Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[Mini Horses]

Thank you, GB. You have answered my question as to "holding nutrition". YES, it sure cuts the hay costs. The taller grass does help to shield/insulate the lower shaft & root/ground area from the severe temps.

I have a mixture of crabgrass, orchard, fescue (endo free), Bermuda & a little bluestem. The Bermuda is shorter lived due to cold but the rest does quite well into late Dec, normally. If we have a "normal" Fall/Winter, the grasses grow to some extent into Nov/Dec & I limit graze time, control access to fields, so rotational. My farm has several smaller fields fenced as I have goats & mini horses, so don't need more than 1.5-2 ac at a time, although some are close to 3. Wile I do & will offer hay, along with a small portion of supplemental protein/vit/min feed, it's 1X every other day.

Jan & Feb are generally our heaviest winter weather situations. Then, pretty much best hay every day!

 

[greybeard]

Crab grass has done well here now that we got some rain.
I need to turn the cows in on this, so it can come back before fall.

It has some sand burrs/sand spurs (whichever you want to call it) mixed in in one spot, but I'm going to cut it out.

 

[Mini Horses]

Those darned sand burrs are the pits!! They don't just cut out! Have them here and consider them worse than ANY other weed I have. I have cut the burrs by hand & then singed the growth. Helps but just one of those rascals and you have a zillion more. Keeping it cut short helps then, something I am struggling with because of so much daily rain for several weeks. They have a runner type root and wow. Most areas are under control now but, still some out there with this growth.

Crabgrass is surprisingly good with nutrition if fertilized & watered. Summer growth is unreal. My chicken yards are full of it, so thick it's hard to mow, lots of fertilizer ...my chickens love to chase the young crickets that happen this time of year. Free protein! Fun to watch, also.

Will be a good amount of stockpiling this year. Rain & heat & limited mow action. I won't complain but will try to harness it for good use.

 

[greybeard]

I intend to singe them too..........with MSMA.

 

[Latestarter]

Looks like @goatgurl is getting some real good water to fill her pond right now. She hasn't mentioned it in a while, so I'm hoping it's because it isn't down as bad as it was earlier. Not much going on here at the moment. Air is a little cooler and dryer after the storms passed through but still going to be low-mid 90s for daytime highs. I think total from all the rain, I got just below an inch. Not as much as I could have used, but it has really helped and the greenery has re-greened and started growing again. Hump day today for all you "workers" out there. Downhill stretch to the weekend. Least you have something to look forward to. (sure love being retired! Don't love being on a fixed low income Trade offs)

 

[RollingAcres]

3-day work week for me here. Took Monday and yesterday off so I can spend some time with DS. Was going to take him to the fair to see monster truck show but the weather was crappy so we went to play lazer tag and arcade instead.

 

[Latestarter]

Sounds like fun there RA! Time spend with the kiddos is always a great thing!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

@Latestarter, I can't speak for Miss @goatgurl but 30 miles east of her at our place we have had quite a bit of rain the past couple of days. Our pond was getting quite low but now has filled back up some. BTW, I am on page 361 of your journal.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[HomeOnTheRange]

It is not as good as rain, but it works... I get to put 6 inches of "channeled" rain on the fields today! It has been 3 weeks, so things are really dry.

 

[Baymule]

We got an inch of rain over the weekend, a slow drizzle that soaked in. We sure needed it!