Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Got home from testing a little bit ago. It went good, this farm always does. Makes me "like" testing again.....

Temp on the recording thermometer went up to 43.... but it just "felt" warmer today. I mean that is only 5 degrees warmer than yesterday, but the air didn't have that cold "bite" to it. There was some melting of the snow, but not a huge amount. Think that it will "evaporate" quite a bit more tomorrow with it warming more and the sun out again. It is already down to 30 so no melting tonight. My yard is still completely white.

I got done PT and made a few stops. There weren't any people at Walmart when I stopped to look at the computers. Staples had several people in there looking and asking questions so I didn't hang around. I went to Goodwill, stopped at Home Depot and the Lowes there, right near HD because it is one town "over" and I don't get there as often. Looked at the counter tops..... I also stopped at Dollar General... the hanging pots I bought last year for 1.50 (maybe $2 ?) are now $3.... and I really would like to get something smaller than 10 inch hanging pots. I did price some of the stuff that is coming in to the garden centers... even house plants they are getting in... and the smaller 8" hanging pots of spider plants are $14.99 at Walmart.... There were several 6" nice little hanging pots and they were 9.99 and 10.99... not spider plants but other stuff... I would love to find some 6" ones to pot up some of the spider plants.... maybe I will go online and see if they are available from some supplier....
At the one Lowes that I don't get to often, they had some african violets that didn't look too bad but the flowers were all dead and because of less than optimal conditions, no new flower stems. They were on the "clearance rolling rack" so I asked how much they were. The girl said they were $2 but if I wanted she would let me have them for $1 each; to get them out of there. So I wound up with the 10 that were there. Like I needed them... but hey, that's like buying 2 and getting 8 for free. Also bought a smallish Aloe plant... it was 5.98 marked down to $2... I have one but it has never put out any "babies" so figured a second one would not hurt. It looks in real good shape. They have some "newer ones" that just came in, bigger ; and they want 8.99 and 12.99 for them. Crazy.

So I got to the farm, started milking about 4:20....tested, and left there after 7. Got home and ate the last of the tuna fish and some cottage cheese that needed to be emptied. NOT wasting it. Samples are in the house to pack , and the plants are sitting here.. Got to get them out of the plastic that is around them, and clean up the dead leaves and flowers and water and assess them. Then figure out where I am going to put them . I must be craving "gardening".... that's a good sign I guess.... means I am wanting to get back into the garden and since I am not "hurting" like I was, then I should be able to get back to doing it. Might be the best thing for these knees, and the activity to help lose some weight too.

My tires, for the front of the truck, came in that were ordered at the farm bureau co-op so maybe will get them on tomorrow after I take the meters down to the farm. Plus stop at the garage and see what the car transmission status is. I really want the car back... and get the engine done in the outback too. I could sell it and get a decent price for it right now. Then I have to go test that farm @ 3pm and it will be 7-8 pm before I get out and then have to be back there by 5 a.m. for the second milking, Thurs morning.

DS said he moved some cows out of the barn into the field out front; mostly ones we took the heifer calves off and sold. He also said he is not going north this weekend because they are calling for snow and so brother will be tied up at his place in NY up near Lake Ontario with plowing. I am thinking he might see if they can get the cows moved from the other pasture if it doesn't get too terribly muddy from the rain. The forecast has lowered tha amount to 1/2 to maybe an inch now from the up to 2 inches they were calling for. It will still be muddy with all the snow melting...maybe not quite so bad.

Going to work on packing the samples so they are ready to go out tomorrow. I have to load the rest of the meters and hoses, in the morning, and change the brackets on these so I can drop them all off at the farm. Guess I will have to get up and get going....

@Mini Horses ; The Poultry swap is the first Sat in May.....providing this new strain of the avian flu does not get any worse.... or spreads.... and they shut down the whole state. There have been some wild waterfowl that were tested and came up positive with this; and how they found it in this mixed flock of "backyard" poultry that had chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese and some quail... in Fauquier County , and supposedly this is causing all the "commercial poultry producers " to raise he// about it... I am trying to find out as much as I can about it.... Was hoping that I would get the car back and we could get together long before that... got the chickens and meat in the freezer, and stuff we talked about....since I didn't get with you before the holidays due to the knees.... Just playing it by ear for the next few weeks.

Time to get off and get some stuff done...

 

[Mini Horses]

Wow. No news about that flu outbreak here. We have a few growers around, especially Eastern Shore, so sure it will be a concern. Yep, we can get together sometime. I'm still eating and looking at boxes of "bottles and bandages". Whenever. I mean, cattle still growing!

IF I slack my assigned stores more, those pigs are still calling me. I just don't like the ground mess they make. But the pork is so much better. I'd go with the AGHs again. Smaller but really tasty meat. It's hard to deal with the rooting since I'm a "pasture" person and you know how hogs are with that. . Toss up. Meat or grass. . I can have a sacrifice area....did before....disc it back out.

Right now, I'm worrying more about my garden area and a couple pasture areas I want to rework by using to grow some feed/crop things this summer. Then retill and seed this fall. It's still under consideration but, thinking colored corn and pumpkins. Sell for decorations and use for feed. Might use one area for the pigs who WILL eat the roots for me! Nice to have fewer animals and some extra areas to consider for reuse.

You know it's all about what will work to retire....and make a little $ from home. Meat goats still working, just need weather to settle to drive to look and buy. Other options under consideration as you can see. It so hard to decide! Scary to jump the wrong way.

 

[Alaskan]

Scary to jump the wrong way.

Yep that.

Just fine when we are talking a packet of seeds....

But animals... more money.

 

[Bruce]

so I’m gonna be looking hard at a Toyota hybrid. Hope I can even find one. All these stupid shortages are a bunch of stupid crap.

Yeah now is NOT the time to need a new or used vehicle. Prices ridiculous. I heard that since computer chips are in short supply the auto manufacturers are making mostly "luxury" models since they make a lot more money on those and when people have no choice, they will buy.

 

[farmerjan]

Talking about the computer chips and vehicles @Bruce , I heard on the radio today on the way to PT that even as the supply of computer chips loosens up, that so many vehicles are already pre-ordered and paid for so the "short supply" is going to last at least this year; the chips coming are already "spoken for".

Been a busy 2 days. Checked on the car this morning and they had a transmission in and it is worse than mine was. Wayne said they were going to get another one since it is guaranteed... so waiting.....again.

So, I did change all the brackets, took the meters to the farm Wed. They were backed up at the co-op so couldn't get the tires on the truck. Went back and we tested and I got out about 7:30 and came home. I got up this morning at 4, and went back to the farm and we started milking about 5:15 and got done around 9. I swung by the co-op just to see and there were 5 cars in line waiting so just came on home. I had gotten splattered real bad and had to take a shower and wash my hair before I went to PT today. I could not go in there smelling like the manure pit... with all sorts of brown splatters in my hair and all.

Came home from PT and stopped but they had more vehicles in line so just came to the house. Worked on the computer and got all the stuff done without any big "disasters"... or missing cows or anything. Did what I had to do and then went down to the farm to get the meters and hoses. Of course, they don't run the water hose on my stuff after they get done washing up so there is alot of manure splatters on them. I get so aggravated. But, I wanted to get them before they put them out under the shed roof where they will put them, because the cats walk all over them there. Plus, I wanted to have them on the truck so I didn't have to rush tomorrow morning. I have to leave here by about 11 or so to go to the farm where I am testing tomorrow.
I did get all the brackets changed so that they will be ready to set up tomorrow. Didn't want to do that in the rain and they had to get changed; so better being a little ahead of things.
I will see about the tires tomorrow morning. If I could I would take the truck down and leave it tonight, so they could get on it early tomorrow, but then I have no way to get down there to pick it up. I could have asked DS to bring me home this evening, but he has to work tomorrow and can't take me down there. Plus GF lives 20 minutes south so not really convenient for her to do it and I would rather not ask.
I did find out that she has had a couple of treatments... nice of someone to tell me... I asked twice and nothing was being done so far, so I quit asking.

So, I came home from the getting the meters and have the samples ready to pack. They aren't going to get done in time to send out this afternoon. Normally have to have them there before 5 and it is too late to get them done. I will drop them off tomorrow when I leave to go test the other farm.

Got the violets all out of the plastic stuff and dead flowers and leaves off. There is one plant that I am thinking I will lose.... it looks like the crown/center part of the plant may have gotten too much water and has gotten crown rot .... basically it just rots/gets mushy around the center. There are a bunch of leaves that still look decent, so might take a few and try to start some new baby plants. Might not be worth the effort. I will give it a few days to see. I did not water it or 2 others that were wet.... the rest were getting too dry so they got a good "clean up " of old flowers and all....and then got a good watering. Will see how they react in a few days.

It warmed up yesterday. Partly sunny. The ground was white in the morning... snow was completely gone last night. It is brown and soggy out there this evening.
It has been warm comparatively. 47 this morning, hit 60 even with mostly cloudy skies. The wind started and it has been very breezy, some gusty winds. The rain is supposed to come in this evening.... about 9pm through 4 a.m. and then exit with cooler weather behind it. But it is supposed to be even windier tonight...

I let the chickens out today and they are having fun scratching everything up everywhere. I need to go out and get them "buttoned up " before it gets wet and with this wind blowing. I want to come in the house and be done for the night.

Did wash up a few more things out of a box and FINALLY found one of my cast iron fry pans.... there are a couple more somewhere... but I am finally finding a few things....

So, I am going to finish packing the samples to go out, and get the trays of bottles ready for tomorrow's herd. I just ate a ravioli mixture, I picked up to try. Frozen with a butter pesto sauce and some vegs.... it was okay but not as good as I thought it would be. But for 2.99 at the discount Sharp Shopper I figured why not. Might have been better if I had some chicken or something to cut up and make it a more substantial meal. Still, not bad.

Getting darker so time to go out to the chickens.

 

[Mini Horses]

You have some "prep" considerations for that testing job...plus setting appointments. My jobs require checking the computer portal and moving jobs to dates I want. The stores just see me walk in. . I do talk with mgrs and they potentially know when I'll be there. We work around truck deliveries with some resets. Plus their computers show what work we will be doing for them, with time frame to do. But different from working with owner operations. I feel no guilt if I change a job date for personal time.

Got the car moved to "check over" position in yard. It's a start. Needs a huge wash job. Will look at everything for a new state inspection. Then order tags. Insurance is only a phone call away. Rain and winds this morning, temps dropping. It's on hold today.

I need to butcher some roos....soon. Not a happy job. Wish there was a place to have it done. I'd gladly pay. . They are penned and I have some happy hens! I swear, they are taunting them, then walk proudly away!

 

[Bruce]

I heard on the radio today on the way to PT that even as the supply of computer chips loosens up, that so many vehicles are already pre-ordered and paid for so the "short supply" is going to last at least this year; the chips coming are already "spoken for".

I hadn't thought about that but it certainly makes sense.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday night. I got home about 1/2 hour ago and need to figure out something for some supper....
It was a good day overall. I got up early and went down to the co-op . There were 2 cars in line, left last night... but the guys put me in after the first one because the other one was just an inspection and they weren't going to pick it up until after noon. So, they got the new tires on the front of the truck. I felt better about that and going to the farm today... over an hour away... the farm Sunday morning is over an hour south and then the farm on Monday aft is 125 miles north.... Really glad that I didn't have to worry about the old tires.
I had finished packing the samples and after the tires, came back by the house, took the old tires off the back as we will probably use them on the farm for weighting down a tarp over hay or something, loaded the sample shipment, got the bottles in the trays and left. Dropped off the samples and headed to the farm. Stopped and made a deposit at the bank... SURPRISE SURPRISE.... I got a check in the mail yesterday from the previous electric company from the other house with a rebate of about $85 for their "triennial review" of usage for 2017-2020.... Hey, maybe not a million, but as I wasn't expecting it I will take a nice surprise like that any day......every little bit counts.....

Got to the farm and carried all the meters and hoses into the parlor and had all the meters up and most all the hoses attached to the meters by the time they got to the barn and all the "boys" helped me with, was pulling the hoses off the pipeline and attaching to the meters and my hoses run to the pipeline... think of the meters as a diversion of the milk before it goes in the tank. We milked and it went pretty good. The daughter is a master at having all the paperwork done and done right.....I got all the milk weights entered in the computer and we were only "missing" one cow and she had just gone down 2 days before.... so everything in the computer was right and up to date.....put her in as an estimate until they determine if they can get her up... she calved and is having issues.
So then we talked a bit and then went back to the barn to get the meters off the lines after they ran through the wash system. I left there about 6:45 and got home around 8 or so. They gave me some sweet Lebanon baloney they made at the last butchering and some summer sausage... they are always giving me something. Plus they want to test again the end of March before they get into spraying and then planting. I will take them some chickens out of the freezer when I go back; as that is one thing they don't raise.... Can't wait to try their baloney.

My cows are doing pretty good. All 6 have since been dried off since I was there just before my knee replacements... 4 have come back in fresh. 2 bull calves he sold to a neighbor...one born dead..... and a pair of heifer twins... I will be bringing the heifer twins home to raise up. I was so surprised and although they are 1/2 holstein... actually 3/4 holstein since the cow is 1/2 hol & 1/2 jersey... but he used a red holstein on her so the calves are both reddish brown... one has more white than the other.... I was very blessed to get a set of twin heifers.
The cows are doing pretty good... of course I will know more after the samples process. The other 2 were dried off recently, and will be calving in another month I think. He had trouble getting the one jersey bred back but she is pregnant now, that is all good.
So, I need to get some fencing here at the house so they (calves) can be raised right. Being dairy they will be alot smaller than the 550 lb calves we pull off the beef cows at 8-10 months... these will be about 3+ months I guess when I get them. I would like to get them next month if we go to the bred beef cow sale... it is only about 15-20 minutes north of that sale so much more convenient.... they are too big to bring home on the back of the truck, in the large wire crate that I put baby calves in....that will give me a little time to get a lot done here... I think I will just do electric netting type fencing for them at this point. They are in calf hutches, so a bigger space will be a treat and if they learn the electric early in life, then in the summer, I can hopefully keep them contained in a couple strands and move them around for grazing. Might put up some cattle panels for now and for a more "substantial" pen for them here at first.
I want to get the property fenced; mentioned it to DS but he is so busy at the barn with wanting to get the bull lot fencing done and the NCRS (NRCS?) fencing project, I know he won't have the time. He is talking about getting someone to at least drive the posts for his, so maybe I can get the ones done for me too... and then I can do it in stages if the posts are done....

So, samples are in the house to be packed before Monday. Truck backed up to the carport to unload the meters and put in the storage box for now; hoses to be sorted and put into groups by size so I can find them for the next farm.

Talked to GF and told her I had some lists for the 2 "pastures" there at the farm: DS has been bugging me to know how many in each pasture...... one with the dry cows due to calve and the other with the cows that have calves there. Told her that I know there are some missing off the lists because DS moves things and then doesn't always tell me... she said, oh yeah, I know what you mean... so I told her she could just take the lists and then add whomever else in in each field... and then we can get together and get it straight... she likes to ride the 4 wheeler and go up and check them so this will be a help to try to get the numbers correct on who is where....

I am getting tired so going to head to bed here shortly. Might go to the nurse cow field in the morning... the ground should be "hard" since it is already down to 26 and getting colder... just like they said.... and see if I can get the 3 calves in that need to be moved out of there. DS is talking about getting the last pasture of cows/calves in that need to come to the barn to be preg checked and the calves weaned... he is talking about maybe selling some steers this next Friday if we can get them to the barn. But there is rain in the forecast for Tuesday.. so we will have to see. I want them to get sold sooner rather than later....

This whole Russia/Ukraine mess has caused the stock market to drop, and it will affect cattle prices too, so it would be better to get the steers gone..... need to look over the heifers we kept and make sure there aren't a few more that ought to be sold. I would rather sell a few more and then buy a few more breds, or cow/calf pairs, for a couple hundred more and have calves to sell late this fall; instead of waiting for 2 years to have a calf to sell off our heifers....

It is very muddy with the snow melt and the rain we had last night. Only about .25 to .35 inches of rain I think, but the snow melting has made it very wet on top of the ground.

 

[Mini Horses]

Oh how wonderful, twin heifers!! I wish you knew how to post a picture!!!!!!!! You don't get twins real often. That's exciting. Will you name these? Fence time just moved up the list.

Sounds like GF has a useful side.. Use it. Saves you some time anyway.

You use tags & numbers....of course only so many numbers out there to use. So do you buy blank and write on, or colors/numbers, etc? Many yrs ago my Boers had ear tags, then registry got smart and accepted tattoo, also microchips. Hated tags as they ripped out with those hanging ears. We used right ear for girl, left for boy...because "girls are always right!". and we could quickly differential the sex. Going thru some old boxes, found a few pkg of new tags a couple weeks ago. Geesh. Packrat time. Never know when you'll need?

 

[farmerjan]

CHILLY COLD morning. It got down to 20 last night.... BRRRR ...... Sun is out and going to warm up a little but the wind is quite "brisk"... calling for high of 45 or so by noon then windier and colder.

Going to be short as DS needs me to go to town and pick up a few heifers he bought at the stockyards yesterday. He said he went to see how prices were doing... and wasn't planning to buy anything but these were a decent price... and look weaned and he said they ought to go on silage and then can get sold with a few more that he is going to probably sell. He also bid on a couple bull calves that he said he quit on and should have bought and brought home and banded and put out with the others to sell in a few weeks.

So he said that the feeling is prices were probably about near the top here and that we should probably think about selling these steers. Gee,,,,,,, I guess mom doesn't know anything..... what have I said for the last 2 weeks, that they ought to be going PDQ...... but he had to go see for himself.
So now the plans are to get the ones out at the last pasture and take that load on Friday... sell right off the cows. They ought to be pretty much weaned anyway, but if we bring them to the barn for only a week or 2 they will "go backwards" a bit as they readjust and lose a little weight. If we "trailer wean" them, they will sell right off the cow and they won't lose weight on us... many calves are "trailer weaned and sold" because so many people do not have the facilities to wean and hold and feed. Then the weaned ones at the barn can go maybe next week....They have been there long enough that they are eating and gaining weight now and won't "go backwards". I know that @Mike CHS gets what I am saying as it is the same for the lambs...if you wean the lambs you have to give them a couple weeks to get over it and get readjusted to not having the momma's to run to, and to start eating and gaining... even when they are on creep feeders, they still go back a little when first removed from the momma. SO we either have to wean and hold these steers for another month, or just take them direct from pasture. At this point it is best they just go. Plus those cows need to be preg checked and the calves off anyway.

So anyway, he called and asked if I could go to town to pick up these heifers he bought; so he was going to plug in the heater on the truck, and I will go up in about an hour and it should be warmed up enough to start and I will head to town and get them. I am going up to the nurse cow pasture later
and see if I can get those 3 calves in up there too... they can get moved to the barn. The 2 heifers I am going to probably keep... and the steer will go whenever a load goes. He is pretty much weaned as the cow is pretty much dried up. But he needs to be where he can be loaded and shipped too.

So that is going to be my morning. I got up earlier and made some eggs for breakfast... had a big brown one that I was sure was going to be a double yolker, but it was a single yolk with alot of white...

Knees ache a little this morning, but not too bad. Still alot of ouch on the right one... amazing how differently the 2 responded to the replacements. The muscles and tendons on the outside of the knee are really touchy, get in a certain movement and I like to cringe.... just have to keep working them out....

Have the flat screen plugged into the computer so I can use it. Screen attached to the laptop won't stay on. Going to be a priority now to get another one I guess since I do have to take it to a few farms for testing....

So, I am going to go out to the chickens and take water and then head to the barn. I need to stop at the feed bin and get some chicken feed for here, and then get some feed for the nurse cow pasture at the barn from that feed bin, so I can see about getting the 3 in, in the next day or 2. Maybe feed them in the pen for a day or 2... I am not sure they can go in through the creep gate anymore though.... and DS moved the 20 bred heifers there to calve this spring so it will be a PITA if they all want to come in the pen. I will need several buckets of grain to use to get them in the pen then sort out the ones I don't need and feed them in the troughs outside the pen. Have to see how things go later. May take a day or 2 to get what I want where I want it.

Calling for rain Tues eve through Thurs on top of everything.....