Well, we continue to slog on in search of summer. We are continually plagued by heavy unexpected showers and plain old rain. You need three dry days to bale hay and it's just not happening. First cutting should be all done by the first part of June at the latest and I know some farmers who still have first cutting to do.We have done some second cutting hay but it really should have had another day to dry.
The dampness isn't helping the corn or beans either. They need heat to use up the moisture. There are lots of aphids on the soybeans. We are lucky that we have lots of their natural predators- lady bugs.
The cattle are enjoying the constant pasture regrowth and scarcity of flies. So I guess there are pros and cons.
Mary and Jim were in a really big 15K race. They both finished with excellent times. They ran with a group from the beef industry and got nifty running shirts featuring beef.
Things are quiet in town with one big exception. One of our diner regulars had a story he'd rather not have to tell. He woke up early one morning to find a burglar in his house. Fortunately, the intruder fled without a physical confrontation. The police have still not located him. We don't expect this sort of thing in rural America and are poorly prepared to deal with it. Most of us are from a mind set that remembers when there was no need to lock up.
Other than that things are quiet.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Here it is already the first of July. Today would have been my parent's 68th wedding anniversary.
Last week was a very busy week getting our square baled first cutting hay in. We worked together with Verne and between us had almost 3500 bales. We were very lucky to have three great haying days. We had to rush the unloading of the last wagons as we just beat the rain.
On Friday, we delivered a bull and a steer to our customer in the eastern part of the state. I had never met him before and was pleased to meet him, his wife and their three children. We also met his vet who was there looking over his other animals. Everything seemed fine and the cattle have an endless pasture of reed canary grass. This is a tall reed like grass that cattle really relish.
Our cattle are doing well and the calves are having a real growth spurt. We are about ready to break the herd into a few groups. We will put the bull in with the percentage cattle and AI the full bloods.
We have a problem with our flooded bean field. We replanted it but have seen very few new sprouts. The County Ag specialist came and dug around and feels that a pest called the seed corn maggot has eaten the seeds. I asked why it wasn't a soybean maggot or some such. He explained that they named a pest after the first species that it affected but they often have several plants they favor. At this point in the season, it is too late to replant and there are no other worthwhile crops to plant. So we'll have to see how it turns out.
On Monday, I went up to pick up a cousin's wife and daughter from Northern Ireland. They have been touring the East Coast and were in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I brought my passport to comply with the new rules and had no trouble getting into Canada. My parents had gone to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon so I thought it fitting to be there almost on their anniversary.
Coming back to the states, we had to go inside and meet with the immigration agency. The ladies have a British passport and there was no trouble, just a few questions and we were on our way. Mary brought them to see the supermarket where she works. People in our area are very fond of the supermarket and often bring visitors to see it.
We all had a nice visit and got to know each other. We will soon be leaving for the Buffalo airport so they can fly off to New York and eventually Belfast.
Last weekend, Jim and Mary were in Iowa for Jim's college orientation. All went well and Jim is looking forward to school. It seems strange that he will only be with us for about seven more weeks. Then we will see what it's like to have an empty nest.
Last week was a very busy week getting our square baled first cutting hay in. We worked together with Verne and between us had almost 3500 bales. We were very lucky to have three great haying days. We had to rush the unloading of the last wagons as we just beat the rain.
On Friday, we delivered a bull and a steer to our customer in the eastern part of the state. I had never met him before and was pleased to meet him, his wife and their three children. We also met his vet who was there looking over his other animals. Everything seemed fine and the cattle have an endless pasture of reed canary grass. This is a tall reed like grass that cattle really relish.
Our cattle are doing well and the calves are having a real growth spurt. We are about ready to break the herd into a few groups. We will put the bull in with the percentage cattle and AI the full bloods.
We have a problem with our flooded bean field. We replanted it but have seen very few new sprouts. The County Ag specialist came and dug around and feels that a pest called the seed corn maggot has eaten the seeds. I asked why it wasn't a soybean maggot or some such. He explained that they named a pest after the first species that it affected but they often have several plants they favor. At this point in the season, it is too late to replant and there are no other worthwhile crops to plant. So we'll have to see how it turns out.
On Monday, I went up to pick up a cousin's wife and daughter from Northern Ireland. They have been touring the East Coast and were in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I brought my passport to comply with the new rules and had no trouble getting into Canada. My parents had gone to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon so I thought it fitting to be there almost on their anniversary.
Coming back to the states, we had to go inside and meet with the immigration agency. The ladies have a British passport and there was no trouble, just a few questions and we were on our way. Mary brought them to see the supermarket where she works. People in our area are very fond of the supermarket and often bring visitors to see it.
We all had a nice visit and got to know each other. We will soon be leaving for the Buffalo airport so they can fly off to New York and eventually Belfast.
Last weekend, Jim and Mary were in Iowa for Jim's college orientation. All went well and Jim is looking forward to school. It seems strange that he will only be with us for about seven more weeks. Then we will see what it's like to have an empty nest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
