How is the work going?

I did some disking on corn stalk's , Thursday, and Jake started drilling oats, we were rained out about 6.

Still wet when we looked at noon. Jake has been busy fixing on the harrow on the field cultivator, along with feeding the cattle.

I went out to the Left coast back in February and have been working until yesterday. For about the first three weeks I mowed olives for a half a day then ran a disc in some of the Almond orchards, power blasted some Almonds, then mowed some Almonds until it was dry enough to work.

For the last couple of weeks I been running a 9630 on a scraper and a road grader on a dirt project. I left this morning heading back to middle America. I didn't want to get stuck in California during a shutdown.

I got some pictures if I was smart enough to post them.

Pictures, You need an account for image hosting. I use Imgur. On Imgur, you need to make the picture big. Then left click on
direct link copy.

Back here left click use full editor. Left click the square icon right of the smile icon. Right click that. Click

Paste, left click view, if you like that, click post. I hope I got that right.

I admire you farmer-ranchers. Your work is never, ever done. You all are the heart of America.

Busy calving away here Richard.

We had 66 bred heifers and over half of them have calved in the last 10-14 days.

The first born had to be hot boxed and then the mother didn't want the calf but we got her straightened out with a couple ropes. She loves her calf now!

Luckily the rest of them have been great mothers and we haven't had to pull one yet. And we've had a few BIG calves out the heifers. One this morning at 4:30 and it had to be crowding 90lbs, all I could do to carry it up to the shed without stopping. Thought I was gonna have a fricken heart attack!


Took a bunch of pics yesterday, I should download a few.

I was wanting to finish harrowing the pasture yesterday, but got rained out...






That's okay. I'll take the rain and more if it comes. Less than an inch today, but it helps.

Why do you do that to a pasture? Aerate the soil?

We had -1F the night before last.

Rolled out a bunch of bales. Probably 35-40 big rounds of straw and feed in the last 3 days.

Been a busy week but knock on wood I'm taking this evening off. Dad just called and said a heifer I stuck in a pen had just calved along with one I didn't see coming.

They are both good mothers. Man I tell you what, good mothers take a lot of the work out of it!

Calves out of the 2 year olds.

Yes.

And to stir up the grass so it grows thicker, loosens the soil.

PLUS... it levels out hog damage and gopher and fire ant mounds.

The heavy two's.



More new calves.

That makes my blood run cold Sam, baby calves and snow. I'm glad you folks have the savvy to get along with it. That water must have gone away?

Main bunch, 4-10 year old cows on the river.








50-60 head of 3 year old bred cows that we feed and calve separate from the main herd.






And last but not least the glamorous life of a cow farmer...

No skidsteer?

Oh yeah, we have a skidsteer, his name is Sam!


Seriously Richard, not enough room to get one in that shed. I would love to have a bigger building with room for about 15-20 pair and set up for a skid steer.....

The other day I had pairs stashed in alley ways, sort pens, anywhere I could think of to give 'em a day or two alone. Got caught up yesterday and we are set with the warmer weather. Snow is now about gone.

Beats the hell out of calving in the mud.

Buck yes I we tried calving this time of year, it would be in cold snow, and MUD.

We'll have the mud tomorrow!


We just roll out literally tons of straw(daily), about all you can do.


I didn't ear tag any calves the last couple mornings when it was so chilly. Hate punching a hole in a puffy ear...

Low of 20F tonight, piece of cake.

I dont miss it!

Jim, tell your book keeper to figure out how much I owe you!

I'll tip my seedcorn cap to any that can calve this time of year. We have enough troubles in late April, and May.

Windbreaks, deep bedding, plenty of good feed for cows in good body condition. Those things don't just happen by themselves.

Nice job Sam!

Going good here Richard. Been on grass since the 26th, had to move across the road yesterday. Took about a hour. Which is a day and a half quicker than moving babies across the road last year... It was a nightmare last year. Built some free standing panels, Subdivided some fields, cows are trained better and i've learned a few things.

Like most things i've found the effort up front is paying dividends now. Someday, and i hope its this summer, i'll have a corral on that farm and i'll really be in tall cotton.

Y'all take good care of your cows up there Sam. Bravo.

Haha! I would love to send you a bill.......if I weren't so ashamed of my work!

If I send you a bill, you have to promise to accept an unlimited lifetime warranty in which you will be required to send them back so I can repair them correctly at no charge to you.

When I was helping Uncle on his operation, We would start calving on the meadows in January. But our temps are not quite as cold as Sam's.

The pairs go out on USFS about June 1. The idea is to get enough growth on the calves before that date so they could take good advantage of .Gov grass.

Cold down to ten degrees or so, and even snow was not nearly a worrisome as 34 degrees, wind and rain. If a calf is born in that schitt, there's a good chance he will never make to his feet.

The year I was living on the ranch, we lost about 20% of the calf crop at ten to fifteen days of age. Finally identified the culprit as cocccidiosis. Gallons of Sulmet into the water tanks put an end to the infection. When the herd hit the forest, a bunch of hereford cows were nursing adopted holstein steer babies.

Damn, I miss saddling a horse and riding out in that crap to bring a baby back to the barn across the saddle horn with momma following behind. I miss hitching up the team at minus ten, and feeding 100 momma cows every morning. Best job I ever had. But there was no way to raise a family and pay medical bills on the prevailing wage.

All done calving only lost one. Too wet for field work.

Working at my second job.

Good looking bunch of cows Sam!

Thanks gentlemen, my dad gets the credit for the nice cows.



Jim Conrad, before all of this crap started floating around I had planned on sending you some random 'treats' for your much appreciated work.

I knew you wouldn't want any money in return.



But now all you get is a check(cash it fast or lose out...).

Started weaning calves last weekend (fall calver). I wean for three weeks in three different groups, earlies go a little long, mids are about right, lates go a little early, stragglers I hang on to and feed out for locals.

Apr 3, 2020
Dairy farmer Dale McClellan was forced to dump 6,000 gallons of milk Thursday because it was sitting in his tanker unused.

Even though the raw milk was still good, the demand is not there and he had to get rid of the oversupply.

It’s yet another byproduct of the hit to the economy caused by the coronavirus. And it's a big hit: almost $14,000 worth for McClellan.

“It's a mess financially for us,” said McClellan, president and CEO of M&B Products in Lecanto.

It’s the same way in dairy farms nationwide. Demand is down since the panic buying has decreased and schools — the primary buyer of M&B milk — are closed.

McClellan was careful how he dumped the milk on his property — too much and it would be harmful to the waste stream at his farm. There is the possibility, he said, of dumping more unused milk in the future.

McClellan employs about 150 employees at his dairy farm.

“We’re doing all we can to sustain ourselves,” he said. “We’re not going to lay off anybody."

Haha!


Have you had to use them yet?

Not yet.
(I still have them here in town at my house)

Our 11th(?) wedding anniversary is coming this next Friday.

AKA Good Friday.

Woman has no idea....

That’s when we do ours, but we’re also in slightly lower latitudes.

Thanks for your work fellers!

The suspense is killin me. What did I miss?

Would she fall for "showing her the headcatch"....?????

Gents, I am gonna go try 'em out right now.

Good night.


Report tomorrow.

I used my avalanche shovel to help my wife scoop up catkins [sp] from our fruitless mulberry tree and watched my youngest kid and his kid power wash our driveway and patio. I am exhausted and totally awestruck by our ranchers and farmers.


mike r

Calvin chains?

Mass majority of calves here was born between January1 and March 1. Fertilizer and overseeding pastures is done on the rocky or and Higher Ground from mid February to the 1st of March Prairie ground with good dirt & hay fields and such I ain't done yet. May not be planning oats for hay this year plant teff grass earlier though .

Conrad Leather Works....


Hold still woman!

I missed something. When I used hobbles on the heifers I was breaking to milk, I had mixed, mostly poor results.

Richard, you ever use a couple ropes when applying 'therapy?

Haha!

Had another fellow ask about some hobbles.



He mentioned that he did not like the padded style........wanted them to get raw and painful right away.

I, and most of have done a lot of things Sam.

Jim, we've made 'em out of that heavy twine they use on big square bales. Those will chafe a dirty, kickin' no good bitch up real quick....

God damn I hate a cow that kicks at her calf.......



I brought the rebuilt hobbles out to the farm this morning and my old man gave full approval on your work. And he is a picky sonuvabitch.......grin


Just scratched out a check for tomorrow's mail and you better cash it or I'm driving over there to kick your ass!

A lot of people have done a lot of chit no doubt.

At least you have not broken them yet.



I got big plans for when you do.


Glad you and your dad like em.

A couple of pictures from today Jake filling the drill.

The best I could do with a Redtail on lunch break.

We had 3 heifers calve today.


One was a pusher.... We made the $10 milkshake and hopefully by tomorrow ol' #344 has settled down or she just might be the first patient to try out your handi-work...

Trees almost all pruned. Prunings chopped.
6 orchards burned
Sprayed the trees twice.
Planted a lot of trees.
Burn off asparagus patch tomorrow
A greenhouse full of starters and time to uncover the strawberries planted last year.
And vegetables to plant under plastic.
Social distancing in the orchards

Brought down ~ 125 cows, and a few early calves the last couple of days. We mostly start calving in June so the calves will fit with the calves we run through the summer, on our high country (8100 feet at the corrals). More cows to come later - but we're REAL short on hay, right now.
60+ degrees today, but the wind hasn't dropped much below 20 mph for at least a week - and projected to maintain for at least the next 10 days!
3 wells are not pumping good, so we have that to deal with, also.
Block layer is coming out to skirt the new double-wide on Wed, if all goes as planned.
I also need to go out and set a pump in the new well, and get new solar panels fitted to the mast, build a new fence between the well and tank, and permanently wire everything together, electrically.
Then I start re-building a corral - 4" pipe and overheads, guardrail, etc.
Afeered my "city job" may suffer a bit.
I hope to take a day off sometime between now - and my 90th birthday!

90 Mark? WOW! May God Bless You!

Martha hand me that diamond willow we are fixing to have whipped cream 🤣🤣

Mark, well trouble is a major PIA, good luck!


We have easy to pull shallow pumps here at home on the river bottom but summer grass is another deal.



Lorne, no whip cream here, just a tight rope or two to provide encouragement!

I probably shouldn’t comment what calving is like in this part of the world.

Fred

Did ya notice that I beveled the edges on the straps and used an oval punch for the holes for speed?


Mark of a true craftsman.............

Interesting - most farmers around here rarely use a disc any more... Chisel-plowing, then using a finisher before the planter arrives... I went by the farm yesterday and Tom has had the planter out near the shop being serviced and readied... Average planting time around here is mid-May to June 1st.. But that's just this area..

Thank you Men !

warm and dry , I would hope ?

He's probably only 45 now. Just has a heck of a to do list.



Watch him Sam. He's angling for a bigger payday now.