Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @farmerjan,

You said:

that little bit of rain might have helped the grass but didn't do much for the spring.

Does your spring ever go dry? I somehow got the impression that it ran year round.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Baymule]

I'll be right over

Come on! Here pretty soon I'm going to take some slabs of Wilbur out and make stuffed sausage and BJ will man the pit to smoke it. Dang! it is larruping good!

 

[farmerjan]

@Senile_Texas_Aggie ;
yes, this spring has gone pretty much dry a few times in the past. Since it is a rented place, we just deal with it since the owners will not allow us to use the well..... we won't get into that. Usually only when we get into these drought like conditions and usually more often in late July/Aug.... it normally isn't this hot here in Sept, and we usually have more rain than we have had this fall. It is still running a little, but the trough is deep enough ( it is a big round concrete one) that the smaller calves can't reach down into it. I'm saying the ones that are 200-400 lb. The ones over 400 lbs can pretty much reach but it has only had about 2-5 inches in it at any one time here the last few days. The cows are keeping it pretty low when they drink. But, they are not "looking for water" as they came back up to the truck when I was unloading the water this eve, some took a drink then just walked off. The calves spent a little more time at it, but still didn't go crazy for it. I took nearly 190 gallons according to the measure on the side, and I bet there was 125-150 gallons left when I got it emptied and they all just were standing around looking at it, and at me, like okay, now where is the grain. So better to keep them satisfied, as then they don't rush and try to knock me down getting to the water.

Normally we would have just moved some out, but the first calf heifers are starting to calve and there are several that I am going to start breeding AI. Was waiting for the temps to drop down some, so they will be showing heats and be more likely to settle. Going to get the heat detector patches on them in the next couple of days and get serious about trying to catch some in heat and breed. Got 6 or 8 that really need to get bred. I don't care about them having summer calves, it would be better for me if the nurse cows do wait until at least June so that I am back on my "feet" (ankle) and able to graft calves on them. Plus I may be milking one or two for myself some too, so I have to be mobile. I don't want them to all calve at once either, so starting now, and breeding through until the end of dec will space the calves out a bit. There are several jersey/holstein crosses, and a couple that are jersey/beef and holstein/beef crosses and a few will wait until the following year to get bred but I have about 6-8 heifers that I need to get started on getting pregnant, besides the 5 cows that are there. A couple will go with the bull in Nov/Dec for fall calves next year. But they are beef crosses and hopefully I won't have to try to put any extra calves on them like the jerseys and the jersey/hol crosses.

Had 2 new calves on the first calf heifers. One on a black heifer, little black bull calf, up and she was talking to it good... and a grey charl x heifer had a nice looking grey calf not too long before I was there, the navel was still "wet", but it was dusk and am not positive but I think it was also a bull. It was also up and she was being very protective of it. That's fine with me. Up and mobile is all I worry about, with the new momma talking to it and claiming the baby.

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses ; you already have "fake milk" .... there's soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk; None come from a "lactating mammal" which what the true definition of milk is......

 

[farmerjan]

When I waitressed at a local pancake house for years, there was a couple who came in every Sunday after church for "breakfast". We used a whipped margarine type stuff and had a "fake maple syrup".... They brought their own butter from home and a little container of maple syrup for their pancakes or waffles. Hey, no problem, they were nice, polite, regulars, and liked the pancakes.... we can accommodate. They tipped decent too. Sometimes would come in mid-week too. He was totally deaf, and she was hearing impaired, and she could talk some, but he always wrote his down on a paper. Always gave them a small glass of milk for their coffee instead of the "coffee creamer " that we mixed up there too.

 

[Mini Horses]

@Mini Horses ; you already have "fake milk" .... there's soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk; None come from a "lactating mammal" which what the true definition of milk is......

True...do have those substitutes. And while some of those are "acceptable liquid" for say, cereal...NONE match real milk, cold, in a glass. Not for me anyway.

I'm just thinking of the labs who will "make" milk.
Like all the "spreads" to replace real butter. I understand that some people cannot use real milk, real butter, etc., but some of these companies are putting out so many that you would think NO ONE should consume the real thing. All of it is adding to the cow job loses!

No real milk is like saying I can't have a vine ripe tomato on a BLT. I'm too old for all these darned changes!

 

[CntryBoy777]

That is a big reason we are going to give growing some veggies, enough to can and freeze, a shot come Feb....there isn't any flavor in store bought anymore....and the varieties of the ones canned isn't for flavor either....I'm missing some colored butterbeans....

 

[Bruce]

@Mini Horses ; you already have "fake milk" .... there's soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk; None come from a "lactating mammal" which what the true definition of milk is......

Though they can no longer be labeled "milk", I don't look at them enough (like ever) to know what they changed the names to.

 

[Baymule]

That is a big reason we are going to give growing some veggies, enough to can and freeze, a shot come Feb....there isn't any flavor in store bought anymore....and the varieties of the ones canned isn't for flavor either....I'm missing some colored butterbeans....

Squash, tomatoes, beans and greens are a good start!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

.I'm missing some colored butterbeans....

Yum!