Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[Bruce]

Sure glad April was OK!
You know, as we get older, counting gets harder And maybe when you were counting she was just outside the fence and you really couldn't tell.

 

[farmerjan]

Rain is supposed to be heading our way but looks like it may go more north and we might get more "showers" than real hard rain. That's okay, we could do with about 2 weeks of NO RAIN.

That last stretch we had, from Sat eve through the following Thursday, we got alot of hay made. Total nearly 1500 square bales, and about 25 4x5 rolls. We worked out butts off, he cut it all on Sat and Sunday, I tedded and raked it all over the spell from Sunday for the stuff cut early on Sat, through Wed., and did raking inbetween. I cannot help much with the baling as far as riding the wagons to stack so Michael had to do all that.

He delivered sq 200 bales on Mon night, stacked 200 in a barn for a neighbor who just died 2 weeks ago in a freak accident but his wife still has the horses there, sold and stacked 100 bales on a guys truck and then loaded and delivered 200 more bales on Wed eve. We got the last baled on the wagons, and the rest rolled and the wagons and the balers in the barn by 9:30 Thursday night. Then he went and got 200 bales from a friend who had no where to put it in, on our trailer to get delivered to a customer of ours. I think he got into bed around 2 or 3 several nights (mornings).

Plus his boss was out of town on vacation, so he had to work until at least noon each day. They are working 7-3:30 right now but it will go back to 8-4:30 after the time changes. I had to test cows Thurs and Fri mornings and Sat eve. We were both pretty tired out by Sat. It did rain on Friday and we got nearly an inch so it was perfect to get it all in the barns on Thurs night. But it was a push.

Don't see a 4-5 day window for the next week so no hay but there is poultry litter to be spread and some late seeding in the sorghum/sudan fields that is overdue to be done. We also got in 14 cows and 6 new calves this past Mon eve, moved them to the barn, tagged and worked the calves, moved 3 pairs to a pasture and the ones without calves into the "calving field. The 3 with heifer calves will go in a close by field temporarily, until after hunting season, and then we will move them to the place we stockpile grass for the winter. We will run about 30-40 head there through the winter. We have found that we do better with putting all steer calves & mommas, at one place and all heifers at another when we start out. Then when it comes time to sell, we can get a load of steer calves at one place and not have to do alot of sorting for the first load. Not the perfect plan, but it has done pretty good for us so far. Since we are not registered, we don't pick and choose as closely about bulls matching cows. We do try to keep "like" or similiar aged cows in certain places and don't let the older cows go to pastures that are real hilly. The younger ones are athletic enough to do it, but the older ones can get the easier places to travel. Got about 15 more calves that need to be worked, and then matched to their mommas, and then moved, and have about 20 at another place that need to be gotten in and brought to the barn to be done too. But that will be done slowly over the next month. Can't move the cows with heifers to the place until after Dec 1st; and then we will bring home our 15-18 month heifers and put the bull with them to get early fall calves. I'd actually like to get the bull in now and then get them moved in about a month. We'll see.

 

[Mini Horses]

Got quite the shock this morning when I went to feed the goats. April was waiting for me at the night pen gate, which is more or less normal. What wasn't normal was that she was on the OUTSIDE of the gate on the pasture

I had that type of shock yesterday morning. I KNOW the doe was in her normal pasture and there she was out of it and next to the buck! GREAT! No idea where/how she got out but I put her wagging tail in another pen, added the buck I wanted to breed her. Put hay & water in while they were romancing and I went to work. She was ready to come out when I got home, back to her pasture and she's been there since!

It's that time of year! Stinky bucks and hussy does. My 9 month buck is almost as big as she...he's gonna be a big guy, like his dad. LOL, he was tired of her when I got home. Believe I have 5 or 6 more to go....then 5 in Jan/Feb. A couple were bred 3 weeks ago. I wish they'd plan this while I am "off" work Total of 13 girls.

 

[Baymule]

Joe I am tired of rain. We are supposed to have a couple of sunny days coming, have to get back to work on the chicken coop. Even though we had some good weather earlier in the week, I was wiped out and sore from having too much fun at the wedding last weekend. BJ and the groom had the good sense to sit down and watch their wives let it all hang out on the dance floor for nearly 3 hours. I had a great time, but I sure was sore all over and paid for it. I talked to the bride today and she was sore too. That made me feel better, I got 23 years on her. LOL LOL

 

[Latestarter]

I hear ya Bay... Was supposed to be sunny here today and was overcast, damp, windy and cold all day. Come nightfall, the clouds mostly broke so maybe tomorrow will be the sunshine promised. Supposed to be right around 70° next 2 days then a chance for some more rain. I have a VA appt on the 6th. My son will be flying in for a week (to help me) on the 7th. Man do I have plans to put his butt to work! When I send him back home I aim to have him so burned out he'll need to sleep for 48 hours. Got a bldg to finish and fencing to plant. Ground certainly aint hard right now! It squishes when you walk on it. digging post holes and pounding T posts will never be easier...

 

[Baymule]

That is great that he is coming to help you. You will get a lot done. Just don't do anything stupid that will stove you up in the meantime. Eat right, get plenty of sleep, say your prayers, stick your left hand in stump water at midnight while swinging a dead cat around your head with your right hand chanting "I is strong. I is a barn builder. I is a fence builder." It also helps to wear purple underwear.

 

[Rammy]

 

[farmerjan]

 

[Bruce]

Man do I have plans to put his butt to work!

Besides Bay's excellent suggestion, I would add putting in a request for a week of no rain. DS might be like a goat and not able to be out in the rain.

 

[farmerjan]

Got .2 inch last night from what y'all had the day before, but then got another harder rain after 3 pm this afternoon. I did not try to go out to look at the rain gauge after I got home from errand in town and stopping by the stockyards to see how prices were doing. NOT GOOD on prices. They are off from .10 to .40 per lb for the feeder steers. It's going to be a long hard fall.... after a long wet difficult summer.... Maybe next year will get better.
Between one of my farmers 33 yr old daughter getting killed in a horrific farm accident and then the neighbor getting killed in a freak accident at a Jousting/medieval reenactment demonstration and exhibition only a week later, on top of all the difficulties that my son is still dealing with from the work accident nearly 1 1/2 yrs ago, and my joint problems, we have had a tough 2018.
My son is now dealing with the workman's comp guy who is saying he has had enough rehab and they cut it off. After nearly 2 weeks, the headaches are back with a vengeance and he had trouble with losing some of his eyesight the other night that had subsided with the continued therapy he'd been going to. He has been going to some extra training in order to become a trainer in VDOT for some of the stuff all these supervisors have to continue to learn. It was a way to "move up" a bit, with less physical stress. But these headaches from the head trauma are un-bearable. Here he is trying to better himself, live with some of the problems, and still be a productive member of society and work; not be a leech and live off the disability system... and the workmans comp is fighting it. I would like to go shut that guy up.... the doctors are doing all they can to fight it too as they have seen improvement.. but this guy is a class A A$$hole.
Now, this afternoon we got some real strong rain, winds for a bit, and it is supposed to continue through the morning at least. Then 2 decent days and then more wet. He was trying to spread some poultry litter on the recently frosted sorghum - sudan grass field yesterday afternoon, to be able to get the wheat in the ground for a cover crop. The chain broke in the bottom of the spreader and they shoveled off about 2-3 tons of litter by hand last night, to be able to get to the bottom so the chain can be fixed/replaced. Also tore up some thin spots in the metal bed so that will have to be replaced..... Another costly set back in both time and money.
Good friend of ours, 40 ish, was in a wreck last night. Kid in a pickup went to pass her driving their 1 ton dually truck with the horse trailer; on a double yellow line.... pulled out, hit a car head on and the resulting crash came around and hit the truck and trailer. They are pretty much banged up, horse is okay, truck looks to be totaled and trailer has some damage, person in the other car not too bad but kid in truck that pulled out is in hosp. Charged w DUI on top of everything. Sorry, I have no sympathy for him. There was no reason to try to pass there, they were right near the turn off into the horse facility, double no passing yellow line... luckily another friend behind her saw it all.... We rent the "big farm" from her mom as that is the widow of our farmer friend that died of cancer a few years ago.
Damn these kids and the drinking and driving (and the ones texting) and such. Well he was 19 but still a kid in my book.

Seems like it is never ending this year.