Calf #2 2015!!

I came home from work yesterday expecting to put a bale in to the cows, bed the shed, feed the pigs, and call it a night.   However, when Scott and I started to bed he noticed a cow having a calf.  It was Prairie Fire.  She was just getting going and so we shuffled her up into the shed and quickly bedded it down.  Before we could finish bedding she had the calf! 

It is another heifer!   That makes two already this year.   At this rate I may have to change my business plan to raising heifers instead of steers!  Last year I had 75% heifers, which seems to be the norm for me.  I have only had one year that I dropped below 75% and it was 50/50 heifers and bulls!

Luckily she was born inside and momma was quick to get her cleaned up and get her moving!  She didn't get any frostbite like the first calf of the year did.  

I woke up this morning to -10 when I went to the kitchen to make my coffee.  By the time I headed out of the house it was -12.   I started my truck to leave for work and while it warmed up I went to check on the little baby.   She was all snuggled with momma and the rest of the cows and short of a little frost in her hair she was snug as a bug in a rug! 

Forecast is calling for two back to back major snowstorms starting tomorrow night and lasting till Thursday morning.......UHG!!  I am ready for spring!

Kenny

The Changing of the Guard 2015!!!

I know that I promised this a while back and it finally happened the other day.  I have been putting in crazy hours at my day job this winter and haven't been home much at all.  I was fortunate to be here when the new tractor arrived!

One of my goals here on the farm was to eventually upgrade my tractor to around 110 hp and have a buddy seat for the kids when they ride along with me.  Well, through much planning and hard work, I was finally able to do that!

M110GX on the left and M9540HD on the right

I originally started with a 68hp kubota.  It was a wonderful tractor and helped me get to the next step in where I wanted to go.  The one I just traded in was a M9540 and was 95hp and had a cab.  It allowed me to take everything to the next level and accomplish many things I couldn't have done without it.  It, just like my M6800, was a great tractor and would have loved to have kept it.  At this time however, I needed to trade it in on the new one like I did with the first.  

M9540HD front view.

Some of the major upgrades from the 9540 to the 110GX;

• #1 of course is an added 15 hp.  I found that when mowing with the new larger mower, and when baling silage hay on the hills I was just a little short on power.  
• Much better/easier to use transmission.  The 9540 had a 6 speed transmission with a high and low range as well as a push button split shift on each gear giving it a total of 24 speeds.  You have to shift between gears manually with it.  The new 110gx has a power shift transmission that has three 8 gear ranges and shifts with the push of a button between the 8 gears and you only need to clutch in between range shifts.  
• Larger tires.  The tires on the 110 are a step larger front and back adding for a smoother ride and increased weight distribution and better traction.
• The Cab is about the size of our living room in the house!!!  Kubota stepped up to the table with a much greater sized cab on the new tractors.  
• Don't forget the BUDDY SEAT!!!  The kids now have their own seat complete with a seat belt!  Plus there is enough room for daisy to ride along and even lay down without being in the way of the foot pedals like the 9540 cab. 
• The 110 also sets about 6-8 inches higher as well.

M110GX front view

I also included some pictures of the back of both tractors so you can see the difference.    

M9540HD rear view.

If you look closely at the back of the 110 everything is a little beefier in the back.   I also have buttons on the fenders for moving the arms up and down to make it easier for hooking up attachments.  

M110GX rear view

Lastly, planting season should be starting for hay and small grain plants around March 15.  All my hay ground needs seeded by April 15 for best germination rates and production benefits.  

We have been around or below zero for several weeks now.   We have dropped below -20 three times this month now.   February is shaping up to be around 20 degrees colder than normal this year.  I would expect to see temps like this in January, not the end of February!  In 1994 we experienced almost two weeks of constant below zero temps with several night pushing to -20.   The coldest temp we recorded here on the farm next door was -27.  

 It needs to get warm fast, I can't wait to get out to the field and enjoy some time with the family on the farm without 4 layers of clothes on!!

Bring on Spring!!  It is time for cookouts, short sleeves, sunshine, and grass!!!!!

Kenny

Oh how I long for spring!!!

I want to start off by apologizing for my long absence.  I had a marathon stretch at work of almost three weeks without a day off coupled with trying to get pigs to the butcher and meat delivered.  The good news is I had yesterday off and I have today off....but back at it tonight with freezing rain in the forecast.

The first snow fall of the year is almost always beautiful.....however, after a week or two it loses its glamour and I just want it gone!  We haven't seen our back sidewalk since new years!   Before you say it, yes I am a ice and snow control professional, that is why my walk is not touched.  After doing it at work for 18-22 hours straight the last thing I want to do when I get home is shovel!

We have shipped almost all the of this batch of pigs to the butcher.  Only two more left and they go in with our first steer for 2015 on the 24th.  

We also had enough time in between two of the snow storms to take the kids Ice Skating.  They enjoyed this much more than I did.  I watched from the bleachers while they enjoyed falling and slipping on the ice, the entire time thinking how much of a headache it would be to have to deal with this ice on a parking lot!

I also took the opportunity of having help one afternoon several weeks ago to get the weights mounted up on the Farmall.  I have 4 - 150# weights on each side.  This should help out a lot with traction in the field when pulling wagons and raking hay on the hills!  All I have left to deal with is the injector pump.  I am hoping to either fix it or replace it before spring hits.  

I also sold my old hay rake a few weeks ago and I am selling my Taarup 2824 Disk Mower at the neighbors auction on Wednesday.  

Below is a picture of the "Changing of the Guard" picture when I upgraded my tractor from the M6800 open station to the M9540 with a cab.  I am re-posting this as a precursor to what is coming either late next or early the following week.  There will be another "Changing of the Guard"!

My only hint for today  "Buddy Seat"!

With all the changes occurring in the last 6-12 months I am preparing for what I hope is a successful step in my farming business venture.  While I, and some of those around me, are closing another chapter in our lives, I am looking forward to working with them to open a new one that is hopefully filled with lots of opportunity and growth.  I am excited for the future and can't wait to see where it is taking us!  

Everyone be safe and if you enjoy winter and snow then do so quickly!  For those of you like me who spend November - March longing for warm weather and short sleeve shirts please have faith that it is drawing nearer with every day of winter gone past!   I keep telling myself that in 30 days I will be getting the no till drill and seeding hay fields for 2015.  At that time we may have a few snows here and there but no matter what happens at that time it will be short lived!

Lastly, thanks to a friend from my high school days and her husband, I have my four wheeler back and completely fixed!  Now, since it is warm outside, I have a day off, and there is still snow, I am headed out to take the kids sled riding for the first time this winter.  

Have a great day everyone!

Kenny