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Chickin farmin......

Ok. Thanks.


Are you guys coming out of the drought okay?

More Chickin farmin....

We caught a little snow in March. Some of it was pretty wet which helped fill some of the potholes. And we got a half inch of rain here on Monday. The grass really is starting to perk up from that. I put the probe in looks like we got about 14 inches or so of top moisture. Which for spring in this country is pretty weak. I would say we are 3 weeks from a drought at any time without a real substantial type rain. Our grass situation is pretty poor as we overgrazed last year hoping on a rain. So probably be feeding until the 20th of May or so. Got about 5000 acres to seed. Never like seeding in June.

Why you rolling that hay ground Jim? So you dont pick up rocks with the windrower?

I was really surprised to learn that you guys east of us got so much less snow this winter.

We were short on grass too, but did manage to save some safflower and some straw bunches that we just turned on to. We are going to pasture calve now. The old girls were dropping calves on the way out of drylot.

Got them to grass just in time.


We dont like seeding in June either, but it seems to happen pretty often. Sometimes my late seeding even does better than the early stuff.

Seems like that country is Pulse Crop heaven?


Good luck this year.

Yep. The first year we started haying all this dry land we spent about 6000 bucks in parts.

That was for the 956 MoCo and the 569 baler.


Second year we rolled everything and it shaved 10 days off haying and we spent maybe 500 bucks on parts!

The guy pulling the MoCo would be broke down 2 hours a day, easy. Now he has to stop for a cigarette because he never has to get out to fix any thing.

Yes we basically didn’t have any snow all winter. Got a little in March is all. Yes we grow as much pulses as we dare every year. Only way to make any money it seems. We grow Richlea lentils is our main one. Do some green peas but not a lot. Now with the new crop insurance rotation rules might end up pretty much cutting peas out.

I wish our cows were out to pasture. We have them in a small pasture by the house. But still feeding hay. Got around 20 left to calf of the 250.

Where are you from Jim?

I would have thought the whole world was under 4 feet of snow this winter. I had no idea you guys were open all winter. Damn.


We tried lentils twice. 2016 it rained all year so we planted them late. Just as we were getting ready to cut them we got 2 feet of heavy wet snow. Plastered everything into the mud.

2017 we averaged 6 bushels across all the acres of Richleas. Lots of 0 and some 12. Lost our ass both years.

We chickend out this year. Probably should grow some, someplace.

We are pretty lucky since most of our grass is pretty much "out the gate". The green up is just getting started, but we had saved forage.

Switched to May 1st calving, so out the gate they went! Wife and I are schitting ourselves, but I think pasture calving on green grass is going to work.


Our place is 10 miles south east of Chinook in Blaine County.

Lentils can be touchy that is for sure. They seem to like some stress. Do not like being overly wet 2016
We had the wettest year ever recorded up here and had a lot of white mold. Yields still were real good tho believe ours went 27 in 2016 and prices were awesome as for last year in the drought we got them in pretty early and I believe cut a 14-15 bushel lentil crop. But.... kind of failed on the marketing and are sitting with thousands of bushels of them. And the price is now 6 bucks a bushel lower then when we cut them. Ouchh.

I always say farming would be a lot funner if you didn’t have to do the marketing thing. Seems like always kicking yourself for something. Either shoulda sold and didn’t or else did sell and wish you hadn’t. We still got all of our bins full of that vomatoxin durum
From 2016. Bought an air cleaner to clean that stuff but haven’t got around to it.

I was down in South Texas last week and saw some crops to talk about. Cotton knee high, and probably close to blooming. Here, back when we raised cotton, a bloom by the 4th of July was an early crop. I also saw two wheat fields that had been harvested. Several fields of corn that had tassels, and some about 3 inches high. Normal planting here in Arkansas is last of March. Sweet corn usually ready by the 4th of July. miles

Miles you need to let me know when you're down here I owe a fishing trip.

Barring bad health problems, I will be back. miles

cool deal

Watched one of the farming tractors leave the yard today.

Put in a big session on that tractor and got it ready. Wife helped me put the track tension cylinder on.

Cat mechanic brought the cylinder up from Great Falls and saved me a trip. Also came precharged with dry nitrogen.


Got started working some ground in front of the drills today. Ground conditions are very hard. Tool bar would not go into the ground.


Going to try a set of 47 degree shovels. If that does not work we will be renting a Wishek disc.


Not all of our ground is hard like this, but it is a worry when the first field you try is too hard to farm.



Our pasture calving is going nicely. We are out to grass and calving at the same time.


Bloody brilliant!

At the water plant.

We seem to have went from winter to summer here . spring grass going for pasture and hay ain't been very good.

Sounds like a lot of tough conditions in the country.

Is there an accumulator in the circuit?

Would it kill the driver to let the poor kid ride in the cab?