Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

Maybe keep a pump up sprayer with insecticide, if you see a clump, spray them. They sound awful.

 

[Ridgetop]

Toby Keith gone! He was very young to go. Just like Marty Robbins, who also died young during heart surgery, and Johnny Horton. Their music will never die though.

I just read up on this tick and sheep can be infected but they are often considered "asymptomatic" carriers since they do not show the extreme results of the disease. I did read that a vaccine has been developed to use but don't know if it is available here in USA yet.

@ Farmerjan - you probably have this information already - Virginia Cooperative Extension has produced a document titled “Managing the Asian Longhorned Tick: Checklist for Best Management Practices for Cattle Producers.” The document can be accessed at: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO382/ENTO-382.html 18

Another disease courtesy of Asia. Since it seems to be more prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries, I wonder how it can survive winters with snow.

 

[Baymule]

It’s a nasty tick and we hate it. Of course it will survive. And spread.

 

[farmerjan]

Re: Asian Longhorn Tick disease...Theileria : Vaccine not available in the US and there is questions as to how effective it is. There is also a drug for treatment in Australia or maybe it is New Zealand... But is is not approved here and probably never will be... with holding for milk is something like 35 DAYS and.... with holding 150 days for MEAT....
There is a form of Chinese Cinnamon that has also been shown effective to ward off the ticks... for use in organic operations... the idea is try to keep them off the "domestic animals" like cattle and sheep and horses... they will look for any red blood mammal....
That document is basically alot of what the state vet was talking about Monday night.

For some reason it says that document is not available when I click on the link... but I am sure I can get it from the extension service.....

 

[farmerjan]

Just got home from testing... everything went good... Good herd to test... 190-200 cows, milk in 3 1/2 hours, most cows have good eartags to read as they come in the parlor... milker knows most any I cannot see... worst thing is I have to set up meters there and wait for the wash system to run all the cycles to pull them down.

I fed round bales to 2 places this morning... fed calves and did feed in the bunk and hay for them... The are really liking the couple of sq bales that I told DS I needed... and the really good smelling one I picked up along the side of the road... feeding out about 2 flakes, or sections, of a sq bale to them.... and they had cleaned up most of it when I went to do them this morning. Been feeding the hay outside in the couple of feed troughs since it has been so nice... no sense in them staying inside and making more manure and mess.... They will be inside when the rain comes in the end of the week/weekend.
The ground is so nice and dry out there right now...

Just made a gr cheese sandwich... wanted something warm and do not feel like cooking....

Going to wash the cow manure out of my hair and be "clean" for a few days... no iodine smell or anything. Beef cattle manure and stuff smells different than dairy cow....

It was another pretty decent day but cooler, little more breeze... 55 for high... tomorrow supposed to be a bit warmer again..
I am ready for spring... but we are looking at temps dropping back to more "normal" in the 40's and low 50's.... OH WELL.....

 

[Mini Horses]

If we just hang in for 30 more days then more good than bad weather!!!

But we've had some heavy snow here first week of March. A Nor Easter blows in as the polar vortex drops in....they meet! . Please no!!

 

[Baymule]

Rain here this weekend too. There is still water in the road in 3 places to drive through. Big puddle in front of my place, water is still trickling out into the road. It’s more of an ooze, but water is still contributing to the road. Same thing at Bennett’s pond. It gets overflowing and it’s just one big lake that covers the road. He says it drains to the back, but it must make a loop and go to the road. LOL So, more rain is expected!
I will not complain.
I will not complain.
I will not complain……..

 

[farmerjan]

I think you might be given a pass @Baymule ... for a few complaints on the rain. You have had more than your share plus some.... I just hope that it is working it's way down into the lower strata of the soil, and recharging the aquifers that we need to sustain the water use that the population keeps drawing.
The people in the parts of California getting drowned can complain some too.... that's excessive. The saddest thing for us all, is we can't get it to spread out just a little more... so we get less now and more when we are needing it. I don't mind some dry stretches... don't want months at a time with 90-110 degree temps like you get down there in Texas...
It seems that the rains have been more concentrated and extreme in the last few years... OR.... is it that we are just so much more aware due to INSTANT news all the time???? So we are more aware of all the extreme or disastrous weather that is not within our own ecosystems, or is the weather getting more extreme????

Came in to eat a sandwich... had to make a trip to the dump to take the cow that died... seems DS hadn't gotten there yet. Luckily nights have been in the 20's so not in too bad a shape yet.

Samples packed and dropped off.

It is really really nice out there.... started at 24 so chilly, but as the sun came up it warmed quickly... It says only 50 but with no breeze, feels much warmer... Going to go back out and get some other stuff done...
We are going to sort the steers this evening, get them in the barn and ready to load tomorrow morning around 4:30 to go to the state graded sale.
Prices at the local stockyard last week had many pens of steers bringing over $3.00 lb. We are going to be selling more soon... some that will come home in the next week, will be getting sold directly off the cows, not weaned... although many are mostly weaned since the cows are drying up to calve again in April or so... but the prices are such that it will not pay to keep them... although I think we are going to keep most heifers if they aren't crazy nut cases... they are going to be worth more as the current cow numbers that just came out is scary. The beef herd numbers are down again after the final tally... 2% lower numbers than the previous lows. Even the dairy numbers are down a bit too...

The unrest in the farming communities in European countries is something we need to take note of... there is unrest like we have never seen in the ag sectors all across the world... all these idiotic laws and rules and such being proposed proves that the "elites" are trying to control things to suit themselves, to force the "lower classes" into servitude and control populations and all through the control of the food supply... starvation is an acceptable way of controlling population in their eyes... and they need to reduce the populations in this world... This is getting scary people... I have never seen this kind of universal unhappiness in my lifetime... or the level of trying to control the masses as the laws and such being proposed...

 

[Ridgetop]

Another complaint about California pols - California voted for an increase in taxes to rebuild our dams and water reservoirs. The bill was supposed to build new reservoirs and water saving plants. This would have avoided water rationing during drought seasons. When the tax money came in it was put in the general fund instead of in the promised special fund for water. Jerry Brown, then governor, proceeded to raid those funds for his high speed train that went from northern California to Las Vegas. It couldn't complete its promised route to San Diego because of the towns, etc. in the way. Jerry changed the route to swerve through parcels of land owned by his buddies giving them a big paycheck. However, the "high sped" train can't achieve high speeds because the route is so full of curves. It was also planned to tunnel under some mountains, cross sensitive endangered species areas, and certain towns in half with the tracks. The budget kept climbing, the water money is long spent, and only isolated portions of track were laid beginning and ending without being connected to any rail system.

This is why our California dams are failing, we cannot capture water during storm seasons like the current one, and California is short of water while still encouraging developers to build expensive housing tracts with golf courses.

More Prozac!

 

[farmerjan]

Went up and we sorted the steers... they had been sorted, but then one of the boards (that has been needing replacement for a year) broke and several got mixed together... so we had to bring both groups down and sort out the bigger ones that Caleb and DS had "graded" and sorted 2 weeks ago.... got then done, and the guy who is buying some silage was there and DS loaded him (gets a pickup load at a time) and I ran home to feed bottles... then went back and got feed for DS, out of the bin as he fed some hay... he had fed the silage in the barn when I was doing calves, and then went with him to feed hay at 2 places. Then got back to the barn and he was going to get a buddy's cattle trailer as these steers are in the 7-800 lb range and we have 30 to take so need the 2 trailers. Our other trailer that I prefer, needs a new floor... has a couple "soft" spots... and not going to risk anything "going through the bottom"...
So he dropped me back at the barn at my car... he left to feed some hay at another place and then go get the trailer so that in the morning all we have to do is load and go. The steers in the barn have silage, and got fed their grain, and the one trailer is all backed up to the loading alley....
I came home, made a cheese omelet, and am going in to take a shower and go to bed. Need to be up by 3:30 to get to the barn between 4-4:15 and we want to be loaded and gone by 5... be there at 6 or so, as we have no idea of what the line(cattle to be sold/trailers) might be or not... plus DS has to go to work as soon as we get back... then we will go back for the graded sale at 6... they have their regular sale at 1 or so, and then no matter what they are selling, they stop to specifically sell the animals that made it into the "graded pen... Graded means that they meet certain specs as far as the type, frame size, and get co-mingled with others according to weights... if for some reason any of ours do not grade, we will bring them back home and then see if they match anything else we have and sell later on. It costs more to sell in the graded sale, but certain buyers will pay more for graded animals since they get orders from farmers that will either graze them, or feed them out to finish sizes for butcher animals...
It is a "game" of deciding what to sell where and when... Caleb is taking his calves in to the sale also, and has been after DS to take a load up there... we have sold at this yard a few times years ago, but not often. The sales are on Thursdays, and it was never real convenient and it is an hour away as opposed to the closer one we often sell steers at. But Caleb (who is a state grader and used to work for us part-time as a kid) said that the state graded sales here bring in a good bunch of buyers... and with the reduced number of cattle around, thinks this will be a very good one... we also need to get some cattle moved around and need the space to bring home the cows and calves from that one place anyway...
As part of the NRCS (or NCRS or, whatever it is) he is replacing fences and putting in another waterer or 2... to make a couple more lots so we can actually get them separated out more... and once that gets done, we will have another couple ways to separate and sort them and have places to put some when we first bring them home from pastures and all. Now we have to move some around and lock some out of the barn, shift things, for the short term when working cattle....
Alot more than I ever planned to do when I got started... and I do not enjoy all the feeding stuff like he does, but it is his money and his farm really, so we do this his way...

Found out that sq bale of hay I picked up was one of his, he had sold 20 bales to someone and there was only 19 on the truck .... told him I want another 5-10 for the calves at the barn... and he is getting $12 a sq bale for it and the lady was thrilled to get it. A friend of his has this "contract" but he doesn't have enough to sell... so DS is getting in on the deal...
I am going to watch and see how the holstein bull calves are selling... and if they are still doing good, will probably go ahead with the deal on the calves from the dairy... they ought to be starting to be born in 10 days... go once a week, or twice a week if they have alot of bull calves... have to get the 2 hutches moved around and the panels set up... at least they will be at the house to make bottles a little easier for now. Especially if this calf market stays good... and feeders look good for this year.

So, time to get some sleep...