Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Talk about a start & stop, jump around day...there it is.

 

[farmerjan]

Talk about a start & stop, jump around day...there it is.

Yeah, real "productive".... but the hay is done, he will get the wagons and equipment all in the barns later today... and we are going to sort the calves this afternoon now since they are calling for rain in the morning... won't have to be out there in the wet to look at or sort... just load and go... .
And he wants me to go up later and see if the heifers will come down for feed and get them moved before it rains too...

 

[Mini Horses]

NOW that's the plan ahead you used to see -- right??

Hopefully DS has seen the light this time around.
At some point, potatoes will get weighed

I'm looking at what sold high & well at the produce auctions -- much of it to those who have stalls in the farmers markets in the cities. Toying with growing some of that for sale there. It's a time when resets are slow, so time at home is good. I used to love my garden but had gotten out of it for a while. The auction presents an outlet without obligation. Perfect! I just like gardening more with a friend. You bolster one another.

But, it could provide that little bit of farm income I keep thinking I want. we BOTH want to convince ourselves to quit outside work. We should be next door neighbors!

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses ... no kidding, we should be neighbors and have a HUGE market garden, and give each other the "UMPH",... it is more fun and even more productive to have someone to do it with...

Don't start celebrating too much on DS... he spent several calls on the phone being SOOOOO nice... and guess where he is again tonight... left the barn after sorting the calves in such a hurry, said he was going to be late... FOR WHAT???? Big secret I guess... and now he cannot stay for the calves to get sold tomorrow late afternoon... he has to take the kids to some halloween thing... said he thought it was next week... and expects me to drive up separate... he will take the truck and trailer... get them sorted up there so I don't have to listen to him complain that they weren't grouped right... and then I have to come separate so he can leave and I will have to bring the truck and trailer home... at whatever hour the sale gets done... so that someone is there to make sure that none of them get low bids... BECAUSE if there is any chance that anything gets "no saled" I have to be able to bring it back home... or if he or I should buy something....
I hate pulling this trailer... and I do not like driving after dark much... although it will be mostly interstate coming back...

The hay wagons and the equipment are all in the barns too...

I did go up and get the 5 heifers to come down into the catch pen and he went and got them...they are now at the nurse cow pasture, no bull in there, don't want them bred now.... then he had a dr appt at 2 , then we got the calves sorted as to what was going tomorrow... then put up the panels to block off the hay barn where they took the fence down when he built it... so that he can move cattle around up back... he'll move the steers that came home from WV up in the back out on grass and get them situated so he can start feeding silage this coming week, and move the other group over on the better grass as they are a little younger... I think he is going to hold the WV steers for a month or 2... after the glut of fall cattle is done... although I think he said he had someone interested in looking at them. But he was impatient and very short with everything he said...and everything we did.... so nothing has changed other than he is getting things done at the barn more.. but sometimes it is not worth it as his temper has been very volatile again...

Talked to a guy who might know someone that could get the fence up here... lots of "if's and maybe's"..... kinda would like to get my one nurse cow here and a shelter so I could milk some and put calves on her, she is due late Nov I think; and not have to go to the other place... just out the door....

So, after he was in such a rush to leave the barn... I came on home... and did get some more potatoes weighed... I think I have 5 varieties left to weigh... they are all the ones with the "most" production... so the most pounds/quantity that need to be weighed... but I hope to get them done on Sunday...

Owner called from Wade's Mill where I used to work part-time...(historic grist mill) and wanted to know if I was interested in helping out at the apple butter festival... wants me to mostly run the cash register and help restock as things sell in the mill... I'm going next friday to learn their register and system for a couple of hours... will work Sat 8:30 to 4 or so probably.... It will be a long day but that is okay... There are rumors that he is selling the mill and that the new owner is going to continue to run it.... he has money and took this over to "get it back on track"... my former bosses had let it really go the last couple years and I had left because they wouldn't do things the way they should get done, got lax about filling orders etc... and DS wanted to get bigger so I put my energies into the cattle operation... I got tired of things not getting done there, so it was a good time to leave as they were not interested in letting me take it over which I wanted to do at the time...

I am done and in for the night. Going to probably make something easy for supper...

 

[Mike CHS]

You have a whole lot of things going on so I will just say good night.

 

[farmerjan]

Up this morning, to clouds and the road is a little wet but radar doesn't show where we got much...it has mostly stayed south again, and headed east. @Mini Horses looks to be in the path. This "wet" coming from a bit of a weather pattern to the south, and then the one to the north is supposed to come down a bit and we are supposed to get some of that this afternoon/evening.

Going to get something for breakfast, let chickens out and then see about getting the couple of cows/heifers out of the other group, where he turned them in, that are going with this group of calves. He couldn't take 5 extra minutes when he brought them from the nurse cow pasture the other day, to lock out the one group so these couple could go through that lot, and into the next lot with the group that was going to get sorted. So now they will have to be sorted out this morning from the lot he turned them into....and they are going to the sale. 2 of the three are mine and I want them gone and want the money for them. There are 2 calves of mine going also with the group we sorted out. But, that means that the smaller number of cows I have are doing a better job of raising their calves than his are... since I have a much smaller percentage of calves that are in this "smaller sized group"... There are several of the calves that are off cows I have told him he needs to think about selling... they have had small calves in the past, but what do I know????? One of the 2 smaller calves is off a cow I bought, she should be having a new calf now, and she will not get bred back again. But, I bought her right and she has had 2 calves and due now for her third since I owned her, so she has paid her way and then a bit.

So, going to get the day doing... it is just one of those grey dreary looking days ....

 

[Ridgetop]

If the Grist Mil sells, maybe the new owner will want a manager. Hint, hint . . . .
Except that is another job.
Drive safe.

 

[farmerjan]

Went up and DS got the 3 big animals (out of the group) in the first lot, that were going to be sold, and then we moved the steers from WV, up to the pasture behind the barn . Got the ones sorted out to go, loaded, and he left for the stockyard. I will be going up in a bit. Have to go get the outback since it is still at Deb's from when I went and got the tractor and baler the other day. I will leave the forester there and switch vehicles... and if worse comes to worse, I will get jim to run me up there to get it back home on Monday.
It is lightly misty... a little rain/showers early, then saw about 5 minutes of sun through the clouds, but will be cloudy and grey, like this most all day. Then possible some more serious showers/rain late this afternoon into the evening. We really could use it. We are over 8 inches short for the year still... still on the borderline of abnormally dry and moderate drought on the maps. .2 inch the other day did not go far... and this doesn't look to put down much... maybe a 1/2 inch if we get lucky.

Got the dishes done, now, and going to eat something since I never did eat any breakfast. Let the chickens out then DS texted me and said he was headed to the barn and was going to check cows for new calves. So, I didn't eat, just headed for the barn.

No, @Ridgetop ; I am no longer wanting to take over the mill... no mgr job or anything. I wouldn't mind working a little.... maybe.... and maybe not. I rather like not having to "punch a time clock" .... testing is more flexible... and farmers are not as difficult to deal with as the general buying public. I really want to see if I can get the garden idea to be a little more profitable... like @Mini Horses; and maybe see if selling at the produce auction that is an hour north, would be a possibility... maybe do more of the specialty potatoes... IF... I can keep the ground hogs out of the garden, green beans have always been a good seller here... used to go like hot cakes at the food co-op that I belonged to when I was selling eggs from pasture free range hens. I would take the surplus green beans and tomatoes and the beans sold out in a hurry. It was a consignment thing and I never got docked for "loss" on the beans.... tomatoes sometimes they didn't sell well, but there were always alot of tomatoes there.... no big deal... and I had to go to take the eggs twice a week anyway. Sure wish they were still there... but they closed the store because membership waned... and I quit with the pasture based eggs due to the D#@% eagle....
I hate tying up Saturdays for the farmers markets though... I really liked the consignment thing at the food co-op....
Maybe some produce like that at the mill???? I used to sell from the big garden that I had there.... until the daughter would come in and just help herself to whatever she wanted...and not just take enough for a meal but would take enough for several meals worth... and too lazy to even go pick in the garden there... so I quit with doing the garden there too... it was supposed to be mine with the owners welcome to pick for their use... and they would go get a handful of green beans and 2-3 tomatoes every few days... a few cucumbers or squash on occasion.... they got "free fresh food" without having to do any work for it... which was great.... but when the daughter came and got about a 1/4 bushel of just picked green beans and a dozen tomatoes and some cucumbers and squash for a "party" she was going to have... which she mentioned after she just took all the stuff and put it in her car... I said to myself, that's enough... and that was the last year (did it for 3 yrs) I did it.
I hate people that feel like they are "entitled"... and she was another one like that...

Okay, lunch and headed to the sale.

 

[murphysranch]

I've not been here for a few days. Thanks for the photos of the potatoes! I tried to grow some last year, right when we moved in. I abandoned them and they grew back this year. But mostly tiny small round things. The few handfuls I got were good, but not worth the water cost.

 

[farmerjan]

Potatoes do require regular watering... BUT.... That said... I did not water mine this year... I did mulch them fairly well... June was cooler than normal and no rain until after the 17th, I think.... then got 3 inches in 2 weeks and the temps did not get consistently warmer until the last week.... We got a about 3 inches the first 2 weeks of july, then barely 1 inch all through August then some fair rains of .2 to maybe .8, off and on in Sept... but what we got was not enough to be considered close to normal... we are at about 6-8 inches short for the year and considered in the abnormally dry to moderate drought here... The mulch was the trick to a halfway decent crop....Next year will be better mulched...

Photos are courtesy of @Mini Horses ..... and those were just the first few I had dug... The Adirondack reds and the Blue Golds are pretty... the pinto fingerlings are cute with the creamy "spots" on the darker background... some are real nice... the Pontiacs are a big red one...
If they do not get enough water they will only grow the little ones... but if you can mulch heavy and then water once every 2-3 weeks or so... you ought to get a better crop... I did run the soaker hose down between 2 rows before I got those rows mulched good... Ran it one time for about 6 hours as it was on the tomatoes also, when it got real dry... and then I mulched them some more... and those have some of the heaviest production of the fingerling varieties.... But then, I mulched the whole garden and it was a godsend since our rain/watering was so sporadic.