Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

I hope Deb’s problems can be sorted out. It doesn’t sound very good at this time.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday morning... Slow start, back is aching more than what is "usual"....

53 overnight. Sun is out, going to be a nice day again.

Had a new calf at the snyder's... another bull calf out of a 1st calf heifer... Several others are really bagging up so ought to be more in the next couple of days... That's 3 bulls, one heifer so far there...
DS was going to take a roll of hay in there this morning. It is so dry, no grass growth and it is getting really short and dusty dry. I don't want the her x heifers to lose weight... the bigger bred heifers are in very good flesh, but the young ones need to keep growing and go forward... I am feeding them some grain... the big ones come around to the feeder and hog it... but luckily most of the her x ones stick together like glue, and they often stay back in the field when the others come to the barn... so I have been feeding them out there, out of sight of the others... a few will come in the creep gate and I have been putting feed in the bunk also...

I plan to go get some protein tubs to put out for supplement... this way they won't have to fight the big heifers.... they can get some when the big heifers are off eating, or going down for hay or for water... at least it will be out there for them. I will put out several so they will all have a chance to get at them and not get shoved out...
There is a bred cow sale this evening and I will go to see how prices are looking. I will go early enough to go to the feed store right near there, and get some tubs in the truck to bring home. Put them out tomorrow morning before I have to go test the farm where these heifers came from. Plans are to have the discussion with the farmer and get the value/money worked out so that we are squared... That is where I put my dairy heifers 5+ years ago, when I was going to have my ankle replacement... thought they would be there a year and then I would do herd shares... then the knees got so bad... and they just stayed there.

There have been calves born, there have been a couple that were sold and a couple that died... they paid me for some of the first bull calves sold, and the cows sold... then we never really got it all figured out. I do not want to cheat them, and I feel like I owe them something for these 12 heifers I got in June... They have done all the AI breeding costs on the ones in the milking herd.... and have raised up at least one heifer that has come into their milking string...
I do not want to go through and cull any of these heifers until I feel that they are "mine"... value wise... there are 2 that may get culled... one seemed to have chronic eye problems, but it has seemed to stopped since they are out on pasture... one will not come in the barn and goes the other way every time you go out there... little things... They will all stay through the winter unless something unforeseen comes up... but I want to feel like they are fully mine... and the dairy animals he has left, and their offspring there, are fully his. I hate that I could not bring them back home, but I guess those plans are no longer viable. I do not really want to milk 4-5-6 animals twice a day every day anymore... it was a plan for retirement, and then the ankle and knee replacements changed things... and I like putting the calves on the nurse cows and not milking again... besides at these prices, I could not afford to raise calves if I milked and then didn't have enough customers and I do not want to deal with the public that much anymore. It is going to be expensive enough to get a couple of calves to go on Betsy when she calves...

So, time to get up and something productive done... Got some dishes to do, and might do a load or laundry. They ought to dry good... got lots of junk mail to go through and sort out... make sure I do not trash anything good.
Time to do some serious house cleaning like @Mini Horses ... seriously overdue here...

Got the bottles in the trays for tomorrow and need a few more meters in the car to take... it is a double 12 so need 24 meters...
Will water the plants again as they look a little better... this way if we do get the rain, I will have saved them...

I will take the little ranger this afternoon to get the protein tubs and then go to the sale. Make a "night of it" and eat at the stockyard also...

Still hoping for the rain to come in Wed night/Thursday...

DS did look at Deb's mower and is going to see if the friend of his can do some welding,,, she broke something that holds it in place under the tractor... yes, her health problems are not good... I sure hope that they can come up with something so that she can at least know what is causing this... it is affecting her terribly....

 

[Mini Horses]

The house cleaning -- hating every day but love results. Glad I have a week to spread it out. Shame on me!

 

[farmerjan]

Getting ready to head to town. Did 2 loads of clothes and hung out...jeans, and socks and more socks...I have A LOT of socks so I don't have to do them very often. Plus, I found some I really liked, so bought quite a few packages of them... last time I found some I liked, went back to get more and they quit carrying that kind... so I have enough to last me a good LONG time...

Set out a gal to make more sun tea... got the lemonade out of the freezer ahead of time and put in the fridge... usually have to wait for it to thaw enough to get it out of the container....will make it tonight.

Got the couple bags of potting soil off the back of the ranger and going to take that to get the tubs and go to the cow sale...
Stop to make at the bank..... you know...get gas in the ranger.... all those run around errands...

Going to go through the pasture and see if there are any new babies...
Since it is the stockyard and since I am too old to try to impress anyone, going in my frayed old work jeans !!!!
Used to dress a little cleaner and better way back when... looked at the jeans, they are clean this morning... and said NAH, not going through the trouble to change them for a cow sale...

 

[drstratton]

Getting ready to head to town. Did 2 loads of clothes and hung out...jeans, and socks and more socks...I have A LOT of socks so I don't have to do them very often. Plus, I found some I really liked, so bought quite a few packages of them... last time I found some I liked, went back to get more and they quit carrying that kind... so I have enough to last me a good LONG time...

Set out a gal to make more sun tea... got the lemonade out of the freezer ahead of time and put in the fridge... usually have to wait for it to thaw enough to get it out of the container....will make it tonight.

Got the couple bags of potting soil off the back of the ranger and going to take that to get the tubs and go to the cow sale...
Stop to make at the bank..... you know...get gas in the ranger.... all those run around errands...

Going to go through the pasture and see if there are any new babies...
Since it is the stockyard and since I am too old to try to impress anyone, going in my frayed old work jeans !!!!
Used to dress a little cleaner and better way back when... looked at the jeans, they are clean this morning... and said NAH, not going through the trouble to change them for a cow sale...

I had a friend tell me that a lady that worked at the grocery store (another friend), said, "Sometimes René comes in and she looks amazing and on other days she looks like she's been fighting in a war"...lol We were building our house at the time, most days I'd pounded so many nails and put up to many boards, sheet rock or whatever stage we were on at the time, I was just to done in to care.

 

[SageHill]

I am too old to try to impress anyone, going in my frayed old work jeans !!!!

But ya' know, they sell jeans like that for hundreds of $$!! You'll be Hollywood Chic!

 

[Baymule]

When I butcher chickens and need more ice, I go to the tiny town close by, sweaty, dirty, blood splattered and nobody blinks an eye.

 

[farmerjan]

Prices were pretty high as expected... DS came by on their way home from that appt and he wound up buying 4 cow/calf pairs... they all have steer calves on them which he said will match up with other steer calves we have on our cows... The cows did not have any information on how old they are... but the calves are pretty decent... We will get them in at the barn and check their mouths, worm, vaccinate, and ear tag them. Cost plenty too... I had to take a deep breath when I wrote the check... 3400 a pair... check was 13,600....

We used to buy those kind of cows for 800-1200 a pair just 2-3 years ago. Now, 3 to 4 times what we used to pay..... But if the calves fit in with ours, and they bring say 2400 like the one we just sold a week ago... that will leave 1,000 a head in them and if they are real old, or do not breed back, then they will bring that or more as cull cows. DS wants to have at least 40-50 steers to sell to that guy we sold to last year and got very good prices from... he had talked to him recently when we had those few to sell, but they don't start buying until after Nov... buy through Feb... then ship the calves west to put on grazing....
Glad he came as I would not have spent that much.... but I also was not made privy to his thinking of having greater numbers of steers to sell to that guy in several months. It is highly unlikely that prices on these calves will crash for another year... so ought to be okay. We have approx 50 steer calves on our own cows now... but there will always be a few that they won't want... last year when they came and looked at them they cut out 2 or 3 that they said did not fit what they wanted... which you expect. We had already pulled out the ones that did not match as far as size or build... couple were tall and lanky, couple of red/white hereford looking calves....They wanted uniformity... when someone offers good money, you give them what they want. We didn't lose anything on the few they did not take...

DS is supposed to call the guy this morning about sending the old bull and we have 2 more that we will probably be culling out. One that throws the small calves, that just do not grow as fast, and another that is getting some age on him also. The one that throws the small calves is a big bull... both he and the old bull are at the farm... the other is still out to pasture with his 6 cow/calf pairs. It is a small place and with the dry conditions, it is good that there aren't any more out there. DS actually took them a roll of hay also... I am thinking that maybe he ought to move them out when the roll is done. If nothing else, get the bull caught up, and brought back to the farm.

Have to go get the car from the farm. If DS calls me, he can pick me up on his way by and take me there to get it as he has to get the wagons of hay moved inside this morning... since it is supposed to maybe rain late this aft... and get the tractors and balers put inside also. After the forecast rain the next couple days, looking at another dry stretch... will finish the field across from the house, and the little field at snyder's out in front...

Well, time to get dressed and get things put together. I need to go check for calves at snyder's . I did go by and take the protein tubs, that I picked up at the feed store yesterday afternoon...They aren't cheap either... about $175 a tub... but I get the good ones; and put them out for the heifers, so want to see how much they went after them last night. I also did let in a bunch of animals into the barn with some of the white faced her x heifers... kicked out the big ones and left the wf heifers in so they would come out the creep gate... maybe help to teach them to use it more...not all came in the barn and I fed some grain outside in the other feeder too...I want to make sure they all squeezed out through it last night ... since the pasture is getting really dry and not much to eat, even with the roll of hay he put in there, they were wanting grain last evening. The tubs ought to slow that down, but these heifers need feed to keep growing... at least the tubs will supply some nutrition to help with that. And maybe I can get them to come in better. Still, they are not going to be able to keep coming in through the creep gate forever...

So, up and at 'em and out the door here in a few.

 

[Mini Horses]

Baling across the street, again.

 

[farmerjan]

Busy morning... 54, up to 84... Sunny and dry again...

Went to snyder's and checked the heifers... another new calf, heifer this time.,... so 3 bulls, 2 heifers there. Sent DS a text and told him... he did dart the cow that had the bad eye but forgot to take a tag to do the bull calf born yesterday. I wasn't holding out much hope to tag it today since she was quite standoffish... Then I went to the farm, got the car and left the ranger... came home and got the rest of the meters loaded and bottles in the trays etc... and had to leave for work.
He texted me while I was checking the heifers, and had sent him the message about the new one... he asked when I was leaving and I said in about 10-15 minutes... that I was going to get the car and load the meters and go... that I could not worry with the vehicles at that point. He called me, as I was finishing getting gas, and said he had driven the truck back to my house since he had 3 tractors and equipment there across the road... and the truck started to miss coming up the hill... asked if I had been having any trouble with it and I said no... I drove it to town yesterday afternoon and it ran fine... ran fine this morning... so he said he would check the plug wires and see if one had come off. This engine has 8 spark plugs and wires.. it is a PITA to work on... he said it has 2 "coil packs" so might be one of them has started to miss... don't think they have ever been replaced... truck has like 200,000 or more on it and I have had the spark plugs replaced once... he said he would check it out...
I like it to go check the cows... but I guess I can drive the little 4x4 ranger to do that... I drive it very little this time of year... plus I have the big 3 quarter ton truck I bought at the farm estate sale several months ago... but to just drive it that little bit is not the best for the diesel engine... Guess I need to start driving it on occasion to a few closer farms to run it more... I have taken my green outback up to the barn to feed and check cows on occasion too... but would rather not. It is my "go to work to test" car... don't need it to get cows around it and tearing it up... I do take the red forester up there too... with the feed in the back where they can't get to it in the buckets like the back of the ranger... DS put the battery on charge at the barn because I can't seem to get it to hold a charge... it's a new battery... might just be bad... but the one time I left the cut off switch on, so the parking lights stayed on, and ran it completely out... it won't hold a charge after I got it going and ran it and didn't turn it off... and after about 2 hrs... I parked it, at the house, turned it off, and it was dead again when I tried to restart it 10 minutes later......
So he took it down to the barn to the bigger charger he has there for using with the tractors and the bigger equipment... and was putting it on charge.

So... went and tested... talked to them about the heifers... farmer said that he thought we ought to call it even... and I said that I felt like I owed him something...that if a couple didn't work out I didn't want to feel uncomfortable selling one or anything.... and he said if I was okay with it, he was good with calling it even... I didn't know what to say...I said I didn't think that was fair to them... but he said that he was good with it... sooooo... after we got done milking... I went to the house to do the computer work... and he came in a little while later, his wife had been in and out after feeding the calves... and I had some questions about a bunch of missing cows.... he said he would have to get his son to come in since he was the one that did the computer work... so I said, look, I still feel like I owe you something for the heifers... and so I gave him a check for 1,000..... and he said , no, you work hard for your money, how can you swing this... and I said look... I just sold those 2 holstein steer calves and they brought just over 3,000.... I am fine with this...not too terribly long ago if they had brought 1,000 that would have been good... and he finally said, okay... thank you... I had really expected to give him 2-3,000 for what they could be worth now... but he did start with 6 heifers and one older cow of mine... and 2 died (older cow, and a heifer got injured) but I never counted the cow because she wasn't there that long... and had some age on her.... so he had 5 heifers, then the one got sold that was sick.... we think hardware disease... and they paid me for her... so he had 2 heifer calves and 4 young cows ... I think one other did not breed...but I don't remember... it's been 5 years since I took the original ones up there.... but he still has 2 original cows that are currently milking, plus 2 of the daughters milking, and he raised up a steer to eat... that he had wanted me to take and I told him since he put the feed into it, it should go in their freezer... and whatever other heifers he has kept... he breeds all them AI....
Still the 12 heifers I got, are worth 1,000-1200 a piece even being half dairy....they weigh in the 350-400lb range... couple bigger, about 8 about the same size, couple smaller.....I think I should have given him more, but I think he would have really put up a fuss...and I didn't want to insult his friendship either..
But in the course of conversation during milking... his wife's b'day is this weekend... and they are going to take a scenic train ride and it is a dinner train... 3-4 hours total... and we got talking about the other train rides available... he had heard about the steam locomotive; that I got the tickets for, for when the friends come down from Conn... next month... surprise for DS; he wanted to ride it on it's "inauguration trip" in the fall of 23 but it was sold out every day I tried to get tickets for... so I got tickets for the 5 of us.... and I am going to get a gift certificate for my farmer and his wife for them to use... and then he can go on that train, if he wants... maybe sneak it in this year... or take another trip if he wants... they have been on the Cass WV train also... So, I will see what I can do... They are chopping corn, started a couple days ago.. so will be very tied up for the next few weeks... but I will see what is available... and either just give them a gift certificate or get tickets for this restored steam locomotive train ride...
I am not planning on selling any of the heifers anytime soon... but there may be a few that I decide to get rid of... and I do not want to feel uncomfortable in making any culling decisions... so at this point we are "square"....

DS texted me, while I was on the way home, that he got the 2 calves tagged at the nurse cow pasture... so that is good. The 3 older ones are not tagged... but I think I can tell the 2 bull calves apart, and of course the one heifer is on my cow... she is a reddish brown so no mistaking her anyway...

I will go up there in the morning to check on them again... there are a couple more that are getting close I think... Can't remember how many were due to calve... clipboard with all the lists are in the truck... I will get it in the morning and check...

Will get the samples packed in the morning... It is supposed to be sunny early on, then clouding up and possible rain late afternoon. I should have time to get the clothes off the line too... forgot them today before I went to work with checking the heifers and then loading the extra meters and all, to leave for work.