Well, spring was here!

Hello everyone, Been very nice and warm, although raining a lot, over the last 3 weeks.  However, today and for the next three days we are having near freezing temps again.  We have been getting spotty snow showers off and on all day today as well.  

No mushrooms or new calves yet since my last post either.  I was able to get all the hay fields I am renovating seeded down in Oats this past weekend.  It was a lot of fun to get to seed again.  I missed doing that more than I thought.  It will be refreshing to help the neighbor do some row crops this year as well!  The new tractor handled the bigger no till drill like it wasn't even there.  

Another task that I was able to complete two weeks ago was to finish all my new fences.  I split my big pasture across the creek into two equal sized fields giving me three pastures to rotate the cows through over the summer.  I am renovating one of the three this year and will complete all three over the next year or two.  I seeded all the fields down into hay back in 2006 including what is now pasture across the creek and everything was getting spotty and run down.  So we coated everything heavy with manure and killed off what was still there and all the weeds.  I am running a round of oats for silage feed and then we will seed them back into hay for the fields and pasture mix for where the pastures are now.

I also have started getting buttermilk from the local dairy to feed the pigs.  It is just what is left over after they churn the butter out of the milk.  It is very nutritional and greatly reduced the amount of feed the pigs need to supplement them for what they don't get off the pasture.  I even have a few of the calves who like to drink some as well.  The milk is all produced locally and it is nice to keep all the resources local!

I am hoping the weather straightens out after this cold snap and gives us a much needed break from the cold and wet so we can try to get caught up before hay season arrives.  I have never been more ready for it than I am this year.  It is going to be an exciting year!!!  Lots of opportunity and growth are in the near future for my family and those around me. 

As soon as I get some nice weather to let the cows back out on the pasture I promise to post some good pics!

Goodnight everyone,

Kenny

Spring is trying to break out and lots of new calves!

Well, things have continued to be hectic around here!  I recently changed positions at work and have been spending much more time there learning the new things I need to know for my new role in the company.  In the mean time I have been trying to help the neighbor get things wrapped up from his farm auction and finish moving his stuff out. 

I have also been battling the nasty winter all winter long.  We started having calves the first week of January and there were only a couple more between 1-5-15 and 3-1-15.   Then they started popping out fast.  Unfortunately,  all three that were born the first week of march were lost to the extreme cold and wet conditions.  The rest however, have been hanging in there.  The snow finally quit the second week of March and we have been getting rain and temps that range from 18-65 degrees in a continuous roller coaster of temperature changes.  It did finally dry out last weekend enough that we were able to clean all the manure at the neighbor's farm as well as here at mine.   It was nice and dry up till today....and then it poured!  Back to the mud!

To give all the calves the best shot at surviving I locked all the cows in the corral area so I am sure they are not having any more calves out in the mud or snow.   

We are now up to 11 births total so far.  So far we had 4 bulls, 2 survived, and 7 heifers, 6 survived. 

Below are a few of the newest calves.  I believe all the ones pictured are out of legacy.  They all certainly look like him!  

Butterscotch had another heifer. This is her second since I got her.  

This is Tigerwoods, I just got her as a heifer last march.  She had a heifer just a few hours ago.

This is #7, Prairie Fire.   She had a little Bull again this year.  Last year her calf was brilliant orange, this year, all black accept for his belly.

Fifty is continuing to grow her legacy with a Legacy upgrade!  She had a beautiful black heifer this year.  This is her first black heifer since we got thunder so I am positive this is Legacy's little girl!!!!   At the end of 2015 we were averaging 48% female calves overall for the farm.   Fifty and her daughters were averaging 68% females.  I do believe I am on to something here, just not sure what!  I do know that currently, the streak of her daughters and granddaughters all having heifers for their first calf is still unbroken for 5 years running now!

This last picture is Sally's little boy.   He is a bulky one!  Her bulls grow fast and big.  I love having her on the farm!  

On a side note. Beefcake's daughter, Fuzzy Wuzzy, who lost a large portion of her ears to frostbite, is growing unbelievably fast!!!   She is almost the same size as Baby Girl already and is 6 months younger, and she is as tame as a kitten!  

Lastly, I finally got the Farmall out of the garage a few weeks ago and took some new pics with it and the new M110GX.  It was fun and gave me a chance to picture them together like I did when I first bought the Farmall.

I want to wish everyone a goodnight and a great upcoming weekend.  I will try to keep up with posting moving into the spring and summer to keep everyone more up to date!

Thank you,

Kenny

New ear bling for the babies and Baby #6

So just after lunch the clouds parted and it got beautiful outside.  So, taking advantage of the beautiful weather my wife and I headed out to feed the animals and bed the barn.  We got a lot of rain yesterday and the night before and even though I had just cleaned the barn and bedded a few days ago it was still a mess.  Plus the snow and ice is still melting and with all the frost in the ground still it is just running off the top and soaking everything!

While we were out and everyone was just being lazy and enjoying the sun we decided to tag the new calves before I get too many and mix them up.  First was our first calf of 2015, Fuzzy Wuzzy.  She lost a large portion of her ears to frostbite and they are finally starting to heal.  Since we now know what she has left we went ahead and gave her a tag.  She is so tame it is unbelievable.  You can walk right up and pet her and she doesn't mind at all.  She is growing very fast and will probably pass Baby girl in size within a month or so.

Next was Kwanan's little girl.  She is doing much better now that the weather has started to warm up.  She is not as docile as Fuzzy is but is not as flighty as her mother either.  

This is calf #6.  She is Chilly's little girl and was born last night.  She is tiny but healthy.  We are going to wait to tag her till we are sure she is good to go.

Sally had her calf on Wednesday but I didn't get a good picture of him today.  He is a big bull!  He is doing very well.  His mother gave me quite a scare when she came down with Milk Fever (hypocalcemea) shortly after birthing.  A calcium IV got her up and running quickly and she is good to go now.  

I had two other calves born last week.  Both were born outside before the snow melted and the temps were very cold.  I lost both of them to hypothermia.  We tried hard but there was nothing we could do till the weather broke.  I will be making changes this year for breeding.  I will not be letting any cows get bred to have calves before March 15th next year.  I never had to deal with this before but running the bull with the cows 24/7 he has managed to shave a month or so off of most everyone's cycle every year till they are now having them really early.  I have another 8 calves due this month and all but 2 of  20 calves are due before May 1st this year.

Hoping this weather stays warm and sunny!!   I need it.

Kenny

New calves!!!!!

Calf #4 for 2015!!!!

This one is a bull, and a big one!  He was probably around 100# at birth.  His momma is a big girl so I am thinking that led to the larger calf.  Most of my other calves have been averaging around 60-70# birth weight.  

I am excited for this calving season!!!   I am averaging 75% heifers again so far this year!

Gonna be a great year!

Kenny

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