Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Saturday morning. We had a switch in weather that was like shutting a door and walking into the refridge.... Thursday was hot and humid like the previous days... Friday was 20 degrees cooler... Cloudy all day, but what a relief in temps.
It was 63 to 72 on Friday. checked and cleaned up the last 10 meters in the morning, went to the meter calibration. It's sad, there are 3 of us left when there used to be 6-7 that would come to this one...we had "appt times" but many of us would get there early or stay a little after to catch up with each other's life. Testing is not something that you "see " your co-workers because we are all in our respective farms testing...but we liked to trade stories about farms and do our "griping" about different ones and the our bosses etc... The one tester that we do the calibration at her farm, came back when I was about 1/2 done and we talked for a few minutes... she is about 60, been testing since out of school, 38 years, I have 34 years in... but I am older... and we talked about how bad our gen mgr is and a few other things... and how all our farmers are going to be left high and dry since the gen mgr won't put forth any effort to hire anyone... because there are enough herds for a full time position.... she never even tries to hire anyone anymore.. It's not the greatest job in the world, but it sure beats sitting in an office at a desk... even on it's best or worst day.

Went up the road and stopped at another former tester's house... she started 6 months before me, but quit 2 yrs ago when her mom died and between that and having had both hips replaced and starting to have some trouble again... decided that it was time. She is 63-4 or so??? We always got along good and it is nice to catch up with her and what's going on. Visited a couple hours.

Came home and got a load of water to take to the heifers. DS had called earlier, wanting to know the count at a pasture as he was coming up "short" a calf... but the papers were at home... so I checked and made a list of the ones at that pasture to leave in his truck as I had no idea of where he was/what he was doing.... They pulled the well pump and it turns out is was the wire and GF went to get what he needed to replace the stuff.... had to go to the specialty well pump place so took several hours... plus traffic and 2 wrecks on the interstate so I feel bad for her lousy trip for that...
The heifers still had at least 15 gal of water in the trough from the trips the evening before... the drop in temp sure helped with that. So I dumped another 55 + gallons in and the trough was 3/4 full. Then DS came down the hill, he had to go to Lowe's for a couple fittings that they needed, another friend was up there helping him get it all situated... I asked if there was anything I could do, but he knew what he needed and it would have been stupid to try to explain it to me... faster for him to go... but he said I could feed the heifers their grain so I did and then came home.

It was misting, almost sprinkling by then... and was getting dark, so I quit for the night.

Today, Sat is was 63 overnight. I put a light blanket on the bed and slept good. Still got this back ache this morning... Oh well... It is cloudy but the sun is supposed to come partly out... mixed today but only in the 70's, maybe hit 80?

Going out to do turkeys and chickens in a few minutes. Got to put the bulk of the meters back in the storage box as I don't need them all in the car... Too wet to do any lawn/weed eating today... Be a good day to do some stuff inside for awhile... wait for the tylenol to kick in on the backache too... Need to make some calls/texts and get some farms set up with the cooler temps. Probably will be a busy week.

 

[SageHill]

Sounds like a good day and phew! You deserve a break in the heat!

 

[drstratton]

Saturday morning. We had a switch in weather that was like shutting a door and walking into the refridge.... Thursday was hot and humid like the previous days... Friday was 20 degrees cooler... Cloudy all day, but what a relief in temps.
It was 63 to 72 on Friday. checked and cleaned up the last 10 meters in the morning, went to the meter calibration. It's sad, there are 3 of us left when there used to be 6-7 that would come to this one...we had "appt times" but many of us would get there early or stay a little after to catch up with each other's life. Testing is not something that you "see " your co-workers because we are all in our respective farms testing...but we liked to trade stories about farms and do our "griping" about different ones and the our bosses etc... The one tester that we do the calibration at her farm, came back when I was about 1/2 done and we talked for a few minutes... she is about 60, been testing since out of school, 38 years, I have 34 years in... but I am older... and we talked about how bad our gen mgr is and a few other things... and how all our farmers are going to be left high and dry since the gen mgr won't put forth any effort to hire anyone... because there are enough herds for a full time position.... she never even tries to hire anyone anymore.. It's not the greatest job in the world, but it sure beats sitting in an office at a desk... even on it's best or worst day.

Went up the road and stopped at another former tester's house... she started 6 months before me, but quit 2 yrs ago when her mom died and between that and having had both hips replaced and starting to have some trouble again... decided that it was time. She is 63-4 or so??? We always got along good and it is nice to catch up with her and what's going on. Visited a couple hours.

Came home and got a load of water to take to the heifers. DS had called earlier, wanting to know the count at a pasture as he was coming up "short" a calf... but the papers were at home... so I checked and made a list of the ones at that pasture to leave in his truck as I had no idea of where he was/what he was doing.... They pulled the well pump and it turns out is was the wire and GF went to get what he needed to replace the stuff.... had to go to the specialty well pump place so took several hours... plus traffic and 2 wrecks on the interstate so I feel bad for her lousy trip for that...
The heifers till had at least 15 gal of water in the trough from the trips the evening before... the drop in temp sure helped with that. So I dumped another 55 + gallons in and the trough was 3/4 full. Then DS came down the hill, he had to go to Lowe's for a couple fittings that they needed, another friend was up there helping him get it all situated... I asked if there was anything I could do, but he knew what he needed and it would have been stupid to try to explain it to me... faster for him to go... but he said I could feed the heifers their grain so I did and then came home.

It was misting, almost sprinkling by then... and was getting dark, so I quit for the night.

Today, Sat is was 63 overnight. I put a light blanket on the bed and slept good. Still got this back ache this morning... Oh well... It is cloudy but the sun is supposed to come partly out... mixed today but only in the 70's, maybe hit 80?

Going out to do turkeys and chickens in a few minutes. Got to put the bulk of the meters back in the storage box as I don't need them all in the car... Too wet to do any lawn/weed eating today... Be a good day to do some stuff inside for awhile... wait for the tylenol to kick in on the backache too... Need to make some calls/texts and get some farms set up with the cooler temps. Probably will be a busy week.

Glad you're getting a break in the weather. Sure hope your back pain gets better.

 

[farmerjan]

Came back a bit ago. Really need to go up to the pasture and check the heifers, and feed the grain in the bunk for those calves...

DS called earlier and wanted to know if I wanted to come and help sort off the calves from the cows and get them back out to pasture and the calves weaned off in the barn. Most are pretty much weaned off anyway, with the cows only 6-8 weeks from starting to calve... they will fuss a little but should do fine.

At least the weather was good for doing this... 70's today and more clouds than sun.

There were 11 calves in this group... mostly heifers.... We sorted off the cows in groups of 4... fly sprayed... pour on wormer on a couple of the thinner ones.... Kept 3 back until the end...... one has a sore foot, we trimmed one long toe and couldn't find anything wrong with the one she was limping on, but squirted a syringe full of oxytet between the toes and on her foot in case there is some foot rot there that we couldn't see or smell. She might have just gotten a stone between them and bruised it a bit... but the trimmed toes on the other back foot will help... and 2 needed ear tags they had lost... and then moved them all back across the driveway and up the hill for now.

Oh, yeah, they did get the pump and all fixed, back in the well, yesterday evening finally... and we have water again... that is why they could go back up the hill. And no more hauling water for the heifers for now either...

Treated one calf for bad pinkeye in one eye... and discovered that one steer calf also has small horns... he is a nice enough calf, but we are not going to dehorn him... it will take too long to heal so won't match any others, and this time of year is bad for flies and we don't need maggots or anything in the open wounds... he will go with the dairy calves/odd ball ones, to that sale, they sell all breeds not just dairy, regular stockyard sale.... and it won't hurt him up there... especially since he is already a steer, and the horn buds are small... but it would hurt the group at the other stockyard if he were to be mixed in... There aren't going to be that many steer calves to get sold anyway...

DS was not feeling good, they worked hard on that well pump pull yesterday, and I think it just worked on him... he was a little dizzy, and said that at least getting these cows out of the barn and back up the hill was good. Plus we have one more group to bring home; 15 cows, 14 calves, that need to be weaned off; those cows will go with the 31 we just turned out and all will start calving in mid-Sept and later.

He said that tomorrow might be a good day to try to get the ones in at the nurse cow pasture; work the bull calves and move the 5 cows with spring calves out to a pasture somewhere... and get the bull out and the holstein and jersey and older black steer calf to the barn to go with the rest of the weaned ones... Then I won't worry about Betsy the jersey cow, as she needs to be dry... and everything will be in one place at the barn that will need to be loaded and sold... not have to go to different places to get them all together..
Going to need to find a calf or 2 to put on her when she calves...

So, we moved the newly weaned calves over to the side with the other already weaned heifers that were there... weaned off some of these 31 cows back a month ago... they might holler for a day or 2 but the cows are far enough off up the hill that I don't anticipate any real problem. Then these newly weaned 11 will just follow the rest and come in to eat in the bunk in the barn with the ones that get fed daily... follow the leader type thing...

I will see about getting in the ones at the nurse cow pasture tomorrow... because I am going to have to get the bigger ones in through a gate since they cannot get in the creep gate.. It will take some time to get them all sorted out.. but that will be okay. Going to be a decent day, not too hot...I will take my time and get them in and situated, then DS can come with the trailer and get them moved out.

Time to think about some supper...

 

[farmerjan]

MORNING.... feels like fall... it was a "balmy" 56 degrees last night.... WOW chilly ....

Partly sunny out now, but forecast is for more overcast later on. DS had talked about mowing hay, but the ground was wet yesterday, he didn't feel good, and the forecast was not good for sunny days to dry it... more showers etc coming in by Tues eve or Wed... so I said I didn't think it would be good to cut it... Looks like it wouldn't dry much in time so glad he didn't.

Going to get my trap back from Deb's and set it at the barn for the groundhog getting in the feed cans. Got bales of hay sitting on top to stop it now, but he has pushed them off to the side even... Saw one come in the back part and it ran when it saw me... HATE THEM... Since I have been thwarting his free meals, he ought to go in the trap for some grain.. There are a couple up there around their house and they will just tolerate them... but then they are not at the house much... used to be they would set their traps and then ask me or DS to shoot them when they caught them... had a huge colony that we gradually thinned out... but now there are a few that have come back and no one really worries about them out around the out buildings.

I have gotten rid of the ones here close around the house... used to be one that went under the shed but trapped one and another got killed on the road...

Ran into the guys who had been driving the posts and the one told me there had been a red fox around some, rather mangy looking, several days when they were here... clears up the whole turkey situation... bet that was what was chasing them and causing them to go across the road, then wanting to roost on the back deck instead of going back into the calf hutch for me to lock up at night.. going to set a bigger trap here to see if I can catch it if it is still around...
Chickens are molting but they have been much more flighty lately, I think they are being stalked on the outside of the pen...

Time to get a few things done here... Might try to use the weed eater later if it dries up some. The dew has been very heavy with these cooler nights.

 

[farmerjan]

Change of plans/thoughts for what to do today... Deb did come out this weekend but I think she was needing to decompress a bit. We texted but did not get together to eat... She didn't do any mowing on Sat but did mow today, her mower is fixed and working. I stopped by late this afternoon to pick up the trap and we talked for a few minutes, she was going to get things picked up and get ready to head back to her other house and to work tomorrow. Supposed to try to come out next weekend but will see...

DS texted and wanted to know if I was going to try to get the calves in at the nurse cow pasture... and I said I was going in the gate at that very moment. Took about an hour to get everyone in that I wanted.... the smaller calves all went in through the creep gate good, but had to get the 3 bigger ones in through the gates... worked around and got 2 to go in the one gate after walking around one of them and heading him in the right direction... the other went right in on his own... but the holstein steer was being a jerk... kept going around things instead of just straight towards the barn... but then one of the others that is due to calve, went in and he sorta got crowded in and then decided it was a good idea to go in... no problem to sort the cow back out after letting her clean up a little bit in the bunks. So, texted DS and he came up a little bit later... we banded and gave shots to the 7 calves... 4 blk bulls/now steers, 2 blk heifers, and the speckled longhorn bull that is now a steer... he talked to a friend of his and the smaller jersey bull calf that "stupid" wouldn't take and I wound up bottle feeding, since been weaned and has been just staying with the rest of the calves and coming in for grain, did not get banded.... and the bigger one that came on the jersey cow Betsey when I bought her, that was made a steer awhile back.... anyway, this guy wants them and he prefers to knife cut so we did not band the smaller one... They will go this week. The smaller one we turned out with the longhorn's calf... but the bigger one, the holstein and the bigger blk steer all went to doug's barn with the rest of the weaned calves from yesterday. So, I will have to get the smaller one back in, but he is good about coming in to eat so should not be a problem.

Left the 6 blk calves in, it was getting later and the cows were not all there to get them caught up... so by tomorrow they all ought to be good and ready to come in for wanting their babies... There were a couple of the calves hollering, and it will be a "loud" night there. They have some water in the troughs from the recent showers up there.... and I put a sq bale of hay in the bunk feeder... and made sure that everything was chained and tied up so they cannot get out of the pen.

We have to go to a dr appt tomorrow so won't be back until after 1... they ought to be good and ready for their momma's... and hopefully I can get the cows in without too much trouble. I let the longhorn's calf out with her so she was not worrying the pen with her horns... although she is very laid back normally... so the smaller jersey and her calf are out. If I can get the 6 cows in tomorrow, then I can put them on the other side, open the creep gate and get the jersey in too....

These 6 should be bred back, but they will go to a pasture for the rest of the season...and there are still bulls at some pastures for another month.... we have good grass at the pastures as most places have gotten pretty good rains... and then we will move the heifers that have been with the bull out to other grass for the rest of the season... and they will get preg checked later in the fall... that will leave just the ones that are fall calving.... 17 heifers, 2 cows, and of course, the longhorn and her calf, there for the rest of the season. There is not enough grass to keep all 35 but will handle 20 easily. There are over 40 there right now with the 6 with blk calves also...

Jess the longhorn never gets moved anywhere else since she would have to be in half the trailer by herself... and she is just happy there and keeps the coyotes and such out of there... She gets along well enough with every one, she will shake her horns at them if they crowd her, but she does not go after any of them... I am sure she has used her horns a time or two to convince someone to move out of her way... but I had one cow with horns that would go after other cows and try to hook them with her horns all the time... at least Jess is not nasty like that... So she will just stay here and live out her life... since longhorns are known for longevity, she might outlive me..!!!!

So, I finally came on home and it was about dark... I might go up there in the morning before I have to meet DS at 10, and see if I can get any of the cows in with their calves in the morning before we go... It gets light plenty early to see... those cows might be up around the pen, wanting their babies, and the rest might be off grazing so might work out... We'll see.

One more small project done...

Stomach is growling so need to go in and find something to eat. Didn't get any weed eating done either.. OH WELL, there is always tomorrow...

 

[fuzzi]

Happy to hear about Jess. I understand the business necessity of selling older animals that aren't producing, but I do like to read about pensioners.

 

[farmerjan]

There is a selfish reason for keeping Jess... I like her horns... if she should die, I want her horns to mount..... If she outlives me, then that is up to DS what he does with her horns....
But she is a good pasture ornament, she is a good protector, and is trouble free, so she is entitled.... I have buried a few,,, my first guernsey, my first beef cross bottle calf that was the foundation of my beef cows.... they were intentional... we have unfortunately buried some we didn't plan on over the years...

Monday... 56 again overnight... 83 in the sun... It was a nice sunny clear day, no humidity... very comfortable...

Went up this morning... and got the bull, the jersey, and 5 of the 6 cows in.... in about 5 minutes... they were all right there close, they all walked in with not a bit of problem. Only had one other go in, that wasn't supposed to but she is pretty tame so easy to get back out....
BUT.... there was one more... and of course we had to go around the barn twice, and not "see" the open gate... (I had the ones already in, locked on the other side so they couldn't come back out..).... I was figuring she could stay out for the rest of the morning while we were gone... then all of a sudden she went around and walked right down along the side of the barn and in the gate...
So had everyone in there... and was back home in 20 minutes tops.... NICE when they "mostly" all cooperate!!!

Went to the dr/psychiatrist... DS got pretty tied up in knots with the bad headache again today... but the dr said that they would write a letter and say he was not in any shape to try to go to work, and that the situation would be revisited in 6 months... I think that helped DS ratched down his nerves/anxiety a little bit.

Went from there, and stopped at the stockyard, ate lunch there, and walked through to see what was there. There weren't any bred cows or cow calf pairs... quite a few 4-700 lb feeder animals; steers, bulls and heifers... Nothing that we could in anyway attempt to buy with the way prices have been... Some had "squinty eyes" like they were getting pinkeye... we have enough of that so will not bring anything home anyway...

Got home, I changed and met DS about 45 minutes later... he brought the trailer up and we got the 6 cows and their calves loaded and he took them to the aug. co. pasture... then he came back and loaded the bull and the jersey and took them to the barn. Let the jersey out with the other ones, and kept the bull in the lot. He wanted to take him to the pasture down by GF house. There is a bull there, and normally we would switch them, but was going to just put him in there with the other one... they will be coming out in less than a month... but it is a precaution, in case for some reason a bull "goes bad"... as in shooting blanks or something... injury or whatever... so that the cows don't wind up open... we started doing that a couple years ago...
In between, after taking the jersey and the bull to the barn, he decided to take the wagon load of hay to a lady that gets about 3-400 bales a year... he planned to do it Tuesday, but they are calling for some showers and it would be his luck it would pour instead of a shower that "passed by"... she was getting about 100 and he had some extra on there, and a neighbor lady wanted to buy it so he got the whole wagon sold and unloaded. He was going to just bring back the bottom layer that had some fescue mixed in with the orchard grass... but since it was on the bottom he wasn't going to worry about it.... the neighbor said she would only use about 50-100 a year... didn't ask DS what she had to feed it to... but they were happy... He got $11 for the orchard grass and $8 for the mixed bales...

So, it was nearly dark when he got back to the barn, and got the bull loaded back on the trailer, and was headed down there... Normally we don't put animals out after dark in a new pasture... but the big older bull in there is not a fighter, and this one does not like to be by himself... so didn't want him tearing things up at the barn overnight... hopefully they will work things out without a big problem down there...
That's more out of the pasture at snyder's.... and everyone moved around for ease of selling....

Next are the 15 cows, 14 calves at the other pasture that need to come back... he said he hopes to get them this week... the calves come off, and then we will pick who will get sold out of the ones already at the barn, and the ones coming there in this group.

After that, the heifers that were being bred for the last 60 days, at snyder's nurse cow pasture, will go to the pasture where the other ones are coming from... into the field we cut part off for hay... and the other 2 sections will be able to grow for a bit... That will leave me with about 16-18 cows and all new calves...except the Jess's calf which will be a couple months older... But there are already 2 new calves so it will have buddies to play with in a few weeks as they get older... he was used to hanging with the other calves so I am sure he is a little lonely right now... the jersey used to hang with them too...

So, after getting the gates all put back like they needed to be, I dumped what little water there was in some of the tubs... someone had managed to sh!t in one of them.... so they are all emptied out... If it does rain some, then they will catch the roof runoff and they will be fresh water again.

Have a farm set to test Wed aft... told DS he needs to decide which day works to do the 500 cow herd... so I can check and see if it will work for them. A farm that cancelled the first of July, that I texted, said they are having some issues and will wait for another month... their choice. Need to get some more scheduled...

Past time to go to bed... "ate" alot of dust at the barn sorting the cows and such this afternoon... but it was a pretty good day overall...

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday... NOTHING ever goes like it should.... started out cloudy, we got a sprinkle overnight... road was wet but not alot. 62 overnight, so not quite as cold... the sun came partly out today...

DS texts me... there is no water at the barn again... he went to get water to put in the sprayer to mix for spraying the thistles, on the back of the 4 wheeler... and nothing.. SO... he had to meet someone for some hay at 1:30 and then go pick up the meat from the steer that got killed... it was the one that had the bad leg... and has about 2/3 of it sold... would I be available to come help pull the well pump again after 3:30....

So, I hauled a load of water to the heifers again... they were not thirsty then, so that was good... then came home and did a few things but the back was protesting this morning... So, about 2 or so, I filled the barrels again to take another load and was just ready to head to the barn, when he called me, and I said I was on the way... He had gone and gotten the stuff he needed to pull the pump AGAIN... and this time it was DS , GF , one of the kids, and me... we finally got it up out of the well... it is over 400 FT pipe....... put a new pump in.... and we finally got it back in the well and hooked up..been a long day. But DS called a little bit ago... he went back up after delivering beef to a friend... and pump is working, kicking on and off like it should... so at least everyone is getting water this evening. Hopefully this was the last time... said his head is killing him ...

So, tomorrow I am scheduled to test, see where farmer texted about 4:30... said to call him... I just sent a text back... said we were tied up with pulling the pump and all... to text or call me after 7 or so in the morning... I will take the phone in the bedroom so I will hear it... It is nearly 1 a.m. now... I'll bet he is wanting to cancel or change it... GRRRR...
Sent texts to 2 other farms... the 500 cow herd for Thursday or next week... and another one to call me in the morning... he gets another girl to come in and help when we test as the milker is just slowing down alot... so it helps to have a 2nd person in there... has a high school girl that works part-time, some eves and weekends when the regular milker is off...
Guess I will know what is what in the morning...

Going to get a shower and get some sleep... deal with it all in the morning..

 

[canesisters]

I'm glad that the water is finally working again. That's one extra chore you didn't need! Sorry about the testing confusion though. Hopefully it will work out as you're hoping.