Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Got up to 35 out there. Sun is out. Temps will come up a bit more today. There is a light breeze out there so far... but not the strong breeze like yesterday. But that could change.
We also have a burning ban for the hunting season... because it takes only a day or 2 of this breezy weather to dry out the ground... I am not sure if it is statewide, but probably is.

Got the bottles in the trays to put in the car. Have to get the meters and hoses. I will have to change brackets on some of them since I had used 24 back a couple weeks ago. I think I have 12 already changed so only a few more to change back.

Slept hard last night. But I am not as sore as I thought I would be...

Got to get my stuff together so I can leave early. Need to uncover the plants before I go.

 

[Ridgetop]

I probably wi have to buy more hay this year. Cody said he had plenty so I will be ok. Better give him a call though just in case. LaNina is supposed to to bring dry ht weather to Texas this year.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday eve. Temps started at 38 and up to 68 with nice sun today. Light breeze.

Went and tested the herd yesterday afternoon. Everything went good, hardly ever have any problems there. They are up to 205 going through the parlor which is 10-15 more than normal... and they had just sold 6 cull cows that morning. They have had a bunch of heifers calve in the last month. They will be selling another 10-15 to a dairy farmer looking for some... Getting to the 200 mark is really more than their bunk space can comfortably handle so like to stay around the 190-195 number... They believe in having the max number in there all the time though... I don't agree with some of their practices, but the cows are there for a job and that is to produce milk... if they are not up to the job, they get culled... very very business like about it, but that is typical for mennonite farmers... There are no allowances made for problems.... none are pets.... just a commodity that is there for a job or sold. Efficiently run but not my way..... too impersonal. They take good physical care of the herd, and the feed is very good and a nutritionist is utilized to keep the ration as exact as possible.... Nice enough people, I have been testing him since he started this farm, tested his father's farm until they expanded the parlor from a double 7 to a double 13....when I was close to getting my ankle replaced... and I gave them both up to another tester, for about 2 years; Then when she wanted to go part-time, I got the son back but said I could not do the father's bigger parlor... they milk toooooo fast for me to keep up. I guess I will keep them until I retire....

Anyway... this morning DS called to see if I could help him put a couple more wagons in the arena (the opening is like only 12 ft wide so a tight fit...) at deb's so I met him up there so I could watch the sides... you can't see around the wide wagons with the truck mirrors...

Then I came home and eventually got the samples packed... also had to go back to deb's to feed the cats their canned food and scooped the kitty litter box for the 2 cats... then took the samples down to UPS and went in the store for a little bit... did some "browsing" that I don't often do... then came home. Been in since dark and going to get a shower and get my clothes laid out for tomorrow morning to go to the mill. I need to be there about 8 or so...

Need to eat something.... not sure what I want but stomach started to growl a few minutes ago. Feeling fairly lazy today... maybe just subconsciously resting up for tomorrow...
Weather is supposed to be around 70 and sunny so a NICE day for the festival... Sunday supposed to be nicer... No rain right through next weekend...
DS was going to cut more hay today... I honestly hope he gets it all cut in the next 3 days so we can get the rest of it made and be done for the year.

Okay, Okay... stomach.... I will go find something to feed you.

 

[farmerjan]

Good thing I "rested up" some yesterday.... we worked our butts off today. The weather was BEAOOTIFUL.... I mean just beautiful out there. Started at 42, got up to 72... Sun, no wind....
It was insane at the mill.... There was a steady stream of cars in there off the road for nearly 4 hours... I understand that one of the guys had a "clicker counter" thing... and they had 1050 cars before 2... It was non-stop cars "forever" it seemed.
The friends that do the Apple Butter in the copper kettle there... also do a batch before they come to the festival so they have something to sell. The apple butter takes 6-10 hours to cook down according to the apples, weather, humidity, all that. So they make a batch at a "canning kitchen" ahead and then when the batch comes off, they put it in jars right there... Get this, they made 45 cases which is 540 pint jars ahead... and what they "jarred" off the stuff cooking was about 160+ jars... so they made and sold 700 jars of apple butter... Well, I think Glen said he has a case of 12 jars to take home.... That's $10 a PINT...... HOLY COW.... Now apples cost over $50 more for a big wooden crate of them... He probably has over $1500 in the apples, cost of the canning facilities... and the jars... At say $15 a case... 60 cases... that's $900 just for the jars.... then the hours to cut the apples to take to the canning facility and get the apple butter cooked down and "canned".... so a couple days.... but still, that 's a good return.... But, they are selling the pints in the mill for $9 that are made for them by another company and they have them all year round... so not out of the range...
I remember paying $4 a pint and $7 a qt when I was working there 10-12 yrs ago....

I hate to admit that I didn't buy any of their apple butter this year. Normally I buy a half dozen jars.... I bought 3 cases at Sharp Shopper, made by a company in northern Va.... for $2.99 a jar... a month or so ago... No sugar added, like I like it.... more within my budget.... Granted it was most likely last years crop... but it is canned, sealed... and will last for years.... and I realize that Sharp Shopper is more of a discount/surplus type store... but still... I will have to look at what it is bringing in the grocery store next time I am in there....
Things are just getting so high for everything. I do not begrudge Glen and his wife, getting the "going rate" so to speak... just I am not going to pay that....

It seems that most all the vendors did very good business... I understand that one food vendor, with pizza, sold out... and the guy with the apple cider donuts had a HUGE line all day... luckily I got mine first thing this year... last year, they ran out and a friend had gotten some so I got one "mini donut" ... he did run out of all his batter right towards the end... and the local beer brewery, sold out all the beer they brought too, from what I was told...
SOOOOOOOO..... it was a very successful day for everyone I think.

Could not have been a more perfect day weather wise so I am glad for everyone....

I am going to collapse here shortly. I am beat... Back aches from being on my feet for nearly 8 hours... with about 3 or 4 times that we sat for about 5 minutes...It was a great day as far as the business went... I never got away from the "table" where we were so busy, so never got to see any of what was there this year. Oh well... maybe next year I will just go as a "normal tourist".....

Went to deb's and fed the cats this afternoon. Then went to the nurse cow pasture, and fed the calves. The one heifer that was checked pregnant that was way farther along... so got bred young... had a nice lively little bull calf... and is mothering it well... so that is all good. Have to get the rest of the heifers in to get preg checked... will call the vet Mon morning... to see if he is going to be down this way, or if not, just set up a day to do them...

DS did get the 26 heifers moved home from WV... and they will be "gone through" and decide who we are keeping, who is getting bred etc. So have to get the older bred ones out of the nurse cow pasture so the ones to be bred can go there and the bull will go in early Nov... so the calves are born earlier in the fall next year... Plus there are 5 cows there that need to get checked that have calves on them from the spring... and those calves need to get worked also... Guess all told there are another 20+, to come out of the nurse cow pasture to get preg checked and moved around. All depending on the hay, I hope maybe to get to them this week...

It is not 9 pm yet and I am going to eat a bit more... we never got any lunch... never really gave it much thought til after 3 when it slowed down... so I ate a little when I got home and changed sneakers and went to do the cats and then the calves. Am hungry enough to eat, so think I will make some soup maybe? I will be in bed here in a little bit...

 

[Mini Horses]

Glad it was a good day for vendors! I made apple butter last year and this year! Free apples from a friend with 2 trees and "done" with preserving more. good deal.

 

[Baymule]

A friend gave me a tiny jar of apple butter one time. She added red hots cinnamon candy to it. It was soooooo good! Glad you had a good time and all the vendors sold out!

 

[Mini Horses]

I just use a lot of cinnamon -- and some clove. Spicy, not hot.

 

[farmerjan]

Here it is Tuesday evening... Sunday was sunny, was 46 to 75.... nice day. I didn't do much in the morning, but did the cats at deb's, and then went down and raked some of the hay for 2 hours at dennis's.... DS took the 4 kids (xgf daughter, 2 sister's kids, and the "daughter's half sister that her dad just got custody of) to a big corn maze... with all sorts of fun stuff for the kids... showed me some videos and they all had a great time...so he was gone for the day pretty much.

Monday was another nice sunny day.... 46/77 temps. It is actually getting dry. Perfect weather for fall though.
DS got some chopped corn/silage, from the other farmer... there was only 3 loads... they are big loads... probably 11-12 tons in his truck... Since the farmer couldn't get anyone to drive his truck... DS went and did the hauling and I got to use the tractor and run up and down the pile packing it. Which meant with only 1 truck hauling... the farmer was idle in the chopper while DS hauled to the barn, dumped and spread it with the bucket on the tractor... so that I could pack... and NO, I was not going to try to do the spreading... I am not proficient with that tractor for using the bucket.. and I do not like to use the big tractors....
Then after he got back, I went home... he worked on packing it some... and then went down and sq baled some of the hay I had raked at dennis's.... filled a wagon and then sq baled about 25-30 bales out on the ground that they wanted and they picked it up on their smaller flat bed wagon... they feed a few calves and have one horse... they also have a few beef cows and he gets some rolls from us too. Then DS called and asked if I had had supper... he was bringing the wagon of sq bales up the hill to take to deb's; to put in the arena one of the next couple of days.... and I said no, so we went to eat at the small local italian place about 10 miles up the road. Then came home...

Tuesday..... 49 up to 78.... Sunny again and nice...
He wanted to work the bull calves this morning... so we agreed to meet at 7:30 at the barn. That was interesting... First, the heifers managed to get a BIG heavy gate shoved part way open (that he hadn't chained, it drags across the ground and so not like they bumped it and it swung open ) so got in with the steers/bulls that we were going to work. Then, on top of it, these heifers, that he just brought home from WV ... we were going to sort and get the bigger ones out to go up to the nurse cow pasture next week to get bred... once we got out the ones to preg check... BUT... he didn't think when he opened a gate to give them some grass in a field that had been empty for awhile... there at the barn.... that the back corner of about 100 ft or so... of the field adjoins the big lot where the BIG bulls are; in other words, fenceline adjoining........ so NATURALLY someone was probably in heat and there were 3 BIG BULLS in with the heifers that were also mixed in with the steers/bulls to be worked ... So we had to get EVERYONE in the barn.... Sort out the 3 big bulls... go get the truck and hook it up to the trailer to take them back around to the bull field... because it would have been near impossible to try to drive them down through the field and all that... Then shut the gates to the field he had let the heifers into... and then we sorted out the heifers... and of course there is one nut case in there... that is of course one of mine... and there is one of his that is almost as bad... these all came back from WV and it is partly because they do not have the constant contact with people there like they do here at the barn and closeby fields...they grew good out there and gained weight and size... but it is hard with the attitudes...skittishness..... mine will get sold if she does not get her act together...
Then we got some of the steers sorted out and had just the bulls to be worked, and a couple steers to run through the chute... Then... the tractor with the manure spreader wouldn't start... he keeps it in the end of the barn so the manure spreader is not out in the weather... AND of course it is blocking the gate into the small pen that leads to the alley into chute.... so we had to run them around a different gate and down the alley where the head catch/chute is next to... into the back pen, to then bring them back up the small alley into the chute...So, then we finally got them worked through the chute... banded, black leg and tetanus shots... They will stay in the small field and barn lot for a few days to make sure they are doing okay... plus there are 2 or 3 that we think might have a retained nut, one had a thick cord and he can only find one big nut.... want the vet to check them out when we have the preg check..

Which by the way, vet is scheduled for next Monday, 28th... so I will be getting all the ones from the nurse cow pasture, in so they can be moved to the barn over the weekend. Then we can play musical "cows" and get some of these big heifers moved up there to the nurse cow pasture to get bred... Who ever the bulls came over the fence to "visit" will just have a head start on getting bred... luckily it is only a couple weeks earlier than we had planned to put the bull in...

Let's hope all the heifers are bred...like the first batch of 8 we took to the barn for the last preg check.... except there is one that I have seen a couple heats on, so might not be bred... but..... they will be due in the spring...along with the other 7 that were confirmed preg...

The one heifer that was way further along so got bred by accident a little young, out at pasture, had a nice small but lively bull calf the other day... Sooooo... that is a relief... Not sure if she will stay there or get moved somewhere else... she is out of synch with the rest of the heifers, and would probably benefit from being held over 6 months...to grow a little before getting bred back again... but not sure where we would put her.... have to think on it...

So anyway.... there are 7 cows with calves at another pasture that need to get checked and they are about out of grass so will come home for this preg check... a couple of them are actually 1st calf heifers that were at the nurse cow pasture, calved in like April... and got moved out to grass.... the rest just stayed at the nurse cow pasture for the summer ( I think there were 6 or 7 more still there) and got bred back with the heifers we put up there to get bred. They will be getting checked also...

I may just let my "nut case" heifer come with the rest that will be getting bred...since they will be coming to the nurse cow pasture... see if I can get her calmed down... if not, sell her as a bred heifer... I think that she will learn to come in for grain with the rest this winter...

So after I got done there with him at the barn... I had committed to go help get the producer program installed into a farmer's computer... was supposed to be there at 10... texted them and said it would be closer to 11 due to our heifer/steer/bull situation.
Nothing like that ever goes smoothly... they had some safeguards/locks on the computer so the kids could not get into the computer and download stuff... they are home schooled and very smart... and all sorts of other locks and stuff and spent nearly 2 1/2 hours on the phone with computer support, with them online with the computer through team viewer... and the owner having to come out and do some of the stuff to get into the computer and get through some firewalls.... WHATEVER..... WAY WAY WAY beyond my expertise...
But finally got them put together... so they can start to enter things... and then I will test them in another 2 weeks... and then work on some other stuff with the girl that is the herd mgr... she is very computer savvy... and a fast learner... and it is unlikely they will be going on owner sampling anytime soon.... since they are seeing how hard it is for someone to keep up with the cows/samples/milk weights... and not sure who they could get to do it... so I may just wind up continuing to do the actual testing with them doing the "cow info"... which is fine. I didn't really want another herd to test... but they are pretty close, I have to take them meters anyway... so I will continue on for awhile...

Got another herd that is getting a new computer to put in the barn because they are adding an "activity monitoring system".... fancy name for heat detection... plus it will also record things like being off feed, different things... so will be going up to install this producer program into it... which should not be a big deal being new... it's a regular herd of mine anyway...

What was that word I vaguely heard back awhile ago ... something like "retire"..... psssssttttt... must have been something I dreamed about....

 

[farmerjan]

OOOPPS hit post...

Anyway... After I got done with installing that program and all that... left there and went down the hill, and was on the tractor at 2 and raked the 4 odd fields at dennis's .... took 4 hours to get it all done.. but it is all raked down there. Now have to bring the tractor and rake back up to doug's and rake the sorghum-sudan/weed patch he mowed... alot did not come up due to the drought conditions this summer... so it will be rolls of mixed s-s/grass/weeds/whatever else.... and it will be used for the cows to eat/lay on etc.... he is going to plant a cover crop in there and then start over in the spring... I think he is going to put corn in it instead...
Then coming down off the hill, saw dennis and talked to him a bit... then parked tractor and rake down at the car and come on home... I'm tired.

Tomorrow I am going to try to get up early and go get the forester inspected.. then leave a couple hours early to go test tomorrow afternoon... go by DMV and get the plates for it so I can drive it without any hassles about the farm use... it is already on the insurance...
Talked to DS for a few minutes this evening... told him I would bring the tractor and rake up the hill probably Thursday, and rake at doug's... and he is going to mow more tomorrow... said that we ought to be able to finish up hay in the next week... take advantage of this weather and get it done...
Weather forecast is still dry for the next 10 days...

And he said the guy called him about the post driving and all.... he is SUPPOSED to be coming next week... after Wed... so will get the posts driven here at my house too I hope... and hopefully get him to put up the fence... I have been out walking and deciding where I want gates and such.... and DS asked if there were any trees that need to be taken down... which there are 2 dead ones out along the dirt road that I want taken down for the fence to go along that side of the property....
So I need to draw up a "plan" of where I want what... so at least if the posts get put in, then can get to work on the rest.... and if I know where the gates are going, then they can put in heavier posts for gate posts...

Got to get the bottles in trays for tomorrow and get the update on the herd since it is one that I do in my computer...

I am falling asleep so got to go to bed...

 

[Baymule]

Doesn’t look like you will be retiring anytime soon!