Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[murphysranch]

fascinating. I looked both of your comments. This farmer is NOT taking care of his animals. Idiot.

"Somatic Cell Count (SCC)

Definition:
Somatic cell count (SCC) is a measure of the number of non-reproductive cells (somatic cells) present in milk. These cells include white blood cells (leukocytes) and epithelial cells (udder cells).

Purpose:

SCC is an important indicator of udder health in dairy cows. High SCC levels may indicate inflammation, infection, or other health problems."

"Protothecosis is an infection caused by members of the genus Prototheca (achlorophyllous algae found ubiquitously in the environment). Prototheca organisms are opportunistic and infect humans, some domestic animals, and wildlife. Mammary infections in cattle, "

 

[Ridgetop]

Read another that said you can freeze them, put in a sink of warm water and peels will slip off...

I do that with tomatoes. Skins slip right off and then you can chop the frozen tomatoes for sauce. Super easy. If the peaches are the same way, you can slip off the skins, cut in half and pit, then chop the frozen peaches for peach jam of butter. When I say chop the frozen tomatoes or fruit, after putting them in warm water and soipping off the skins, they are not frozen solid anymore and chop easily even though they are partially frozen.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday evening... been several long enough days...

Went and tested the farm. Got the samples packed and sent off Tuesday so they should have gotten the results on Wed or today....
Tuesday I didn't feel all that great... not really sick, just rather blah. But it seems I was getting a little sick... have all the symptoms of a cold... runny nose, little bit scratchy throat, some coughing...
Oh well, better to get it over with this next week.... glad that Gilman's is not this weekend... but next. Ought to have mostly run it's course by then I hope.

Wed we left at 10:30... went to Rural King for a few things, but we had GF car since I have a "flex resonator" that is broken under the explorer and it is very loud... Talked to the mechanic, and he was talking replacing the whole pipe from the engine, and some major money... then stopped at Auto Zone when I dropped off the samples at UPS and the young"ish" manager said he knew exactly what I was talking about...he has a 2014 explorer... (mine is a 2012)... and showed me that they sell just that piece...but you need the exact size of the pipe... and that it is made that way for some flex in the muffler system ... and that it is stainless braided wires that are attached to steel pieces of the pipe and they usually break right there at that weld... COMMON deal... and that I ought to get a muffler place to just replace that piece and weld it... I talked to DS about it... said he would look at it... but I know him... and it will be forever... guys at the co-op don't do that... I may take it by the interstate muffler and see if they would just do that piece and what it would cost... because the other independent muffler guy here local, had major health issues and finally closed up shop and retired. We'll see....
DS went and talked to his lawyer, and then we went to the dr appt... only waited an hour to see him.... usual....we had stopped and gotten something to eat before... and then came straight on home.... DS has had a terrible headache the last couple days, so slept most of the way home...

I went to pasture, and had 1 new calf, must've been born that morning... and another heifer calving .... I left her alone, went up and fed some grain in the barn for the longhorns steer calf and if the others would go in... and went back down and she had had it... she is the most high strung of the heifers there... so glad she had it on her own... I didn't want to upset her or stress her so worked out good to go to the barn, then go back.
Texted DS & told him, and he was going to go by and try to get them tagged... sent me a text later and said he did get both tagged... one heifer and one bull calf... So we have 10 on the ground... 5 bulls and 5 heifer calves.... 3 more heifers to go, plus the young cow that is going to stay with this group... plus Betsy my jersey.

So this morning we were going to leave by 9:45 for an 11:15 appt... he got the shot in the spine that he couldn't get a couple weeks ago... that went fine, left and came home... stopped to have some lunch and then got home... He had cut some of the fields in the subdivision that are very thin/light.... and was going to go finish and had a couple of things to do then was coming to maybe bale hay across from my house that he had cut the other day. I went and raked it after we got home today... it was mostly all dry... just a couple of "greener" spots... I then raked the piece at the nurse cow pasture that was pretty nice... but it was not fully dry so turning it over was good... and then took the tractor and rake on to the "subdivision" fields. The tire on the rake is soft again, and I didn't have my handy little "AirMoto" with me... so didn't rake any there. DS was going to come by and get me and take me back to get the car that was across the road at Grants. I cannot walk across the road and up the hill because the kitten follows me... so I drive and he doesn't feel the temptation to go across the road if he is not following/playing with my legs/feet.
DS came a little bit later, and got me and came back here and he went and wound up baling almost a wagon load... but he was feeling not great from the shot... so quit after that.

Tomorrow I will take the airmoto, go blow up the tire on the rake and rake the 3 or 4 fields in the subdivision... These are "partial" fields.... part of the 4 to 10 acre plots that people buy, and then build on, and then don't want to mow it all... a couple have not had houses built on them yet... But the stupid HOA says they have to be mowed off at least twice during the "season"... so we "mow it"... 2 of the houses/owners.... have said they don't want to mow all that grass so we can keep making it as hay...
SO.....WHY THE HE// buy that big of a place if you don't want to keep it up....?????
Oh well, more hay even if it isn't great... and right there close so not having to travel far to make it or move it to feed...

The weather has been super dry... No humidity... really really nice ... except that we are now in moderate drought status.... not normal for this time of year in this area.

Tomorrow going to rake that hay... then maybe take the explorer to town to see the what they say at the muffler shop... if nothing else, I will know what I am dealing with...

Got a farm set up for next Wed aft...and a couple texts out to other farmers.... DS has another appt next Tuesday... I need to get a bunch of feed since he will not be going back to blacksburg for another month... couple appts in roanoke, but that is 30 miles closer than blacksburg...so I need to get what I need next Tuesday... it's an early appt so we will go to Rural King afterwards... their red salt blocks are $2 cheaper.. so it pays to get stuff when we are near there. We normally get like 20 at a time.. plus the feed... lots of stuff...
Did get the battery replaced the other day, so at least I am driving the forester again... the other "new one"... 3 months old... would not hold the charge... so something wrong with it... Happens on occasion...
I am getting the 3/4 ton truck I bought at the estate sale a couple months ago, tagged so I can take it on the road... All my vehicle insurances are due this month... so will put it on and take off the one from my parents estate that DS still has not gotten the title straightened out on. Not going to worry about it anymore... stupid for it to sit...

Guess that's about it...

 

[farmerjan]

With the horror of the shooting of Charlie Kirk of Turning Point... and the total mess this country is in, there was a school shooting today in Colorado, near the Columbine area... BUT.... with all of that.... TODAY is 9-11 and we should also be remembering the terrorist attacks of 9-11-2001.....

God Bless those that lost their lives in that horrific attack on our country.... and the families that survived to carry on for their lost loved ones... be it the innocent victims in the towers to the first responders that ran TOWARDS the destruction to try to save others .