Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

This is not her calf, she obviously accepted it

If she accepted a different calf she should make a good nurse cow. Hopefully she is bred nw and wil cme in to good milk.

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...

At the California place (NOTICE that I am NOT referring to it as "home") we normally have to use an auger to drill for fence posts. Hopefully they will still do your posts.

Please, everyone.... please do your civic duty and vote...

WE VOTED!

 

[farmerjan]

Went to the farm this morning, set up meters. Did the cow, she was waiting near the barn... she came just inside the gate... jersey calf went to her and she backed right out and then went around the barn out loose with the calf... I was NOT happy. Then she came back and in the gate into the barn... went in the bunk for the grain.

She is looking for something... I figure she had a calf/ couple of other calves on her... must've gotten sold, they stuck this one on her and then just decided to sell her... something like that...but at least she came back in with the calf... I fed the holstein the bottle and then stuck him on her a couple times... but there just isn't much milk there...Left her in with them again.

Then went to vote and came on home... Not many people there but they said they had had a steady stream and actually had a short line for awhile... expect 700 or so today...

Went back to test at 1... they went from 34 cows up to 47 this month... several fresh heifers...1 hour....

Came back home... it was getting real cloudy after some sun and warmer temps earlier. I got the mower in the carport... turned the sweeper up on end like dumping it... so the solid part is actually covering the gear box/brushes etc... did not sweep any of the grass... it was still pretty damp. If we don't get alot of wet then tomorrow is supposed to be more sun... and it will dry out this little bit of rain... could sweep the grass and leaves tomorrow afternoon...

I went out and uncovered the squash plants... the dry has slowed down the "baby squash" coming on but will soak them tomorrow if it does not rain much... They are looking good...

Put all the plants back out to get "rained on" ... will soak them tomorrow. Temps are supposed to stay above 50 tonight and be in the 75-80 range, tomorrow... warmer for 2 days at least... be easier to take and soak them good outside, tomorrow... spider plants uncovered to take advantage of any rain... but it looks pretty light.

Sure hope DS baled that hay today...

Getting ready to go back to farm to test the 2nd milking... only do 2 of the 3... will go back and do the computer stuff at the house in the morning... NOT going to do it at 10 pm tonight....at least farm is pretty close...

I am really getting over testing...Going to start pushing DS once things get settled with the dr and long term disability... that is what they have decided on for now... get through the winter... then make some decisions... since he is not supposed to do any farming either... disabled means total disabled.... so sit and rot in a chair...
He can do some of it as long as he is not getting paid a paycheck... he will be "helping me"...
He can request to go off the disability and go back to work with dr agreement.... so that is a re-evaluate plan for the spring...

500 + cow herd scheduled for Thurs morning... then the herd I went and did the computer stuff install for the other day, is scheduled for Thurs aft... UGH... then another herd Friday aft... I will be BEAT.... at least DS will go to help do the 500 cow herd...

We have gotten a little sprinkle of rain this evening... cats were damp when they came in to eat.

Did get the load of clothes that was still on the line, in the basket, and in the house...

Ate the rest of the chicken chili for lunch and just had a bowl of cottage cheese with some apple butter on it for "supper"...

 

[Ridgetop]

She is looking for something... I figure she had a calf/ couple of other calves on her... must've gotten sold, they stuck this one on her and then just decided to sell her... something like that...but at least she came back in with the calf... I fed the holstein the bottle and then stuck him on her a couple times... but there just isn't much milk there...Left her in with them again.

Y're rght, sounds like she is drying up after nursing several calves and they sold them separately, then stuck this new one on to send her to the auction and sell. Wi you have her preg checked when the vet comes out? Hopefuly she is bred, but to what? If a small birthweight bull ok . Either way if she was a nurse cow or not, looks like with her teperament she coud become one for you. And the price was right.

I am really getting over testing...Going to start pushing DS once things get settled with the dr and long term disability... that is what they have decided on for now... get through the winter... then make some decisions... since he is not supposed to do any farming either... disabled means total disabled.... so sit and rot in a chair...
He can do some of it as long as he is not getting paid a paycheck... he will be "helping me"...

I don't understand why he can't continue to farm on permanent disability. He is not working for anyone else, he owns the farm, he is not paying himself or receiving a paycheck. Could he LLC the farm and just pay all all his expenses out of that without collecting a "paycheck"? "Helping" you is fine, but he will need to have $$ to live on, or do you have to pay all his expenses? And wouldn't that qualify as getting paid? Completely puzzled.

 

[farmerjan]

10;30... home from the farm. It is still a very slight mist....

Yes, @Ridgetop , she will get preg checked whenever we have the vet since we have to take the 2 hol heifers down to get dehorned and bangs vacc... she will get on the trailer to go to doug's barn also. Will decide what to do with her after that... but with the somewhat accepting attitude, will probably get a pass for the winter, if she is open... definite will stay if pregnant... Bull is going in with the heifers, and that is where she is... so will get exposed to the angus bull anyway...

I don't understand the whole "no farming" on long term disability.... some fine print in the VDOT rules I suspect. He will be getting long term disability payment from VDOT.... he has been getting the short term disability payments up til now... 6 months for short term disability......then 5 years for long term disability... he will have his time in for full retirement then...... he is not getting SS disability or anything like that... He has been dealing with the one lawyer that is with the workman's comp stuff... now is dealing with a disability lawyer since the ones he is supposed to be sending all these forms into... have not returned his calls or answered him... yet they say this has to be done by such and such a date and all this crap...... he said he is tired of it... doesn't care what it costs... if they don't return his calls... he is turning it all over to the lawyer and let them deal with it. This is mentally wearing him down.

Also... we are done with hay. He got that one place baled today... and broke a belt on the baler... said that's it..he is done dealing with it; he will bushhog off the other 9 acre field. The bush hog is still there... from when I did alot of bush hogging this summer... he said he didn't think I would be upset... NO.... I am not at all upset...... I AM GLAD TO BE DONE...... It will be easier for him to bush hog it...it will go back on the ground and just add organic matter back into the soil; and he wants to do some other bush hogging at another place on the way home from there...

So, once he gets some of his BS crap with all these different lawyers, bureaucratic BS.... then he can see about getting things serviced, cleaned up, and fixed to get put away for the winter...

Plus he has to get the wheat planted for the cover crop... don't know if this little bit of "wet", is going to be enough to soften the ground to run the drill through it....
Got to get these posts in at the farm..... and stuff like that... and we are talking about sorting and shipping some heifers that are at the farm...and then the rest will be getting bangs vacc....
Plus there are about 10 more cows with new calves to get brought across the driveway, into the barn, tag, blackleg vacc, and work any bull calves and then get them turned out with the other group. DS has been getting them tagged when they are born though.... that's helpful.

I'm yawning... so going to get a shower and go to bed.

 

[Ridgetop]

then 5 years for long term disability... he will have his time in for full retirement then......

So after the 5 years he can go back to farming and collect his full retirement?

 

[Mini Horses]

And...once on full retirement, do all the disability limits drop?

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, once he is eligible for his full retirement, he will go off the disability... in any case, it will end in 5 years... so once off the disability, he can collect full retirement... go to work somewhere else... whatever...
For some people, they would go from a work disability to SS disability and keep collecting... If he was eligible for full retirement now, he would not go on the long term... but the difference in the amount that "early retirement " pays, and full retirement pay, is about double... so does not want to lose the full retirement... which he will be able to achieve the full retirement benefits by going on long term... it still counts in "time" for his full retirement benefits... and he needs just less than 5 years more for full retirement, and the long term is good for 5 years.... so it will work out... if we can get the farming part figured out...

He would like to be able to find another job that pays into the virginia retirement system... does not want to go back to VDOT after the way they did him and does not want to go anywhere near the hard hat situation...
where he could work and keep adding in his time towards full retirement... AND be earning a decent paycheck.. where there would not be the stress so the headaches might not be triggered... BUT.... they will not let him apply for a job... to get off the long term disability and be a productive wage earner... while he is still on the disability.....SOOOOO stupid the way the laws are written... so he would have to go off the long term disability first, then apply for any job he might want to get instead... and once off, he cannot go back on the long term disability.... so it is going to be a real sticky situation....

So after the 5 years he can go back to farming and collect his full retirement?

yes

 

[farmerjan]

There was talk of an early "buyout" for people close to retirement... he is watching that closely... hoping that it would come about... so he could go off the disability, get his "full retirement", and then do whatever he wants after that.
That will not affect the workman's comp situation as far as dr's, treatments , etc.... the job accident and all that caused the situation to go to the disability claim, but he will still be covered until they settle this workman's comp case... so that might play into it too... see, they have not settled the workman's comp situation... and that is some sort of monetary settlement by the state... hence the workman's comp lawyer... separate from the lawyer dealing with the disability claims...

COMPLICATED...

 

[farmerjan]

Also, no I am not going to have to pay his bills... but I may forego my half of cows that we own joint, when we sell any, to put towards him paying one of the guys that comes and helps him... We don't own too many joint anymore... but it might help him a little since he is going to have to pay his own health ins through work... and does not want to change with things the way they are right now... and I fully understand that. Won't affect any calf or cow money from ones that get sold that are just mine...

 

[Ridgetop]

How would that work with doing the hay? And planting corn, etc. You couldn't pay him to do it because that would be a job.

Sounds like VDOT is a real problem.