Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Went out to lock up chickens and got a few sprinkles here on the way back in. Radar shows we ought to get a little more. Still windy but not as bad as earlier.

 

[Ridgetop]

We had 2 separate days of rain last week. Monday started during the night and then rained steadily and hard all day. Tuesday cleared up a bit and looked sunny occasionally. Wednesday clouded up and damp in the morning ending up raining by noon and cleared again overnight. Glad to get the rain but I feel sorry for all the ewes who are crowded in the Teepee shelter measuring 8' x 12'. Especially since the sides meet at the top but have a gap of several inches! No room for the ewes to do more than stand under the shelter either! I am trying to get DS1 to help me separate them and put the 8' x 12' pieces up horizontally. He is worried that a strong wind will blow them off. It has happened before. LOL

 

[Baymule]

Jan, it doesn’t sound like you are doing nothing. Maybe not hitting the day at full speed, but you are still managing to squeeze a little something out of it. LOL Just take care of yourself and do a little more “nothing”.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday morning. Getting ready to go out to let the chickens out. Last night I was looking at the radar and it was still nearly 60 degrees. Forecast said that temps were going to drop into the 40's, but I wasn't seeing it. BUT..... I said, well, maybe I ought to bring in the spider plants. So I did... and it was a good thing. It dropped to 41 and the wind is still blowing. It is cold this morning. Temps are supposed to be in maybe the 50's. I see where tonight, it is supposed to drop into the 30's or lower????

I have to go get the meters out of the car, and take the car down and trade for the other car. Should have gotten it sooner but this cold put a kibosh to me going this past week. Plus, I need them to look at the forester as it is not shifting right. Hoping it is low on fluid??? but maybe there is a leak.... not feeling good about it. Not going to borrow trouble until I know what is going on.

Feeling a bit better but still coughing and nose running. Aggravating.

Rotated the violets around this morning. The angle of the sun is changing in that window as the days get longer. They are not getting as much direct sun as they were. Good thing as it is getting stronger with the longer days.

Heading out to the chickens and then see how much energy I have to clean out the car. And see how cold it is to work out there too. I do have to go get a bucket of feed for the chickens at the feed bin; they are about out.

 

[Mini Horses]

We were warm at 67 here this morning! But cooling about 10 degrees by afternoon. If this horrid wind would go away, all else would be fine! 4th day of 15-35 winds. That's hard to work outside for most things. I'm not interested in anything I don't have to do out there! . I've watched my chickens get blown around with this.

 

[Bruce]

Apparently March now comes in like a lion and goes out like one too! We also had wind gusts over 30 MPH Thursday.

 

[farmerjan]

Been windy nearly all day. Slowed down a bit but it is still chilly. Never got over 48 during the day... It actually dropped more to 39 and we got some SNOW FLURRIES.... yep, the white stuff. I went up to the feed bin and got a bucket of feed for the chickens and there were white little balls hitting the windshield...
. Came back and put it in the feeder, chickens were happy. Got a white leghorn egg out of the crate, will see if the red hen lays in the carport.
Didn't stay out in the wind to unload the car. It can wait. Got to call 2 farms tomorrow and see about getting back into a testing mindset....

DS went to the stockyard to see how prices were doing and he said that prices were way UP..... bulls he got for 1.45-1.60 2 weeks ago... were in the 1.70-1.85 what steers were bringing. Said there were alot of buyers there, which helps to drive up the prices. He still needs 15 to go out on the place in WVa that he is doing with the other guy.... he hopes to get some this Monday.... guess we'll see. Also, that open (cull) cows were up in the 90's and 1.00 range. DS is considering selling the cows that are open from the bull going bad....
Beef costs are going to go up more....
Heard a report that there will be 20 million less acres planted this year due to costs (inputs). Think that is high BUT...... I am reading in several places of at least 2-3 million less acres of corn, but soybeans will be up... but wheat acres are down. I think that farmers will wind up planting less as they get into it and see where their costs wind up. We have settled on 15 acres as opposed to 20 acres of corn.... that is 25% less. We are just small micro peanut-sized in comparison... just for our own cattle... because it will cost us more to put in 15 acres than it cost for 20 acres last year. 20 ac @ 500/ac=10,000. Compared to 15 ac @ 750=11,250... not counting harvest costs.....

Got to go out and lock in the chickens. Eat something. Down to 40 already...

 

[Mini Horses]

It's difficult to feel "you just can't win"...but it's where we are with pricing.

Those who have land and equipment to grow, provide -- even just for self -- are caught hard by all this. I feel fortunate that at least a part of fertilizing is provided by our animals. Saw a farmer here the other day who says he isn't selling any of his chicken litter this year, using all on his own farm instead. $$.

Yeah, book the testing farms. I keep taking jobs at work. Things are too volatile to quit for a while. just ease off some

Hoping the swap happens. Maybe with no chickens??. Almost that last year.

 

[Baymule]

At least we have the ability to grow a garden, have farm animals and be able to sustain ourselves (mostly). I am so glad to have found my farm. Each day, inflation ate away at the money I had from selling the farm in Lindale. Each time a new listing went up, the land was posted at a higher price. I had a deep gut visceral feeling of move to a farm NOW. T-posts and sheep and goat wire prices are astronomical now and rising. I've set aside money for fencing, but it probably won't be enough to do what all I want done. It will give me a good running start. Jan, what is the link to the rotational fencing program?

 

[farmerjan]

BRRRRR. It is COLD again this morning. Down to 27. Sun is coming over the hill and supposed to hit 60 today? Rain Tuesday and some showers into the rest of the week?
We only got 1/10th of an inch with that rain that was supposed to be so bad this past week. Totally crazy. We could use a good soft soaking rain.
Have to take water out to the chickens this morning. Was going to fill it last night but then figured to just wait for the morning trip out since it would freeze some anyway. Did not find a brown egg yesterday....

Not supposed to be as much wind today so I need to get myself out there and get the meters out of the car. Haven't driven the truck in days so need to do that. If the battery is down again, then I am going to just put the one from the other truck into it and then when they come to get the 4x4, put a new one in one of them. This one has a weak battery and I have been putting off getting a new one because if I drive it daily it has been okay. But letting it sit has probably not helped it again.... and I know it is needing to be replaced. It was not at full cca when I had it tested.
Have some stuff that needs to go to the dumpsters and there is some net wrap on the back of the truck from when I was helping DS feed that old crummy hay a couple weeks ago. May as well make one trip.
Feeling more "human" today. Still got a bit of a cough, and still congested, but not feeling like a limp noodle. Don't have all my strength and energy back, but need to get out and push a little.

Just talked to one of my farms and it is set up for Wed aft. The one 125 miles away. They said they have had this "cold bug" too.... I will make it work with the one that does their own sampling, so I can drop off the meters and stuff either on the way there, or be picking it up on the way back. Will have to see what the other 2 farms up that way can do.... trying to save on the trips anyway I can. One of the others was right in the middle of a ewe lambing so wants me to call him back in an hour or so... no problem... I get it. Then I will call the owner sampler farm, and the one other one and get next week all "booked up".... Going to wind up doing 3 days in a row I think. First the 500+ cow herd, then 2 smaller ones and the owner sampler that I only have to do the paperwork when I am there.

Warming up to 40 so going to go out to let the chickens out and take water.
Thinking it will be a good day to do some laundry. Let's see how much energy I have.