Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Weeelll, I've said things that can't be taken back and I don't care. In fact I confirmed it -- heck, I even put it in writing, a text. When DS complained, I told him to carry his arse and I had no regrets. Oddly, what I said has come to bite him as so, so true. I'm about to start round two. Of course, I have no business to consider with either of them. But I understand your constraints! And frustration!! And anger!

 

[farmerjan]

Been a grey raw cold day. It hit all of 38, and is back down to 34 now. Supposed to start raining with some icing over... temps are perfect for it.

Got the clothes all off the line... They weren't damp, just chilly.... there was a breeze so that kept them "dry".... Then DS called to say he was going to feed some hay to get ahead of the forecast. So I was taking some of the meters out of the car which I won't use again until I do this double 12 parlor, and he is getting the gate opened and the cows are heading towards the truck... I thought, here we go again... what if they don't follow the truck... so I got in the car, went over there and watched the gate and he said he was going to go get another bale so I waited til he came back with that one... they had stayed over at the hay eating... and went up and opened the gates at snyder's pasture. I put the jersey in... finally decided to name her Betsy as it is easy to call for her...gave her grain, put grain for the 4 calves that come in.. and put a bale of hay in the bunk feeders for them and left her in for the afternoon and night. Calves can come and go through the creep gate but they will most likely stay right in there in the comfort and dry.

DS came in with a roll of hay for them also... then I closed the gates and
went back to the house, got the vaccines I had taken home a couple weeks ago when everything was freezing up in the bitter temps... Made up a bottle half full to add hot water to later, not knowing how long it was going to take...
She was there and had my clipboard that I had left with them the day before... they got the cows all in to the barn and so then we were sorting the calves and cows... got the cows all into the side to run up the chute for the preg check.
Friend came by that DS is selling silage to, and then he stayed and said he would help out...
DS had bought 2 bulls and a heifer last Sat and we had the heifer in the chute to check... don't want her preg at 650 lbs... Turns out she was about 65 days so gave her a shot of lute and he said that she should have another in 2 weeks to be safe.... get her to abort it early... let her grow some more and make a decision about whether she is one to keep to raise and breed with a group of ours... or just graze and then sell this fall... worth alot more if NOT preg since she is too small/young to be bred yet...
Vet came and DS was doing his best being so charming... and pushing everyone to do stuff fast.... he had all sorts of patience with gf when she was having trouble giving the shots but got real short with me and said, what is the problem, you have been doing this for years, when I had a little trouble getting a plunger pushed on a shot... yet she can do no wrong.... I was so glad to get done.
The actual preg results were very GOOD... only 1 open cow out of 30 checked... MY COW with the twins... he said she has a uterine infection... who knows why, she may not have completely cleaned even though there has been no smell or discharge, or anything else noticeable... Gave her a shot of lute and she will get another in 2 weeks... hopefully it will clean her out... also gave her a shot of LA200 . So her and her twins will stay there at the barn with the bought heifer so they can both get a 2nd shot....
4 were shorter bred... 1 is only 70 days, and she has a smaller calf on her... 1 is 3 1/2 months and 1 is 4 months.... 1 is 4 1/2-5 months;
Of the rest...... 3 are 5 months... 4 are 6-7 and the rest are 7+.... like ready to start within 30-45 days.... There was one more cow there, mine, that had a big calf on her and surprise... dropped a new calf about 5-6 weeks ago.... she had been checked possible short bred the previous time, (so obviously was bred) and we put her up here at this pasture to make sure she could get bred.... She did not come through the vet check and there could be a possibility she is short bred back again...... she will get stuck out somewhere with cows and calves... probably behind my house at Grants pasture... there is a bull in there so good chance she will come up bred when these get checked in the later spring. I hope....

With having sold several old and open cows of mine I don't have a whole lot to calve this spring... maybe 5 and 2 or 3 heifers.... my numbers are down... there are 4 heifers at snyder's (nurse cow pasture) that are being bred now...

With lower numbers, might be the time to more seriously consider making some changes too.... I am going to go down into southwest Va where that friend that has cattle is, that tells me about places for sale... and do some serious looking... late this month or early March is the plan... Just take a day and go do some looking..

So after we got done with the vet, "they" were going to do some feeding and such... didn't need me helping it seems... so I left the half bottle mix for them to add hot water to heat it up, and feed the calf his "extra"... although the cow looks like she might be coming into more milk... HOPING she is.... DS said she stood right there and never moved around this morning and the calf sucked good... so we will see...said something about bringing her to snyder's with the other small calves... but maybe he can keep her there for another week and then if she seems to be doing okay, turn them out with the ones that are starting to calve now...

I went and dropped off the samples from yesterday... and came on home...

Got to get bottles ready for tomorrow's testing... have a chiropractor's appt at 2 then testing at 3:30.... so that will work good. I'll go do the cow in the morning and let her out... supposed to be partly cloudy/ some showers, but temps back in the 50's???? CRAZY TEMP SWINGS....



Guy is coming to look at the steers Friday morning... he said he might be taking some to the local stockyard cattle sale, after the guy looks at them....where we do sell steers... and now DS is not going to the sale on Sat... he says he has a wedding to go to... and I asked who was getting married, and he said it was a guy he didn't think I knew... he goes to the truck pulls... and she said she went to school with him... so that tells me "they " are going to the wedding, but it's a big secret I guess... So no decisions will be made about what heifers to sell or keep, and the steer on the longhorn won't need to be gotten in on Sat morning either... Maybe the next week.

 

[farmerjan]

Oh, forgot to add... Vet got a blood sample... going to test for the theilaria and BV... said Lepto test are not very accurate... see if we need to change up our vaccinations... maybe nothing will come out of it... Just be a fluke thing that the 2 had dead ones...

 

[Baymule]

You move away and son has it on his own, how long would it take for him to snarl up and bite the head off the gf? And how quick would she dump him again? His cattle operation would collapse into a mess. No records, no organization. For no more cattle than you have, you work your butt off on his cattle.
He owns the tractors. He owns the trucks and trailers. You can’t set out round bales without a tractor. You could pay your friend to haul your calves to sale, but it’s better to have your own truck and trailer. Plus a flatbed to haul hay from field to your place. So there would be a capital outlay, for equipment to run your own place.

Your cattle are supposed to augment your retirement, if you ever retire. LOL What does retirement look like with no cattle? I don’t think you could stay where you are, because son would always be wanting you to do this and that for him. You are tired of the way he treats you, talking to him about it does no good.

So you move. What does it look like with no cattle? What would you do with yourself? Go nuts with nothing to do? What would it look like with cattle? Would your friend help you when needed? And you could help your friend? How old is friend? What does his retirement look like?

You have been living in that same area for years. You have many friends and contacts, plus you are still working.

Go look around. See what the friends area has to offer. It might be just what you always wanted. It might not. You won’t know until you go look.

 

[Mini Horses]

All considerations. Good ones. I'd say hire your fence installation & bring a milk cow & bottle calves to your place. Leave others in his pastures to graze, breed, haul to market. Kind of cut back slow. Start up your poultry again...try to isolate the days you need to "help" and enjoy your own thing more.

I doubt either one of us will quit work There's a dislike on days you don't feel like dealing with it but tolerable once there and doing. There's the social aspect -- very important in our "prime" -- and the $$ makes us feel less vulnerable.

Leaving what & who you know is much easier in your 30s. Shame we are 4 hrs apart. I believe we could live together & not kill one another.

 

[Ridgetop]

Speaking as one who has moved halfway across the country far from most of our family and friends, there is a lot to consider in a move to another location farther from family. @Bay and @MiniHores have it right. And don't forget the large outlay in fencing, well, and fix ups if the place is not set up right for you. Your place now has improvments that will make it more sellable, but you will have to sell as a "fixer" because the upstairs is not finished. Right now with DS off work he is more pleasant but when/if he goes back to work he will be calling you more frequently to do a lot more stuff for him, while still not listening to your suggestions. If gf was better for him, life would be more pleasant all around for you, but knowing what is coming is very stressful.

On the other hand, no cost with looking and you may fall into the perfect place. Have some fun with your friend and relax a bit while you look around. Go to some feed stores and the local auctions, check out other locations. Enjoy seeing other people's rperties and what they have done with them.

One thing we have learned with our moves is that moving while you are younger you make friends because of your children and their activities. When the children are grown it is harder to find groups to join for friendships. Check out Senior Centers around there too and don't forget the medical facilities.

Have fun looking. Maybe if he hears you are considering a move away, things will change.

 

[farmerjan]

Thanks for all the considerations... I have just about thought of every single one and looked at the angles...

Would not move without cattle... would not consider a place without acreage.

Friend and his wife would be good to spend time with... he and I think alot alike on cattle, farming etc.. could be a good situation for both... he is "retired" now, and works 2-3 part time jobs and is busier than he was before.....

Land prices there are still very much more reasonable... recently a 34 acre mostly open place, with access to "city water" but has a well, went for little over $2,000/acre... like pretty cheap, compared to here. Land somewhat similar terrain to here...

Contractor is coming in about 2 weeks to look at upstairs... have been making a list of the projects to get started on.

Milk cow is going to stay at bigger pasture, not enough grass here to last for very long and with her just getting bred, not wanting her here for a long dry period. I pay rent on 1 place, not real high, as part of my "cattle costs"... so cow is fine where she is for now.

Father's truck here at the house is supposed to be mine... I am buying it from DS if he ever gets the title straightened out... same deal of mileage not right from when he bought it from the estate and had not bothered with it until recently... so it sits here... same mess as I had with getting the mileage straightened out on the explorer... it is just that he didn't bother with it...
Lots of considerations... might just be a good investment, to buy another place...

But, I need to get away for a day or 2, and going down and looking isn't going to hurt anything...

 

[murphysranch]

All I could contribute to your thoughts and conversations with others, is to heave a couple deep sighs. humm - just sighed again while typing this.

I'd like to see you happier and content with your cattle operation, that you can run they way YOU know how to run it. I know you love your son. But he's an unreliable business partner.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, @Mini Horses shame we are not closer... I think we could "dodder around" in our "prime" pretty well together...
Oh, how is the mare doing? I know that your "ponies" are all getting a little "long in the tooth" .....

Okay, up to Rain and ICE.... started around midnight, Temps down to 30 on the recording thermometer... It is 32 right now and have had some harder showers here in the last couple hours... Actually had a little thunder and a flash of lightning earlier. Ice is thicker than it was at daybreak...
Trees and all the shrubs have a good coating of ice on them. REAL wet out there. Forecast says 50's later and this rain/weather heading east and partially clearing by late aft. Ground is going to be muddy. Got to go up to feed, then let the cow out in a little bit... ground won't have gotten frozen over last night so will be slick...

Time to get things in order... want to go to the Goodwill store while I am down there...

Got a mouse in the trap yesterday morning... reset and the p-butter was gone but not sprung.. reset it... ongoing situation with old houses...
Luckily I about 1/2 filled the bird feeder yesterday morning... I am sure the birds are enjoying it. Alot more corn in this feed... cheaper feed... so I will get a bag of bird seed that is more seed stuff, and mix while refilling again...
Calling for some snow maybe on Tuesday....

 

[SageHill]

Okay, up to Rain and ICE....

Hardly any rain here mostly just spit. But we DO have ICE

Got a mouse in the trap yesterday morning... reset and the p-butter was gone but not sprung.. reset it... ongoing situation with old houses...

Nah - not just old houses, our house is new, it's houses in the country. We've got them in the attic. DH has traps and continually gets them (then the hawks and crows grab the carcasses when he puts them on the boulders.