Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

had some cans of beans bought a long time ago... so I opened them and they were fine,

Canned food stays longer than the expiratins date. Was cleaning out the Friday Bridge food cabinet from before Covid on Wednesday. Friday Bridge Club is defunct since Covid so I threw away all the open stuff that could draw ants. The kitchen people at the Senor Center came to get the paper goods. I left to play my hand and when i came back they had tossed a lot of stuff. They were throwing away sealed cans of coffee grounds and I stopped them. They told me that even though the seals had never been opened, because the can showed an expiration date using the coffee would make you sick! I figured that they would get in trouble because it was expired so I took the 2 lb. can. It was decaf and my partner was thrilled to get it. Coffee has gone up a lot.

Does anyone cook beef tongue? Have several in the freezer from halves that no one wanted the tongues...

My grandfather was German and he loved pickled tongue. I think you boil the tongue first, then you peel the skin off, before pickling it. There should be recipes online. You can either freeze it afterwards or can it. It makes great sliced sandwich meat.

 

[farmerjan]

Monday morning... up and getting moving. Been a couple of busy days.

Tested Sunday morning. Did a few errands on the way home. I was tired. Did not sleep good Sat night. Think I was afraid that I would not hear alarm or something.
Got right near the barn and look out and there is a cow that looked like it had calved and a whole bunch of buzzards around. So I went up to the barn and DS was there and told him he needed to come check and so a few minutes later he came down to the gate I had opened and we rode down in the field and there was a cow with a new calf... he got it tagged and the momma was not happy... but she only tried to butt at him once, then as soon as he let the calf go, she went across the field with it and then over into the patch of woods and that was good. Then I came on to the house.

Had to go up and see about getting in the nurse cow with the calf. Finally got her to follow the car and bucket up near the barn, and fed the other cows a little out in the feed troughs... she came up to the barn then because she is a feed hog.... and got her calf shoved in through the creep gate so then it was pretty easy to get her through the gate which I did not open very far so the other cows couldn't get in. Got her situated over in the "smaller side" and then fed calves in the barn and out in the pen. FINALLY got all the 4 bigger bull calves in and one heifer at the same time.....
I also had taken apart the big "dog crate" that DS had bent when he ran over the live trap at the chicken shelter, and had straightened most of it out and took it down to the barn to see if he could straighten the rest so I could put it back together and use it to go get a calf that the farmer that I had to stop and get the check from, had. It is a holstein, and not a $300 calf... the other farmer I had contacted said that he was getting $300 for the holsteins at the market and $500 for the black ones... and I am not paying that. It is not worth it to me and the black calves that are 1/2 hol 1/2 beef do not bring the prices here as 500 lb feeders, that the straight beef calves do.
So, I helped DS get a piece of guardrail up at the barn in the back above the bunk feeder to stop the calves from climbing up and over the concrete "J bunk" .... it is in the fenceline, so he can use the feed cart to feed out the silage directly into the bunk, or use the skid loader to dump buckets into it from outside the pens... but there are always a few calves that will jump up in it and then can come out the ends and get themselves out where they do not need to be.... plus get the feed "dirty"...
GF sister came up with her 2 kids, and seems like GF was supposed to come help him (hence the bad mood) and then she "couldn't/wouldn't" come.... and of course DS was in a pi$$y mood because he won't talk to me and kept saying to sister, but she knew I needed to get this done today.... so he was taking advantage of my being there to help..... but didn't want to take the few minutes to help straighten the dog crate... then was not happy that I had the calves in and he would have to go get them and bring them to the barn to get tagged and shots and the bull calves "worked"... but he couldn't say much because he had told me the other day that whenever I got them in, he would come and get them done... So, he told me to just go on and get the calf, and he would get the calves and bring them to the barn and get them done. Then he asked J if she could go help him for a little bit, and I guess she did. I went up and got the calves into the barn... and then went to get the hol calf.
With the time change, it was a little after 5 when I got there, but was dark when I got home. Took calf to the barn, got him in the pen, and gave her some grain... She let him nurse a little, then got nasty and tried to knock him through the gate... he got the idea for nursing though... and then as I went out to get the gate open a little to kick her out, I fell over a couple of rocks in the pen, that I didn't see or realize where there, under some grass, and fell flat... D@%#..... it hurt. Nothing major, just bruised... but in the dark I did not see anything... so then finally got myself up using the water trough in there for leverage... got her out and kept the calves in. She will be wanting them this morning and I will be able to see to work with her. She used to take anything I gave her, but last lactation she was a little more "bi#@y" about it and she was not being very nice at all last night. I have not worked with her much the last couple of years with the ankle, then the knee replacements... so that is part of it. We'll see... she might just get to raise her calf and this second one grafted on her... and not get much grain for it like I used to feed her good and had 3 or 4 on her for the lactation.... we'll see how things go today. The calf at least knows where the udder is and what it is for from the looks of things last night... I did not have to get him on the teats or anything so that was real good. Her calf will be wanting to go on her this morning and I will be right there to make sure he gets on her too... a few days of this and she should be okay with them both nursing. She had her calf to herself for 2 days, and I like to try to get them in and a calf or calves started right away... and I just have not worked with her much. She also was dry this time for 5 months since she took awhile to get bred back...
Her calf is a nice chunky one... heifer too.... half beef... which is fine.

Well. time to get up there and get her done so I can get back here for James to show up to do some work.
Then samples to pack and other stuff to do...

 

[Baymule]

I made steak and potatoes last night for supper. I used the Russian fingerlings. I peeled them, sliced in about 1/4” pieces and put in a hot oiled skillet. I lightly browned both sides, turned down the heat, added a splash of soy sauce and covered them.

When cooked through, I covered with cheese and put the top back on until the cheese was melted. Yummy!

 

[SageHill]

That is one thing we are going to have to do in Texas for winter - winterize water faucets and put hoses, etc. away. Here it freezes so rarely that we don't have to do any of that stuff. You can even grow stuff year-round here - unless you have ground squirrels! But I just found the gassers I bought in Texas! I thought I had left them behind again, but I brought them with me. Tomorrow I will go out and try to exterminate some ground squirrel burrows.

Let me know how that goes on the squirrel burrows/holes

 

[Ridgetop]

Got right near the barn and look out and there is a cow that looked like it had calved and a whole bunch of buzzards around.

Are those the black headed buzzards that attack newborns?

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, those are the dam#$d SOB's... they will attack and kill the babies with the cows going nuts... even have gone after the cows if they are down. You will need to watch them in Texas... they are a big problem in the southern states.

Got some things done today... The cow was not very cooperative this morning, but was better this evening. The calf is smart... so that is a good thing. He went right on her this evening with her calf , both from the side and then from the back... 801 was much more mellow this evening. She is not uddered up like I would like to see... but grain should help bring her into more milk. I am only going to have her raise the 2 this lactation. She is getting up in age.... her 5th or 6th, lactation I think, but she had 18 months between the last 2 lactations due to my ankle then knee replacements..... so she is pushing 9 or 10 yrs old. And she will not get exposed to a bull again to get bred back anytime soon, unless I move her somewhere else since there will not be a bull in the nurse cow pasture until next June to breed the heifers..... I could breed her AI and just might do that... breed her back jersey or guernsey this time...
Also, I was wrong... her calf is a bull, not a heifer... so beef down the road, or to ship at a sale...

DS did get all the bull calves worked (banded) and shots for tetanus and blackleg... ear tagged and of course he got the tag wrong on one... because he did not listen to what I told him... but... his calf so doesn't matter to me anymore... The tag has "M" on it for the cow"M".... but it is on cow "0"... so when I get M and her bull calf in... he can band and tag that calf with a MM or something to keep them separate...she has to go to another pasture to get bred back this winter, for a calf next year... they are both his calves... the only one that is mine is the speckled bull on the longhorn so no mistaking him.... and he will be beef in my freezer in late 2024 or early 2025...
These calves will get weaned and their mothers preg checked some time we are doing other cattle... I will get them in to move to the barn... M is the only one that needs to get moved to get bred in the next month... there is one more to calve in about a month or 2... she will get held over to the spring calving group since it is unlikely she would "back up" a month and we are trying to get away from calves being born in Dec-Jan-Feb... so will hold her over for breeding back in June... she will have an "older calf"... this is her 2nd calf coming now... she was thin and did not breed back fast.... the rest of her group are calving/have already calved now... she might not even be kept if she doesn't do good with this calf.

Going to have to haul water again tomorrow... they have finished up the water in the troughs... water is way down in the spring fed trough... I have to figure out a way to put water in the couple of tubs and smaller troughs in the barn lot for both the side of the nurse cow and her calves... and for the calves coming in the creep gate. May wind up hauling 2 loads... I will have to take a small little "step stool" so I can get up to do the pipe into the tank better... and not get soaked again. Then figure out to get the water into the troughs at the barn that are higher than the trailer... some will run out from the pressure at first... I'll think on it... guess I can do buckets of it into the troughs in the barn lot when it gets down a little and won't "force it out....uphill", as it gets lower in the water tank on the trailer.

James came to the house and worked about 4 1/2 - 5 hours... he did get most of the brush cut from behind the shelter... WOW... looks real open... and piled alot of that already in the garden in a burn pile, since it is right there... He also cut all around the maple in the front yard... and severely trimmed back the bush in the yard that has the little white flowers in the spring, but has been spreading out and getting way out of control... He has a bad back from an old injury... so alot of hard physical work does a number on his back... I told him that he didn't have to work a 6-8 hour day, he could do it in shorter stretches if that was easier on his back... He did a pretty good job so far today, so I am happy... will get more of it cleaned up and then do around the holly tree here and get that scrub out from around it... and work on the branches left from the old apple tree that came down a year or so ago...and the forsythia bush..... I asked if he wanted to get paid for the hours so far and he said if I could, so he could fill up the car with gas... I am not going to question it... so I paid him for today...I expect he will be back tomorrow... but he knows more of what needs doing in case I am up with the cow or something. Plus I will be hauling water some of the time...At least something is getting accomplished. I can load alot of the stuff he cut in the yard, into the truck, and take it over to the burn pile if he doesn't show back up...but I am sure he will...

The deer got into the electric netting I had partly taken down and NEATLY folded into an accordion fold to be able to put it back up easily....there is a 20 ft section that they must have gotten real tangled in... some is torn and broken... .
I got it straightened out today... think it will be smarter to cut out that section than to try to patch and tie together all the pieces... even tore the bottom ground polywire .....that is thicker... one spot is right near a post, and the other piece with several tears is about halfway between 2 posts... I think by looking at it, I can "take it apart" to get the posts moved to the "end" of the good section... it will make 2 shorter sections of fence... I wanted to wait until we got all the cutting/clearing done and the shelter frame moved and the new cover put up over it and then put up a couple of "pens" for the chickens.... especially if I get some more new ones... with the 2 ends that open, I can make 2 small "outside lots" for them to go out in; get established and then, I would like to have them all together for the winter to make it easier, and then do the separating in the spring for breeding and chicks and stuff...

Packed the samples and took them to the vineyard and UPS had not been there yet so that was good. Went to the co-op and got a couple more bags of feed for the cow in the barn....

Had to put the battery charger on the forester... I must have forgotten to turn off the key when I put the windows up...a week ago.... key was on and battery was stone cold dead... leaving it on trickle charge until tomorrow... then I will get it going tomorrow and drive it some... I prefer to use it to take up to the nurse cow pasture and keep the feed in the back... dry and safe from cows wanting to get into it...
I have to have the outback empty in the back to load meters for Wed herd... and then another one called me and wants Thursday afternoon... I really don't want to do the wed eve/thurs morning and then go do this 200 cow herd on Thurs afternoon... but will .... I will be TIRED when I do get home Thurs night... ought to sleep good at least.

So, I guess that is it for right this minute. I will get bottles into the racks so they will be ready to go, meters and hoses in the car for both herds... to be ahead of the game on Wed...

Clothes will come in off line, tomorrow... Praying that the 50% chance of rain for Thursday night into Friday will materialize... hoping the system will STALL out over us for a day...

Well is getting low, the pressure does not keep up very well so it is not filling the pressure tank very fast... Trying to be careful of water use right now.... no more laundry here... will go to a laundromat if I have to but should be good for a couple weeks...

Ate some of the chicken and baked beans for supper... done for the night...

 

[Baymule]

Deer tore up the netting? Gheeze, you just can’t win where those deer are concerned. Got any friends that will shoot them and split the meat with you?

 

[farmerjan]

Well, it is an outside chance it was one of the bears, but I think that the chickens and all would have suffered from that sort of an encounter... yeah, I would pretty much guarantee it was deer... being incredibly stupid and prancing around, slender feet and dragging just a tad and bingo... wrapped around leg.... ( they are in season and the bucks are in rut) and got it caught up in their hooves and or horns... there was a section still standing and the rest was folded accordion style on the ground just past the post that was standing... since I was going to put it back up again after we got all the work done around the shelter and the garden area....and got tangled in it...( I have to be SUPER CAREFUL to not get my feet tangled in it if I go to walk across it rather than go around it) ... and then went a little nuts getting out of it and tore it up.... it is sooo easy to get your foot in it.... and it is loose, so is flimsy like, laying on the ground... and I have tripped myself up twice in just a single "layer" on the ground. But gee whiz... I laid it right near the post and there is all sorts of room for them to go around it into the garden, that they were so he// bent on getting into and eating before...
Got to watch any shooting... too close to the road... need a bow for hunting them... or aim out towards the christmas tree lot....

JUST a royal PITA .

 

[farmerjan]

Wed eve... have been busy the last 2 days and tired so not going to get into much... Tested this afternoon and will go back in the morning... then have to do the 200 cow herd Thurs aft... BUT.... of course the owner sampler herd calls me Tues morning and says he just finished the second milking so the samples were ready... he had forgotten about some church stuff the week before... so didn't test... and I point blank said that I was tied up for the rest of the day Tues and Wed... and that I would be up that way Thursday... the 200 cow herd is 2 miles from him... and that was the best I could do... which, will be fine as the samples have a preservative in each one so they keep for a week with no problem...
BUT REALLY......
Weather has been so nice... BUT way TOO DRY... maybe some showers coming in Friday... but although it looks like we will get some... the forecast is saying maybe only .1 to .2 inches... so barely wet... it is so dusty out there it will be welcome just to help settle the dust.
Going in to take a quick shower and go to bed...

 

[Mini Horses]

That's what we're probably getting...drizzles.