Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

How you feeling? Better, I hope.

 

[farmerjan]

Spent some time on the phone this morning with @Baymule ... both of us being "lazy" .... cold is still a PITA and losing voice but that is common for me... not a bundle of energy but a little better I guess... I did bring in the cantaloupes from the garden; did the dishes... ate some lunch and sat and watched another movie...
YES, I am coming to the swap if it KILLS ME........

Texted some farms for possible testing... trying to get a feel for everyone's chopping progress and such....
Got one set up for next Tuesday morning... they do the sampler set up... have to be there around 5:30 so leave here by 4 or so... but oh well... didn't expect to hear back but they skip every other month and am glad to get them planned and out of the way.
Not pushing for anyone this week. DS was talking about trying to get the cows in and wanted to know how many at the one place and how many have to come back to the barn.... when I asked if he needed me to come help he said it was too late to do them last night so would plan another aft. after work... doubt it will be today since it is clouding up and calling for rain by 6... it will be 3 trips with the trailer out of there and if it is wet it is not a good place to haul out of....I doubt he will do it before Sat and I AM NOT AVAILABLE on Saturday....

Farm south of me called for the Tuesday morning and they were getting a thunderstorm... could hear the thunder on the phone... I just checked radar and it is headed this direction so.....
Temps are nice... 62 up to 87 but cooling back to 79 now and will drop more if the rain gets here soon.

Going out to make sure the car windows are shut... I think I made sure last evening but..... plan to do the cantaloupes this eve and get chunks in the freezer....

If it is not pouring this eve when I lock in the chickens, I will probably get the butternut squash out of the garden and into the shade for now. Then it will be the tomatoes... I am going to puree some of them in the Vitamix blender I have and can that for future cooking down this winter...
Then the potatoes... and the farms will all be wanting to test the last week or so ....
Story of my life... Feast or Famine with work....

 

[Mini Horses]

YES, I am coming to the swap if it KILLS ME........

Uhhh, no....that's not allowed!! You'll feel better and weather is looking real good

 

[Baymule]

Stay in, don’t work cows, stay out of the garden. You must GET WELL for the chicken swap on Saturday!

 

[Ridgetop]

Don't worry abut the tomato plants. When you feel better you can go pull them up and if any tomatoes on them, they will ripen if they are left on the pulled out pants.

In fact don't worry about the cows either - just get better. If DS has to do the cows himself, let him. Maybe he will realize how much you do for him while GF takes all his time.

 

[farmerjan]

Ripe tomatoes on the vines and on the ground... they have got to be dealt with in the next day or 2. There is nothing worth pulling since they are so broken from that wind and hail.... I will try to pick a bucket in the morning when I let the chickens out... that is not that strenuous to do.
Did not get the cantaloupe worked up this evening.. That has to be done in the morning... it won't take long and I am only going to cut into small chunks and freeze... I add it frozen to fruit cocktail and it makes it good and cold and doesn't taste "watery" as it thaws...
The weed eater and the potatoes will wait.
There are also a bunch of peppers, but they will hold a little bit too...

Still a little "weak" ... as in not alot of 'oomph' but throat is not bad and nose is running..... some laryngitis still, so voice is hoarse... but I am not sick sick..... and I have been taking it soooo easy, I am going stir crazy.....and movies are getting "old"...

Tomorrow is the interview for Lindsay about the testing job... I hope it will be attractive enough financially for her to want to take it.... and maybe we can work together on a couple of the herds or even trade off if any work out that way....

Time for a shower and maybe some ice cream????

 

[SageHill]

Sounds like the cold is on its way out .
If you have Amazon Prime check out Clarkson’s Farm.

 

[farmerjan]

Thanks @SageHill but no Amazon Prime, no video stuff... I know, I am missing so much... but somehow I just don't seem to "miss it" when I have never had it...

Nice 61 this morning, up to 81 today. Sun then mix of sun and clouds.. some showers around, more east and north... we didn't get anything.
Was supposed to go this morning to open a gate and check on some cows... that PITA neighbor to the one pasture is now angling to oust us from another place owned by the same owner.. telling the owner we really are not taking care of the cows properly, they are too thin, we are negligent in properly rotating pastures... and the owner went to the big farm and then sent DS a text last night that the cows needed to be moved out of pasture 3 because it is eaten down to nothing and the cows are thin...here we go again... DS wound up going early this morning and moving them into 2... We have to wait for the adjoining property owner to move his heifers out of the field that backs up to pasture 2 or there is going to be problems with the bulls wanting over the fence... went through it 2 years ago when their heifers were all in raging heats and walking/backing up to/and even riding the fences with our bulls next to them... so we have a deal worked out to rotate them around so that they do not share a fenceline... he was supposed to get them moved this past week... well he hadn't texted DS yet and we knew the cows were ready to be moved...
So owner goes in there and complains the cows were following the truck... well, DUH, they always follow the truck since we feed from our truck... and that the pasture is over grazed... NO.... they were being "forced" to eat the rougher stuff up on the top before we moved them so they were eating the real good stuff close to the ground... and there are 2 cows in there that have dairy in them (mine) so they are "thinner".... more angular...
DS said that owner has no idea of good condition on a cow except for fat or skinny... and this PITA neighbor now has bent his ear... says it looks like a matter of time before we lose both places... and it will hurt as we run 40 pairs at this place... we will see... They are moved into 2 and the neighbor with the heifers was moving them today....
But again, some of the little things are hurting DS by not keeping up with them... there are rolls of hay not moved all off the one hayfield... and he can't be bothered to give me a list of where he wants the rolls of hay that I had asked about the last time...If he wants to run this then instead of NOT communicating with me, he needs to say, need to get this this and that moved to here and there... I have moved all the hay as soon as he has said where..... nope, doesn't talk to me because he is too concerned with getting done and going home to her... again.....
I have a couple I am going to probably move to the nurse cow pasture.... and I think that I am going to cut my numbers... so when he has to make cuts, mine will not become an issue between us... I am just getting tired of this....

Spent several hours over there checking cow numbers and such, going around the fence in field 3, because there are a couple missing and the perimeter fence there is also not good on one side... and we have had cattle over on them and they have had cattle over on us in the past...not the guy with the heifers.... gave DS the numbers and he can check with the other neighbor... they do not keep a close check on their cattle and last year we had a regular trail where the cattle were going back and forth....had several stay with ours for awhile...

Didn't do much else today... was not in the mood.

Got a text from another farmer asking about possible days, and answered him with some choices, but have not heard back... was hoping he would take tomorrow eve and Friday morning... the farm is only 7 miles away... easy to do... set up ahead of time and then go test in the eve & back in the morning... I am going to send him another text and see if he wants to do it... was talking about trying to make it work when they weren't chopping... his corn looks pretty good... like to get it over with...

Need to make something to eat...

 

[SageHill]

Thanks @SageHill but no Amazon Prime, no video stuff... I know, I am missing so much... but somehow I just don't seem to "miss it" when I have never had it...

Nice 61 this morning, up to 81 today. Sun then mix of sun and clouds.. some showers around, more east and north... we didn't get anything.
Was supposed to go this morning to open a gate and check on some cows... that PITA neighbor to the one pasture is now angling to oust us from another place owned by the same owner.. telling the owner we really are not taking care of the cows properly, they are too thin, we are negligent in properly rotating pastures... and the owner went to the big farm and then sent DS a text last night that the cows needed to be moved out of pasture 3 because it is eaten down to nothing and the cows are thin...here we go again... DS wound up going early this morning and moving them into 2... We have to wait for the adjoining property owner to move his heifers out of the field that backs up to pasture 2 or there is going to be problems with the bulls wanting over the fence... went through it 2 years ago when their heifers were all in raging heats and walking/backing up to/and even riding the fences with our bulls next to them... so we have a deal worked out to rotate them around so that they do not share a fenceline... he was supposed to get them moved this past week... well he hadn't texted DS yet and we knew the cows were ready to be moved...
So owner goes in there and complains the cows were following the truck... well, DUH, they always follow the truck since we feed from our truck... and that the pasture is over grazed... NO.... they were being "forced" to eat the rougher stuff up on the top before we moved them so they were eating the real good stuff close to the ground... and there are 2 cows in there that have dairy in them (mine) so they are "thinner".... more angular...
DS said that owner has no idea of good condition on a cow except for fat or skinny... and this PITA neighbor now has bent his ear... says it looks like a matter of time before we lose both places... and it will hurt as we run 40 pairs at this place... we will see... They are moved into 2 and the neighbor with the heifers was moving them today....
But again, some of the little things are hurting DS by not keeping up with them... there are rolls of hay not moved all off the one hayfield... and he can't be bothered to give me a list of where he wants the rolls of hay that I had asked about the last time...If he wants to run this then instead of NOT communicating with me, he needs to say, need to get this this and that moved to here and there... I have moved all the hay as soon as he has said where..... nope, doesn't talk to me because he is too concerned with getting done and going home to her... again.....
I have a couple I am going to probably move to the nurse cow pasture.... and I think that I am going to cut my numbers... so when he has to make cuts, mine will not become an issue between us... I am just getting tired of this....

Spent several hours over there checking cow numbers and such, going around the fence in field 3, because there are a couple missing and the perimeter fence there is also not good on one side... and we have had cattle over on them and they have had cattle over on us in the past...not the guy with the heifers.... gave DS the numbers and he can check with the other neighbor... they do not keep a close check on their cattle and last year we had a regular trail where the cattle were going back and forth....had several stay with ours for awhile...

Didn't do much else today... was not in the mood.

Got a text from another farmer asking about possible days, and answered him with some choices, but have not heard back... was hoping he would take tomorrow eve and Friday morning... the farm is only 7 miles away... easy to do... set up ahead of time and then go test in the eve & back in the morning... I am going to send him another text and see if he wants to do it... was talking about trying to make it work when they weren't chopping... his corn looks pretty good... like to get it over with...

Need to make something to eat...

Crud about the jerk neighbor. He just wants to be “the expert” and cause trouble. What if you wrote up a paper complete with photos of what good/average/and poor beef and then dairy cattle looked like (with internet links) and gave it to the land owner so he can see for himself and not what the jerk A wants him to see? Sure it would take time and effort to put together but it could save your leases. Even if he knows or you think he knows at least it’s something. A pain in the a** to do, but once it’s done you can use it over and over.

 

[farmerjan]

Thanks @SageHill for the idea......I will suggest it to DS and see if he thinks it is worth it...
Last 3 preg checks of over total 75 cows had only 3 open... 2 were over 12 yrs old so time to go..... that's 92% (?) preg.... all in the 4-5 month range at the time except 2 were only 3 months... that goes to show that they were in perfect condition to rebreed. NOT TOO FAT....or too thin...
Sometimes I wonder if it is worth all this anymore... maybe he ought to give up these places, if it comes to that...save the rent money and the aggravation, do a little more buying and putting together animals he can turn over in 90 days.... we can run 75-80 cows without these 2 places ..... and it is very likely we will get doc's home place in a bit since he has it leased to someone else right now... but it is written in an agreement that his wife has lifetime rights to it with her horses when he goes... he is 10-15 yrs older than her... with DS taking care of the place and paying her rent yearly to run cattle on it...not have all these fences to fix/repair/deal with... deadlines on when things should be done, and rents that keep going up...

I just do not want to do anymore "improving the ground and land" and then have them keep acting like asses .... doug ran 50 cows at his place on the grazing land and made hay on the crop fields... we will still have all kinds of hay places as no one wants to make hay on some of what we have been doing for years due to the challenges of the steep ground and rocks and ledges...
DS has the other farm he owns that can handle 30 head in the summer... maybe it is time to cut back on cows right now... especially with the prices so high... see what happens in a couple of years....

I'll deal with this tomorrow once I am in a better frame of mind...

At least the farmer texted me back and said that he can't test thurs-friday because their vet is friday morning and I get that, so not a problem.... he will let me know on friday what next week will look like....