Oh my....

I haven't kept up well on this for awhile!  Well, just a little tidbit for you today.  Very windy today.  Fire alert with 40-45 mph winds.  Neighbor Ralph burnt some ditches yesterday and apparently there was something smoldering somewhere.  The fire took off and Lynn and Kelly spent some time helping to put that out.  Come to think of it, I bet Ralph isn't home.  His brother works for us, though, so I'm sure he was there, too.
The hogs have some unknown skin disease that I bet they brought from the nursery.  All 4,000 of them have to be sprayed down with a foam--3 days in a row!

You know, I don't think people realize what the life of a farmer really is.  First of all, you have to be a self-starter.  You also have to be a mechanic, business man/woman, mathematician, understand marketing and computers, be a great planner, know animals and animal diseases/behaviors....  The list goes on.  Most of all, I think you have to be spiritual because after a long, hard spring and summer, it's pretty disheartening to have the corn all blown over in one night.  We need to understand that this is God's world and we just do the best we can every day.

Whoa!

What happened!  Halfway done with the beans and I've hardly put anything on here this spring!  The weather has been pretty cool and cruddy, so when we get a good day, it's fly like heck!  Tomorrow there's 70% chance of rain, so Lynn is hard at it.  Corn's all in, of course, as that goes in first.  I started a garden complete with some vegetables and a couple melon plants.  Of course, we had frost 2 nights after that.  Only lost 1 tomato, although they don't look very good, and the melons and some red salvia got hit.  Corn was fine as it can take a little frost.

Hardnose Kelly feeding the planter  :)

Rollin' Again!

Well, it's time again.  My elbow, back, and feet already hurt and I haven't even done anything yet!  Kelly's been spreading anhydrous and Lynn has been disking.  Bob Tigges is busy hauling the anhydrous and we've got another fellow hauling corn.  Always plenty to do in the spring!  I've started some seedlings and am putting a REAL garden in this year.  Seed potatoes are ready to go in the ground, possibly tomorrow.  Asked Lynn to drag the disk through the ground before he unhooks it.  He said possibly tonight.  Gotta get some grass seed in before the rain which is expected in a couple of days--or sooner!

Pretty dusty. Not much for moisture through the winter.  Veeerrrryyyy cold winter!

Pretty mallards flew as soon as the shutter clicked!

Time's A'Wastin'!

Nearing the end of manure hauling.  It always gets a little hairy as they can't haul once the ground is frozen.  They are finishing a job and have one more left. 

New machine shed is going up.  I would hate to be those guys working outside in this cold.  Yesterday morning there was only a foundation.

Noon yesterday

  Close to 5 PM

Today at 11 AM

 

They worked until after dark last night.

What does the farmer say???

BESIDES HARVEST, 2013, WAS FINISHED ON 11/14/13!!!!!!!

This is what the farmer says:  (parody of "What does the fox say?")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyMv4kkSCvk

Getting Close to the End!

Lynn says we have about 150 acres left.  Not a great crop this year because of the drought. The corn is a little wet and drying has been a pain and expensive.  For those of you unfamiliar, there are bins for drying with fans and a dealybob in there to stir it.  After it gets dry, it is moved to another bin by way of tractors, wagons, and augers.  Augers are like elevators that take it to the top of the bin and dump it in.  I wonder if I've posted any pictures of that on this blog.  ?? 

Dumping on the go

Field monitor

Don't get too excited, it only says 209 bu/acre because he had to stop and back up to unplug.  It figures by the speed you are going, too, so since he wasn't moving at the time and the corn was still running through it looks real good!  On this photo, we had only been most of the way around the field as you can see from the photo.  What is lit up is where we had been.  The arrow was where we were when this photo was taken.  It all fills in in colors according to how the yield was in that area. 

 

did not load  :(

Dark areas are where the corn died during the hot, dry spell.  Not much corn in thoes areas.

Beavers had been busy

They eat the corn and haul the stalks

Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!!

I can't imagine how they live here, but okay....

This one was taken from the same spot, only to the left.

old as mold

Rental tractor

Chuck's old Allis

 Kelly's supper

Always fixin'

gotcha, Kelly!

 

Pasture No More

Rather sad as our last pasture is being turned to crop land.  No more cows and calving in the spring.  No more romping calves in the morning sun.  :(

These girls would love some of that baby food...

 

Curious calves

 

Kelly filling the creep feeder for the little ones