Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Yeah, landlord is being a ......... well, that's his problem. I will get it figured out and get out of there... After 10 years no less... Yeah, they make baby gates and if she never opened the door to the front porch, there wouldn't be a problem. The back door opens to ground level..... that's all I use with these knees, and the front steps down are cupped with the nails coming back up out of the treads and both railings are loose and wiggle.... I'd never trust them if I started to lose my balance....

Enough of that BS.
Got the cows preg checked. 5 not preg, BUT 3 are OLD, NO TEETH.... so not bad. One of the 3 is one of my cows.... The 2 young ones should've been, but they will go out with the bull @ the pasture where the cows and small fall calves are and get the 2nd chance. This will be their only "2nd chance" .... both have big steer calves on them. It will put them behind 6 months, so can deal with that since it is only 2 and they have good calves on the ground now. But they need to come back in heat and get bred "right now" when they go in with the bull. Sometimes it is better to keep cows you know like these, than to sh#t can them for cows that you don't know. So we will try to replace the open "old cows";
We also checked some of the mouths of some of the other cows, and there are more cows in this group than either my son and I realized that are "older"..... there are 4 that are bred that we have designated as "last calf cows"..... they are all bred but have no teeth or nubs.... Sometimes we forget how old some of them are as they continue to breed back and raise good calves. These 4 will probably get put at the pasture with no bull so they will not get bred back and will be able to raise their calves and then get sold at the end of the season next year. We'll see how things go but that is the plan. we have at least one other that is a "last calf cow"..... 2 of these last calf cows are also mine.... goes to show how long I (we) keep our cows..... breed, raise a decent calf, breed back; you get to stay....

So that is 5 old cows open, from the last 2 places.... to send as cull cows. We are going to go to the bred cow sale and see if we can replace them with a few bred, due in the spring, cows. Even if they are older cows, or one and dones....if we can get them at a decent price, it will give us calves to sell without losing more time...... But you never know....might find some decent ones..... times are not looking good so might be some better prices for buying.

The rest are mostly all 5 plus months... several are 6-7 months which is good. One is shorter, must've gotten caught right when the bull went gallivanting.... but she is DS's "Pet".... that is her name.... She won't be calving until June if preg length is diagnosed right.... but she will stay. No matter where she goes, she is the one that sees the truck aqnd heads for the catch pen or at least to come see you for a scratch.... and brings all the rest with her, so great for putting with some of the less friendly ones to make getting them into the catch pen easier. She gets a pass even though at the outside of the calving window.....

Got the 16 preg., moved out to the back pasture, calves will be kept in the barn lot with the open cows for a few days. Since they are with a few of the familiar cows, they tend to holler less and don't try to go looking for momma.... They will be getting silage and in a few days all the calves will be eating and then when we sell the open cows, even the cows' own calvesnot yet weaned, will be quieter and easier to deal with. So, the ones that are off the cows that are moved, are weaned now, and the rest will all be weaned when we sell the cull cows .... . Probably they will get sold in another week or so.

So that was the evening....overall pretty good....

I didn't get the stuff off the truck so will do that tomorrow. I can take the car to PT in the morning. Supposed to be sunny, so can get the truck unloaded and then bring more stuff up. I may take the car down, and the drawers from the sewing center... some other "loose stuff", in the back so it doesn't blow or get messed up....get the clothes out of the cedar chest too and get them up here for later; then take the truck later, for other stuff. I need to make sure I get the meters loaded for the farm on Wed morning as I will have to leave by 7 so don't want to be looking for meters or hoses early in the morning. They can go in the back of the car or the truck... probably will use the car to go down there.
Got the 2 shelf bookshelf thing moved so the sewing center can come right in the BR. Got more boxes to pack up at the house and a few more from here that I emptied. I need to get a couple of those plastic totes for clothes & stuff to sell..... haven't been into Walmart to do that. I also need to get another one of the radiator heaters.... I haven't done that yet either.....

So, time to get stuff together for tomorrow morning.... and head down the hill.

 

[Ridgetop]

The landlord is insane! He does nothing to fix up the house but won't rent it because of the porch steps that are falling apart! If you are a landlord you should keep up your property. If he didn't want to rent it he should have said last month! If he is worried abut the front porch, he can go put a gate at the top of the steps himself. Maybe he doesn't need the money from the rent. If so, and since he isn't renting it out again, what is his hurry to have you moved completely out immediately?

If worst comes to worst, can DS get you a large U-Haul and give you a day to pack all the rest of your stuff in it? Drive it to your house, park it, and unload it over several days. 3 or 4 days moving truck rent should be less than another month rent on the old house.

 

[Mini Horses]

Around here we have a company to bring pods, you pack, they move to where you want and leave to unpack as long as you need. Of course a charge but may be far less than another month of rent? You're renting a portable storage.

Not bad results with number of cows you have. This shows that some have value for more than timely rebred...one that brings others in, prime example! Same with some who are good nurse cows! You hate to find them get old, I know but, they've had good treatment and did good jobs for you. It's just sad sometimes. Many you have no "personal" contact and makes it more "business". Best to go while still in decent health and body condition. Livestock are different from corn. . General public don't realize that or why some decisions are made.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

It is disgraceful that the milk price is back below what they were getting back in 1989 when the milk price was 17.50 and inputs cost half or less of what they are now.

I wish there were something we could do to help these farmers. I guess that is how the free market works -- there are winners and losers. But it seems a shame that those who have put their whole lives into something could end up losing it all.

I will not try to help him out with a renter and if anyone asks me, I will make sure that they know all the problems.

I am so glad you are no longer needing to reside in that house and will soon be completely out of it.

Got the cows preg checked. 5 not preg, BUT 3 are OLD, NO TEETH.... so not bad.

What is the actual life expectancy of a cow when she is allowed to live out her entire life? What is the life expectancy where it makes sense to get rid of a cow if she can no longer have a calf?

If worst comes to worst, can DS get you a large U-Haul and give you a day to pack all the rest of your stuff in it?

Around here we have a company to bring pods, you pack, they move to where you want and leave to unpack as long as you need. Of course a charge but may be far less than another month of rent? You're renting a portable storage.

I think Miss @Ridgetop and Miss @Mini Horses have good ideas, Miss @farmerjan!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[farmerjan]

The milk market is not a free market. It is dictated by milk marketing orders, it is a very involved bunch of BS and gov't control stuff. That is also tied up with the big milk companies. Not based on parity so nothing about it fair. But then, most of the ag producers are not getting paid what they should be. Food is way too cheap in this country.... compared to things like the fortune we pay for our "toys" and our vehicles and things like our phones and electronic gadgets. Look at what people in european countries pay for their food in comparison. Less that 25% of expendable available money goes to food here.... it is over 40% in many countries. A $50 phone can work as well as a $500 phone but people want all the gadgets that do nothing for their actual well being.

Thinking on alternatives for the storage of some stuff....

Most cows will live for 12-15 years average. Longhorns and others with the bos indicus (brahman) type breeding often live to their 20's. They will often been very productive into their late teens while the more common and more domesticated of the breeds, bos taurus... have a shorter lifespan of 10-15 years on average.
Sp to answer your question, most into 12-15 years are considered old. Another thing, the type of environment affects them. Cattle in sandier soil conditions often do not last as long since it wears their teeth down more.
Many of ours are still productive into that age range.
If a cow can no longer have a calf, she needs to go. Doesn't matter if she is 5 or 15. A beef cow's JOB is to produce a calf yearly. You can make a few exceptions, like us keeping a cow over to next breeding group, if she is young with no apparent other problems. But for the older cows, if they are open, they leave. That is when it is practical to get rid of them. When they are no longer productive.
And yes, I have buried a couple on purpose over the years....My old first dairy cow, a guernsey, was 15yrs old.... 7 at her first owners, 8 more with me...... my first beef calf, that I bottle fed, was a 16 yr old cow with a 5 month old calf when she got down and I put her down permanently.
Like the 3 old cows that are open, they are in good flesh, not bred, so time to go. A couple are bought, but the one of mine is 12 or 13.... I imagine they are all in the 12+ age range. Sometimes we have sold 5 year olds that do not breed and have other problems... legs, feet, don't make much milk so raise mediocre or crummy calves....whatever....
But average age most people sell them is 8-12... before they get "old" so that they are more saleable as cull cows. That is why we now make decisions to take some of these old ones, and not let them get bred back, let them have a good summer and eating good, and by not getting bred back, their bodies will only have to feed the current calf, and put on weight to keep up their own condition, not to ALSO be feeding a fetus (pregnancy) which can wear a cow down. Don't want them to get run down with too many demands on their system.

Did my PT early and had a headache all day, mostly nerves/upset/MAD bs so didn't get much done today at all. Did not go do any of the errands after PT. Knees were sore and ankle aching too today. Sometimes that happens and will probably be alot better tomoorrow.
Going out to get the meters in the car for tomorrow's test. The hopefully I will have more push to do things here tomorrow.
Dinner tonight at Bonnies for some chicken & dumplins..... need to just get out of here for the evening. Still just pi$$ed off.

Also, for whomever asked, I got all the plants except the one rose bush and the 3 peach trees.... plan to get the rose in a day or 2 when I am down there....

 

[Baymule]

That landlord is a pisspore excuse of a human being. I hope you can help your friend find a place.

 

[Ridgetop]

Hardest thing to learn when starting in livestock is that they have a "shelf life" for production. The reason to keep livestock is production of milk or meat, if they don't produce, you can't afford to feed pets unless they have some other purpose.

 

[farmerjan]

Wed eve..... nice day, started at 22* but was 46 by 11:30. Will look at the recording thermometer when I go down the hill. It was sunny and comfortable out.
Had a nice evening...the chickens that she cooked in the big 6 qt crockpot/dutch oven type cooker were falling off the bones. The 2 of mine were so meaty....she was thrilled with them. So much meat. The broth was good and the dumplins they made were okay.... I think I make better ones when I make the beef or venison stew I do, but they were filling. Ate a good sized plateful. She was going to take all the rest of the meat and do some chicken pot pies and chicken salad. I need to start cooking some up for me as I really like chicken salad. Stayed around as her daughter and SIL brought up the fridge from their house, to replace hers that is going in the rental house that the SIL & DD are renovating for rental. They bought a new fridge for themselves. So they were playing musical chairs with the fridges.... big ones, double doors and all that. Bonnie had a side by side that she had gotten and found she really did not like and had put up with for years....so it worked out good for all. It was good for me to get out of here for a bit.

The son passed away a couple of years ago.... he had cancer. Before he got sick we used to use his cattle trailer when we were going to haul 2 loads..... I would get him new pullets to lay every year or 2, I preg checked a couple of his cows and we both raised bottle calves. Matt was a couple years younger than my son and they did some stuff together. It was tough when he found out he had cancer and his fight and eventual loss to that miserable disease.

I was never very close to the rest of the family, but nothing bad.... just sorta went in different directions. So, if we can be a little better friends that will be nice.
Got the number of the guy for my friend to call about the possibility of the duplex being for rent....and the SIL does renovations and he said he will come to the house and look at a possible job I want to do..... One thing that I have been looking at.
The area below the stairs, that go up to the 2nd floor.... is pretty much dead space. The door from the DR that goes into the "storage" under the stairs, makes it very hard/nearly impossible to use it very much for storage. To have shelves along one side makes it very very narrow.... like for a model thin skinny person.... so the more I look at it, I am thinking why not opening it up from the side.... from the hallway... so that you can get into most the whole area.... and be useable. Could make it into a "coat closet" and shelves for storage.... Thinking the end that the stairs are closer down, to store like the vacuum in there out of the way but easy to get to.....There are 3 different sets of baseboard heat in the hallway.... one running along the wainscoating that makes up the "side" of the space under the stairs. It could be capped off since there are 2 more sections of baseboard heaters less than 3 feet right across the hallway. Then, I am thinking that the whole section under the stairs could be opened up and a couple of doors put in there to make the space accessible, and make it useable. Thinking that they could even use the wainscoating that was put up instead of sheetrock, as the "doors" framing them out.... or possibly putting in sliders so that the doors would not have to open into the hall since the hall is so narrow. But I want some other input.... and they are renovating a house that basically sounds like it is like this one in many ways....
I could even use the door into the DR as a pantry type storage.....Make it say 2 foot deep with shelves open to that door. It would be way too much mess and all to close it off.... and if it only came in 22-24 inches, then the most of the area under the stairs could still be very useable...
So I am looking at it alot. I have NO closets, no storage..... except this one spot and it is not user friendly.
Also talked about the possibility of making the deck into something more practical.....closing it in for another room down the road????? Once the boxwoods are gone, could maybe do something that could work for a "mud room/entryway..... I don't know....
Just want some other ideas....
Bathroom needs to be done..... and the ceilings upstairs in the 2 bedrooms..... beginning to wonder if the friend is ever going to get to any of this....might need to get some other estimates.....

 

[farmerjan]

So, anyway. Got up and left by 7 for the farm to test. Set up and took samples, meters washed and got back about 11:30. Stopped at farm bureau as they got the new tire balancing machine finally. The 2 new tires on the car didn't get balanced and they said as soon as they got the new machine to come back and they would get them balanced. There has been a shimmy. Well, they were busy, and the one guy working today was going on lunch so I said I would try back late this afternoon. Came home to the new house, and worked on getting the samples packed.... had some computer issues so spent the better part of an hour on the phone trying to get things straightened out. Finally did, and then got the samples done to send out. Went back to the farm bureau, and he had gotten caught up and could get me in. Got the tires balanced which is good. Dropped the samples off to go out UPS. Stopped and got my mail at the p.o. box and went through that. I am back at the new house and did up some dishes and stuff... and going to move the rest of the stuff out of the hall so that I can bring more up.
Tomorrow I have to leave no later than 10 to go the 125 miles to the jersey farm up near Winchester. I will be gone all the rest of the day as it will be 6 before I leave there to come home. Hate to spend the day driving and inside.... it is supposed to be nice again; sunny and in the upper 50's again. Oh well.... need the income towards some of these possible projects. Then Friday afternoon, I will go do the farm that was going to be done on Sat morning since the weather is going to change.... possible showers/rain Friday eve and then temps dropping.
I will have time Friday morning to move some stuff, unless it is raining hard.

I plan to put a bunch of stuff in the car tonight, and bring it up in the morning before I have to go to test. It can go into the hallway and then maybe Friday I can bring up some bigger stuff like the sewing center/table in the truck Friday morning. We'll see what I can get done.

Got the paperwork from the co that handles our retirement accounts.... going to fill that out and get that in the works so that I can work on some of this stuff and see about dealing with the heating system; the boxwoods, scrub trees to be taken down....etc. Then there will be room for the storage building at DS's barn to come up here.
I may get Bonnie's SIL to look at the sides on the storage building here and maybe get it fixed a little better to last for a bit longer..... there are several rotten spots on the sides where it is open along the bottom inbetween the studs. Not going to replace the floor.... but maybe make it less "air conditioned"....might be able to redo the sides part way up to salvage it better. Get another 5-10 years use out of it, would be worth it. The guys that did the doors and fixed some of the deck did okay... but I think that it was a little costly so want another "estimate" ....... I would not ask them to do the inside under the stairs.... don't think that more "finish" carpentry is their specialty......

So, this is all in the "future" and "possibility" stage.... but may as well get an idea of what could be done.... and general estimate of costs.

Other than that things are about the same. Got the sample bottles in the racks for tomorrow's herd, and for the herd on Friday afternoon also. That way, I can get the samples packed tomorrow eve after I get home, and won't be trying to get everything done Friday morning. If it is not raining, I can hopefully get some more stuff up here.
Haven't made any decisions about the stuff there that was going to get moved after my friend moved in....
And, one of the guys who is part of the small moving co, a family member was just diagnosed "positive" so they are having to be "quarantined" and are going to be behind..... they gave me a name of another "small time" company, but they are booked up.... I will deal with it tomorrow or the next day....
Sounds like "Scarlett in Gone with the Wind"......I need to laugh at myself.....
It will happen ....... I need to keep sight of the end game.... And hope that the roof leaks bad enough that he has to reroof it or it falls in..... since you can't get upstairs to even check it out.....

Now now.... be nice.......

Time to get the stuff out of the hallway and go down the hill. Ready to get some stuff done tonight.

 

[Baymule]

You will get it done. What is that dummy's hurry to get you out? It's not like he's going to rent it out again. Oh, I know! There is a chest of pirate gold in the yard, complete with a skeleton buried on top of the chest........he can't very well be digging THAT up with you there! So he needs for you to leave, he's ready for his gold. And I hope the ghost from the skeleton "guard" haunts him forever. LOL LOL