Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Just a short post as I want to get some stuff done. Yesterday I washed out almost all the 2 and 5 gal buckets I had used for the meter washing.... filled with water to heat in the sun those days... and got 6 in the house to go in the sink for a better scrubbing and then they can be stored for in house use.
Went by Walmart and got a roll on pain relief thing... like bio-freeze... but called Zims, max freeze.. that one of the guys at meter calibration said I needed to try. I have never gotten any real relief with the bio-freeze... and cannot do the ones that are "hot" because I seem to get a sensitivity that causes a skin rash... this is 7% menthol as opposed to the 4% that is in bio-freeze... and both have arnica and some other biologicals... but this seemed to give me a little relief... not alot, but even a little is better than none. So will try it for a bit....
While there I got Chinese for supper... and I will get several more meals out of it. I get chinese maybe every other month....
Before I went, I got all the stuff in the dish drainers out... got the clothes off the line... hoping that we would get the possible showers, but the clouds split and went from the northwest to the east and the southeast and left a big gap inbetween where we are. So no more rain.

DS cut one field of the sorghum yesterday... said we will see if it needs tedding and then hopefully get it raked and made the first of the week. The other field across from me will get cut maybe tues/wed... there is a 30-40% chance of pop up showers, but we all know how reliable that is... and then clear for the rest of the week....He said that we need to get the one group of cows in and get the heifer calves weaned off so they can get a rest to start calving in Sept....and get the other group preg checked that are not seeming to have many more calves.... most were supposed to be late and still only a couple have had calves.... need the vet to preg check this group....again... most were shorter bred... and might be selling some of these if they aren't.
Going to move another bull to one pasture to use as a cleanup, because last year some of the cows with the bull in there, were late breeders... thinking the bull might be the problem.... so we will put in another bull and we will be able to tell by how far along the cows are if the first bull is doing his job....we don't use this red bull much because of black calves selling better than red... but he can catch up any that are not bred... if there are any.

Have a couple of errands I have to do, going in the opposite direction than last evening... and although I would normally combine it with a trip to test a farm, since I will go that direction tomorrow.... they have to be done today for the end of the month and tomorrow is saturday and some things are closed.... So, I will make a trip here in a little bit... go to the one grocery that I try to hit once every month or 2... buy alot of bulk stuff there...maybe get some more stockpiled for the winter since I did not have the garden... and before prices get too far out of hand....and then come home and see about getting some more stuff done here. See how the knees do today with using this stuff on them. Might go by the furniture store while in town and look at recliners too....

It is sunny/partly hazy cloudy... said we were going to see more haze from the fires out west.... 71 was the lowest it got last night again. But the temps are supposed to drop a bit with this "cold front" that went through and brought the showers to some areas....

Just talked to vet office... he will be at farm just south of here around noon this coming Wednesday, so works out great to come to us after 3 pm.... yay... seldom ever works out that good.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, it got hot this afternoon.... 96 at the house thermometer... Sun and no clouds much... no relief in sight.

I went to town, went to the grocery store I wanted to go to and bought some staples. They had northern beans... the kind that they do baked beans out of, in the big #3 cans ? , marked from 2.99 down to 1.99.... I mean, really, you pay 79 or 99 or more for the little cans of already seasoned baked beans... these will go in a bean pot and add some stuff and you got a whole pot full of baked beans. I got 3 cans. Also had a big can of apple/strawberry jelly, for 2.99. I got one and will open it and see if it is edible... I like strawberry preserves more than jelly; with the strawberry chunks in it... but.... unless it is awful.... that is cheap cheap. I like apple jelly anyway....
I am not a huge fan of some of the commercial flours... especially the "enriched" ones... and usually buying flour by the 25 or 50 lb bag is cheaper.... but they had gold medal whole wheat flour... in 5 lb bags... not enriched, just plain ground flour.... for $.99 a 5 lb bag. less than any of the big bags, and it is in the size that you can handle it. So I am going to vacuum bag and seal and put some in the freezer.... I don't eat alot of breads... but that is ridiculously cheap....
Picked up another 10 cans of tuna to stash in the cabinet.... a few cans of soup I wanted to try from a different name... never know when you find one brand you really like then if they have a "closeout" on it, you can buy a bunch and keep it. Since I was not coming directly home, I did not get anything cold....and they have a new brand of ice cream that is in FULL HALF GALLONS..... and I want to try it. I will be up that direction again next week so will swing by that way ( a little of an indirect way) and get a few of the containers of ice cream to try.... $2.49/ half gallon.... sometimes these smaller producers have really good stuff and sometimes not... but hey, you can always drown mediocre ice cream with chocolate syrup to make it go down better...... Spent some time going up and down all the aisles looking....

Also went to the Ace hardware store, and they got in the camp stove. It looks alot like the one in your picture @Mike CHS . Is there anything, you especially don't like about it? I thought it had a flat surface instead of the type of holder for the pots, but it looks like yours. I did find out they make several accessories for it; flat surface/griddle... a grill type grate for things like hot dogs etc... even a closed in "oven" type hood to bake in it.... I am going to see what some of the "accessories" cost... it is alot more BTU's than having a grill which I could not do outside canning type stuff on.... so am thinking it would be a good investment.... but wanted to see if anyone had anything else to say good or bad about it. I was thinking that you could use it not on the legs... more like a "tabletop" one... but this style is just like the picture.... This camp chef brand has other types, but doesn't look like any of them has as many btu's... so wondering if they would be as versatile.....there is one that will sit on a steel/aluminum type table.... but it is less btu's....20,000 as opposed to the camp one @ 30,000 ????? May have the numbers wrong... but it was 1/3 less I do remember that.

Then I went to the feed store, paid off what was on my bill, and then went to the stockyard to watch prices.
NOT GOOD. Steers are off about $.10-.25. I didn't get there to see the smaller ones... watched the 5wts and up... some nice ones in the 1.40's and bigger ones were in the 1.10 to 1.30's... some like I got for DS to take north in the 7 wts were more along the line of 1.00-1.20... and saw several singles sell for 1.00 and some under. I'm talking the nicer black steer calves that I didn't buy because they were in the 1.40's for the 6-8 wts a couple weeks ago.... Bulls in those weights were lucky to bring 1.05 ....
Heifers are holding their own... still in the 1.30's for the 4wts and 1.20-1.30 for the bigger ones. A few went through that were probably bred... too young... in the 6 wts that didn't bring .80. If I had the trailer there were a couple I probably would have bought.

The dry and no pasture is getting things moving faster. Heard that one guy said he was weaning calves off early and selling because he did not have the hay... brought in over 60 head....

It is starting. And I think prices are going to drop more. If we do not get an appreciative rain... with amounts in the 2-3 inches in most areas in the next 10-14 days.... then the corn that is tasseling, will not make any ears.... and that will mean a big deal for all farmers in this area. It will create a push to sell calves off earlier, to try to conserve feed for the cow herds... and to cut their consumption down by not having calves nursing and pulling them down.

DS said that he is getting concerned too.... hay fields are not growing at all.... and although we are good for pasture most places because we rotate.... it will not have the nutritional value as it starts to dry out....

Cull cows were sadder.... there were a bunch of young cull cows, that you could see they had pulled calves off of that were thin... 850-1,000 only brought in the 40's... 1,000 -1150 in the 50's... saw 3 that brought in the 60's and they obviously did not have any calves pulled off them. So for $4-500 you could have bought some young cows that were thin, to put out with the bull to breed back... put 2-300 lbs on them and then sell in the spring as breds... and probably made close to double what you have in them.... with feed and all, say you have 800 in them.,.. young cows due with 2nd/3rd calf... selling for 1,300 to 2,000 in the spring.... but you have to have the pasture to put them on to put on some weight and get bred back....The thing of it is, they might have been bred back already... you never know when someone goes on and pulls calves to sell and culls... what their reasoning is.

Wish now that we had sold the group of "old cull cows" with their calves at the pasture where those 2 got out the other day... about 2 weeks ago when it was starting to get drier.... that pasture is not going to last alot longer if we don't get some rain because the ground is very rocky... not alot of topsoil there....

So, I came home, talked to Deb and she is not coming out this weekend now, so will have to do the horse for the next week... and then unloaded all the stuff in the house, and will get it put away probably tomorrow.

Oh DS called me and said that they called him about taking the steer in for Monday butcher.... I have it on my calendar for the END of August.... good thing they called.... I will get him in on Sunday morning....they will take them in on Sunday afternoons.... it's for my Jersey.... and that will be done. I was going to start feeding him some grain.. but he will be fine... the grass there has been pretty good... just starting to dry up there....I don't feed alot of grain anyway to butcher animals... So one less on the grass and less stress on the spring for water... that will be good.... And he had the sore foot so even better that he will not have to go another month.....

In the morning I have to get the sample bottles in the car for the 250 cow herd... that is the one where my cows are, so am looking forward to seeing how they have been doing.... going to give them some money towards the calves they raised and I went and got a couple months ago... and sold the 4 steers..... they might have one calf from the cow I took up there that was on the other dairy that sold out...she was dry, due to calve soon....have to see and plan on getting it..... and there are a couple that might be dry due to calve again in Aug/Sept....plus I like this family....

The roll on max-freeze took away a little of the ache when sitting but did not help the pain while standing... but am going to use it for a few days at least to see if it helps over a period of time. But they are not throbbing/aching like they do some nights. Of course, I have not been on them so much either today.

Time to call it quits for the night.

 

[Mike CHS]

Jan. we used our camp stove for almost 3 years while we were renovating our house so I have no complaints with it.

It puts out at least as much capacity as the house stove. We used it as our primary until we had more permanent facilities but I could easily live with it if I had to.

 

[Mini Horses]

So far this summer our rain has been good. I had cut some and regrowth has been great. Two fields I'm getting ready to do a shallow rough up next month and overseed, for winter forage. I'll mix barley and orchard. Only 5-6 acres....not more than a big paddock for you. But the barley does well in winter and doesn't cause the bloat of some grain forage and dies with heat...orchard will establish for permanent. The barley seed is way less expensive, too. I get it from a farmer about 30 miles out, which he raises. Forget the type right now but one that is known for good graze and recovery. I am always concerned with graze and hay.

They baled across the street from me yesterday. Not sure when they cut...or got it dry, since we've had some downpours! But I didn't get home before dark a couple days and it was pretty hot those days. I'd like some from the side they have yet to cut....probably be 7-10 days out as we are set to get downpour tomorrow and heavy chances of more thru Thursday. Never know. But they baled it and they usually roll that side. Maybe slightly less dry ??? Never had bad hay from them. But can get it for 1-2$ a bale less than another source.

My freezer is half empty right now, so need to get winter meat supply in. No garden this year, need to hit produce auction on Thursday nights and can. I'm behind! Even looked at Cornish chicks the other day . Must have been the freezer look-see. No, didn't buy any!! Even checking prices on feeder pigs. Most are more than I want to pay but, not even sure I want to deal with them either. I'm slacking!! I think it is all of this extra outside work and it's stealing MY TIME and dulling my priorities. Time to cut back. A lottery win would seal the deal!

 

[farmerjan]

Saturday night... Got home from testing about 9 or so. Everything went well, knees are about the same; roll-on stuff didn't seem to help much. Oh well.....
Farmer gave me a bag of tomatoes... TOMATO SANDWICHES ....

My cows are milking pretty decent. Several getting ready to dry off in the next few months... that is great that they are bred... most bred holstein ... not my preferred choice... but hopefully will get mostly bull calves that can be sold to the neighbor to raise for beef like the 4 of the 6 he took this year.... I will make sure that they have some jersey semen in the tank to breed the jerseys back to next time... as I will hopefully get them back next year when they go dry.....but that is in the future. I will wait til after the samples process and then see what their butterfat and scc counts look like.... They seem to be satisfied with them... they are milking close to the average of what alot of their cows are milking so that is good.
I gave them the bull - turned steer - calf out of the pregnant older cow that I took up there when I got my calves back this spring. It is reddish, from the guernsey in the cow's background.... and I had told them to sell it to the guy who takes alot of their bull calves... but he didn't want him. So I just told them to keep it as he said they could raise him for a beef.... works for me since they won't take any money....

Hit a few sprinkles on the way home. Called DS and he said he raked all the sorghum and baled about half... some around the outer rows was a little green he said. I said I was hitting a few sprinkles and he said if that is what it took to get it to rain... then let the rest get soaked and it can just be tedded out to dry. So, I hope it does rain. Radar looks like we might get some in the middle of the night/early morning... we NEED IT....

Got to get the jersey steer in the catch pen at the nurse cow field, in the morning..... will be glad to get beef in the freezer for the winter..... And to have one more thing done and out of the way now.....

Testing another herd tomorrow afternoon.... no set up so not bad....
The farmer that has put me off for 3 weeks as it "didn't suit this week" excuses, texted me to say this coming week should be good... so I gave him a choice of Mon-Tues or Tues-Wed.... he is a 2 time herd.... and got a text back this eve that his hired help is wanting some time off so he isn't sure.... well, I have the vet Wed aft and the 500+ cow herd Thursday aft... and I am not changing either one....another reason to just say DONE.... aggravations like him.... so many are really good to work around....but he is a PITA......

I'm going to quit for the night....

 

[Baymule]

I hope y'all are getting RAIN.

 

[Mini Horses]

Hope you got rain last night! System hitting here in a short while is carrying a lot but, came from out your way. Fast moving they say....picked up speed overnight. So instead of most of day rain, heavy, then scattered, seems early afternoon clearing. Whatever it is will deal with it. It's a day off, finally...back at it tomorrow. I just want a day to rest up. may get a nap!

 

[farmerjan]

NOPE, @Mini Horses .... you managed to "hog " it all !!!!. We got a sprinkle that didn't even register in the rain gauge on Sat night. Got the road wet in spots. Sunday was cloudy and a 10 drop sprinkle here and there.... North of me got a shower but not much there either. Radar was WAY OFF.....

So, besides not being able to get on here at all on Sunday... and wondering what was going on...... I have had a couple of days that were productive but I am feeling it.

Got the jersey steer in Sunday morning and DS came with the trailer and we got him loaded and he went Sunday afternoon. I tested Sunday afternoon and that went fine. Knees are not good... but nothing new. Got home and got the samples in the house to pack.
Got a text from the farm that kept putting me off....decided that Mon eve-Tues morn would work after all.... so I texted him back and said okay. I wanted to tell him to go pound sand after all the run around... but wanted to get him done and over with. Said I would be there to set up in the morning.... he texted back and said when? Well, what the he// difference does it make... I know they don't get done in the barn before 8:30-9 a.m. I mean really.....???? So I just texted him back and said it would be after 9 a.m. or so....... then got a text from one of the places we rent and they wanted to give me some extra squash..... so I texted her back and said it would be after 10.....I am about 1/2 way there at the farm so made sense to go there after.
So, I did go set up this morning, then went and got the squash. Stopped and fed the horse on my way back since I was going by.... and went to check the peach trees as the bigger peaches that weren't ripe, should have been close. Well the D@#N DEER got all the almost/nearly ripe peaches but a couple way up high.... I WAS P.O. BIG TIME.......I got the 4 left on the one tree. The other trees are not that close, the peaches are small still... I checked each of the trees left....I will have to watch them closer and pick before the peaches are ripe but close. I wish I had picked the other ones now... but oh well..... the other peach trees have a lot of peaches on them.
Did see a few bigger pears on one tree....and the 4 trees that I thought were apples look like they are cherry trees... I am assuming they are eating cherries....the bark looks more like the bark on the wild cherry trees here.

So am home and ready to go in and start packing samples. Decided to go on here first and sit for a bit and hope some of the tylenol will kick in. Get caught up on here, after nothing yesterday.....and then I will go in and get all the samples packed, and bottles in the racks for this evening..... Got to go out and get the meters out of the car, get all the hoses out and back in their respective places so I can find what I need when I go places and need some certain sizes. I have some bags of garbage here to take to the dumpster later too.... Have to be at the farm by 4:30 p.m. , to start milking/testing. Back there in the morning at 5:30.... at least they are close.
Had another farm that I texted about testing, want to test next week on Tuesday... but he wants to do morning.... I will do it but will have to leave here by about 3:15 a.m....... no set up though.... got to look at the calendar next week and see who is in line to get done....sent another text to one that did not test in July..... trying to get him to get on the calendar.....some times he is hard to get pinned down....

Making a list so I don't forget to do something....

 

[farmerjan]

Ate my first tomato sandwich this morning..... YUM.....

 

[farmerjan]

Well, looks like we are going to be on the short end again. Down to less than 20% chance of rain tomorrow now and it is going to stay south and go along the NC/VA border. Me and @Mini Horses are going to have to have a little talk... seriously, this is not looking good. It is partly cloudy which is keeping it cooler... but partly cloudy is not doing the soil or the pastures or the hayfields or the crops any good....

Oh well, you can't change it...

Dropped off the packed samples from the 2 herds and went to test this afternoon/eve. My knees hurt but we got it done. I have to go back in the morning. I took the samples tonight so that I will have a little less to do in the parlor in the morning.
I will have to put the water on the peach trees again tomorrow. Do not want to set them back any... so a good soaking again is in order. Will put a sprinkler thing on the potatoes that I stuck in the old hay mulch stuff... they aren't doing much... and may not do anything now with it getting later.... but if we don't have an early frost, I might get some. Plus, the only other alternative was to throw the seed potatoes out since they didn't get my garden done this year early enough and then it just was too much to deal with, with the moving and all.... NEXT YEAR I intend to get things done better.....
I have a few tomato plants that I am going to put in big tubs and put in the greenhouse where the chickens were last year. Doesn't look like I am getting any of them this year either.... they are flowering... might get some to eat through the late fall....

Got a sinkful of dishes to do but they are going to wait for tomorrow. Can't bear the idea of standing there right now.
Got to work up the squash tomorrow... there's a "walmart" bag full... they are small and tender ones....

Time for a shower and bed so I can get up by 4:30.... have to be there at 5:30... 15 min up the road.... give me time to move slowly.....