I smell like the pig barn!

One thing that Farmer Rick can't stand is the smell of the horse barn.  One thing his wife can't stand is the smell of the pig barn!

Today was one of those days when that nasty old job had to be done:  cleaning out the pig barn.  We have a gilt and sow ready to farrow (give birth) and had to get the two maternity pens ready to go.  (For those who don't know hog terminology, a sow is a female hog that's already had piglets, a gilt is one that has not, a boar is an intact male and a barrow is a "fixed" male.  Just thought you might want to know)  What we thought was going to be a 20 minute job turned out to be a 2 hour job.  Rather than one bucketful of manure, it turned out to be three!  Then came the process of nailing up dividers so that the two hogs could be kept separate, hanging heat lamps and getting the bedding spread out.

Once the barn was ready, we had to sort out the sow that's due from the pen of hogs that houses the boar (the gilt was already snuggled down in one of the pens), a butcher hog, and another really HUGE sow.  Wouldn't you know that the sow that is not bred was determined to come out that gate no matter what!  She kept pushing the others away and tried to get her nose under the fence to lift the entire thing up.  For those of you who've sorted hogs before - you know exactly what I mean!  Try arguing with a 450 pound, low center of gravity, determined animal with nothing to hook a rope on to and you'll know what I mean!  After much running around, getting bumped and tripped, ran over and covered with manure, we managed to finally weed out the sow that we wanted and head her in the direction of the farrowing barn.  Once out the gate, she was determined to stay right there by her buddies.  No way was she going to head in the other direction.  But, after starting up the skid steer, finding a sorting panel and gently guuiding her in the right direction, her ears perked up and she went round the corner and trotted right into her pen, snuffled her head down in the bedding and was taking a snooze before we had the gates closed and the barn door shut.  She likes it in there, but trying to convince her to leave her buddies and just GET THERE, was the hardest part of the whole day.

Now, we wait.  And watch, and wait some more.  Once we have little ones, we'll have to keep everyone up to date on how things go.  We have lost little ones in the past and it can be so frustrating, but we keep trying.  But atleast for now, I'm heading to the shower to get this awful smell off of me . . .!

Time to grind feed

The bin is rattling and the last of the ground corn and protein is emptying into the wheelbarrel.  It just seems like yesterday that we filled that bin!  About every five weeks, we need to pull the grinder out of the shed, back it up to the corncrib and grind away.  This can be an all day job, especially when the corn level drops below the level of the grain auger that carries the corn up into the grinder.  It's alot easier to shovel down than to shovel up!

The grain sure smells nice as it is mixed up.  The molasses and protein that we add give it such a sweet smell.  Even the cows can smell that fresh grain.  They begin their mooing as we auger the freshly ground grain into the bin.  Better watch out when you take the grain wheelbarrel in front of the cows - they'll grab it with their noses and pull it right over when you're not looking!

A Huge Bullcalf!

What a monster!  This guy is quite the calf!

Yesterday afternoon, Farmer Rick had to assist one of the cows in birthing.  Thank goodness this was her second calf, because if it had been her first, she could have had serious problems.  After a relatively short labor, though, Farmer Rick was able to deliver the calf and bring it up to his momma for her to begin to clean up.  Surprisingly, this calf is a holstein/guernsey cross.  We did not expect this cross to be this large.  But, we are glad that both are doing well.  When this guy is hungry, you sure can hear him bellow across the barn!  He wants his tummy filled - NOW!

So far, this year, we're 3 for 5 on heifer calves.  Maybe this will be a more normal year with a 50/50 ration of bulls and heifers (boys and girls).  For the last four years, we have run 80% heifers, 20% bulls.  We'll see how it goes!  The barn is full of heifers, plus we have several outside.  They burrow down into a big round bale that we put out for them and eat as much as they want plus bed themselves down in it.  Once the silo unloader is turned on at night, though, they are all at the back door of the barn, waiting for their silage.  YUM!

Chores are waiting, so off to the barn I go.  I think I can hear that bull calf now . . .

An Evening Ride in the Snow

Often when the issues of life are crowding in on us, we seek a quiet place to withdraw, gather our thoughts and composure, and find the strength to keep going.  Once such place for me is on the back of a horse, quietly padding through the deep snow in the woods.  Our gravel road is fairly quiet during the daytime, but at night, car travel is almost nonexistent.  So, when heading off for a time of solice, there isn't that much for background noise from passing vehicles out on the road. 

The quietness of the woods draws me there often to meditate and pray.  I think my gelding now knows when I'm going to stop and rest, reflecting on the day's and week's events.  He quite easily slips into the three-legged "resting mode" of a horse.  He drops his head and takes a break also, for when the snow is deep, it is quite a bit of work carrying me around.  Last night was one such night when the woods were just beautiful.  The snow easily illuminates the landscape, making it easy to make your way among the trees.  After stopping for a moment, the snow quietly began to descend, each snowflake whispering a promise of coming moisture that it will provide in the spring.  It is so much easier to just let your worries and your cares descend to the ground, falling as the snowflakes do.  Finding the presence of God in this place is not hard to do.  Look up to the tree branches and see how each great oak, maple and birch all raise their branches in prayer.  They quietly await the promise of spring, holding their buds for new leaves until just the right time to break open and green up the woods once again.  If they can follow the cycles of life and wait paitently for the spring rains, why can't I present my circumstances to God, lay them there, and wait patiently for his answers?

I hear a shuffle behind us, and for a moment my train of thought is broken.  It's only the dog catching up to us, snowplowing through the woods on his own trail, following enticing scents that tells him that we're not the only ones who venture through this quiet place.  It's probably time to go.  Head back to the house.  And as we round the top of the ridge, we can see the back porch light sparking a glow through the narrow tree trunks that tell me that we're reaching the birch grove before the end of the woods.

Unsaddling the gelding in the barn, I give him a brush-down with a little bit extra elbow grease, letting him know that I'm proud of him and enjoy his patience with me, seeming to understand that this time alone, this time to reflect and meditate is so important to me, and that I'm honored that I can trust him to accompany me.  A handful of grain and a pat on the rump.  Now it's time to bring the others in and let them all enjoy a bit of grain and hay.  I hear them all munching contentedly on their grain and I shut the lights off to the barn - how peaceful and content they sound . . .

Wow - a Successful Herd Health!

We need more days like this!  There is a bit of anticipation as we work around the barn, waiting for the vet to pull in the driveway.  Each month, as we await his arrival, we find odd jobs around the barn that keep us close and ready when he arrives.  Always in the back of your mind is:  how many cows settled, who can we catch in heat, how many cows need shots, etc.???

We also had the greenhand with us today.  He is still looking at having a herd of his own someday, so we invited him to work through a herd health with us.  It was quite an eye-opening experience for him!  There is so much more to milking cows . . . than milking cows!  Keeping on top of vaccination schedules, breeding cycles, calf care, proper nutrition, the list goes on and on.  But when all of your hard work comes together, and cows are safe with calf, you get a sense of satisfaction of a job well done.  Of the 10 cows that we had pregnancy checked, 9 were safe with calf.  When your income is derived from producing milk, having a cow breed back is so important.  When they calve (freshen), they go on a slow curve up, then gradually down in the amount of milk that they produce.  After several months, if she is not bred back, you have a cow that is not producing enough milk to cover the cost of feed and you have to make a hard decision on whether to keep or replace her.  We try very hard to not only feed and care for our cows.  Having to let one go is a very hard decision because they all become family in one way or another.  So when we have a successful herd health, it is reason to celebrate!  We have been running an 80% heifer calf ratio for the last 4 years.  For every 10 calves born, 8 have been heifers.  I hope that we can keep that up - and keep raising the feed to feed that many!  It is so satisfying to see many of these girls coming into the barn and beginning their many long years of being part of the herd.  We have two right now that are ready to calve and boy do they ever look nice.  Can't wait!

Herd Health Today

One of the tasks that occurs monthly on our farm is herd health.  We look forward to this day because it is something like a monthly report card on how our herd is progressing and what needs to be done to keep the herd healthy and on track.  A quick review of our breeding records tells me which cows need to be pregnancy checked, who needs shots, and who may need a hoof or other ailment looked at while the veterinarian is on the farm.  Although these visits can get quite expensive, being pro-active about health issues with our cattle puts us dollars ahead when compared with the cost of an emergency.  Hmmmm, I wonder what we as a society could learn from that . . .?

Well, anyway, back to the herd health.  Having a good vet/client relationship is very beneficial in many ways because your vet not only provides valuable information as to medicines, feed, and overall performance, but he/she gets to know your cows and your management style.  Having another set of eyes see your operation atleast monthly really helps to bring things to the forefront versus being here everyday and becoming "barn blind" to things that you see daily, but are so busy that they often get overlooked.  Sometimes those "hard" conversations have to take place to spur you on to making changes that not only benefit you but your cows also.

Sometime, I would encourage you to visit a farm.  If you know someone who farms, or if you pass one on the road that looks appealing to you, stop in.  If they're busy at the moment, schedule a time to come out and see what they do for an hour or two.  Most farmers welcome the opportunity to share with you the aspects that go into growing and producing the food that appears on your table everyday.  Compared to some of the shocking things we see on TV that portrays farm situations that are offensive, the vast majority of farms take pride in what they do and are quite willing to share their story. 

We are.

I Hope this is the last Cold Day!

Thirty-eight above . . . to twelve below.  What's going on here?

Boy, by the first of March, one can really get yearning for warmer weather.  The warmer days have teased us with melting snow and sunny days, but now the subzero wind is blowing again, ushering in another round of bitter cold.  The horses sure were glad to be brought in tonight.  Their stalls were freshly bedded and they were happily munching on big green mouthfuls of hay as I closed the door and said goodnight.  I know I'll be dreaming of long peaceful rides down the gravel road as the warmer days approach.  But, somehow, I think they'll have things like green grass and lazy breezy days on their minds as they drift off to sleep tonight!

There are two cows in the barn that are just ready to pop with calves.  They are so uncomfortable!  We'll have to make a couple of trips down to the barn to check on them later just to make sure everything's going OK.  We have to watch them very close.  Especially this time of year, a cow that's off feed or down can be so discouraging.  I keep whispering to them that spring is so very very close.  Just hang on a little longer!!  Green grass isn't that far away!  It is so neat to walk out in into the calf barn, though, when there's a nip in the air, especially right after they've been fed.  Shake a little bit of clean bright straw over their heads and boy do they ever buck and bounce around.  It's so neat to see these cuties so full of life and energy.  I just wish they could lend me some!