Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

45 chickens to eat......then you'll either start clucking or crowing.
You need some chicken recipes!
Bake a whole chicken, serve with your favorite sides.
Then with the leftover chicken make;
Chicken tacos
Chicken enchiladas
Chicken salad
Chicken stir fry
Simmer the carcass, pick out the bones and make soup.

I hope you sleep late and get rested up.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @farmerjan,

Whatever happened to that house you were interested in possibly buying?

 

[farmerjan]

Situation has kinda changed. They took it off the market. I think there is an issue with kids and an elder parent (s) or something? All I know is that it is off the market for now. my real estate lady said she has requested that the listing agent contact her if there is a change. So back to the drawing board......

 

[Bruce]

Bummer. Maybe they will get their act together and put it back on the market. OR an even better place will show up.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, it is Thursday evening. Been a busy couple of days. Son decided to cut the hay at the place the woman was getting so pushy about. I really thought is was a bad idea as there were only 2days that were forecast to be sunny and very warm... So he cut it Tuesday afternoon, and I went up and tedded it out Wed morning. Texted him and said it was pretty green from all the 2nd growth coming up through the "dead brown hay", and that it probably wouldn't be dry enough to rake. It was partly/mostly cloudy for the better part of the day Tuesday and Wednesday despite the forecast of sun. The sun did come out about 2. He went up after work and decided to tedd it out again and said that it was alot drier than he expected. So he went and got the round baler, came back and tedded it again and then raked it a little later. He decided to bale it that eve. Said there were a few "tough spots" (meaning some not fully dry) but that it really wasn't bad. He went and when the roll was nearly full size, would go around on the windrow against the trees where it wasn't as dry as is should have been, and rolled that on the outside of the bale. It prevents it from getting a "hot spot" inside and if it gets a bit moldy or musty, then it won't hurt the rest of the bale as much. It really does look pretty decent. Of course, the sun was out today, and very hot/muggy. He texted me and said figures, it could've had today to dry too. I replied that if it starts to rain at 3 p.m. then he would have been really pissed off because it would have ruined it.
Guess what, the clouds came in from the west and it got black, thunder, lightning, and it POURED down the rain about 3-3:30 or so. I just checked the rain gauge and we got 9/10ths inch in about a half an hour. The roads washed along the sides, the rivers were running browner than the "muddy Mississippi" ever thought of being. I mean it flat out poured down. I went up to lock in the meat birds and got soaked getting the 8 or so that didn't find their way into the pen. I am trying to let them out in the brushy stuff to pick and get 'em out on clean ground for a few hours at a time. Just started that and only doing it when I am going to be "around" to be able to go back and put them in. So all in all, very glad that he did go on and bale it. Said he is really considering letting the owner get someone else next year. A neighbor has someone cut their field, and they can just come right on over and do it. I said suits me and then we won't have to deal with her carrying on. Plus no more being the nice guy, bush hogging the other ground that is FULL of rock and ledge, for their Memorial Day party every year. Tearing up our equipment and all.
Going to cut tomorrow afternoon if the weather forecast stays the same as it is presently showing. SUPPOSED to be SUN and hot, 90's. the next 3-4 days. Might depend on what the possible Tropical storm/hurricane, might do in the Gulf and it's projected course up into the states.... But if it does get this hot, this other hay will dry very fast. Got one place to do custom, and they have been fine with understanding that the rain has been very difficult, and then we have 2 more places of" ours " to do. The sorghum/sudan will be ready to make by the time we are done with this, and it will give us a second gutting too if we can get it off by the end of July. Our good orchard grass will be ready for 2nd cutting too and that is mostly square bales. Our corn is looking really good with this rain.

I went to test the 2 farms that are 125 miles away in Winchester. Left Wed. aft about 5, and got caught in a traffic backup due to a tractor trailer accident. Went 4 miles in 1 hour and 20 min...... UGH. Didn't get to the farm until about 9:30 so didn't get much sleep with having to get up @ 1:30 to test at 2a.m.. Then went to the other herd, left at 10:30 to come home. Got to the house about 1p.m. I guess. Traffic was heavy coming home. Got to test another herd tomorrow morning, will get up about 3:30 as it is an hour away and they start at 5 a.m.. Then I will spend time in the hayfields over the weekend if all goes as we are thinking. Have one set for next Wed afternoon and maybe 1 or 2 more to do. Going to do some laundry and hang tomorrow if the weather is going to be nice. With all this humid, sticky weather, everything is just sweaty and dirty. Would like to get most everything done and hung in the next couple of days.

Lost my NH hen setting on eggs last night. Eggs too. I am pretty sure it is either a possum or a coon. Going out to set the havahart trap in a few minutes. D@#% SOB.... pulled the chicken wire off one side of the run and got in. It is just too hot to close them in when the temps are in the 70's and 80's at night. The coops are not ventilated enough. I will get whatever and that will be the end of it.

Fighting pinkeye in the calves. Running rampant in this area and from what a couple of fellow farmers are telling me, it is at epic proportions this year. Son got some darts for the dart gun to "shoot" a few of the calves with stuff to try to get it stopped asap. Flies are at the cows/calves constantly. Never seen this many flies this early in the year. Not enough real cold last winter, after such a wet year. Heard from a friend that the goats are having HUGE worm issues, and that they know a couple of people with sheep that are saying the same. Maybe a good thing that most of ours are on "drylots" partially due to not getting the new fence up and his losing one place he used to keep them. Might be a blessing in disguise. At least they aren't on tall grass and the worm larvae getting ingested. Cattle seem to be okay on that front.

Going in to get a shower and get to bed. Going to get all the stuff in the truck first, so all I have to do is go out the door in the morning. I don't think I will have any trouble crashing tonight.

 

[Baymule]

I bet you'll be asleep when your head hits the pillow. You really need a good night's sleep! I'm glad your son got the hay rolled before the deluge. Now the rain will make the grass grow again! LOL

Sorry about losing your hen and the eggs too. Hope you catch the culprit.

 

[Bruce]

D@#% SOB.... pulled the chicken wire off one side of the run and got in. It is just too hot to close them in when the temps are in the 70's and 80's at night.

Sucks that you lost the hen and her eggs. The only way I would trust chicken wire would be if it was combined with a layer of 2x4 wire fencing.

 

[farmerjan]

Been a few days and much work. We had a short window opening so we cut the last 3 places for first cutting. I tedded one, then the next day tedded the 9 acre field that he cut last. The custom place was a little light so we didn't tedd it. Raked the first tedded field, then went and raked the custom place. Both got rolled Sunday. Raked the 9 acre field Monday and son got off work early and came and got it baled. Got some severe pouring rain around us, about 3 pm, but not more than a sprinkle shower here. 5 miles up the hill it rained real good. It's all up.
Got more hay than we expected and the custom place we bale with the "smaller" round baler that makes 4x5 bales because they don't have a very big tractor to move the bales. Made more than they expected so they are talking selling some. It was over 80 rolls ??? Their field is a dream to rake, perfect rectangle, and the big rakes works so well there. Don't know how many acres it is, maybe 15 or 20. The 9 acre field was pretty heavy, and some green around the outside row due to trees shading it, but he rolled that on the outside of the rolls made by the bigger baler. This way it will cure a bit, but if it does get a bit spoiled, it is not packed tight in the center and causing heating or a fire. Good thing we got it up. Have one more place that we might have to do, was let go and not kept up and will be alot of weeds and trash. We used to make the hay there when we rented the place. Then it was sold, changed hands a couple of times, and has been let go. We are getting tired of cleaning up other peoples neglect and mess. If we have to make it, okay; if not that is fine with us. I think we are going to cut back a bit due to my son's continuing headaches and problems from the accident a couple years ago, and being tired of the people wanting this and that with no real idea of what all has to be done to give them what they want. Especially when it is unreasonable with the weather considerations. Keep the good places, let some other "younger, hungry" farmers try to satisfy these people.

 

[farmerjan]

There has also been some difficult news. My father was taken to the hospital again and it seems like he suffered a stroke, on Saturday. Things were looking good, and then they were not sure that was the problem. My sister talked to him Sunday eve and things seemed okay. He suffered another one or more, during the night Sunday, and Monday was unresponsive. He is undergoing different tests, found that his carotid arteries are 98% and 80% blocked in his neck. Heart camera shows no damage there. He is receiving blood thinners, and is under sedation; have done a ct scan and they want to do an mri today. My brother is medical poa or whatever, and is looking at skilled nursing care facilities. My mom's caregivers have sorted out a schedule to stay 24/7 but she will have to go into a nursing facility. Then don't know what/where things will stand with my father. My 2 brothers are talking and will be in charge of whatever must be done. My son is not handling this well at all. I am at the point that reality must be faced and my father was in denial trying to do what he was with keeping my mother at home and the stress with it all finally took it's toll. He was adamant that he was going to keep my mom at home, yet physically was unable to and having help 12 hrs a day was the way to go. Medicare does not pay for things like that. He did not want my help when I was up in March and offered to retire and come up to help, so there is limited things I can do. Having this put in my brother's lap is probably for the best. Although this brother and I do not get along, he has said to my other brother that he will talk to all of us before any major decisions are made. I texted him last eve and told him that I trusted him to make decisions that would be best. Both of my parents have DNR's and I don't know what to expect when they do bring my father out of sedation. They are not sure what he will be like, if speech will return, if the strokes have done major damage. There is a possibility he will be unresponsive.
So if I am gone a bit, it is due to family complications.

 

[Baymule]

I can't like your last post. I am deeply sorry about your family situation. Losing a parent is tough enough without both of them in decline at the same time. I am glad that your brothers are stepping up to do what needs to be done. Even if you don't get a long with one, it seems that he is trying to do the right thing. Big hugs, this is going to be hard. Please feel free to PM me if you need to talk.