Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Monday morning. It is now 50 but was down LOW... one thermometer says 38 the other 28 for lows. I did see frost so the one out on the deck is probably closer to the low. The other one is protected by the front porch roof. I am going to move it a bit so it doesn't get the early morning sun and gets more "outside" exposure, not protected on porch. REGARDLESS it was cold.

Samples packed ready to go. Going to get plants out on porch since it is up to 50 and sun will come around and hit them soon. Today is supposed to be nice and 60.. rest of the week into the 70's... rain again this coming weekend.... Fri- Sat night at least.

It sure won't help the haymaking here... ground so wet and then not enough drying time... we won't be cutting for another 2 weeks, then will have to do that place DS said yes to that has to be made and off the field by June 1st. Hoping for a good 5 day window for that...

Vet at 11:30 today.... got a farm scheduled for Wed eve-Thurs morn. Waiting to hear back from another farmer.... Dentist wed morning @ 8 a.m.. then set up for the farm that eve. Close to the home so not alot of travel time. Everything else is quiet right now... hope it stays that way.

Hard to believe that you will be getting that warm up there in VT... @Bruce ..... it snowed at that friend's where we took the cattle, on April 25th...then 80's???? Like here... snow one day then 70's plus, 4 days later. Don't want to see the hot temps that @Baymule is getting anytime soon either.

 

[Baymule]

I hope this heat dome moves on. I don't want a summer of 100+ heat! I NEED to move! Thanks a lot Survey man for putting it off for another almost 2 months. YAY! I get to move right in the heat of summer. $@$%^&!@

 

[Bruce]

Monday morning. It is now 50 but was down LOW... one thermometer says 38 the other 28 for lows.

That's colder than here this morning! It was cold but still above freezing.

I don't want a summer of 100+ heat! I NEED to move!

I don't think you are going to miss out on any of that summer Texas heat where you are moving to!

Might take a lot longer to move if it is 100 hot and humid when you finally get to close on the property. Move one box, sit in the shade for 15 minutes, move one box, sit in the shade for 15 minutes, move one box, sit in the shade for 15 minutes,

 

[farmerjan]

Monday evening. Had an okay day I guess. Got the samples done and went to the farm to help get the cows across the driveway for the vet. He got there and we did the preg checks. Most were 60-70 days so the bulls caught them right off which is great. There were 6 open out of the 30 we checked. 1 was a first calf heifer of DS that had 3 different calves sucking on her and she was real thin so not surprised with her. He is keeping her and she will go back with the group and back out to the bull for the summer... hopefully she will put on weight and then get bred back. 2 of mine that are young cows are open and they will go. Both were late to get bred for their first calves so not something I want to perpetuate. One other one was the cow that had been in the neighbors field for nearly 3 years that he said wasn't there anymore... she was open and is going. She is in very good flesh. 2 others are his and 1 is at least 10..... One of mine is only 35 days and I am probably going to ship her too... she is getting old and might be better for her to not be calving in late January.... if she carried it full term. DS b@#%hes about her all the time and I honestly am tired of listening to him complain about MY COWS that cause trouble all the time. It seems like he specifically has to find something negative to say about anyone that is out or a problem if they are mine.... some days I just get tired of it....
So there are 6 that will go... he is going to take them Wed evening to the sale, they have the once a month beef cow sale then and there are more buyers there for both the bred cows and for cows that are "pound" cows ... cull cows. The prices are still up on cull cows so it ought to be a worthwhile trip.
I am testing Wed eve/Thurs morn.. so won't be going with him. But I am going to take all the odd ball calves to the sale on Saturday... he is taking some equipment that he doesn't use to a consignment equipment auction on Sat.
There are some heifers that we don't want to keep as replacements, and a couple of steers that don't match and one or 2 that are idiot nut cases... they can all go to the sale on Saturday. I would like to get a couple in at the nurse cow pasture to go too... want to get those few calves worked but it doesn't suit him to do them the next couple days as he gets the rest of the stuff ready to take to the equipment sale.
Of course he was working on some stuff there this afternoon after work...... calls me about the cows that were open and moving some and then said he "had to go watch the ball game her daughter was playing in" and then would have to come back to the barn and work late. HELLO... no you don't HAVE to go watch her ball game....

So, sell a few more we don't want to summer, and put extra in the pocket and some more off the feed bill. A few of the calves are mine, some are his and a couple are bought ones that he didn't take to WVa .....crazy acting.... He still has to take 11 more to WVa....
Next will be getting cows with calves moved to pastures for the summer and the bulls put in. And start making hay....

I plan to go get the twin heifers at the farm when I go to the sale on Saturday.... I will be 2/3 of the way there... The electric netting is supposed to be here the end of the week.... it has been on back order.....
He is probably going to move all these cows that are 60 days or so to a pasture where we try to not put anything with little calves. They don't seem to make much milk there and the cows get thin if they have calves on them... and the coyotes are really bad there and we have lost some calves there... These cows will be due to calve in Dec so will be back to the farm by then... it will do them good to be out and away on grass for the summer....

The other farm has yet to get back to me about testing...... I am not going to keep after them either... it gets old. I know he gets the text messages...

Going to take the outback to the garage and check out the power steering; it is whining again and I think it is losing fluid... and check the cvc joints as I think one is going bad.... Going to leave it Tues eve and let them get to it whenever they have a chance Wed or Thurs... need to finish unloading the Explorer; I put the new plates on it this afternoon. Want to finish cleaning out the outback too... I did get some stuff out today. Will finish that after I get it back. I want to make sure there is nothing wrong with the cvc joints or anything before I get the front end aligned so I don't wear the new tires unevenly.
Went to mow the lawn and the battery on the mower was dead again. So it is on charge, and I might try to get to it tomorrow. Then I am going to take off one of the cables when I park it, and then the next time try to start it and if it is dead then I know it is the battery.... I don't think I left the key on or anything this time. But at least then I will know if there is some drain on it or if it is just needing replacing. I don't have any idea how old it is... but it started up after the winter so it seems strange that the battery would hold a charge all winter and now just went bad.... but who knows.

Talked to the neighbor next to DS house that he said he would talk to about plowing the garden... of course he hasn't talked to him.... Sam is going to NC this weekend for a graduation (grand child I think) so he said he will come next week. I need to call miss utility to make sure there are no electric wires... don't think there are since the power lines are no wheres near there... and the garden used to be there for years, but it's free to check... then he will come do it. I am going to mow it and then put some markers in for him in case I am not home... then I should be able to run the tiller on the back of the tractor through it and get it planted and we will hopefully be done with frost too.... with the electric netting I should be able to keep the chickens out of it, and keep the calves fenced on the grass below it...

My battery weed eater is not running right... going to have a friend look at it and see if he knows what is wrong... it doesn't seem to run fast enough and isn't cutting... maybe the bearing in it is going bad??? Makes a funny whining noise... if it is bad I may just go get a new one that is a deWalt since I have several battery things of that brand. This is a black and decker trimmer... so different batteries... had it for several years. It is nice and light to handle though.... So, I couldn't do any weed eating this afternoon either... Not exactly getting very far today.....

Plants all looked good out in the sun today. Got up to 69. Sure felt good after the last few cold wet raw days. Will have to soak them tomorrow. Not supposed to be as cold tonight so I am going to leave them out.

Time to call it quits...

 

[Bruce]

need to finish unloading the Explorer; I put the new plates on it this afternoon.

Recently found out about the Virginia personal property tax. Man that is brutal. Over 4% EVERY YEAR you own something. Sure a vehicle loses value as time goes by but still hundreds to many, many hundreds of $$ year AND you still get to pay to register it annually.

 

[Alaskan]

Recently found out about the Virginia personal property tax. Man that is brutal. Over 4% EVERY YEAR you own something. Sure a vehicle loses value as time goes by but still hundreds to many, many hundreds of $$ year AND you still get to pay to register it annually.

Up here, if your vehicle is more than 10 years old you can buy a forever tag... and you are DONE

 

[Mini Horses]

In VA we can get forever tags on trailers, i.e horse, hauling. Etc. But there's still that annual personal property tax!! I have a big Fruehauf, not tagged, never moves....PPtaxed! It's storage!! Yeah, they're on ya.. We have sales taxes, too. Even on groceries, although less than other commodities.

Vehicle reg is $33 annually, plus cost of tags, plus PPtax. . Annual inspection is $16. Then required insurance, or $500 fee to "self insure".

 

[Alaskan]

Here no tax on raw foods/groceries

But yes tax on prepared food like sandwiches, restaurants

 

[farmerjan]

Personal property tax is regulated by the county. The county just north of us is less than half of the county that my house is in. But my vehicles are "garaged" in the other county at a friends barn....I have a mailing address in that county.... And in that county anything over 10 or 15 years old the tax is pennies. It ages out... as the values go down.
They are changing the Farm Use tags and next year all vehicles will have to have a DMV Farm Use tag... one way for them to keep track of all the trailers and all that so they get more taxes.... One time purchase but you cannot switch the farm use tag to another vehicle... going to be a real big "bit#h session" when it takes effect... most people don't even realize it has been passed. I get that the original reason was to stop all the abuse of "farm use"....So many that do not have farms put it on their trucks and trailers to make trips to the dump etc... and kids will put it on trucks and then ride all over...and this has hurt the real farmers....
Because of the lawyer and all the legal stuff with my parents estate, I had to pay nearly $500 sales tax on the Explorer.... to get the new title....ONE MORE REASON to not like this vehicle.... GRRR

 

[farmerjan]

Had a decent day. Weather was nice, sunny and warm with a light breeze... seems like we always have a breeze anymore. 44 up to 74... tonight not supposed to be quite as cold and tomorrow sunny and warmer.
Did 2 loads of clothes and got them hung. Got another load in the wash that will go out in the morning. They will dry easy by afternoon before I have to go to work... but Thursday is only supposed to be clouding up so could probably bring them in mid day if I get short on time tomorrow.

Took the outback down to the garage and DS picked me up on his way home from work. Then he was loading some equipment to take to the consignment sale this Sat and needed me to help him get the old baler on the trailer. I rode down with him to get it unloaded and all... there is alot of stuff there. It is a once a month sale. They get huge crowds too and some things bring STUPID prices... Hope our stuff does good. He will go to it so he can bid it back in if it does not bring what he wants. He knows what it is worth for scrap metal price so if it does not bring enough he will bid it back and take some parts off and scrap it for metal. Often there are people looking for parts and an old one is worth more to them for the parts than it will bring for metal scrap prices. We do not have any balers like this one anymore so no point in keeping it for parts. Also an older side delivery rake that is a different model than what we have and use, so better to sell it. It is getting to hay making time and this is the time people start looking for things to use....
There are a few things I saw that I might be interested in... I am going to go down on Thursday and look and then make a list of things that I want DS to watch....

Couldn't get the mower to start and thought it was the battery. Had it on charge all night and NOTHING, not even a click. I checked the terminals, made sure the levers were all disengaged and all that... so finally texted DS and asked if he had a meter to check the battery. It is fine... he started to look at other things, connections and all... and found that when you depress the pedal to start it, the rod that pushed down was sliding by the little metal plate that makes the connection... anyway, he took and bent the little plate back a little bit and it started right up... YAY
So, don't need a battery... maybe tomorrow I will be able to get the lawn mowed.
Got the meters and hoses in the car to take to the farm after I go to the dentist for my 8 a.m. appt... I will come home and get changed back into chore clothes... and then go set up... then come home and hang the clothes on the line.
Then, maybe mow????

Got a list of things that need to get done. Going to try to work the calves at the nurse cow pasture on Thursday or Friday.... if I can get them in. Try to get in the couple that I want to take to the sale on Sat too.... And get the bull out of there.... while we have the trailer there to get the couple out of there if I get them in....

Need to get the sample bottles in the racks so I can take the samples tomorrow eve and be done with it...

Guess that's all for today.....