Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

I'm thinking same, the calf was added late. Send me a picture of them. Hoping she's bred for a spring calf!

 

[Baymule]

Me 3. Give her a chance. This is not her calf, she obviously accepted it and it looks if the new calf figures it out, she will accept him too.

 

[farmerjan]

Monday night. Gee, it gets dark early .....

Went up to rake the grass/hay. The front tire on the tractor looked a little low, so went back to the barn, got the air tank, put air in it, and went back and put some air in the tire... Then raked it. But will have to get DS to look it over and make sure that it is okay before I use it again. There are some "green", as in not dry, spots along the one side where the trees are... always is the last to dry and now with the sun so much lower in the sky, it gets very little sun along that tree line. DS will roll the outside of the bales with the spots that are not quite dry... that way they won't be compressed inside and get moldy. Rather have some less dry spots on the outside where there is some waste no matter what if they are stored outside. Took the tank back to the barn when I got done... the guys were there pounding posts... really having a major project out of it... having to use the auger and tractor bucket on top of it to help push them down...

I am thinking that if it is such a difficult thing, they might not come here to do mine at this time.... they have another job that is waiting on them that they put off to do this for DS... and I know they never expected it to be this bad... I afraid that I may not get these posts in for awhile. But... since the holsteins are accustomed to the electric at the nurse cow pasture... I can put up some here to bring them here once they get their bangs shots and dehorned... I will do 2 wires inside the split rail fence and the netting where there is no other fence.. I don't need them breaking wood posts here... they already have broken 2 at the farm... it really is like they are pounding them in concrete... hence using the auger now which is taking much longer due to it being so dry and hard to even "dig down" with the auger...
It is going to take some major soaking rains to soften up this hard dry ground.

Came back home... Got on the mower and went around the outside of the property again... sort of "windrowed" the thick mown grass so that it will dry some and I can run the sweeper around and collect some of it. Hopefully I will be able to do that tomorrow... or Wed early in the day.

Got the bags of leaves moved into the carport... just so they don't get rained into. There was a little breeze this afternoon, and some of the maple leaves came down out of the tree on the lawn. Hope to get more of them "swept up" and bagged without them getting wet and soggy. Anything like that will go in the garden area.

Got a notice that the guy will be here tomorrow to put liquid nitrogen in the semen tank so made sure there were no obstacles to get to it... He usually comes early but I never know.

I have to go set up for testing tomorrow morning... testing at 1 and 9, at the 3 time milking farm not far from here. That is the farm that the father and son had a blow up, father sold 100 cows and is milking 35 or so right now... have to test 2 of 3 milkings... I did the 9 and 5 last time...
Anyway, I will set up in the morning so he can run the meters through the wash systems... then I will go back to test. I plan to do the set up ...THEN.... GO VOTE....
Please, everyone.... please do your civic duty and vote...

So, anyway... I then went up to the barn with a bottle... the cow was not letting the jersey bull calf suck out in the little lot... but when she went in and decided she would eat some of the grain I took up... he went right on her... She picked up her leg a couple times, but he went on all 4 teats... She doesn't have much milk I don't think. I gave the holstein the bottle and let her eat, then went out and got her out the gate to graze for the night.... I will bring her in, in the morning, when I go take the meters to set up...
Guess I have a bottle calf... the way the little jersey goes on all 4 teats means he is not getting alot of milk from her... He is rounded out pretty good, so I think is getting enough... but I will monitor him. Unless there is a chance she is bred and far along... I am thinking it is not worth feeding her if she cannot raise at least the jersey... she ought to be dripping milk . Her udder is not full or tight when she came in this morning... But, will still give her a little time... nothing else to do at this point.

By the time I got back it was nearly dark. I did bring in a box with bottles so I could put them in the rack...

Just heated up some of the chicken chili that Deb sent home with me... it is spicy but okay.

Hit all of 63 today with sun and clouds... not supposed to get as cold this evening... Super warm on Wed....

 

[farmerjan]

Too late to take a pic of the cow... maybe tomorrow when I go up and get her in for grain and such...

 

[Mini Horses]

With the DST change are the dairies having issues with cows & milk? Do they change their milk time ?

I've read some dairies have some quantity reduction at first. Suppose that has to do with their feed times, as well as milk times, etc. Prob with the "in barn" kept cows at these huge, automated dairies.

It's sometimes a couple pounds per cow -- that adds up when there's 1,000 head.

 

[farmerjan]

Most dairies don't have any problem with the "fall back"... the cows are still working on DST, so are eager to get in the barn for milking. I haven't heard any farmers overly concerned over a difference in milk. Spring is the tougher time, because the cows are not ready to get going and the milkers really don't want to get going earlier either....
I had one dairy that operated on DST all the time... so cows got milked at the same times all the time... milkers had to adjust to NOT gaining the extra hour in the fall.

 

[Mini Horses]

From FJ---
Not the best of the cow but she didn't want to stand still . Here's a couple pics of the other tree I was talking about. Totally devoid of leaves when I went to get calf 2 weeks after the pic

 

[Mini Horses]

Long row of raking orchard grass back 2 plus weeks ago. Corn top right before chopping.

 

[Mini Horses]

Sunflowers from early Sept. Twin hol heifers. Sooooo dry.

 

[rachels.haven]

Those pics are beautiful, and so is the subject matter.
Dan says congratulations on the jersey. I hope she at least settles for you so she can work for you next year.