This morning at about 3am I was awakened by the sound of thundering hooves. I got up and looked out the window and saw Spirit and Morgan having a fun run across the pasture.
Later this morning we awoke to snow. After chores and breakfast John started a nice fire in the fireplace and we had a hot beverage and sat on the sofa looking out at the falling snow and the horses in the pasture.
John and Mary both have their "camo" outfits on now, I'll try to get a picture.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
East TN Angus Show/Auction
Yesterday we attended the East TN Angus Association Show/Auction at the Roane State Expo center. We had never before been to such an event, it was very interesting. The supreme champion was Lot 16, a heifer from the University of Tennessee Ag program.
New-ish Car
OK, we picked up a 2006 Ford Taurus with 72k miles on it this week. My old Taurus has 222k miles, a cracked windshield, temperamental power windows, transmission issues, and no A/C. We still have the '98 Suburban and for now the old '95 Taurus.
Two words: mob grazing
On Thursday I attended the Grazing Conference held at Roane State college. The conference had been scheduled to be held in the Obrien building but there was a big turnout (more than 150 in attendence) so the conference was moved to the adjacent Roane State Expo center. Last year Debby and the kids went to Farm Day at the expo center, they always have something going on there, it's a nice facility.
There were several speakers at the conference including a "colorful" local veterinarian who runs a beef cattle stocker operation, local/regional reps from the national resources conservation service, and Greg Judy.
Greg Judy was the main speaker and he gave several interesting/amazing presentations. Just do a search for "greg judy mob grazing" and you should find some good links.
There were several speakers at the conference including a "colorful" local veterinarian who runs a beef cattle stocker operation, local/regional reps from the national resources conservation service, and Greg Judy.
Greg Judy was the main speaker and he gave several interesting/amazing presentations. Just do a search for "greg judy mob grazing" and you should find some good links.
Master Beef Feb 17 & 19
This week we had a class on farm management practices and also on reproduction. The reproduction class was pretty good, taught by a local farmer with a masters degree in reproductive physiology who is running a registered Hereford farm with 450 head.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
smiling table puppy
Puppy had his paws on the table and Mom made him so nervous that he smiled here is the picture.
John
Valentine
We attended a Valentines Dance last night, it was organized by the local home-school co-op. Had a wonderful time.
Mouthful of coyote?
Last weekend I was outside in the evening doing chores, I heard Pup-pup barking in the woods and I heard some coyotes howling nearby. A little while later Pup-pup returned with a mouthful of white fur and a piece of skin.
Puppy has recently been coming out of the woods with bones etc. so there is probably a dead coyote or something out there.
Bush hog maintenance
A few weeks ago I bought a used bush hog/rotary cutter that was advertised locally on craigslist, it's a Woods model 121. It's a pull type 10 foot model, with hydraulic lift and pneumatic tires so it can be hauled down a highway if desired. My weekend project was to install new blades, I got three out of four blades replaced when I ran into a problem. One of the bolts that secure the blades is stripped, so I need to get a new set of bolts next week. Hopefully I won't have to do any drilling or tapping. I've already cut a few acres with this bushhhog, it works very well.
Clover
Now is the time to plant clover to renovate pastures. Yesterday I bought some Will Ladino white clover seed and some Cinnamon Plus red clover seed at our local co-op. I plan to overseed some of our pasture using a hand seeder, the goal is 1 to 2 lbs Ladino and about 4 lbs Red clover per acre.
If you overseed fescue pasture with clover you don't need to fertilize with nitrogen in the spring. Clover is a legume, the overall quality of the forage increases, and there is more forage available in the summer when the cool season grasses growth is reduced. Clover is also very veneficial for wildlife.
If you overseed fescue pasture with clover you don't need to fertilize with nitrogen in the spring. Clover is a legume, the overall quality of the forage increases, and there is more forage available in the summer when the cool season grasses growth is reduced. Clover is also very veneficial for wildlife.
Hey Boss ....
Hard to believe but last week I asked my boss if I could be off on February 19 so that I could attend a grazing conference. That's right, there is a grazing conference at Roane State University in Harriman. What's this world coming to??
Master Beef update
This week we had a class taught by Dr. Simpson about livestock handling. We learned about handling equipment and design and the importance of reducing stress for cattle, it is good management practice and affects the bottom line. For instance cattle don't see well, so shadows bother them. On Thursday we had a class about cattle marketing taught by Dr. Rawls, it provided a good overview on cattle pricing, futures, etc. One thing I learned from Dr. Rawls, "the market is always right".
Friday, February 6, 2009
Beef Quality Assurance certified
I'm taking a series of 12 classes as part of a University of Tennessee agriculture extension program. So far we've covered Managing for Success, Environmental Concerns, and the Tennessee Beef Quality Assurance certification. I am joining the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association. We will graduate on March 12 (with a nice steak dinner!) and I will then be a certified Tennessee Master Beef Producer.
This education and the certifications will be valuable to us as we evaluate our farm business plans and also makes us eligible for state agricultural enhancement funds.
This education and the certifications will be valuable to us as we evaluate our farm business plans and also makes us eligible for state agricultural enhancement funds.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Power problem
At about 11 am on Saturday we had a power event at our house. The power went out or dipped really low and then came back with a surge. After the event none of the 220V power was working in the house; stove, furnace, clothes dryer ...
We called the power company and they sent a crew out. The crew said that their equipment was fine but that a 4 ganged 200 amp main breaker located under the meter base had gone bad. I tried in vain to buy a replacement part on a Saturday afternoon. I called a local electrician and he came over and he was able to restore power so we would have heat in the house, he returned the next day and installed a new breaker.
This power event killed one of our DirecTV receivers and maimed the other one. We were not able to watch the Super Bowl at our house. DirecTV mailed out a new receiver and we had to re-format the other unit.
Also, the power event killed our clothes washing machine, we had a repair man come out and he said that the three port water valve circuit board was bad and that it was not worth repairing. He recommended we buy a GE or Frigidaire washing machine, the simpler the better.
We went to Lowes and bought a simple GE king size standard top load washer, it was delivered today.
We called the power company and they sent a crew out. The crew said that their equipment was fine but that a 4 ganged 200 amp main breaker located under the meter base had gone bad. I tried in vain to buy a replacement part on a Saturday afternoon. I called a local electrician and he came over and he was able to restore power so we would have heat in the house, he returned the next day and installed a new breaker.
This power event killed one of our DirecTV receivers and maimed the other one. We were not able to watch the Super Bowl at our house. DirecTV mailed out a new receiver and we had to re-format the other unit.
Also, the power event killed our clothes washing machine, we had a repair man come out and he said that the three port water valve circuit board was bad and that it was not worth repairing. He recommended we buy a GE or Frigidaire washing machine, the simpler the better.
We went to Lowes and bought a simple GE king size standard top load washer, it was delivered today.
Spirit update
On Friday Spirit was fixed (gelded). Chris and Renee (Spirit's owners) came and spent a good portion of the day Friday and a vet from Lenoir City came out to perform the procedure. The vet said that Spirit was in fabulous condition, his body metabolized the anesthetic very rapidly. Spirit is doing great, very playful and curious, loves to play with his red rubber ball.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)