Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

Nothing to say about DS. Sounds like he is willing to be swept back into GF's ***. He needs to just let her go, the rest of us can see it but he has to see it for himself.

For a while it looked like he was moving on and getting more done. Too bad GFS can't find him another GF. Or at least get the word ut that he is available.

 

[Baymule]

Maybe he should ask the GF sister out on a date.

 

[farmerjan]

Maybe he should ask the GF sister out on a date.

He would never ask sister out while she has a current boyfriend... and he would never be able to deal with seeing the ex if they did something with the kids at the parents house.

I'm distancing myself from this because I will not sit and watch another episode.

 

[farmerjan]

Monday morning. Got up at 6:30 went to barn, DS had steer in alley, and after 2 "rounds" of go to the door then turn around and come back by me then go up again, went on the trailer... took him to butcher and got back to barn then home by 8. Went out and let chickens out and finally got the last of the sprouted potatoes down in the row and spread the mulch hay over them.
We are getting a few sprinkles... enough to use the windshield wipers a couple times... but not enough to even get my shirt damp. Just checked the radar, and it does not look very promising. Wispy looking green and it should be gone by 2 or so. Not going to give us anything like what we need unless something just pops up. But it looks like it might fire up again late this afternoon to the east with some yellows and oranges so might be some "storms" to the east.

Just ate a bowl of cereal. Talked to the vet and he is going to do another farm on his way from the dairy he regularly does.... so will buy us a good 1/2 hour or so. I texted DS and told him to figure noon or so instead of 11:30... hoping he does not push it to the last minute. I figure the vet won't get here until 12:30 or so... but I figured that if we had a little extra wiggle room then if we run into some problems, we still might have some time to get things put together.

It only got down to 64 and only 66 now. Like I said, a few little sprinkles....

I'm tired and the day is only beginning.

 

[Mini Horses]

We both have DS issues. I am as miserable as you are with some antics and priority issues.

It's sooooo frustrating! Rant on -- releases tension.

 

[Ridgetop]

Family problems are the worst! I don't and won't do business with family, close or extended. That is the way to get screwed by family members AND THEN BLAMED BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS FOR GETTING SCREWED! Has happened to us and I am not going back there!

You are wise to keep out of it. DS is a XGF junkie. He does not want to recover and will jump back into the entire mess if summoned by XGF. It's a shame because he would have made some else a faithful and loving partner.

Glad the allergies are under control now. Can you reseed the orchard grass with something else? Or is it an important part of your hay output?

Too bad about losing the cow and calf. A whole year of production gone with the calf, along with the $$ loss on both. Farming isn't for the weak.

 

[farmerjan]

Orchard grass hay is a big part of our total hay production and essential to the sq bale sales. And, it is only first cutting that bothers me... maybe because it matures so fast that it is putting out the pollen so fast... but it is also much more tolerant of cutting late compared to something like alfalfa that must be cut every 24-28 days for optimal production and quality. It will lose some quality if cut late... especially if we have weather that doesn't allow for timely cutting.... But it is pretty much over for the year...

Yeah, losing the calf, not knowing who it belonged to ... so the cows that were in that group, should be calving now... as they are, and I will have to just go out to the pasture and try to check on them very often. So, whoever lost it should get rebred since there is a bull out there .... and hopefully we can get these cows to "back up" a month or so and calve earlier next year. The good thing is the grass/pasture is real good, plentiful, and they should, recover and cycle fast with the good nutrition. Cattle have always done real good at this pasture.

Went to the barn, and I got the group into the barn to be checked. DS finally got there, and got the gates closed across the driveway, and DS took the truck and went up the hill and the cows started coming down and we got them into the barnyard just as the vet got there. He came in, gave the bull some tranqs (rompum and something else) and got the bull's feet trimmed up and said that it is most likely HEREDITARY... so, then he gave him something to counteract the sedative... he got back on his feet and DS walked him up the ramp and into the trailer...He sorted out the calves from the cows while we were working on the bull... so then we started the preg checks...

Hit a home run..... From 2 places we did 44 cows.... only 3 open... all 3 are old cows and one is a royal PITA to get in... and only 2 are short bred.... 40 days and 80 days.... all the rest are 4-5 months... that was 2 different places... and the one bull had just over 30 there... and the other had about 20... that was the place that some kept getting out...so there are a few from there that have not been checked yet since they were stuck in another pasture. But the group of 30 had the cow that died... and there are 3 I haven't accounted for but DS thinks they had gotten moved somewhere else... so I will have to start looking for cows. I wonder if they might be way up back and hid from him bringing them down.... We'll see...
From the group of 20 originally, sold 2 with calves...moved at least 2 more and maybe 3 with calves when we got fed up with them getting out... So....

All in all it was a really really good preg check... this will get the calves all being born in a tighter time frame... so the cows were cycling good and the bulls were getting the job done. They should start in Oct... and calve through the first of Dec... 2 months pretty much. I'd like to back them up to mid-Sept through mid-Nov... and that is doable if they breed back good after they calve this fall....

The 2 short bred ones went out to the big pasture, with their bigger calves, with the ones with little calves, and not yet fresh... they can join the spring calving ones and be on that schedule... and hopefully these cows will breed back faster once they have calves on the ground... problem is they are calving into June and we used to like them to have calves on the ground before mid-June... But at least they are on good pasture and should keep their condition and breed back faster...

He was taking them out after taking the bull back to Fred's.... the 2 cow/calf pairs that were short bred... and the bull for that pasture. We are putting the new Gelbvieh bull out there and see how he does... he does not like to be by himself in the barn... has gone over the gate twice already... he might have a short life here with us if his attitude is not very good...
Our older bull "Black Powder" is a real sweetheart... he got the 30+ bred... and he is getting some age on him... His "bred girls" are staying in the grass at the farm there, and the 15 +/- are going to the pasture down at DS's other farm... and since BP needs a "vacation" he can go with them as they are all bred and he will have good grass and company... the bull lot is still not finished because DS only could get one load of oak fence boards... so this will give him a break and company. The calves will have to get weaned off these cows the first of Sept... so they get a break before calving again... and the BP can come back with the calves.... hopefully the bull lot will be done by then. We have another bull out with cows that should be pregnant also, just to have a place to put him and not have to deal with him at the barn...

Need to get the group of mixed cows in and see what their status is... where we stuck the couple getting out...along with the other ones in there... and then can move them out to various places where they will be with cattle in the same stage of gestation...
@Ridgetop can understand with having multiple breeding pens and males and all that... you are juggling things... and trying to keep track of everyone and where they are and who their present offspring are out of, and who they are being bred to. PLUS, with the cows, they are getting bred back with small calves on them, so you have to make sure you have the sire of the current crop of new calves, on top of who they are being exposed to so when you wean off the calves... you have it recorded who they WILL be calving to....

On top of all this.... we only got a TRACE of rain... enough to get the rain gauge wet and that is it. SOOOO, I will be getting the soaker hoses out and see about getting them put together to lay out in the garden... I did get the regular hose cut that was leaking, and will get the pieces to put it together... with "turn-offs" in the line so I can divert them... I think I will be putting in a "Y" or 2 so I can run more lines off it without hooking and unhooking a bunch of hoses.. just turn a diverter....
The weather is saying a chance of showers on Wed.... and then getting more muggy and warmer, and possible rain over the weekend. Since there was no precip worth mentioning, I will have to make sure I water all the plants in pots in the next day or 2....

Well, going out to see what I can get into here... be time to lock up the chickens shortly. I have a hell of a headache... need to do something not so stressful for a couple hours and go to bed early...

 

[CLSranch]

I have a hell of a headache... need to do something not so stressful for a couple hours and go to bed early...

I'd offer a beer or some tea, but I don't have any tea made and it's already super late there.

 

[farmerjan]

Was out locking in chickens and saw DS go by with truck and trailer... so I went down to the barn because I wanted to ask about what pastures we still had to put cattle at, and if he wanted to get the vet again next week and do the other 25 odd mixed ones in the front field... so we could put ones out to pastures in the same gestation frame... all 2 month breds at one place... 5 months at another place....
He was going to take the 2nd load of cattle down to the pasture and asked if I wanted to ride with him... so I did, and we talked about the different cattle and different places etc... came back and then we took the 3rd load down... with the bull that is going on vacation... the 3 open cows went there so it is a possibility he could catch them... but they are all slated to get sold when we have to go down and get the calves off them by the 1st of Sept... they would only be maybe 2 months bred by then, and since they are all old cows, we will not check them again, just ship them while they are healthy and hopefully good and fat then from all the grass...

He said yes, call vet for possible check next week.... get these last ones moved around and at least know the status... he is off Monday for the Juneteenth ... but I think the vet comes to the different farm on Wed.....

It was 11 when we let off the 3rd load...

I should be in bed, going there directly. Still have a little nagging headache...

 

[Ridgetop]

Good that he was calm and could discuss the cattle options without being snarky. I am having that with DS1. When the kids know as much as you, they tend to get that way - very know-it-all. Annoying, but at least they understand what you are saying and you dont have to explain what, why, and wherefore to them. Glad you had a good talk with him.

got the bull's feet trimmed up and said that it is most likely HEREDITARY

Are you going to keep the bull r sell him and then cull the calves for bad feet? What is wrong with his feet/hooves?

Hit a home run..... From 2 places we did 44 cows.... only 3 open... all 3 are old cows and one is a royal PITA to get in... and only 2 are short bred.... 40 days and 80 days.... all the rest are 4-5 months... that was 2 different places... and the one bull had just over 30 there... and the other had about 20..

Great results! Congratulations! You have been fighting for the past couple years to get everyone synced to calve. Finally getting there with good bulls. Hope for early cycling on those cows.