We decided to move our vacation time up this year to the last part of July to try to take advantage of some better fishing. This however, coincided with the only dry week to make second cutting! So, the day before we rolled out I mowed everything down and made a deal with my brother to get it all made while we were away. He, his girlfriend, his friends, and the landowner all did an awesome job and got it all done without any problems!!!!!
What is even more fabulous is that we got another 148 bales of hay off of this field after getting 327 in first cutting. We have already made more hay in two cutting this year overall that we have made the last two years combined! An amazing year that we have seen coming and are looking to maintain moving forward. Sam and I have been working toward getting the fields installed with the right plants and then have been working to balance the nutrition in the soil to properly feed them and it is paying off big!! Now, to properly ride the wave as long as we can while prepping another right behind it!!
We decided as a family that we wanted to maximize our time on the beach as much as possible. So, the deal was made that while I was busy mowing they would be busy packing and so we could leave early in the morning. Everyone did their part and we left early Sunday morning and drove straight thru to the Frisco NC. We hit the arrival time perfectly as they had very few people in the campgrounds so we were able to get a spot we have been trying to get for years! This spot is on the hill with a view of the ocean as well as being protected from high winds by a knob and large shrubs.
By 8pm, camp was set up and meat delivered to our newest customer and we were ready for the start of vacation!!
We had some storms and rain the first two days on the beach, but, when you are there to fish and swim then you are already gonna be wet so it was a nice way to ease into the warmer temps without getting burned to start the trip!
The OBX is ever changing due to storms and this year is no different. Our favorite crabbing area last year had very few crabs this year due to some big changes in the area from shifted sands. We did however find a few on our first day there and My daughter was happy to eat them!
So, I will openly admit, that I never was a huge fan of fishing. I did some as a kid but quickly grew out of it and never had an interest to go back....till we found the OBX. The first time my wife caught a fish out of the surf I was hooked. However, I have never caught anything bigger than medium sized mullets. Our second day out on the beach started with a rain storm and some really strong surf. I had given up catching anything and sat down to chat with my wife and have a beer when I noticed the surf had took off with my line down the beach to where the next person was fishing.
I went trotting down the beach reeling in my line hoping I wasn't messing up someone else's fishing when I saw a fish jump out of a wave. As I got closer to the end of my line another wave washed this guy on the beach.....with my hook in his mouth!!!!
This is a Red Drum, commonly known as a Puppy Drum! This is what everyone is trying to catch when they go surf fishing and I actually had one for the first time ever!!! To keep them they need to be in "the Slot" which is between 18" and 25". This guy was 20"!!! Best part was my wife didn't see me reel him in and her first response was "who gave you that??"
My wife filleted this guy up and we ate very very good that night!!! It is no wonder these fish are so highly sought after as they are extremely delicious and are quite meaty!
We had a couple of other days where the Mullet were biting a lot and we had several dinners that were from our daily catch!
Once again, my wife is a phenomenal cook no matter where we are or what we have to work with. We ended up inviting a fellow camper and his son over this night for a fish/clam/and pork fry! Good beer, good food, and new friends, it was a great great time and will always be remembered!
We have a portable propane stove top that feeds right from the Propane tank. Can set up in seconds and is light and easy to take with us in the truck.
We are getting used to people checking out our setup when we are on the beach! When at home, the truck is a work truck and is used as such...however, when it is time to relax the truck turns into a mobile party spot including a kitchen!!! Here is my wife cooking lunch on Ocracoke Island near the ocracoke inlet.
We got a fishing rod and cooler holder setup for the reese hitch on the back this year that was great to have. We keep drinks in the cooler so it is easy to access for the kids and the fishing poles are right there the entire time for quick bating and casting!
My daughter was sure to let everyone know where we are from as well!!! We left this little mark everywhere we went!
As always, no matter how long we stay, it is never long enough. Our last day on the beach was perfect. Light breeze off of the water, small waves and crystal clear water, and wonderful sun! The total power outage hit the morning of our last day on the beach and we ended up getting back to the campsite to be told we had to leave and couldn't stay our last night. We were fortunate enough to have made some very good friends in Hatteras and I made a call and they were able to take us in for our last night!! Our friends, Eddie and Gayle, own and operate A.S. Austin Company in downtown Hatteras.
They also happen to be our newest customer and are part of our ever growing farm family!! Even though most looked at the power outage as a bad thing it turned out to be a good thing cause it forced us to try something different this year. Eddie also has apartments to rent at the store as well and we were able to try one out for our last night. As much as we love camping we are considering staying with Eddie and Gayle next time we are in town.
We left on Friday morning after purchasing some fresh fish and shrimp to bring home. The evacuation for Hatteras was ordered later in the day after we were already off of the island. We were happy to hear that the power is not back on and people are starting to come back!! The residents down there rely on tourism for their lively hoods so hopefully they can make up for the forced week long vacation.
As soon as we got home it was back to work! We unpacked the truck Saturday night and Sunday I mowed third cutting here at the farm and started working on the driveway I am building through the pasture. Another friend and customer of mine had a bunch of concrete slabs from a parking lot that was torn out and brought them to me to build through the wet areas. The slabs go in first and then I am topdressing them with some processed material to fill the cracks and firm them up. This will allow me and the cows access through the bottom without creating a mess and more pollution and erosion. I am about 15% done at this time and have a long long way to go, but I will get there yet!!!
So, as I said I went to mow hay on Sunday and I didn't stop and pick up Zeus. He was waiting on the back porch when I got done...exactly like this! Arms crossed, with the "WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT ME" look on his face! He was not pleased with my slip up!
With third cutting on the home fields completed here are the results, 1st cut - 38 bales, 2nd cut - 30 bales, 3rd cut - 28 bales. These are unheard of numbers till this year. I am happy to see all the conservation efforts finally paying us back and it should only get better as long as we keep working on it. This is also why I am building the driveway across the creek. I need to be able to apply the manure and waste milk over there on the pastures as well so I can have this kind of output from the pastures!!!
I finally used my trailer hitch to load bales straight from the field for delivery. I didn't have time to hook up the truck so I just grabbed the trailer with the tractor! Worked great and I will be doing this again!
The hay mix we are using is Orchard Grass, Fescue, Clover, and Alfalfa. When made correctly it is the highest quality mix I have ever seen. It is from Byron Seeds and has done well for us. It is so soft and smells so good at each cutting that I literally want to just sleep on it instead of my bed!
Last order of business is getting ready for fair time!!! After my daughter's one fair calf died I traded her a steer for the one and only dairy beef feeder to ever be born here on the farm. I borrowed a dairy bull to breed heifers last year and I had one bull calf born to one of my milking shorthorns. He is gonna be on the smaller end of the weight limit but looks really nice and hopefully will do well.
He was born about two months later than most calves are for this project so we left him on the mother till we got back from vacation. Now we are knee deep in the process of halter training and getting him trained to lead. He has been coming into the barn for a grain snack, washing, and his own hay as well each day for a couple months so he is already tamed down, just doesn't lead well yet.
It is kind of inspiring to know that we are on the right track with our thoughts on Grass Fed Beef. The bigger calf on the left is Luigi and he came straight from a dairy farm where the main diet is processed feeds and Total Mixed Rations. Linus who is on the right was born in the pasture and didn't see grain until we had to pen them up for training for the fair. When we feed them each night Linus heads straight for the hay and will snack on the grain and Luigi goes straight for the Grain and will snack on the hay! Such a difference in their appearance as well with Linus being thicker and shorter and being more even all around where as Luigi has the typical dairy belly and frame. The judges will have to sort that all out at the fair!!
I hope everyone is having a great summer and I will be sure to update everyone once we make it to the fair!
Talk to ya'll soon,
Kenny
