Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

They're loading up bales now. Ran one to sq bale now another tractOr with this amazing accumulater, stacker. Looks pretty & green. Several hundred bales. Father (retired) & son (whose a fireman) work together. About 120 acre they hay on this Rd. Maybe 30 of their own land included.

It's well kept fields. Not grazed either, so usually 3 cuts.

 

[farmerjan]

Just a quick post.... Been on a couple times, a few comments but not much sit down time.

Fred's bull is no pet but he is quiet and calm... Honestly, I hope he fails his BSE test so he will get rid of him and quit wasting time and open cows.... it isn't like he cannot afford to sell this fat bull... for probably over $2500-3000 just at cull price.... and go buy another decent younger breeding age bull with better feet... Yes People can be so stupid....

Saturday went to the stockyards with some odd ball stuff... Have a friend that wants the holstein so didn't take him... I'll get a decent price, not as much as he might bring up there, but no commissions... and he will be gone by this weekend too. Sold the black steer off Jess/longhorn, the set of twins.... DS sold a heifer that had a high headed attitude problem, one that was just small and nothing we wanted to keep, a couple idiot steers, the 1305 "stupid" cow... and a dall ram that had next to no horns... They did good... He had Colt all day but he found a couple of other boys that were 6 and 7... so the 3 of them ran around on the catwalks and played in the head chute after all the weighins were done and everything... Bought back one steer that looked bloated, and he got wormed and will go out with some heifers for the summer probably. Prices were pretty darn good...Heifers brought in the 3-3.25 range and the steers were bigger but all brought in the 3-3.75 range. Not often heifers bring nearly as much as the steers...

DS bought 2 char crosses... one heifer that is supposed to be bred... nice but she cost 1900... another young looking one that looks like she might have lost a calf... little bit thin... probably 4-5 yrs old by teeth.... we'll see how they do... like 1100 at cull price... will get them preg checked with the next group to see status...

Got home around 9... long day.

Sunday; we took the 5 heifers the guy wanted to the pasture down the road... we worked the 2 cows through the chute, wormed and vacc.. turned them out at the barn with the 5 heifers still there..Wormed and turned the steer calf out with a few others there. I pulled staples off 3 posts that DS had pulled out of the jumbled pile... he was not feeling real great....

Of course GF and all the rest of the family were at her parents and DS is not welcome there by the father... who is a total A hole... so he talked to his father and decided to meet at Cracker Barrel later for Easter Dinner... DS fed out hay at a couple places, and I got laundry off the line, did a few little things, and DS and I went and met his father for supper... Make' s it easier for DS . Plus it helped me because I mentioned these roosters.. and EX called this morning, and he has a guy that is interested if I can bring them to ex's house, Wed aft. So that works for me... Hate to get rid of them in a way... but they are of no use really... and they chase and try to tread the little NH rooster all the time... Got to stop at the cardboard dumpster at the truck stop, and hopefully get a couple of boxes to put them in....

Got a farm this aft.. one tomorrow... 2 already set up for next week.... waiting to hear from the 500 cow herd... got 2 more to try to fit in... like I said, feast or famine.

Had to go to farm this morning... had a bigger steer out... plus 3 little baby calves that are in the lane now... gate was open at the end of the lane... and they were out... I get so perturbed at DS not keeping that gate shut until he gets the new wire up to replace the crap that is soooooo bad there along the lane, they get through the crap wire there..... but it seems he just doesn't bother to keep it shut. Have NO idea where the bigger steer got out, but he is in the field with the holsteins since he went down by the pond and around the small barn there on Linda's place... easy to get him in that gate. He can stay there with the holsteins and the lame steer until DS gets back; they have hay and water etc.

Leaving in a few to head to north to jersey farm that the farmer had had the surgery... going to go by and check the bred heifers DS moved there on Friday... then the bank and a couple errands on the way.

Time to get going...

 

[fuzzi]

Yippee, Stupid Cow is gone!

 

[Ridgetop]

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday night.

Back to the other day, cow stopped being stupid once she left the nurse cow pasture... she came right in the barn for silage every day.... doesn't matter, she is gone...
He put her value towards the 2 he bought...

Have had to deal with a couple of the steers getting out because DS didn't shut the gate to the crep area that is the fenced out area on both sides of the little creek.... he lets them in to eat the grass for a couple days when it is not raining/wet.... but they get past the "fences" that separate it and get into more of it... Think of 2 pasture fences... 50 ft between them with the creek running down the center of the 50 ft separation... with gates from one side to another across the crep area... and like a crossover from one side to the other.... runs the length of the property from the driveway to the interstate fence... with the creek going through pipe underneath.... so we can drive a tractor or the 4 wheeler or something back and forth...from one side to the other.... and he has some "sorta fence" up to keep them from going down the crep too far... I don't know how to draw something like that on the computer... there are 3 cross over gates/drive areas... so technically 3 small sections of the crep ground for each pasture to be able to get in there to do some eating....
BUT... on the one end is the interstate fence... the other end is a steep bank up to the driveway... but they can get up there... so that is how they were getting out...
GF went down and shut the gate into the crep yesterday evening...... but didn't think/ or look.... that there might be some still in there... so naturally one came up into the driveway this morning... and I got a call this morning that there were 2 in the driveway... one was the one we got in on Monday... my fault that I didn't check one spot that the other gate was not secured so he got out easily.... but the other came up from the crep area... Got them both in.... guy who is doing some spraying of thistles got there and found them... he helped me get the one in the day before that went around the pond... he obviously had come up the bank to the driveway from the crep area.... so he and I got them both back in where the holsteins were in their lot... and I figured out how the one had gotten out...

So she got to the farm just as I had left... so I turned around and went back to ask how many were supposed to be in there.... she had no idea (but she is feeding them while he is gone........
so she goes and calls DS... and acts like she is the one that got everything all "taken care of"..... as I am standing right there... DS had finally texted me back that he "thought" there were 10 in there... which I can account for 8.... so not really sure....
So I am standing there looking down over the hill and I see another one on the other side of the fence, in the crep area.... and the steer can't come in the gate she had closed the day before...which she was supposed to do as per DS....no arguments there... but not even looking to see if there were any further down in the grass and shade was dumb....
She was going to feed silage today... so, she went down and opened the gate into the field from the crep, said there were 2 in there she could see... and said they usually come when she does the silage... and I said to leave the ones that come in the barn to eat, locked in the small barn lot after she feeds and they have come up....... they will have silage, they will have the water trough... and if there are any others they ought to come into the field up towards the barn wanting in... It won't hurt the ones in the barn lot overnight. The other 2 are in with the holsteins and they can stay there til DS gets home... as that group gets some silage too....there is plenty of hay and all so they will eat....

It will remain to be seen if she does what I tell her to do....

I will go down early to check on things... she won't be there because of the kids going to school.... and I will check things out before getting on the computer meeting thing for work.

So, I went to test the 200 cow herd that had had the cows get sick and production fell way off... he called and wanted Thursday... but we have the BSE tests for the bulls... I said I had Tues open so he said that was fine... This is the herd that the cows were averaging over 100 lbs/day the last 3 times testing... well there are about 4-5 still not back up to par... they are having the feed tested, and silages and everything... some got real sick, totally off feed.... suspect that it is the grain concentrate from the feed mill.... That all went okay... cows are off about 10 lbs... averaged right at 90..... I understand some being pretty sick... but that is still more than most farms ever see...

Come home after loading all the meters back in the car... and get a text from DS... can I go feed the dogs and the chickens at his house ????? Really.... I thought that she was taking care of them, since it was never mentioned to me before... I stopped at the house and fed the dogs but am not doing the chickens in the dark so will have to go do them tomorrow morning also.... .

I did manage to stop at the cardboard dumpster at the truck stop where Wendy's is... and got 3 nice boxes that had their french fries in... and one other that is only a little smaller... SOOOO... the roosters will leave tomorrow afternoon. They are getting more bullying towards the bantam NH rooster... so time to be gone.. even if I really like the color of the one....

I will take them to my ex's house and he will take them to this guy he is meeting up with... and they will be gone... I did my good deed by rescuing them... and whatever he does with them is no different than if I took them to Gilmanor Swap day and they got bought by someone to take home to eat... maybe they will go somewhere to a flock with hens since they are pretty good dispositioned... although putting them with hens might change all that. They did not get left to go wild or starve when dumped off... they have been fed and taken care of here so that is the best case scenario...
On to the next project.


OH..... Jess had her calf.... a little white speckled HEIFER..... probably late Monday ..... up running around and nursing off her when I went up there to check on her... Very Happy about a heifer... especially since a white speckled one... as a steer like that would not bring very much.... her older brother is going in the freezer this year... And I like my "colored cattle" even if they don't bring as much money... so a heifer is good. If she stays and breeds, she is already 1/2 angus, so the chances of black calves is greater if bred to angus again... I can have my color, and get saleable, good priced, calves out of her...

I need to go in my e-mails and find the stuff pertaining to the meeting tomorrow so I am prepared for it...

Weather has been decent but a bit warm for this time of year, here... about 10-15 degrees warmer days than normal... it hit 80 on the recording thermometer today while I was at work... partly sun and clouds the last 2 days. Got a couple very light showers yesterday... about .1 inch in the rain gauge this morning... I would like it to be in the low 70's really...

Past time to go to bed so I can get up and get things done and do this stupid conference meeting on the computer tomorrow... Might be the last one... I am seriously thinking that this might be the last year... In August of 2026, I will have 35 years in... Get through this winter.. and maybe just say done... been on my mind lately.... Quit after my 35 yr anniversary... we'll see....

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday aft... been another couple of days with lots of little stuff going on.

Was down to 41 last night... .chilly.... sun and nice out today...

Got through the meeting on the computer with work...I do not have a camera... not getting one... so just listened and watched things posted on screen... but several times they had tech issues...
DS was still gone... got back Wed eve. Said he had a good time.. was very impressed with the JBS kill plant in PA... Now I know that many of you do not like the "wholesale beef business" and I agree to some degree on some things... BUT.... all he could talk about was how CLEAN, how they handled the whole process... AND ..... NO ONE YELLS AT A COW... there is NOTHING that is done that makes them upset ... no adrenaline to make them upset or uncomfortable so that when they enter the chute area for the stun/kill. they are pretty quiet, the guy takes his time to make sure it is positioned in the right place... they drop down... it has a "floor" that comes up between their legs so it is like they are on a log with their legs on both sides hanging down... no thrashing, nothing...as they go out and except for the obvious blood when they do slit their throats for bleed out... it is very very precise and the utmost care is taken to see that the meat is protected from any contamination... Yelling at an animal is cause to be fired.....

Yes I know it is "assembly line" ... and it is their business to make money... and they impressed upon the 15 or so guys that went on this trip... that it is a loss of $200-500 per carcass if the are inspected and called "dark cutter"... which is the adrenaline of an upset animal causing them to get bruised or fight OR for them to be upset so that the adrenaline goes through their blood and causes them to not bleed out and such... There are USDA inspectors all throughout the plant looking at the carcasses as they go through several phases....
DS said he was not sure what to expect but he was VERY impressed with the plant...

Anyway... GF had done things different at the farm on Wed when I got there after the work thing.... WHATEVER... put the steers and heifers together... per DS... contrary to what he had made a big deal out of a couple days before about keeping them separate....

Thursday got the 7 bulls all tested... he took one in early... oldest bull... he passed fine but his body condition is a bit thin.... which we knew that is why he was moved over separate when the others started ganging up on him in the bull lot.
They all passed the BSE tests very well... but that is good to know. The other 2 bulls are still out at pasture... the one had all the heifers bred and he got moved into the other field as a cleanup in case.. so not worried about him... and the one other one is a young bull and was checked before we bought him so hoping he did not have any real problems up there... DS said he had not seen anyone riding so hopefully all are bred. They will get checked in another month or so.

 

[Ridgetop]

Interesting about the kill plant. I know when we would bid on steers at the Fair for our freezer, I never bid on skittish ones because they usually ate tough. We watched the judging and knew the kids who raised the steers so used the judge's comments to choose the ones that were a bit too fat, and were calm. Wonderful that this new kill plant goes to such lengths to reduce meat that will be tender.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday we took the last 7 steers to town to sell... well, one left that is a bit pot gutted, so wormed him again, and he will probably just go out to pasture somewhere... he hasn't shed out his winter coat either so looks rather scruffy... acts fine... rewormed him....

They did real good too... So all that are left at the barn are the 5 heifers to go out to the guys' other pasture as soon as he "decides" that there is enough grass.... and the steer.. and the 2 char crossed cows/heifers that he bought a week ago... they need to get preg checked on the next go round so will keep them around there somewhere... I rode with him to town... of course we had to take Colt again... he got out of school early due to some kind of testing the kids took... he is kindergarten but they do go all day normally... so it was a long day because of his energy and lack of being able to sit still... he went in and out the sales ring area to the cat walk above the cattle pens out back... It was cloudy all day and we got a few sprinkles then it actually rained Friday night some. Wound up with a 1/2 inch total in the rain gauge when I dumped it Sat afternoon.

Sat got up at 3:15... went to farm and tested... left there and came on home... had talked to DS about going to the auction at the farm of the previous owners of the stockyards... kids are all my age, and splitting things up... some to settle some of it... some because a couple are not going to be able to farm (health) and the others want their own operations... one has a MISERABLE B@#%H of a wife... money grubbing, and mentally unstable... so the brothers/cousins all were able to agree to split it all up, without any wives inputs... which is best for all of them... but it is sad to see an 80 yr enterprise that the 2 brothers (fathers) built up over the years, get split up and broken down into smaller parts...
ANYWAY, DS said he was going to go since Colt's ball game got cancelled due to the rain, so I went with him... NO COLT this time... DS was interested in the one 5 wheel rake... and maybe a hay wagon... the rake was like new and brought more than we felt it was wise to pay... it is not a "have to have" , it was a would like to have for making raking a little easier in some small fields... and the wagons were in very good shape and brought more than he wanted to pay since it was again, not a NEED but a would like...

BUT... I wound up buying a truck... 2001 F-250, supercab with the small 1/2 doors that open for the back seat... that one of the sons/brothers, drove for the feeding on the farm and such... 7.3 diesel engine which is the real good diesel engine... has some little "flaws"... one replaced front fender... typical dirt and dust inside; 230,000 miles which is NOT alot of miles for that engine... we have 4 other trucks on the farm with that very engine... the "blue truck" that we pull the trailer with has 300,000 miles on it.. I think one has 200,000, one has nearly 400,000.... 4x4, and the best thing... It is MANUAL shift... 6 sp... has 5 regular speeds and a real LOW speed... Shift is tight... runs good. I know the brother that drove it all the time and we talked after... he would not screw me or DS over about it... paid $6400 with the buyer's premium.... The truck has a flat bed with a gooseneck ball in it too... Good tires, good spare...small tool box across the back and tool box in the pass side under the bed...
It needs a good cleaning... maybe paint the fender/truck to keep it in good shape... but I wouldn't be afraid to get in it and got anywhere.. Runs good... I drove it home from the farm after the auction. Will see about getting the tags etc as soon as they send the title... they hold the title til the check clears which is fine... I have a copy... so maybe get it next week...

Was NOT planning on buying a truck... but I have wanted my own... and that is the good diesel engine they made... Because it is a 2001, which makes it right in there with the rest of our stuff except the explorer which is a 2012.... it does not have all that emission/electronic crap that is on the newer ones.... and because it was not a fancy spiffy clean shiny truck... it went cheap... even DS said it was probably the best bargain of the day.....
Now, we can take it to Rural King when we go to his dr appts and get it loaded with feed and stuff. I am not in love with the flat bed... would have preferred a regular bed...might see about a different bed for it.... but wanted it for the kind of truck it is... It is very like the truck of my father's that DS has not gotten the title straightened out on YET... that I drove home from NH nearly 2 years ago... that is sitting in my yard... it is a gas engine...that v-10 triton or something... it drove nice... same supercab with the doors. His is very nice inside it but there is alot of rust underneath from all the salt they use in NH on the roads. I have been hounding him to get the title straight so I could buy it and then sell the explorer.... I still will buy it for a "nice truck" if he wants to sell it... and sell the explorer.... which had been my goal all along. We started driving the explorer back and forth down to the Dr visits and because it will haul a good amount of stuff in the back... and he didn't have GF vehicle to drive down there and his real good truck, the dually from my father, does not get near as good fuel mileage... that is the "sunday go to meeting ".. fancy truck. So when he and GF were "not together" he would take the explorer... now I guess he has taken her car sometimes when he doesn't need me to go....... she doesn't like to drive it, she spends her money driving her big pickup....

But I will get this truck cleaned/washed/dusted out inside... seats are dirty like any farmer's truck... will probably put a seat cover on it to save the upholstry anymore wear and tear ... and I can keep some basic tools, fence pliers, wrenches, etc, in the tool box too.... and I can pull a trailer with it if needed... so maybe find myself a trailer too... for moving cattle around when I want/need to.... The only "bad thing" is that the windows are old fashioned wind up ... which is fine except I cannot reach across the big seat to reach them... that is the one benefit of electric windows I have gotten used to... all our big trucks have electric windows. And the mirrors are manual outside so cannot adjust as easily from the inside.... My little 2 wd ranger and 4x4 ranger have roll up windows which is fine... cab is small enough to reach across.

Also met up with my ex and took him the roosters to get to his friend... told him if he got anything for them I would split it if he wanted... but I was very appreciative of his taking the time to find someone. I imagine they will get killed, but that is life... Might have kept the one, but if I get my purebreds, it is good they are gone... My little NH bantam rooster was glad the first day to not get picked on but now he is lonely again... Hopefully will fix that next week...

I got out the mower, got some of the lawn cut yesterday and soing more today... got to finish around the perimeter that I can do with it for the fence guys... they are supposed to be back this week to pound more posts at the farm then come up here to do some at "grants pasture" behind me on the dirt road, do that corner section, and put in posts here... wanted to have the stuff mowed off to make it easier for them. going to take down 2 sections of the split rail to make a straighter line on the one end... and run the rest of it on the inside of the split rail fence... when it starts to rot off can just take the split rail down.... have had to replace 2 posts... bessides want to keep the deer out and then keep some calves in here.

One other BAD thing... Jess's calf, my longhorn.... is a BULL calf not a heifer like I first thought.... I am bummed about that... finally got close enough.... and saw a white bit of "fuzzy bag" from behind... then saw it pee... DEFINITELY a bull calf... DAM* and DOUBLE DAM*...... well, at least it is a LIVE calf....
Can I maybe get it to "identify with a different gender" ???? They keep saying that they can change their identities... so why not make him a "her"??? BUt I want "her" to have babies in the future....

Time to get back outside and do a few things... Deb wcame to her farm for the weekend... it was late last evening and I was beat so we went to Waffle house to breakfast this morning... it was okay... I'm getting very picky about my food... and I like my breakfast HOT... not just warm... went to TSC and she needed some grease for her mower... and we looked at the plants... but things are sure expensive....once I get this fence where the animals can eat some of this grass... I will make decisions about fencing off the "house part". and maybe getting some of the flowers I have in big tubs and pots, planted permanently in the ground. want to get the chickens fenced out of roaming the yard around the house so they quit digging in the flowers too.

Got to pack the samples... DS dr appt tomorrow... things to get done...

 

[Ridgetop]

Can I maybe get it to "identify with a different gender" ???? They keep saying that they can change their identities... so why not make him a "her"??? BUt I want "her" to have babies in the future....

Have you considered surgery and hormone injections? LOL

 

[farmerjan]

Actually, implanting steers to make them gain more is "hormone" injections...makes them gain weight more too... It is a non-steroid estrogen mimic ... some say there is no residual effect... some say it can cause problems in breeding females...
I do not want any part of it... we do not use it on the feeder cattle... although DS has been talking to guys who believe in it... It will NEVER get used on any female calves we have... and not on my steers... I will take a little loss of weight gain... said to be avg 20-30 lbs... at today's prices that is $75 head "lost" possible weight gain... but for me it is the principle and that although it is claimed to not be residual in the meat... sorry... I just don't want it in mine...