

Went by to feed the horse, and with the pouring rain yesterday, it washed the driveway some... and the wind that they told me at the co-op was really gusty, took down a tree at Deb's and it went through the 4 board fence in the corner of the yard. Won't affect the horse being in the yard and driveway lane to eat grass... but she will have to cut it up and fix the fence at some point. I called her to just give her a heads' up.

Came on to the house... it was getting dark. I am done for the night. Going to get a shower, put some clothes in the wash... and collapse.

Oh yeah, I also tipped over a whole 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk earlier, after pouring a glass full, and it slipped and wound up dumped all over the floor and some dishes and other baking pans that were there to get washed.... I cleaned it up and since it was all over the floor, used a couple of things from the dirty clothes to soak it up quick, so it didn't run everywhere. I stuck them in the washer and ran a rinse when I left to go bush hog... so will add a few things and do a load of clothes. Will have to take and really scrub the floor and all but at least got it up and quickie washed ...

Temps are supposed to be 96 tomorrow, sunny and hot, and I think they might dry if I hang them out....

I will pack and send samples tomorrow and get more bush hogging done. DS is in Richmond, they have the state VDOT Roadeo tomorrow... and he is competing... he will be home tomorrow night. Said that he is tired and when he gets home if the forecast is not calling for more than a few showers, or no rain, he is going to cut the sorghum sudan grass before it gets too tall. If he cuts it Thursday eve, and it stays as hot as they are saying... then it will be ready to rake Sat or Sun.... oops... I have to test Saturday afternoon..... well, worse comes to worse, he will have to rake it... if it is ready. I haven't looked at the forecast. This farm only tests every 3 months and they are past due.... I will be gone most of the day... leave here at noon the latest... all the meters are in the car already and I will get the rest of the hoses I need in there before hand... I could rake a little bit on Sat morning I guess..... we'll see.

 

[Mini Horses]

Always something pops when you least expect or need it to!

 

[farmerjan]

Sunny and nice, but getting warmer. 87....

Had to call our computer center for work , to figure a few things out... had a nice chat with one of the girls there. They got over 4 inches on Monday..... WOW. Raleigh NC area.
Looks like @Mini might get some again this afternoon... showing pop up showers in Eastern Va... nothing for us. Maybe Thursday... think it is 40 % chance....

Samples packed and computer work done. They will go out when I go bush hog.

Laundry washed and ready to hang out.

Have to print off some info for the farmer I get my milk from, to take him when I go there later to get milk. Will do that after I go bush hog since I will be over in that direction at the field.

Going in to move stuff off the counter and wash some of the dishes and stuff. Need to clean up in the kitchen. I also haven't eaten this morning... need to.... probably just a bowl of cold cereal with it getting so warm out there...

Need to go by the nurse cow pasture and check the water too... they were all out front grazing yesterday eve when I came by from doing the horse.

Kinda slow to get going this morning. Oh well....

 

[Mini Horses]

Yes pop ups and still popping! Not huge amounts but some hard. So might get 1/4 + before it's over. Sure is wet!! I've had to wear my tall water boots to feed an open coops, etc, because the grass is so high and wet from dew and or rain. It's been really good for fields I cut a week or two ago!!

We finished a group reset early. So home a couple hrs before planned and it's raining! That part isn't agreeable BUT.....I can use a little down time. Have 3 more days of my stores to do. Just me. So I'll get those going early tomorrow. Looks like I might be home Sun. Farm work day. Plan to go check on a Boer buckling Sat and if as good as pictures, bring him home. Begin the meat goat herd! Sure hope he's the one.

 

[Ridgetop]

DH was watching RFDTV this morning. I was watching it last night and made him leave on the channel. Told him if he was going to come to Texas and ranch he needed to keep an eye on what was happening in crops, livestock, and weather around the country. While I was outside talking to lender he popped his head out of the trailer to say that cattle growers are moving cattle into Texas since the summer and spring rains have kept the grass green and growing there.

 

[Baymule]

DH was watching RFDTV this morning. I was watching it last night and made him leave on the channel. Told him if he was going to come to Texas and ranch he needed to keep an eye on what was happening in crops, livestock, and weather around the country. While I was outside talking to lender he popped his head out of the trailer to say that cattle growers are moving cattle into Texas since the summer and spring rains have kept the grass green and growing there.

It ain’t enough that people are moving to Texas, now they’re moving their COWS to Texas!

 

[farmerjan]

Another hot day. 94 and sunny and a little more humidity.
But then you tell yourself that it is summer, it is July, and that winter will be here way too soon....

Dropped off samples and went to bush hog. Put in about 3 more hours and the tractor needs fuel. Got another section done in the field. Need DS to come and mow around the sinkholes, he remembers where they are, so I can do more. Some of the rougher places I will leave for him....if he tears it up on rocks then he can't blame it on me. I've gotten more done than I think he expected me to do. When I told him about the cattle out (next paragraph) I also mentioned the calves that needed to be darted and that the tractor needed fuel....

Left there and went up the road to go get milk .... went by the small pasture we have the "old cows " and their calves at... and there is the young bull we stuck in there and the big steer out in the road..... REALLY.... I went and opened the gate and then drove up the road around them and headed them back down towards the gate. The bull was going up the driveway across from the gate, but the steer went for the gate.. so then I parked the car crossways on the road and walked around and past the bull and finally convinced him to go back in the field.
Did not see anything wrong with the fence along the road or what I could see up the sides but was not going to drive the car up there.... called DS and he is going to check it out tomorrow... I said there could be a tree down on the fence somewhere from all the wind on Monday with the pouring rain... I also said that it might be a good idea to get them out and sell them.... these are all cows that are going to be sold due to their age.... need to go in and look at the pasture and see how short the grass is... and sell now instead of holding any longer.

DS had called me earlier, he was on his way home from Richmond from the state Roadeo.... he won the tandem dump truck class... and several of the guys from this district did real good too. Shame they are not going to have the regional competition in New Orleans...it got cancelled last year and they decided to only have the state competition this year... They are all hoping that next year there will be the regionals....seems like all the guys want a chance to go to New Orleans.....he has been to several over the years....all in different states that compete....

So, went and got the milk and dropped off the papers for the farmer..... they are getting really dry there, they didn't get but maybe a tenth of an inch when we got the 1.3.... and he is going to ship some cattle this week or next since they are feeding hay already..... he has been raising some bottle babies from another farm and feeding the milk from the couple of cows he is milking there... he has a bunch and keeps about 3-6 on bottles at any one time....

Just up the road from him I saw a beef farmer had rolled out 2 rolls of hay and had a third in a round bale feeder and the cows were really working on them.... NOT GOOD to be feeding hay in July.....pastures are getting burnt up....Rain has been too spotty. This is about 10 miles from Staunton where they have been getting hammered... just pop up here and there... we were very lucky to get what we got on Monday.... sure hope we get some tomorrow ... chances are 40%...

Stopped and dropped off the bottle of expensive Draxxin... there are 2 or 3 calves where I am bush hogging that have runny eyes.... he needs to dart them.... cows there look good... calves are looking good too, but the cows are not making the milk they would if the grass was greener... but the body condition on them is good....not roly poly, but good.

Then came home. Got the milk in the fridge, and put away the dishes I had done. Need to get some more done. Maybe later, maybe in the morning.

Got some junk mail and there is a flyer from a Surplus warehouse that has a whole bunch of stuff... I want to go look at it. They have a queen bed frame that has the storage drawers underneath... I have been wanting one for years... so good excuse to go look.... and there are several different recliners in the ad... can't hurt to look.....About 1 and 1/2 hours from me..... Have a website so may go on it and do some looking....

Finally got the real estate taxes thing straightened out and a check from the mtg company... they are only allowed to keep a certain amount in the escrow account, and it has to be "reconciled" yearly.... so that is nice as it will go right back on the cc payment I used.... and there was actually more than I expected and my payment is going down about $10 a month.... I will just add that to principle since I am budgeted for it... or maybe save it and then make a lump sum payment on the principle. Want to get some more things done here, so may do that, then make a lump sum payment next year. Every little bit gives me more to work with now....Regardless, I am glad that it finally got figured out and resolved. I still hate the mtg company sitting on it in escrow.... but can't do anything to change it right now.

 

[Mini Horses]

We have rains coming Sun thru Wed....haven't had a chance to see where it's coming from. Hope you get some of it, a lot of it! Feeding that much hay in July is not a good sign! BTDT and it's usually the making of a hard winter feed. I rarely use rounds but, this year may. I can get some that are good grass and in the 500# range. Those I can handle with my own tractor. Would be nice in dead of winter...have shelter for them to sit under to feed on. Save me some of a daily trudge. We'll see when they cut. Just across the road from me! I'll still do mostly squares.

Work this week has really made me consider just WHAT I think about it all. Situations there and at home to just push all my thoughts of retirement into high gear again. Just "over it" type of week. But having the good sense to know I need to have all my budgeting and income plans in place! I'm seeing way more big jobs than we've ever had this late into year. Time to put that effort and the dollars into something to give farm income as I stay home more. I'll cut my work hours next year to fit my own farm needs but, still give me a little check as a backup, at least emotionally. Hoping things fall into place now. I'd like those rolls of fence out there to fall into place, too!!

 

[farmerjan]

Checked out the surplus furniture warehouse on line, and not impressed with the captains type bed... don't like the style and it is black... nope... want "wood" color.... Not impressed with what I see for recliners either... so save myself a trip. Oh well, it was a good thought.
Convenience helps in the crappy weather... I like small squares for being able to control the amount better...there is no doubt that rounds are more wasteful as far as feeding goes... impossible for us to not use rounds with the cattle numbers and being spread out other places... With the knees the last few years, and the ankle replacement, squares would have been impossible...and that is why the dairy cows are farmed out for now too. See how the knee replacements go, and then go from there.
And the convenience of the rounds is also a plus with moving them around to add organic matter back to the soil at the pastures so not really "wasted"... some of the food value is wasted... but on really cold days and such, the calves will all pile onto the wasted hay for a warmer bed and I can't begrudge them that. It actually works out even better when he unrolls the hay. The cows will spread along the whole thing so there is no shoving out of the more timid of the cows, boss cows can't control the eating as everyone is more interested in just eating right then, and the calves can bed down right in front of momma... That also spreads the manure out more along the whole section that is rolled out.

Had a farm call to cancel next week as the milker just had her wrist operated on... broken and will be in cast for a bit. They don't do this often so that is fine. And it is next week so gave me plenty of notice. Got to text DS and see if he can do the 500+ cow herd... it is an afternoon so he ought to be able to as long as we aren't making the sorghum sudan hay... He wants to cut as soon as we are seeing a couple of dry days... not today with the showers forecast.
Looked at my calendar and I have one scheduled for Sunday aft too... we schedule that one month to month... Still have to get the one done that has said "this week isn't good" 3 weeks in a row.... not going to beg him....got 2 others I need to call.... but most will skip with the kind of heat we are having unless they have a scc problem or something....so I am not too worried.

Went and did a whole bunch of dishes and other stuff.... and had to come and sit for a few cause the knees were not happy at all. Got the dish drainer from the other house here set on the counter and it really gives me more leeway.... got the bucket of milk into the glass jars and in the fridge too....

Can't believe that it is the end of July already....well, lots on the list so I am going to try to get at something else...