Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Wed evening... WET... been raining lightly but steady since noon or so... Never really stopped raining but it was sprinkly/very light drops early.
Went out this morning and let chickens out and it was barely a few drops/drizzle... Decided to do a little in the garden and wound up getting all the partial rows done and started another... so there are about 2 and a partial row to do... that was quite a bit more than I planned, but it wasn't hot and I just got in a rhythm, and kept going. Then the shoulder started to ache and it started to get to where I could feel the droplets.... So, I came in, got the rest of the junk, in the car I wanted to take to the dumpster and headed to town.

Had to pick up a gasket set for the little Massey tractor at the barn, from the one parts place, and then headed to Sharp Shopper and got a bunch of stuff... By then it was raining pretty steady... I had an umbrella and was very glad to use it coming out with the basket and even with the "hatch" opened up, it helped to keep the rain off... Then I went to the Walmart close to there... Got my case of lemonade, got the bulk sized containers of Hershey's syrup , found the little nail scrub brushes for cleaning your hands after being in the garden, that I have been looking for... and a couple other odds and ends, cold cereal for days I don't want to make eggs or something... and came home. It rained pretty steady all the way. Got here at the house and got the frozen stuff in and in the freezer and the rest that I don't have to have right now can wait for tomorrow as it is supposed to be more "spotty showers" tomorrow.

I wore a long sleeved T-shirt and a lightweight sweatshirt all day.

Got the bread pudding put together and in the oven. Did a sink full of dishes and just now put the meringue on it and put it in for a few minutes to brown a bit. Oven is now off and opened up. House feels warmer but it is still chilly out there. 55 and raining...

While it was cooking, I went out and put the chickens in their crates... went into the garden and checked things... and managed to catch my foot in the netting and did a face plant right outside the "gate".... soaking wet knees and sweatshirt... and of course, it takes some effort to figure out how to get up with nothing handy to pull yourself up with... Did kneel on the left knee some as I got the right leg up, bent and was able to push myself up... Such a P I T A ..... at least it was wet grass, and soft from the rain too.
Came in, took off sweatshirt and washed hands then did the meringue....

I did not dump gauges but looks like about .6 inch more of rain. I will dump tomorrow if it stops raining for awhile.

SO GLAD I did that hay mulch this morning now. There are 12 rows of planted potatoes (not counting the sprouted stuff from the house around the outside edge)... and 9 are mulched from one end to the other inbetween the growing potatoes.... plus most of the rest of the garden is mulched... doing it as i went, so I could tell for sure where the rows were, as soon as I had more cardboard and stuff to put down.
I see where some of the "stumps" of the purple beans had just enough of a Y where the leaf stem came out that a few are putting up new leaves. The fill in seeds haven't sprouted yet but as soon as it warms up a little with this rain they ought to come up. See some cantaloupe have come up and a couple of the summer squash mixed seeds... but they have not had very good germination... Seeds are a couple years old. I planted a couple real short rows of 3-4 seeds of just yellow squash the other day... so they ought to come up soon I hope. 2 cucumber seeds germinated so I replanted more around the "cage" in hopes I get at least 3-4 plants. Older seeds too I think. I haven't bought any in a couple years....

I ache and it is just damp and chilly... I am going to get a good HOT shower and go to bed early.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday.... it got downright cool again last night. 53 and has gotten up to 59....

Some more showers, rain last night. It seemed to let up some this morning... Went out and let chickens out and went into the garden and decided to do a little more on the mulch hay... Got to working, and wound up back into a rhythm and was working on the outside row of the last potato row... and it started to sprinkle and I decided to finish up the last 2-3 forkfulls. Got it done and was getting wet with some light rain. But... it is "done" for the most part. Got one small section that is not planted yet that I was going to put in some late green beans.... but that is not what I was pushing for. I will have to "retill"... dig up the weeds and make rows for more beans, and will mulch that as I go but it is not alot and will be pretty easy to do. 6x10 or so...

It will get watered and the hay will lay down good getting wet now. It is raining pretty steady, so I got done just in time. YAY I can do fill ins and add more as needed. I plan to put out the few peppers that I started from the package of old seeds, and have a couple marigold seedlings that came up from the old seeds too that I will put in the garden in a day or 2.

The first row of red Pontiac seed potatoes that I had bought here local, are just about to flower... see buds on the tops of the plants....

Got a farm to do Sat afternoon... they just called. Another one is skipping this month and will test right after the 4th of july holiday....

Another tester had texted me and she has given her notice... she is 60, and has put in an application to do cafeteria/food service work at the school. I think she is nuts to do that since being on her feet bothers her now... that is not like testing where you can sit a minute inbetween shifts of cows in the parlor... She is concerned about finding something with insurance... her husband is 65 and is going on SS and Medicare... why would you give up a known job without having something else CONFIRMED already.... at that age. She had full time status and insurance and we "make our own hours".... she has been doing this for 6 months longer than me... so 32 years +....
To each their own... but in conversation with her yesterday, I did mention that if she gets this job she would be on her feet for 8 hour shifts .... not like testing and it would be 5 days a week.... straight through.... she said yeah, I didn't think much about that... and well, I guess I will trust the lord to find me what he wants me to be doing...
With the way things are, there is no way at that age would I make a change like that without having something definite to carry me through to the 65 medicare deal.... I am still doing a few farms because it is not "killing me" although many days I do not want to keep doing it, it is still something I can do and can deal with and adds a few extra dollars in my pocket. Like @Mini Horses , it is putting money into the our pockets real time, to make being able to do something a little easier financially... not to struggle to make decisions on what can get paid this month... but what I need to make to get this paid for without hurting my comfortable spending pattern and making sure all the normal bills get paid every month. Between still working some and my parents inheritance money, I have bought the fencing for the house, have been able to do some investing that I wanted to do into some dividend paying stocks... paid for the expensive brake job on the explorer, the windshield and muffler system and brakes and new tires on the other cars. Without making me scrimp to try to make it happen. Will make the vehicle insurance yearly payment to get the discount in the fall when it comes due instead of making monthly payments.
Took, being a senior... IN MY PRIME (@Ridgetop ) to be at this place.

Okay, lunch time, then in house work...

 

[SageHill]

. why would you give up a known job without having something else CONFIRMED already.... at that age.

Heck - when I was out of school and had a job I never quit one without having already accepted another (that I liked better and or paid better). To me at ANY age that's just common sense. Sitting here now retired and still "working" but on my terms with what I want.

 

[farmerjan]

"Boss" from DHIA testing called... she wanted to know if I knew about the one "girl" giving her notice... and that one of the others has just turned in her notice to retire... she is 74-75? I figured she would stay to get in 50 years. But found out that she hurt her foot, thought it might be broken, it's not, but the x-rays showed it has ALOT of arthritis... and heard from the other tester (60 yr old that is quitting) that she went back and did a herd after being off it for 4 days and was hurting so bad she cancelled the herd she had scheduled for this afternoon, and that must be when she called the boss to say she was retiring the first of Aug... giving a notice for boss to try to find a replacement.... they both live within a few miles and do quite a few herds in the county north of here... so there will be a BUNCH of herds for someone;;; more than full time for one person... don't know if they can find someone...
AND NO NO NO.... I am not taking on anymore herds.

The one that is retiring does the one 2700 cow herd up there, with the other one quitting, and her daughter goes and helps, and they get a 4th person to help... so that leaves just the one newer tester that has been helping the last couple months... you have to have a minimum of 3 from what Sandra says and she says that pushes you.... WOW..... PLUS the one that retired south of me (1 yr younger) back in May... and found out one in SC retired in March... he was in his 70's..... and another that is 72 and retired from P.O. that wants to retire from testing, also in SC.......
One other in eastern Va is a few months older than me... just turned 70..... and me, 70 in a couple months..... one other in SC is 73..... there aren't alot of herds down there... each guy had 3-6 herds as part-time income.... and the 3 brothers that started testing when the one girl passed away 2 years ago or so are all in their mid-late 50's.... I think there are 3 testers that are 50 and younger.... the younger generation does not want to work the hours and such....

Holy cow... that is something....

 

[CLSranch]

Congrats on the rain. If I'm not getting this mixed up with another thread you got 2.5 + 2 + .6. That'll help make up for the dry spell (and make for a softer landing that didn't help with the shoulder).

The one that is retiring does the one 2700 cow herd up there, with the other one quitting, and her daughter goes and helps, and they get a 4th person to help... so that leaves just the one newer tester that has been helping the last couple months... you have to have a minimum of 3 from what Sandra says and she says that pushes you.... WOW..... PLUS the one that retired south of me (1 yr younger) back in May... and found out one in SC retired in March... he was in his 70's..... and another that is 72 and retired from P.O. that wants to retire from testing, also in SC.......
One other in eastern Va is a few months older than me... just turned 70..... and me, 70 in a couple months..... one other in SC is 73..... there aren't alot of herds down there... each guy had 3-6 herds as part-time income.... and the 3 brothers that started testing when the one girl passed away 2 years ago or so are all in their mid-late 50's.... I think there are 3 testers that are 50 and younger.... the younger generation does not want to work the hours and such....

Sounds like the company's employee's average age is 70.
I was listening to a financial advisor Dave Ramsey yesterday and he asked for the millionaires to call in. One guy worth $1.3 million with no inheritance, made his mill by mowing yards and saving obviously. He has expanded to landscaping and other things, but still mows yards.
When asked if youth could do that today, he said it would be easier because there is so much more work from all the other people not wanting to work.

 

[Baymule]

Sounds like dairy testing is in big trouble. It’s not exactly one of those career paths that beckon to young people. Every high school has its graduates who are not college material. Your company needs to get proactive and recruit young people who may be interested in this type of work. They may have to raise pay, like the fast food restaurants had to do when they couldn’t find anyone willing to work for such low pay.

 

[Mini Horses]

Wow....only the "old farts" seem to be working that testing field. . Not surprising, in a way -- there aren't many younger people staying with farming AND it isn't a "workplace" that's appealing to many. I mean, you have chances of being sprayed with cow poop. How exciting is that??!! Plus start at morning hours that are not favorable to many. Real job perks and there's that feast or famine scheduling issue.

Are there other companies offering this testing besides the one you work for? Is such testing required by states/feds, etc? From what you're reporting, seems a large section is about to be without service. Even with farms closing up, I see a real crunch happening.

Your "boss" probably called to see if YOU were quitting, too. sounds like only you and one other in your general area will be left.

 

[farmerjan]

The testing I do is becoming a thing of the past with all the new technology and electronics in the barns. There are electronic meters that will test the viscosity of the milk that flows through and determine if there is a possible mastitis problem with the milk. Then a farmer can take a sample and have it tested. The bigger the farm the more electronic metering they have it seems. Plus there are fewer and fewer small farms so the ones that get bigger put in newer and more sophisticated electronics as the farms need to be upgraded.
The hours can really stink with some farmers starting milking at 2 and 3 a.m. Nope, not for the ones that can't get out of bed and drive. Farms are bigger, so fewer and farther between....,more and more small farmers getting older and the kids don't want to do it, so selling out... So more traveling just to get to a farm, longer hours at each farm because of larger cow numbers, and long trips home. Yes we get mileage, but there is only so much a farmer can pay with their income being controlled by the government set milk payments.

Getting "sprayed" with cow manure is something that does not appeal to the youth.... there is not the love of animals seen in the populance in general... "brushing off" the getting dirty part of work is not something that many are willing to deal with and our society in general does not accept "getting dirty and doing manual labor" as a virtue... look at the building trades.... young men used to do the "macho thing" and now the older business owners cannot find the help they need....there is also little pride in a job well done anymore...

This job does not have room for "advancement"; it is the " same 'ole same 'ole" ... it is not exciting and it is not especially challenging.... it is like a comfortable old pair of jeans... you get then broke in and they just fit everytime you put them on. It is flexible... you don't want to work today and you don't have to schedule a farm... you have to work around a farmers schedule and things like haying, crop plantings, and especially harvesting and things like feeding and when they are going to open a new silage bag or feed bunk as that will affect the cows production and therefore their milk test... work around their workforce scheduling... their scheduled vet days as that breaking up a cows routine will affect her milk production.

In this area there are still a number of farms, but have heard of 2 that have sold out in the last 2 months. I have 2 that I expect will be out in the next year or 2. It is not like there are more, new farms starting up, so losing a few farms and next thing there is the borderline of losing your full time status and therefore your insurance and benefits.

There is too much money to be made a jobs like McD's.... with no responsibility except to show up it seems, This job requires some common sense, and you become a part of the farmer's "life" if you stick to it for years. I have watched kids born, grow up, get married and have kids of their own... you understand the falling milk prices and the struggles to make ends meet when you cannot control the prices you receive for milk since it is federally controlled...and the prices of inputs go up and up... You watch and help with a cow down, pulling a calf that is stuck, see a good cow die and the farmer doing all he can to save her. You see the kids grow and learn the responsibilities of an animal, watch them at their first show and in winning and defeat.... You watch them get worn down from all the long chores and leave the farm and never look back... and the ones that stay and then when the parents get old, the off farm kids fight the on farm kid for their "fair share"... and the livelihood for the on farm kid taken away from them. Sometimes you see the resentment of the on farm kid that stayed and is so glad to sell out once the parents get old... and the heartache of the on farm kid that cannot afford to take it over.... there are so many facets to it. But overall, this milk testing is going out with the small farm, in this area at least. Technology is taking over and there are not as many small farms that are not upgrading, because they have to stay ahead of the curve so they can stay in business... and they are trying to do much of this with less "human help"... so they go to more electronics to give them answers that years ago a human would have been involved in. Partly because there aren't the humans wanting to do the menial type work.... at wages that the farmer's income can afford to do.

There are no easy answers.

There is one other company that does what we do, based more in the northeast... and I know (knew) the mid-Atlantic manager... he was in his 60's and was planning to work to 70 and that was several years ago... have not talked to him in 2 years... but he said then he was having trouble finding help and was actually doing more of the testing himself to get farms done, and still trying to do his job as manager and find more help and other things. So, I have no idea what kind of shape their employee situation is now.

Oh well, that is the way it is.

 

[Mini Horses]

So right you are....so wrong many of the farm/family issues. . Even seeing the problems, few good answers. All of it seems unfair.

Now, government is working toward "feeding the world" and arguing over the packaging -- the actual lettering on the bags.

Let's spend time on helping all the family farms! I feel the days of farmsteads of small acreage is limited. Makes me glad I bought my acreage when I did. I can "hermit" my old self for a few more years.

 

[farmerjan]

@CLSranch ... I went and checked... I did say about the .6 inch but had not dumped the rain gauge.. just had looked at it. So far this month we had .1 last week.... 2 inches dumped Tuesday morning.... 1.1 inches dumped yesterday aft and .3 dumped this morning.... so a total of 3.5 inches so far... and we will have some more rain the next couple of days still. It is actually a little soggy out there today... but that can change so fast....I am very thankful for the amount we have gotten and that it saved the grass to take us into some good grazing for a bit. It will really help with the 2nd cutting on the ground that has already had hay taken off...

It was 60 this morning... so yesterdays high was this morning's low... temps should be increasing and mid to upper 80's by Sunday the forecast says... Another set of showers to come in on Mon/Tues ...

DS had to go put in a cow early this morning, and needs me to go check on the electric fence at another place that one was out in the other field... he said that the fence was turned off at the top of the driveway there... and the charger is clicking but the light not working... so I am heading over there to take the tester and check the fence out. I also have no list of what is at this pasture... so will take the clipboard and try to get a list of who he moved there...
His sheep were out at his house... that fence needs some serious work... so went and called them in and shut the gates at the driveway so they are in the yard... they come right to call thank goodness... and I did have some feed so made sure they got a treat for coming...
Need to unload the rest of the non-perishable groc out of the car since it is not raining this morning... Then I plan to fold some clothes that are on the couch and do some vacuuming.

I did plant the little pepper plants and the couple of marigolds, that were in the tray that I had sprouted from the old seeds, in the garden last night. Figured that they would do better if they got planted and then any rain would settle them in better. I saw a few of the replanted fill in beans seeds trying to poke through this morning.. so they ought to jump once we get a little more warmth and sun comes out.

Time to go check out that electric fence and see if I can get a list and count of who is there. It is cloudy but not raining now... better do it sooner rather than later.