Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Friday was a good day overall. Not the best or highest prices but good. Took 21 calves and the one cow. 14 steer calves and 7 heifers.... The 7 heifers got sold together... averaged 412 lbs and brought 1.35 which is as good as they have been doing... the steers got split up into group of 6, 3 separate pairs (2, 2, 2) and 2 singles. They pair them and pen them to match up. Some one wanted one pair of the 420 lb ones (840 lbs total) .. they brought 1.80... which was like 760 each.... the 6 brought 1.60/lb and the others averaged around the 1.55-1.60 lb also.
So we did not hit the very top... but they weren't bad.....
The commissions are costing an average of $21/head... on average... they charge yardage and other stuff, the beef "check off" costs, but it averages out to about $21 each. That's a chunk out of the check.... over $460 on the 22 animals so we figure about 1 animal for every 25 that we sell pays the commissions....
The best of all that, you walk out of there with a check and know it is good as the stockyards have to be bonded...

DS took them early, then I went in and sat for the sale. DS wasn't going to come after work, but then I sorta thought he should... the sale was late starting... and then I bought the cow calf pair. Young cow... barely weighs 800 lbs... but has a healthy calf on the ground and it looks like it is getting enough milk....paid 800 for the pair... and one of my 2 steers that got sold paid for 2/3 of the new pair. I think it is a good trade off.... If she does not raise a good calf, then she can get sold but she seems like a nice young cow. Probably was one that got bred too young... that is why she is only 800 lbs.... but if she does good, then she has a long life ahead of her.... She won't be put with a bull until at least Nov so has a good 3-4 months of only nursing her calf and eating before having to worry about getting bred back... That is a plus for her, to grow and hopefully gain some weight and get her repro system in good shape.... I'm hoping she will do good for me.

Of course.... that was before I had to deal with the car problem... but that's fine... can put that on the cc and pay off next month with no big deal....got a few more to be sold in the next month.....

Okay.... DS is going to take the beef heifer to the butcher this afternoon. He is not having a good day.... talked to my brother and had a set to with him on the phone... this is the POA brother who got pi$$y with DS because DS's voice mail was full and brother could not leave a message... brother is a PITA ..... so I just sit and listen.....and DS father left him 5 messages yesterday... in his very nasty way of "well, I guess I ought to let you know I am still alive.... in case you are interested."... my ex is a real a$$ most of the time....

Can I run away from home??????

I am going to hang out some clothes since they are not at all sure if we are going to get any rain... I will chance it as there are several pairs of very smelly sweaty jeans and shirts from the past few days.....then I think I will see about getting the kitchen floor cleaned and all for the stove. Then I can move the cabinet with the butcher block top into place.... and then maybe start to get some other things moved and put away... still having to make some decision on the bottom cabinets and a shelf in them.....
And I STILL CANNOT find the clips for the shelves for the "spice cabinet".... going to just go buy a pkg ... can't be too expensive....and you know as soon as I get them, and get the shelves in it.... I will find the clips.....OH WELL......

 

[farmerjan]

Been thundering and all here, got real black, and then didn't do much of anything. DS called, he was bushogging at the pasture I had done alot at... and turns out that we had a bunch of cows getting across into the neighbors....and they have gotten them sorted out.... and DS found 3 bad places where the fence was down.... he opened a gate and moved the cows.... said that he is moving them into the very front field for a bit.... they had some rain there in the last couple days... he said that he will get the fence fixed, and this rain will help the grass to come back some and then he can rotate them back later on.... There are a few there with some bigger sized calves that he might be pulling off to sell with some here at the barn......so the first/front field there, is where they need to be, to get calves caught up....
He said it was starting to rain... then said it was really coming down. We never got it here though... so I don't know how much they got....
He said they never got one drop at GF house last night and was in disbelief when I said I got 1.2 inches here at the house....so the sorghum/sudan across the road from me and down at the other farm will really take off from this.... and it will give all the pastures and hayfields such a boost.

Got the laundry done but then it turned so black... so I didn't hang it. Tomorrow looks like sun/clouds so I will put it out in the morning and see. At least I am not smelling the sweat/cow manure stink......

Trying to do a little here, but boy the last 2 days are really worked on my knees.....ouch.

 

[Mini Horses]

Great on rain!! Looks like Ida will be getting both of us wet about Tuesday. Hope you get more than me! I'm having a hard time getting grass dry enough to cut. Then it doesn't want to dry. It's a mess. At some places I can't open the gates because of grass. Had to weed eat one to get open enough for getting a mower in. Damned chickens are lost in it, young goats, too. I did bushhog some today. Hot out there!

Glad DS saw the fence breaks...always something! I can relate to fence issues. At least my neighbors don't have livestock to mix with. Right now the perimeters appear soundly holding, after a few fixes. Gotta get this other fence up. Hoping it will cool just a little...busy this week and rain. Hope the week after is favorable to do.

This hurricane will up all insurance rates again. Crop losses in other states will impact other products, too. Gonna be a tough winter for a lot of people.

 

[Baymule]

Jan I’m glad you got rain. Looks like you’ll get more. For the entire region. Cows and fences, it never ends. At least you don’t have to battle wild hogs.

 

[farmerjan]

Got another shower last night. About .05, (1/2 a tenth) in the rain gauge. Sun is out and supposed to be nice most of the day but then more showers coming in this afternoon/evening. I can say that after waiting so long to get some moisture, at least it is coming down in small enough amounts to not get flooded or washed away.... Every drop has soaked in here. There was a little washing at Deb's where I do the horse....the driveway is the white gravel, kinda rounder type stone, and it gets water rivelets running down it and so washes a little. But most everywhere, there has been next to nothing, it is just soaking in.
Going out to hang the clothes in just a bit once the grass has dried off a little.

@Baymule , part of where the cattle got out at the farm into the driveway, the fence is not great and when owner put it up, he used the 12" stay type of field fence... it is pretty useless as any of the calves can put their heads through it and because the stay wires are so far apart there is not alot of strength to it... it really is pretty useless. It should never have been used in these lots by the barn because of the cattle pressure always on it... sorting, separating, holding different cattle... like the weaning and all that. It serves an okay purpose out in the back fields, where it is just a "dividing barrier type fence" to separate fields off and the cattle aren't going to be constantly riding the fence..... but here at the barn lots you want something that is strong and stout, to withstand constant cattle pressure against it. I know you understand what I mean. I think that eventually DS will wind up replacing it but that is not in the budget for the time being.

Thank God and everyone and everything else, that we do not have the hog problem here. I cannot imagine what that is like to have sooooo many running wild all the time. And it seems like there is no real thinning of the herds of them.... one of the guys on another cattle forum talks of shooting 100 or more a year... and he does not go out hunting them, just what they catch up in the one "trap" they have.... I have learned alot by watching some of the videos of the big round traps that a couple of companies make... baiting the hogs in..... and the size of the sounders ( I think that is what they call them)..... 10 to 50 in a group.... WOW..... and the damage they do to the pastures and the hay fields... I know there are some in the southwest part of Va from what I have been told....
Years ago, I went to the Smokey Mtn National Park area.... down to Gatlinburg Tn area, Dollywood area.... and they had areas fenced off with very stout, strong fencing... to show what the natural fauna and plants were, because the hogs were tearing up the national park land. This was 30 years ago.

Got to go down and check on the car.... only a couple of miles and I know he gets tired of the constant phone ringing, so I will stop down there later.

Need to pack the samples from Saturday afternoon and drop them off when I go out to check on the car. I also need to finish moving the few things in the kitchen to get the stove in. Want to try to get it done this afternoon if DS can stop and help for the few minutes it will take to get it in the door. And go get the clips for the shelves in the "spice cabinet" since I still cannot find them.... Boy, I really packed them somewhere so I wouldn't "lose them"... oh well, it could be worse.... they shouldn't cost too much to replace. I could get alot of stuff out of boxes, if I get those shelves in. I will spend some time looking at solutions for the bottom cabinets too... lumber might have gone down a bit so I could just put in some plain pine boards for 1/2 width shelves in the bottom cabinets and get the pots and pans put away too. Need to get back on doing things in the house again. I have washed and put in a couple of boxes a bunch of clean stuff....that can go in the shelves as soon as I get it figured out.

Going in to pack samples and then the clothes and then drop off samples, check on the car and go to Lowe's for the clips and possible boards for the lower cabinets.

 

[Baymule]

My ex sister-in-law has the hay field that belonged to her grandparents. It used to be productive and made all the hay needed for the year. Between her bad health and the hogs tearing it up, the hay field is gone. She can’t keep them out.

 

[farmerjan]

It is raining again.... not hard... although I just looked at the radar and it looks pretty intense further north. That's okay....
Put the clothes on the line then packed the samples. Dropped them off and went to see about the car.....UH - OH; not good. It is the head gasket blown.... not the water pump unfortunately after they got into looking better... Did a pressure test and it was the head gasket. Having the "top end" of the engine done is okay.... but they will put in a new timing belt and all while the engine is apart which makes sense...new gasket set... and probably new water pump due to the miles.... BUT, no one seems to have the timing belt kit .... they were going to call the Subaru place as it might only be available through them. . So won't know anything until tomorrow at least. Okay, I can drive my truck.....
Called DS to see when he could flush the radiator on the truck... He told me he would do it one day while at the farm and now it really needs to be done.... way over due and it has alot of gunky stuff and I do not want it to get hot. He said he would be back to the farm in awhile....he would call me. I don't expect him to do it if it is pouring out... maybe tomorrow after he gets off work ; if the rain keeps up here now. It was coming down hard for a minute then let up but now is coming down hard again....

So I went from the repair place to Lowe's and got some clip things for the shelves. These looked bigger, so only got one package... will see if they work. Looked at options for the lower cabinets; and picked up a pull out basket thing that they had on closeout... if I like it I will go back and get the other 2 they had left.....Looking at the ones that are 2 tiered instead of doing a shelf... but if the knees get fixed, getting down won't be that bad to get in there...

So I came home and it was thundering so I went out and got the clothes off the line as it was sprinkling a little. Got in the house as it was getting a little wetter.... perfect timing. Laid the t-shirts out to dry the dampness. I had the "buck saver" paper... looking through it saw a forester for sale and called about it. It was sold.. but mentioned that I was looking for an engine out of a wrecked one for a 2000 forester that I had... and he said that they had had one, if it hadn't been crushed yet... he would check and see and see what year it was.... I may have found a lead for an engine for my forester. So I am supposed to call him back later or in the morning....

Well, the wave of showers passed... have to see if we are going to get more... Lots of thunder.

In the me

 

[Baymule]

Yay for rain, boo on blown head gasket. I hate car troubles. They are supposed to run, not cause problems and appreciate regular maintenance. In my dreams……

 

[farmerjan]

Went down and it was sprinkling and we flushed the radiator... all kinds of gunk... he did it a couple times... filled it with water, said to run it and he would do it again tomorrow... and a few more times til he gets it to run pretty clean....don't need anti freeze in it at this point so running a bunch of water through it will definitely be good..... said he would rather not put pressure on it and this will get alot out just by changing it several times....without putting extra pressure on the radiator; don't want to maybe cause a leak if there are weak spots... the truck is a 96......why push it....
It stopped raining for now... I will look in the gauge in the morning as I usually do. I think we might be in line for more during the night.
I believe that it was heading towards @Mini Horses this afternoon/evening. I know she would rather it spent its self here....but as everyone knows the weather is one thing we pretty much cannot control no matter what.

So, I am done for the night. Going to make something for supper...

 

[Mini Horses]

Ready for rain????

We are lucky to get only rain. Plan to stay in and watch. I am.