mywigravelroad

Seven Hours in the Saddle

2011-10-31T03:58:00.000-07:00

I wish there were more days like this! After helping Farmer Rick get a good start on milking, my first lesson pulled into the driveway. Off we went to the horse barn!

We saddled up and headed out down the road. We had several stops to make, so we scooted right along. It was a planned trip. I want my students to be able to handle their horses in many situations outside of an arena. A horse can be a completely different animal once removed from the confines of an enclosed space. Since I had several invitations to drop off to surrounding neighbors, it would be a good opportunity for my student to encounter barking, sniffing dogs, scary horse-eating items in yards, and curious kids. Although this particular student and I have ridden on the road before, it would be a good opportunity for her to experience mounting and dismounting on a horse that has one thing on its mind - green grass and buddies at home. But we survived the trip, horses acted up a couple of times, but we managed to keep things to a low roar. 3 hours.

Once home, Farmerette saddled up her gelding and we both headed out in the opposite direction from home and delivered invitations in that direction. We had a wonderful ride. 2 hours.

After loosening the cinch on my mare and putting her in an empty stall for a few minutes' rest, I headed to the house for a quick bite to eat. Once lunch was done, my mare and I let the cows out on the hayfield for a couple hours of grazing. What a beautiful day! The sun was warm on our back, the cows were rather content - most stayed away from the road. My mare was able to get in several mouthfuls of tasty green grass once the cows were settled down - all was good. After two hours of grass munching, the cows were ready to come back to the night pasture and rest in the sunshine before being brought in for milking. My mare was unsaddled and out to her own pasture in a quick five minutes. 2 hours.

So, after seven hours saddle time, I was ready for a little break from the action before evening milking, but as I headed down the driveway, Farmer Rick pointed to the tracted and cornpicker and asked for some help. So the dog and I jumped in the cab of the tractor and headed out to the field. Four loads later, it was time for evening milking. But as tired as I was, who could complain after spending the most enjoyable day in quite some time - in the saddle on a good horse, on a beautiful sunny day.

That Darn Cow!!

2011-10-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning. Yep. One eye on the clock, one eye on the chores.

All of the cows came quietly into the barn. It was a nice calm morning, no wind, no rain. All the cows but one. For the purposes of this blog and being polite, let's call her "Red" rather than what we would have liked to call her by the end of the morning.

Once all of the herd had filed into their tie stalls, we started chores. Red didn't come in. But we rather expected that. She has developed quite a hatred for our new border collie puppy. Those two just do not see eye to eye, and I think our puppy likes to rub it in. One bark and off to the woods goes Red. We had left Sadie (puppy) in the milkhouse while cows came in, just to make sure that she would not upset Red. But even with Sadie safely tucked away, Red still stood at the gate furthest from the barn just staring at me as I walked out the door to bring her around. Well, do you remember the story from your Sunday School days about when Jesus cast the demons out of the man on the seashore? The demons went into the pigs and they went crashing over the bluff into the sea. So when Red saw me come out the door, she stared me down, then took off like a bullet, straight across the cow yard, crashed through four 2 x 6 x 16 boards on the fence, shattering each one, then proceded to rip across the recently harvest cornfield towards the woods. The old dog managed to head her off before she got there, but we spent the next 20 minutes weaving in and out of machinery that's lined up along the fenceline out back. I've never seen so much burdock, pigweek, buttoneweed, and all kinds of prickly weeds! I became a walking magnet, getting stuck and prickled with every kind of weed barb imaginable! There were so many weed seeds and pricklies stuck to me when we finally came out of there (without the cow, of course) that I think there should be enough dispersed around the farm to provide us with plenty of weeds throughout the fields next year.

Four wheelers are wonderful.

If it had not been for needing to get to church right away, I would've saddled up and gone after Red. But in the interest of time, I jumped on the four wheeler and headed out to the prickly weed patch once again. By the time I got there, the old border collie had rounded her up, (by way of passing through two 4-strand barb wire fences) and had her safely in the night pasture, munching hay with the bred heifers.

So, all in all, we managed to clean up, head up to church, only arriving 10 minutes late. Only one bad thing - when you get there late, the only seats are guess where? Way up front! Oh No! What happens to an exhausted farmer when you plunk them down in a soft comfortable chair with nothing to do but sit in one place for 45 to 60 minutes after putting in a full day's work before 9 am? You guessed it! Lights out!

Heifers are Home for the Winter

2011-10-20T03:48:00.000-07:00

The trailer backed up to the barn door for the last time yesterday. We've been busy bringing a load or two of heifers home from across the road each day. Summer pasture has dwindled, so it's time to bring them home so they can keep growing on silage and hay.

For the fifth straight year now, we've been averaging 80% heifers! Sure, it can be a blessing, but when your land can only support so many cows, it can be a challenge making sure that we have enough feed. We are very thankful that we have them though, because this has been a hard year on our older cows. We just shipped two yesterday that we didn't want to try to baby through another winter. One had a broken bone in her foot. She limped quite bit during the summer, but the limp was undistinguishable by early Fall. We were afraid she'd have a hard time getting up and down when they spend more time in the barn this winter. I hate having to make the decision to ship any cow, but we have to make room for the next generation to take over.

One of the heifers that we brought home is actually due in a week. She sure doesn't look like it -and boy is she ever touchy! We have her in the barn now, trying to get her used to the daily routine of hearing the milkers run, stepping in beside her to milk her neighbor, and so on. She sure likes the silage - that's a big help!

Time to head to the barn - then head out to the hayfield to graze the herd by horseback two hours before getting ready for work. One more week of grazing the old hayfield and it'll be done. The horses always look forward to taking the herd out. Once the cows are contendly munching, my horse gets to graze the grass along the edges of the field. He sure enjoys that!

Weather's turning Colder!

2011-10-15T03:51:00.000-07:00

The first mention of snow is in the forecast. Brrrr! We have stocked the woodpile and filled the barn with hay. Farmer Rick mentioned that he would like to cut one more field of hay and try to get it in before the snow flies. We'll be stuffing it in the rafters!

The horses are putting on their winter coats. Thick and fluffy. I've noticed that the wooly bear caterpillars are more brown than black - I believe that signals a cold winter. We also made note of the corn husks. They are wrapped rather tight this year. That usually indicates a cold winter also. We'll see!

The corn picker will soon be coming out of the shed and get greased up. In the meantime, we're busily working on the north end of the dairy barn to seal it up, replace a door and two upright beams so it'll be ready for winter. Anybody who's had cattle knows how hard they are on barns. Just take three large cows that are in a hurry to get out the door to their pasture, or a couple of heifers using the doorposts as scratching posts - and you know what I mean. There's always something to fix or repair on a farm. Seems like there's always more projects that there is time or money! The Greenhand farmer is finding that out really quick. Things don't stay nice and pretty for very long. It takes constant upkeep to have things looking neat as a pin. Take general home repairs and multiply by the number of cattle in your barn and that will just about bring you to a running total of how many repairs there are to do around a farm at any given time. Pigs are also very hard on barns, gates, and any dirt floor. There's a very good reason why many hog farms have concrete floors - pigs are notorious for rooting up gates and fences. Every once in awhile one of the big sows gets out and gets into my flower beds. Time to call the dogs and put her back in her pen!

Stay warm. Take the time to smell that crisp fall air and find one more decent apple on the tree before the cold winds blow!

Sweet Corn Season is Here!

2011-08-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, has the summer ever gone by fast! We've had hay to bale, corn to spray and cultivate, the county fair, and now - sweet corn to pick and sell! What started out fourteen years ago as a pocket change enterprise for our young boys, has grown into an 18 acre, hand-picked undertaking every August. When milk prices were so low, we needed a niche market to help to strengthen our cash flow. Once we got the business off of the ground, and God blessed it, there was no looking back. We have a great crew of pickers that helps us out. They show up every evening at milking time to head to the field to begin filling the three trucks. On nice evenings, the picking goes fast. There have been times, though, when we've really had to hurry up to beat an incoming storm, or when the boys were still in school - Friday night football games! Farmer Rick and I used to be able to do it all when they were still around the farm, but now that they're grown, we need the help. Farmerette is a big help too, but she is often helping me milk while the crew is picking.

The cows are quite happy too at this time of year because they get the sweet corn silage and leftovers from the day dumped in their feed wagon in the night pasture. Once they see Farmer Rick head out to the field to begin chopping, they begin to sing a chorus of moo's and sometimes get rather impatient as I try to finish up milking before he returns! If the sweet corn starts to ripen faster than we can use it, we will chop off an additional row or two to keep up with the younger corn. So, as the season progresses, we pick our way across the field, closely followed by the corn chopper for feed for the cows. We try not to waste anything on the farm.

I remember a saying from the oldtimer's: "We used everything from the pig but the squeal".
Boy, is that ever true. Even though milk prices have improved over the last couple of months, we know that they won't last long. Having an extra income for six short weeks of the year is a tremendous help in paying off planting expenses and catching up on other bills before the milk price takes a dive again. We are very, very thankful that God has blessed our efforts and continues to provide us with a means to continue this life that we love!

IT IS SO HOT!!

2011-07-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a week now of very very hot weather. Keeping the cows cool and healthy is a daily (and nightly) challenge. When it's this hot, we keep the cows in during the day and run the funnel fans over them, just to try to keep them somewhat comfortable. If we put them outside, they just stand at the gate and don't go munch grass. They'll then come in the barn, just panting. Sounds like we're in for atleast a few more days of this.

Hay is down, trying to dry. With it this humid, it's rather hard to coax it along to dry. But second crop needs to be in the haymow already, so it gets cut, whether it's going to dry fast or not. There is a chance of rain today, so we'll see if the hay gets washed or not! Rain has been falling rather heavily all around us, but there's a little area in our southern part of the county and the neighboring county that has missed the rain every time. Although I hate to see the hay get rained on, we could use it! It's rather depressing to see the rain go north, the rain go south. Rain goes north, rain goes south. Every time.

But we continue to trust that God will bring us the rain when he's good and ready. He has carried us this far - what else can we do but trust?

Summer on a Farm

2011-07-04T04:06:00.000-07:00

Blog or pull a calf. Blog or try to get 2000 bales of hay in the barn before the rain hits. Blog or cultivate corn. Blog or fertilize hayfields.

Summer hits with all of its many seasonal duties that consume the day before the beginning until way beyond the end. Everytime I would try to sit down to write a quick note on the page, there would always be something looming over my shoulder that needed doing, and the keyboard would get left for days on end.

But here's a quick snapshot of how things have been going: Cows are enjoying their daily trek to the woods and swamp for their pasture. Farmerette and I love taking a walk through the woods, calling the cows up for evening milking. Usually they are already at the gate, but occaisionally they straggle in, wanting to get that last bit of grass before heading to the barn. Evenings find them outside now, too. The weather has been rather hot, so since we have some leftover hay bales that didn't make it into the haymow, we put several on a wagon at night for them to munch on. As much as I love walking to the woods to bring cows up at night, it's no fun looking for them early in the morning in the dark! So by feeding them the hay on a wagon at night, they stay close and don't wander off to the woods.

First crop of hay is up. Silo is filled and haymow is half full to the peak of the roof. Second and third crop should fill the remaining section of the barn to the roofpeak if we get enough rain. Spent most of the day after church yesterday cultivating corn. There is much to learn from cultivating. Patience, diligence, staying awake! One thing that I'm often reminded of, is that when cultivating with a four row implement, when you get off by one row, it just doesn't affect that one row, but it affects all four rows! I hate turning corn under by mistake! Not many farmers cultivate anymore with the price of diesel and the time it takes, but we have found that it works very well for us. Since we use a very limited amount of spray on our land, going through and cultivating reduces our weed populations and gives the corn an extra boost. It's almost like applying another application of fertilizer! Many times, just looking at the field the day after it's been cultivated and it looks like it's jumped six inches!

We will soon be broadcasting nitrogen on the corn - should have been done already, but we're running behind due to a knee injury of Farmer Rick. He may need surgery, but we'll know more soon. That will slow us down even more. When he's laid up, I have the full load of chores. Getting up for morning milking at 4:30 am, trying to be to work at 8 am on the days I work, coming home and organizing neighborhood kids to help me unload hay, milk again, clean stalls, do all of the other feeding and cleaning barn, getting in the house by 11:30 pm, showering and getting back up at 4:30 takes its toll. June has been a very long month and it's really drawing my energy level down. Hope to get caught up on things eventually.

Cows are waiting at the gate for morning milking, two are due to calve this week, hay to bale and three more fields to cultivate today - even though it's a holiday for most - the work still goes on on a farm. Maybe we'll get in town tonight for the fireworks - atleast they're after dark and most of our work (for the day) is done by then!

It's Haying Time!

2011-06-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

One of the appealing aromas around the farm (and there are plenty of unappealing!) is the smell of fresh-cut alfalfa. Watching the hay fold under the discbine, coming out the back in a nice neat windrow is a blessing to behold as you begin to calculate just how far up the silo will be filled after completing this field. After our cool wet spring, we knew that atleast we'd have a plentiful first crop to begin our haying season with. Believe it or not, we are now coming up short on rainfall and could use a healthy dose of it. We have one-half of a twelve acre hay field mowed down now, half for baling and half for chopping. The silo is nearing the top, so we top it off with one or two loads a day until completely full, because each day it settles a door or two.

The cows sure lick up this new cutting of hay! After eating the hay from the haymow all winter and spring, having a new taste of fresh hay in their mouths is something that brings them in from pasture in a hurry. They quickly step into their stalls and bury their noses in the sweet smelling alfalfa and forget all their worries of the day. By having dry hay on their bellies before we give them haylage and grain, we create a cushion that rests on the bottom of their stomach that lets the "wet" feed filter through it as it slowly digests. This system of having a filter allows the heavier and more dense feed to digest more slowly, releasing the nutrients into their system rather than "slugging" through heavy forage and grain right away. This also allows the cow to chew her cud much longer, giving her system a more continuous flow of digestive compounds, thereby raising our butterfat and protein.

Happy, healthy cows is what we strive for. We are constantly reading and watching for best practices that allow our girls to live long productive lives. Just watching the last cow fade out of sight as she follows the herd over the hill to pasture each day is satisfying enough. We know that they'll begin to meander back up to the barn when the afternoon sun begins to fade, waiting at the cowyard gate for us to open it up and let them come into the barn for evening milking, beginning the cycle once again.

A Weekend Drive

2011-06-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a weekend spent camping with the daughter and a good horse. OK, maybe you have something that you really enjoy doing, but for this farmer, getting away for just a couple of days, no clock to live by, outdoor cooking and some good trails to follow are what fills my tank back up, giving me the outlook I need to go back to the farm and take up my place again.

Farmerette and I packed up our gear, horse and road cart and headed north. Each Memorial Day weekend, we travel north to meet up with our harness club for a fun weekend of driving, campfires and good food. We have friends that we look forward to seeing each year up there. The group of people that bring their horses and carts are very knowledgeable horse people who take very good care of their horses. They care deeply for their horses and all are well fed, well trained, and enjoy the atmosphere of being out for a new adventure. No drunken poker run trail riders here. Which is nice. We don't do those rides.

After arriving, we made sure our mare was settled in her outdoor corral, then unpacked the harness and cart. We set up our table with our camping gear and made the gooseneck of the trailer into our home away from home. A cooler well-stocked with food and a coleman stove are enough to get us through the weekend. After getting camp set up, we had time to get in a couple of games of badminton. We had wanted to harness up for a quick drive before dark, but it had started to rain lightly, so we decided to see what the weather held for the next day.

And what a beautiful day for driving it was! I saddled up and took an early ride just to settle my mare down while Farmerette made a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. Once we had finished up breakfast and tidied up the camp, we hitched up and headed out on the northbound trail with some friends and their horses. What a blast! Beautiful!

The trails are nice and wide, accomodating the width of the wheels of our carts. Whenever we would slow down and give the horses a break at the walk, we'd get the camera out and snap some pictures of the scenery around us. The county maintains this area of 4,000 acres. Some of the old timers refer to it as the pine barrens or bird sanctuary. Back in the 40's to mid 70's, this used to be a bird dog trial and training area. The geography is different here than our usual pine and oak forest around home. This area is quite open with scrubby oak and an occaisional small pine. The habitat is a bit different from home here also, but the bear, coyote, deer and wolf are frequent visitors also - just like home.

The black horse above is ours, while our friends ahead of us are driving an arab mare with their spotted pony following behind. We call it "ponying". This is a good way to exercise more than one horse and for getting a young horse used to heading out away from camp, accomodating them to the rigors of what they will encounter on the trail. We had left our pony home, but would like to bring him along on a future trip.

After an enjoyable weekend of driving and just plain fun, we packed up and headed back down the road in the direction of home. It's so hard to leave such a beautiful place, but we are so thankful that the state and county maintain such a nice, clean place to camp and enjoy our horses. We hope that it will remain accessible for many years to come!

Busy with Fieldwork

2011-05-25T04:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since our last entry, but believe me, we have NOT been on vacation! Very early mornings and late nights doesn't allow much time for anything in between. All but five acres of corn are in the ground. The last field is going to be a couple of days in the waiting because it's so wet. There are many fields around us that haven't been planted yet. We had a fairly dry week last week, but when the rain came, it just kept coming. All of a sudden we find ourselves at the end of May with still more corn to put in the ground. Time sure has flown by!

It won't be long and it'll be time to get the discbine (hay cutter) out. Grease it up, check bearings and blades and get it ready to pull out to the field. Almost the entire first cutting of hay will be cut, chopped and blow in the silo for haylage. There should be plenty left over for baling, but we like to have the nice first tender hay put in the silo. We fill it all the way to the top, adding an additional load each day as it settles. It's amazing how much the haylage will settle as it gets near the top. Just about the time you think you have it full, it's settled a door on the silo and we need to go back out and chop another load. But when you think of how much feed it takes to feed the cows all winter, you need to have it full in order to make it through until pasture the following spring.

One nice thing with all this rain, we have plenty of pasture for the cows and horses. It's so neat to ride down into the woods and swamp and find the cows munching in grass up to their bellies. When they're full, they like to bed down in the birch grove just below the hill to the east of the barn. They soak up the sun that filters through the trees and quietly chew their cud, fading in and out of sleep. That's what makes milk - content, healthy, comfortable cows. Most of them know when it's time to head back to the barn for evening milking. Just like kids in a candy store, though, the heifers like to drag their feet, taking their time for one of those last mouthfuls before they're brought in the cow yard for the evening. They have plenty of hay to keep them full at night until they go out to pasture the next morning, but who wants broccoli when you can have ice cream?!

The horses are also getting fat and shiny with all of this good green grass. I have to watch them carefully so they don't get too much. Horses can founder with too much of a good thing. They complain a bit when I bring them up from pasture each night, but once they hear the grain bucket rattle and the hay being put in their stalls - they're all lined up at the gate ready to come in!

A Mooing Alarm Clock

2011-05-17T03:41:00.000-07:00

The sun was already streaking through the bedroom window at 4:35 a.m. The start of a new day. Although the alarm clock wouldn't go off for another 10 minutes, sleep was no where to be found.

The first moo and I figured "not a problem". The second moo ensued. Maybe a cow is coming in heat. But by the third moo, I recognized it. A distressed momma cow. There's no mistaking the sound of a moo when a momma can't get to her calf.

Get out of bed. Pull the boots on over my pajama bottoms and throw a coat over my shirt. The mooing got louder. As I continued to coax my eyes open, I could tell that someone (some cow) wasn't very happy. We had a cow that was due two days ago. First of all, she wasn't too happy about being in the maternity pen. Second, after she calved, her calf was quite a lively little thing, and it got away from her, further than she could go - out of the pen! And, the calf couldn't just wander off - it had to find its way to the barn gutter. The lively little heifer calf decided to plunk down in the manure. All I could see were two blinking little eyes and a couple of ears twitching. She had probably wandered down the barn aisle and stumbled in on her wobbly little legs.

So, the clean-up process begins! Put some twine around the heifer's neck and pull her up by the milkhouse door. Put the sprayer on warm and hose her down! When a calf is especially dirty like this, it's important to make sure that the navel gets cleaned off really well, then dipped in iodine. Infection can quickly settle in through the umbilical cord that is still attached. And, although I want to hose her completely off, I have to leave a little bit of afterbirth clinging to her so that her momma will recognize her scent and still want to lick her off.

Once the heifer's bath was complete, over to momma we went. Boy, was she ever anxious to get at her job of cleaning up her calf! She promptly let me know that I did not do a good enough job and proceded to clean up her shivering calf. I surround the heifer with straw and left the two together. Now - a chance to head up to the house, put the pajamas in the laundry, and start afresh with a new set of barn clothes for the day!

Natue's Fireworks

2011-05-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

What an awesome display of God's power and beauty! The sky was lit up from one end to the other on the western horizon. When chores were wrapped up for the night, I jumped on one of the geldings and headed out into the open field across the road from the barn. Just by the way he was acting, I could tell that there was a change of weather in the air. Since he seemed to have unlimited energy and wanted to spook at every little thing along the way, we rode through the freshly plowed furrows. I was hoping it would slow him down enough so that I could alteast enjoy a little bit of the ride.

We headed south & came across Farmer Rick. He had gone out on his choice of transportation - the four wheeler - to check some wet spots in some fields. There are some areas that just don't want to dry out! Now with all of this rain forecast for this week, I don't know when we'll be able to get to them.

Farmer Rick was enjoying a fence-row conversation with a neighboring farmer who was out working in his yard. We stopped and said Hi, but I didn't want to interrupt their conversations together. It's not too often that we slow down enough to enjoy a good catch-up with a neighbor. So, I left them to their visiting and worked my way out into the open field. From my vantage point in the saddle, we caught the first glimpse of a flicker of lightning in the western sky. It didn't take long and the flickers began to multiply in ever increasing number and color. Brightened to a brilliant orange and yellow, the flashes of lightning would light up the jagged edges of the clouds as it danced from cloud to cloud. How beautiful! I had wanted to just stop and enjoy the show, but my gelding had other ideas. He was just too antsy to want to stand in one place for very long. It's hard to truly enjoy the handiwork of God when your chair is bouncing to and fro!

So after making a round of the field, we headed back to the barn as the first distant rumbles began to be audible. Just a low grumble, but soon thereafter, the grumbles gave way to distinct rumbles of their own. By the time we were unsaddled and I had the skidsteer in the barn to clean stalls, the flashes were right above us, but still cloud-to-cloud. It was nice to work in the barn, listening to the advancing storm. Since it was building slowly, I had time to enjoy the sights and sounds of an early spring thunderstorm.

Well, the horses were standing at the gate. They were lit up with each flicker of lightning. I could tell they were getting impatient with me, so I hurried up, got hay and grain in the stalls and brought them in. Since there was hail forecast, I finished up by parking the pickup in the alley of the horse barn before heading to the house. We don't need to add a trip to the body shop to our list of things to do this spring!

Riding Fence

2011-05-10T03:59:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how over the span of a winter, what damage can be done to a fenceline. The weight of the snow on top of the grass that grew up and over the bottom wires can pull and stretch a wire more than you think.

The heifers are getting anxious to get out there on their pasture to take in some of that nice green grass. So while we're waiting for that grass to get busy and get growing, there's plenty of fence that needs to be checked. This weekend, I threw the saddle and saddle bags on my mare. The saddle bags were loaded up with plastic T-post insulators, small slips of wire, pliers, and clips for making any repairs that we may come across. Starting at one of the corners posts, we made our way slowly around the pasture, pulling up wire and replacing clips that had been pulled off by the weight of the snow. My mare is happy to join me on projects like this. I have her in a grazing bit - which makes it easier for her to munch grass without getting her mouth pulled on - and unsnap the reins. They get tied around the saddle horn. With a lead rope snapped to her halter, she walks along behind me, munching on grass as I do my work. No complaints from her! Every once in awhile she'd get to the end of her rope and reach for more, nearly pulling me off of my feet. But she was happy just to be out and enjoying the warm spring day along with plenty of tender green grass.

Everything was going rather smoothly with only a few repairs when we came across a rather long stretch of fence that was missing a wire. After looking closer, I found that the field on the other side of the fence had been in corn last year. When harvested, the driver must have gotten too close to the fence with his combine snout and caught one of the wires, dragging it quite some distance across the field. There was also alot of water in the pasture in this area, so I sure was glad I'd wore my knee-high boots! This fix-it job took awhile - looking for the lost wire, clipping it on posts, and generally making it look more like something that would hold the heifers in. But, thank goodness, our neighbor came along and put in a new stretch of wire later in the day. That was a good thing because the wire that I found and was working with was rather rusty and often broke when I was trying to work with it.

So, after a few more clips were replaced and gates closed, my old mare and I headed for home. Now, all we need are a few more warm sunny days to encourage the grass to grow a little more, and we'll be hauling heifers over to the summer pasture - kicking and bucking as they exit the stock trailer - and heading out to fill up on that sweet green grass!

A Bright Red and Purple Sky

2011-05-07T04:10:00.000-07:00

What a sight to greet us as we get ready to head to the barn this morning. The sky is ablaze with a bold red and outstanding purple. Perhaps those aren't the correct terms for the colors, but that's what they look like, so that's what they are! The sun is peeking out from under the clouds as they advance to the east. There is a slight chance of rain today, so it may all be for show and not come to fruition.

But that's OK! We have so much fieldwork to get done that if we get skipped this time around in the rain department, we won't be too upset. Farmer Rick and Farmer Came Home spent most of the day in the fields yesterday, plowing and disking a patch here, a patch there. Never could quite finish a field because of the standing water and low spots. I parked a tractor and walked home from one of the fields, leaving it there with a couple of chains on the three-point hitch, just in case they needed it to pull themselves out of the mud.

While those two were plugging away at the fieldwork, I spent a good deal of the day hauling manure from the cow yard. You know, it seems amazing that when you eyeball the cowyard and any manure pile for that matter, that you think - oh yeah - maybe 7 or 8 loads will do it. But when you start digging away at it, 20 loads later, you don't even think you made a dent in it! But the fields are thankful for the nutrients and build-up for the soils. We then in turn don't need to use as much starter fertilizer and the soil has many of the amandments to it to grow some nice healthy corn. The particular field that I was spreading manure on yesterday will be for sweetcorn. That'll be one of the last fields to be plowed, so I will probably get alot done on it again today.

After evening chores, it was nice to head out on a horse to check some fields. What an enjoyable way to end the day! Although we did manage to go through some really mucky stuff. When it was starting to get dark, we were heading along an edge of one of the fields when a car came up alongside us, traveling quite slowly. When they rolled their window down, I knew who it was. One of our neighbor's daughters had heard the dogs barking and when looking out the window and saw something big and black moving across the field by their house. They were kind of scared, so their dad jumped in the car to investigate. It turned out that the big black thing they saw moving across the field was me! My horse is black, so we were this big black murky shadow moving across the field. Hard for them to tell just what it was as the sun was completely down by then. Ooops! Didn't mean to scare anyone. So, we had a nice conversation on the side of the road, enjoying the first warm breezes of the season, chatting and catching up.

Then it was time to head home, brush down the horse, and bring everyone in for their evening grain and hay. What a nice way to end the day!

Winter Fuzzies are Really Shedding Fast

2011-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

The hair that's coming out of the horses is coming out in droves now! They've been wisely holding out until the weather finally broke for good. Getting out on pasture and taking in some of that fresh green grass seems to have triggered the sped-up shedding process even more. All winter, we keep the horses in a sacrifice area right behind the horse barn. There we feed big round bales in a feeder. The area can get quite muddy in the spring, but it saves the pasture for the rest of the year. Once the grass has gotten a good 4 - 6" growth to it, we then let the horses out to enjoy.

They stare longingly across the gate, willing the grass to grow on some days! We're not quite ready to let them out there yet. The ground is still very soft and we have more rain on the way, so we want to hold off a bit longer. We just haven't had enough warm weather to give the grass much growth yet either. Maybe next week, or the following. Until then, they'll have to munch their big round bales a little bit longer.

I also found a long-handled shedding comb in the bottom of an old tack box. Atleast now when I'm grooming them, I don't get quite so covered in balls of hair. The shedding comb promptly unloads with every stroke, so there's little that gets all over me. Yippee! Now, when I come up to the house after horse chores at night, I don't look like a fuzzy grizzly bear!

A Visit to Horse Expo

2011-04-30T04:18:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of my year is to visit the Minnesota Horse Expo at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St Paul. For several years now, I've been taking students down there to expose them to different breeds and styles of riding. It's so much fun to see the different breeds and their colors, size and temperaments. The Friesians are big, black and docile. The miniatures are so tiny! As we make our way around the fairgrounds, it nice to take in the different breed demonstrations and exhibits. We make our way through aisle after aisle of decked-out stalls, flowers and portable video setups that give more insight to the breed being represented in that particular area of the barn. Plus, I get my tootsie roll fix as we graze our way past each candy dish at each farm's display!

In the catalog that's provided at the gate, various presentors of clinics are listed with their bios. If there's one that interests us, we'll take that one in also. I particularly like to take in anything that has to do with driving, harnessing, and breeds that do well in that discipline. There wasn't too much in that area this year, but I did manage to take in one small class on carriage attire. The headline attractions usually don't draw my attention too much, but I'll stick my head in the coliseum door if I happen to be in there to take in the latest "gimmick" that they're trying to sell. Some of these guys make big bucks and have quite a following as to their techniques and training aids that they sell. But, no matter what way you look at it, good horsemanship is good horsemanship. Sure, a horse can be taught to do wonderful things in an enclosed area, but put that horse out in the side open with the scent of bear or large cat in the wind or dogs snipping at their heels and you'll get a good idea of how good of a horse you have! I love to be entertained by those who perpetuate bridless riding. Looks good in an arena, but when you are faced with the everyday occurences of machinery rambling by you on the road, constant wind, pasture buddies neighing, and guns going off during just about any hunting season you can imagine around here, and when I need to stop my horse - I need to STOP my horse.

Anyway, so much for that. We still draw some good tips that might pertain to what we do, but we still work on good solid basic horsemanship skills. Some understand their horses better than others. They are wonderful creatures - strong, fast, beautiful. God has given them the spirit of the wind and boy do they ever look beautiful when they're running with the wind!

Picked up some excellent deals at the used tack sale. That's the first place we hit when the gates open. We familiarize ourselves with the well-made brands and watch for those items in particular. Yes, you may pay a little bit more, but the price is still far from new. I always try to coach my students: "It's better to buy the good stuff used (if well taken care of), then to buy the cheap stuff new". That advice has served not only myself but my students well over the years.

Happy Spring!

The Fieldwork has begun - but not for long!

2011-04-26T03:48:00.000-07:00

The tractors have all been prepped, oils and filters changed, tires aired up and so on. Farmer Rick and the Greenhand headed out to get some disking and plowing done last night while Farmerette and I milked and fed calves. We often do fieldwork and chores/milking at the same time to keep the machinery running and the ground being worked. There is such a small window of time in the spring to get the crops in the ground at a reasonable time to meet the planting deadlines. Our growing season is so short here. Corn has such little time to grow, dry down and be harvested to beat the inevitable fall snows.

I could tell last night that the good weather wasn't going to last long. When heading out after chores on one of the horses, I could see five deer grazing out on the hayfield accross the road. They didn't bother to leave the field until I came in the gate and started heading up the hill towards the end of the field. When they graze like that in a large group before sunset, it usually means they're filling up so that they can bed down and wait out the storm. And sure enough, I awoke to a steady rain pelting the skylight window. Although we don't want the rain right now, I still love mornings like this. The murky dawn works its way through the trees, slowly bringing light. No hurry. The thick clouds keep it dark longer, making it easier to hit that snooze button one more time before crawling out of bed for morning chores.

Even if we can't get in the field today (or much at all for the next week - supposed to keep on raining), there's always calves that need de-horning, vaccinations to be given, pens to clean and repairs that need catching up on. Sorry - rainy days don't mean lounging on the couch for a farmer, just a change of work orders! Stay dry!

Pig Weigh-In Day

2011-04-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

Although the county fair is still over three months away, the preparation has long been in the works. Our Farmerette (youngest) and Farmer Rick loaded the pigs up in the pig box (very large crate with air holes drilled in it), closed the tailgate on the truck, and headed off to the fairgrounds to weigh them in for her market class that will occur at the fair. It's a good thing that Farmer Rick is rather strong because trying to lift 90 pounds of squealing, stinking, wiggling pig is not an easy thing to do! After loading the two up in the box, he had to come in the house and clean up, put clean(er) clothes on before he would jump in the farm truck and take off. He would have to do the same thing at the fairgrounds, but atleast he'd be starting out clean.

When they arrive at the fairgounds, each pig's ear tag is recorded. They then receive another eartag that identifies them as Farmerette's for the specific class she will be showing in. Once each pig is weighed, they are entered in a record that will show their beginning weight, and then their ending weight when they again weigh-in at fairtime. There is a proficiency and rate of gain award that is given at the fair that goes to the participant who demonstrates the most rate of gain, yet stays within industry guidelines for market weight.

Once the pigs were brought home, they were already snuggled down in the straw bedding in their crate, and of course, didn't want to leave the crate. Farmerette and I had to clean the pig pens anyway, so they were able to stay in their snuggly little nest for awhile. There's one thing for sure - I hate cleaning pig pens. I'd rather clean 20 horse stalls before cleaning one pig pen. But the job has to be done. Farmer Rick was working on oil and filter changes for the tractors, so it was up to us to do the dirty work. Yuck! Thank goodness for a skid steer! It still took an hour, but we managed to get everything all cleaned up, re-bedded and ready to go for the pigs once they were unloaded. We adjusted the feeder to a new height, filled the water dish and rounded up Farmer Rick to open the crate and once again, get all dirty and stinky as he lifted each pig from the bed of the crate into their nice clean pen. Believe me - the pen doesn't stay clean for long, but atleast it's a start!

After evening milking, we stopped in to see if the hogs had settled into their surroundings again. Sure enough, they had snuffled down in their bedding and were actually snoring! Content, bellies full, comfortable and warm - what more could they ask for!

A Trip to Town

2011-04-23T04:18:00.000-07:00

For many, running to the store to grab an item or two is a convenience often taken for granted. For us, it's an event! Other than picking up something on the way home from church, our main grocery shopping is done about every two months. We keep a running list on the frig of staples that we need, and when the milk check finally shows up on the clipboard in the milkhouse, I plan a day to head down to the nearest larger city (about 24 miles) to hit the discount grocery store and that old standby: Wal-Mart.

The Country Kitchen (The Northwestern Farmer Recipe Book)

When you live in a household that hunts for and/or raises its own meat and grows and cans most of its veggies, there isn't all that much need for anything else to build your meals around. So, with calculator in hand, I go down the aisles in the grocery store, tabulating my purchases as I go, so as to stay within budget. We like to try new ideas for meals once in awhile, so a few ingredients that I don't normally buy are snuck into the list also. As far as some of the recipes I see in magazines in the dentist's office - if the ingredients sound like they come from a foreign land or I'd have to mail-order them, I just skip over those. Family probably wouldn't eat it anyway!

A stop at the Farm & Fleet is a must also. We keep a list of things that we need for the critters too. Calf feed, horse feed, cow medicine, vaccines - you name it, we get most of it at Fleet. The medicines that we can only get from the vet are budgeted in at herd health time. But as far as generic needs, it's nice to get these things when making this trip to town. When the cows are low in milk or the milk price is low (quite often), it's nice to stock up on a few things. Because when the cash flow has ground to a halt, you just don't have the cash on hand to cover some or all of these things. And to no surprise, that's when a cow gets sick or a calf gets scours. You run out of soap for the pipeline, on and on and on. But the checkbook has no wiggle room. So, now that the milk price is at a reasonable level (but not for long!), I refill the barn cabinets with supplies and hope that they can get us through the next price cycle.

So . . . for now anyway, the cupboards and freezer are full. The feed bin is full. All of the pig and horse feed is supplied, so everyone is happy. Including mom. I think I'm going to sneak off and enjoy that bag of cookies that I snuck into the cart. They sure taste good dunked in a coffee cup full of our 4% butterfat milk!

Snowy Whiskers, Coyotes Singing

2011-04-20T03:43:00.000-07:00

Did I say that word again? Snow? Yes. When letting the cats in the door this morning, they left little footprints across the deck in the snow. They must have been lounging on the wicker chair - or should I say huddling - when the snow started to fall because they had a thin layer of snow on them which they promptly shook off at my feet when coming in the door. They took one look at me and headed to their food dish in the corner of the kitchen. I think they take turns complaining about their empty dish. It seems like one morning, it's the old cat's shift, and then the next it falls to the other cat. Smart guys.

Farmer Rick and I also awoke several times last night to the sound of coyotes singing behind the barn. Rather close this time. I don't know if they were rejoicing or bemoaning the fact that it was snowing again. Anyway, our hound/lab mix dog decided to join in a few choruses. And of course, he was on the back deck too. We had quite a concert last night. Even at 4:30 when I got up this morning, they were still singing.

Farmer Rick and Farmer Came Home were resuming their task of trying to get a grain auger attached to the feed bin. They spent quite a bit of time on it yesterday battling the raw wind from the east that preceded this snowfall. Just a damp, finger numbing day. The frustrating thing is - they put in a whole day but feel like they barely accomplished anything. You have days like that?! But atleast the auger is hung. After chores, Farmer Rick and I had a leg on the bin that needed bolting in the cement that just didn't want to line up right. So with a little help from a very large pipe wrench and two wrenches locked together, we managed to turn that old bolt into the cement and anchor that bin leg down. With spring winds and storms coming (sometime after the snow leaves!), we didn't want to have this new bin get caught in a gust and go toppling over. While I finished up horse chores, Farmer Rick turned the last two bolts in and called it a night. After being outside since 5:30 am, it was now 9:00 pm. Tired. Cold. Time to head in.

But good news! Last night was bill paying night! The milk check finally came, so between the computer and licking stamps, we managed to finish up the day's work at about 11:30 pm! Ah - another full day of accomplishment - atleast we managed to get alot done without getting alot done!

Time to pull the winter boots on and head for the barn for morning milking . . .

My Heart Took Delight in all my Work

2011-04-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

and this was the reward for all my labor. Ecclesiastes 2:10 NIV. What a wonderful night to be outside! Even though it was only 37 degrees out, there was no wind and everything was settled and calm. Few clouds, peeks of sunshine, just plain beautiful. As the verse in Ecclesiastes says: I took delight in my work - and that was reward enough. It was just beautiful beyond reward working outside and enjoying the bounty of nature that God has given us. I took one of the geldings out for a once-over in one of the hayfields. We wanted to see if the alfalfa had wintered over and not winter-killed with the last cold spell that we had. The dogs were happy to join us, taking in all of the sights and smells of the damp earth as evening began to settle in. When we came in the driveway, I dismounted and patted the gelding on the rump as he headed to the barn to wait for me. This is our nightly ritual when I head out for a late ride after chores. He waits for me to dismount, then when I unlatch the gate and put the lead-line on the stallion, he waits for a pat on the rump and heads up to the barn a few steps ahead of us. The old stallion enjoys the company of another horse as we head up to the barn together. Once the grass grows a bit taller, I'll turn the two out together in the outdoor arena. The two get along rather well and it's good for the stallion's psyche to have company. They romp up and down the field once or twice, then settle in for side-by-side munching, passing the hours of the day together. Once evening comes and it's time to head in, I just have to put a line on the stallion and let the gelding head up to the barn ahead of us. I think the stallion would like me to let him go on his own too, but I think if the wind was just right, he'd catch the scent of the mares down the road at the neighbor's place and I'd have a chase on my hands! So - we play it safe!

It was so peaceful and relaxing to just linger in the horse barn after everyone was in their stall munching away on their supper. Just the monotonous chore of raking down the alleyway can be a way to meditate in a sense. Enjoying the end of another spring day. Relaxing. All is Well. Giving each horse a final scratch on the cheek (or pulling that piece of burdock out that somehow managed to make it all the way through winter and end up in my old horse's mane) is a great way to bid good night to one and all in the horse barn for the evening.

We are so blessed. I hope that you find joy and pleasure in your evening rituals as the evening enfolds around you and you feel the blessings of family and the warmth of God as it surrounds you. Good night.

Old Wives' Tale

2011-04-16T04:19:00.000-07:00

It is often said around here that it has to snow three times after the robins come before spring can arrive. Enough Already! It's snowed three times - there's two inches of the fresh stuff out there this morning!

This farmer has been battling a cold this last week. Last night was the first time in a few days that I've been able to get outside and do some real work. Sure, I bundled up, helped with chores, then dragged myself up to the house to crawl in a hot tub of water, but never really accomplished much for spring yard or fieldwork. But last night, I managed to clean up a load of manure and since it was dry and rather old, spread it on our garden where we will disk it in next week.

Now that I'm slowly beginning to feel better and to make up for lost time, it is such a drag to see that snow out there again. But, I keep telling myself, it's moisture. After six years of drought, it's moisture. And, with the recent outbreak of bad weather across the southern edges of this storm, I should not be complaining about a little bit of snow. Our prayers go out to those affected by those storms. This farmer has volunteered with Mennonite Disaster Services over the years and has seen and heard of some of the devastation that takes place. We ourselves have experienced a tornado and hail the size of softballs. Our crops were shredded and even our cornfields were as flat as a golf course - couldn't even tell they were cornfields - no stalks, ears or anything left. We hope never to experience anything like that again.

So, on go my winter barn boots again - pack away the tennis shoes for a few more days. Time to head to the barn . . .

Snow in the Forecast?!

2011-04-12T03:39:00.000-07:00

After having some pretty heavy thunderstorms move through this past weekend, it's hard to believe that we're expecting snow for this weekend! But that's what is in the forecast. Oh Well.

Farmer Rick and Farmer Came Home (our oldest boy) have been working like crazy cleaning up the scrap steel all around the farm. Wow, is it ever making a difference. Pieces here, pieces there, it's all adding up. The flatbed trailer is getting quite loaded down! But as long as steel prices are up, it's a good thing. We're having a couple of pieces of machinery delivered today on a semi and one of the items we have to settle up for once it's delivered. That money from the scrap steel will come in handy.

We have a friend down south that was a machinery dealer years ago. Down where he lives, the machinery that he has on hand - no one uses anymore. But it's in excellent condition. We have picked up so many things for a super price - we can't pass it up! So, even with the trucking, we come out ahead. Well, maybe. I have to take the checkbook from Farmer Rick once in awhile and remind him that there are bills to pay too! But to buy the same items on auction up here would be sometimes 3, 4 or many more times the price, so we budget these items in whenever we can.

Now, if the fields would just dry out so we could use some of this machinery . . .!

Frost coming out of the ground

2011-04-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

Now that we have a good supply of mud on hand, the frost coming out is adding to the misery of navigating around the farm. Kids enjoy it, but it's no fun when you're driving along with the tractor and all of a sudden - your front wheels drop in a hole - axle deep! The ruts and divets all up and down the farm driveway are enough to drive me nuts! I tink it's even beginning to get to Farmer Rick!

Had we not received that last snowstorm, I believe the ground would be dried out and we'd be in the fields right now. But that last snow really slowed things down. I can't even get into the horse barn with the skid steer to clean stalls. The driveway up to the horse barn is so thick and deep that I just spin. Farmer Rick had to hook onto the skid steer last night with a chain and pull me out. I hate making ruts in the yard! Once things begin to dry out, I have to go around with a rake and even things out. Disk and drag the the driveway, haul the manure pile, get caught up on cleaning stalls - so much to do! I can't wait for all of this to dry out!

One thing I have to be thankful for, though, is the moisture. After several years of drought, it's nice to see puddles again. Oh well, have to stay positive . . .

Going to an Auction!

2011-04-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

About the only time of year that I eat a hot dog is on an auction day! On a cool, windy afternoon when you need a quick warm-up, we'll wander over to the food trailer and order a hot dog stacked with onions, ketchup, mustard and relish. Top it off with a hot cup of coffee with a brownie to dunk, and you're set to go!

We love going to a farm auction once in awhile. Once in awhile, I say, because it's a great way to spend an awful lot of money in a short amount of time. But, when we peruse the farm paper and see that there's an item or two on the listing that we could possibly use, we try to make the trip if it's not too far away. We have a tie-stall replacement project in the barn that seriously needs to take place. Four stalls are rusted off at the bottom and are not attached to the cement anymore. On this auction there are 5 brand new uninstalled stalls that we could pick up and bring home for our project. When you know what the price is for new ones, you have a pretty good idea of what you will spend when you go to bid. Hopefully there will be people more interested in the machinery and less interested in these stalls. But if we buy them - boy do we ever have a repair/cement job ahead of us. But, it's gotta be done and this may be a less expensive way to get it done.

Now, if I can just keep Farmer Rick's hand down when it comes to bidding on those hay wagons . . .!