Farmerjan's journal - Weather

murphysranch

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I don't know the right answer, FJ. My medicare is standard cost out of my SS. The Health Net advantage is $24 a month. This year, there is no copay. I suppose that the Advantage plan is for high cost things. I go to the P.A. about 1 - 2 x a year, and the derm a bit more often. Of course, mamograms are free as are vaccines.

Back when my shattered knee was reconstructed, I had to pay $10K in November '10, and then another $10K a year later, when they removed alot of the nails and wire and bolts. This was during Obamacare, which was a frickin nightmare.
 

Baymule

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farmerjan

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Chilly day, started out at 26 up to 44, but it was mostly cloudy and very little sun peeking out.

Got the feed unloaded from outback to forester. Did calves, fluffed hay and flipped some in the bunk. Fed feed and bottles... big calves are being cut in half, but it satisfies their want/need to suck also.
Got the meters loaded in the outback; got the brackets changed on the 10 I will need Thursday, as well as the rest I need for Friday (16 needed at that herd)..plus an extra that I always take. Got the hoses also... short ones for Friday and the longest ones for Thursday.
Brought boxes of bottles in to put into the trays, later, for use tomorrow and will try to get the rest in trays for all 3 farms... one less thing to worry with...

Talked to DS after talking to vet and picking his brain for suggestions... Basically he thinks they may need more protein/energy due to the severe cold we had... but agrees that running some fecal samples would be good, to see if they have worm loads, or to eliminate that. And that going through and worming them all might be a good preventative anyway...and the possibility of salmonella but that usually causes diarhea/scours....
So, this afternoon we put the bars back in the one silage cart so that it makes locking head catches on the silage cart. This will catch the cows, automatically as they put their heads in to eat, so that he could use the wormer, and then I could get some fecal/manure samples.
So we went up there... and the cows were looking better... DS mentioned it and then I had to agree... they did not look so gaunt.... There was silage left in the cart that he brought back down, so it is not like they are so hungry... and he took another roll of hay so they have more than enough... but it gets so muddy so takes a roll most everytime he takes the tractor up there. He added some silage, put in the pellets he is feeding, and we went back up. The cows all went in to eat except 1 that is a real witch... and I got samples from 5 different animals... 2 of the thin ones, 2 so-so and one that looked decent... did not get the numbers on the sleeves as I turned them inside out since I was trying to not lose my boots in the mud. Doesn't matter as they all got ivermectin pour-on while they were in the headlocks. But, the whole idea of the fecals is to see if there is something there that we are not seeing. Normally we do not do adult cows unless they look a little thin. This will hopefully help any and all, and if any of the samples comes back with problems, then we will assume that the thin ones all have the same problem and will get treated again with whatever they need.

That all said, I am really thinking that they did not like the taste of the water... that there was something that made it taste off to them. We had emptied and swished it out good...ran more water in to rinse it and then allowed it to fill....the other day.... and I think that may have really helped. I asked DS when the last time he had cleaned the troughs, and he said he didn't know....But they did not look "dehydrated" or gaunted up like the other day... still some thin, but they just "looked a little better".....

We did take the top off the center of the water trough, where the float and all is, and I got fresh water from the spigot, pushed the float down so it would run.... where the float cuts it off when it is full... so no exposure to the trough and other bacteria etc.. It will get dropped off tomorrow on the way to the chiropractor and then to test milk at the farm.

Got the bottles in 3 trays... will need to do some more for Friday aft herd... but I will have gotten samples packed and sent off by then too.
On top of that, my REGULAR monthly herd called... and they want Saturday afternoon... I always test on the owners' weekend to work... and that is great... he always calls a couple days ahead and says, hey, our weekend to milk on Sat or Sunday.... and we set it up.... great to work with them... but all at once....and I had sorta forgotten it was already the first of the month...
Again, feast or famine...4 days in a row....
Got to get the 500 cow herd done too....as soon as I can

Still calling for some rain/snow tonight and into tomorrow .....
 

farmerjan

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Yep.... and doing that also lifts the pen so calves can scoot under if out in a bigger pasture... and then trying to pull the pins to attach to the other panels... to try to figure out how to get the dummy out of it....
 

Mini Horses

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@farmerjan you had asked why would a farmer remove this fence (which I brought home yesterday). I wondered also but, turns out the "farmer" was a homesteader really. But fence was meticulously removed, rolled, marked lengths on metal tags 😳 lovely job. Pulled into a farm with orchards started in perfect row, perfect spacing, wrapped in white protective sleeves...all set within 5 strand hot wire. Grounds well kept, etc. more orchards further back with fruit & nut trees -- same young stock. In between were some pigs, about 10 sheep, and further 3 jerseys for milking. Area of electric netting to rotate sheep. He said 20 acres, I'd guess 10 cleared and in the use above. Overall the property was low, requiring the various ditches to maintain it during wet season. Anyhow, he says until he can reclaim more of the wooded area, only the portables & 5 wire works easily. So he was removing this fence -- there at purchase. I saw the wooden corner posts were rotting off, so needed to come out or replace.

The young guy -- guessing 35-40 -- appeared as Mennonite influenced. Beard, hat, etc. He has no tractor equipment. Was strong & obviously used to real work! Says he sells raw milk, some lamb, pork, eggs, etc. Feels the orchards ( ?4acres?) will supply good income in a few years -- building up for future. Overall, very business like, aware, informed, dedicated to the life and a self sufficient type farm. 🤔
 

farmerjan

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WOW and DOUBLE WOW.... that is fantastic @Mini Horses ....rolled neatly and all that....
@farmerjan you had asked why would a farmer remove this fence (which I brought home yesterday). I wondered also but, turns out the "farmer" was a homesteader really. But fence was meticulously removed, rolled, marked lengths on metal tags 😳 lovely job. Pulled into a farm with orchards started in perfect row, perfect spacing, wrapped in white protective sleeves...all set within 5 strand hot wire. Grounds well kept, etc. more orchards further back with fruit & nut trees -- same young stock. In between were some pigs, about 10 sheep, and further 3 jerseys for milking. Area of electric netting to rotate sheep. He said 20 acres, I'd guess 10 cleared and in the use above. Overall the property was low, requiring the various ditches to maintain it during wet season. Anyhow, he says until he can reclaim more of the wooded area, only the portables & 5 wire works easily. So he was removing this fence -- there at purchase. I saw the wooden corner posts were rotting off, so needed to come out or replace.

The young guy -- guessing 35-40 -- appeared as Mennonite influenced. Beard, hat, etc. He has no tractor equipment. Was strong & obviously used to real work! Says he sells raw milk, some lamb, pork, eggs, etc. Feels the orchards ( ?4acres?) will supply good income in a few years -- building up for future. Overall, very business like, aware, informed, dedicated to the life and a self sufficient type farm. 🤔
Good for him... Boy, does that make me wish I could take 30 years off and redo part of my life... Oh well, bless him for wanting to "do for the future".....we need more of these types of people...
 
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