Come on warm weather!

[cypressfarms]

This will be the year that the stuff hits the fan. I normally calve early winter, plant a lot of ryegrass and keep a minimal amount of hay. So this winter we have 18 degree temps (the coldest here in 25 years). The extreme cold has stunted the ryegrass. The last of the hay went out this past weekend. Normally by this time I'd be grazing the ryegrass, but it's not even close to being ready. With the cold weather, the cows have eaten twice the amount of hay as usual. Looks like I'll either be bringing in a bunch of bulk feed or having a large % of the cows unbred. Come on warm weather. :!:

 

[jedstivers]

Yeah I need some warm weather too. The wheat did grow good in the 60 degree plus days we had for over a week. They have really gone through the gin trash also.

 

[Dave]

I know that the rest of the country has been cold but we just had the warmest January on record. Grass has started to grow. This is very early for us. There is a calculation that is used for when to start spring manure applications. It is called T-sum200. It is based on the daily mean temperature. The 18 year average is 96 for this date. We are already to 141. I am sure not missing those 34 degree pouring down rain January nights.

 

[Copenhagen & Shiner B]

I can't wait to hear the whipporwills sing at night and the ryegrass and fescue take off growing.

 

[TexasBred]

This will be the year that the stuff hits the fan. I normally calve early winter, plant a lot of ryegrass and keep a minimal amount of hay. So this winter we have 18 degree temps (the coldest here in 25 years). The extreme cold has stunted the ryegrass. The last of the hay went out this past weekend. Normally by this time I'd be grazing the ryegrass, but it's not even close to being ready. With the cold weather, the cows have eaten twice the amount of hay as usual. Looks like I'll either be bringing in a bunch of bulk feed or having a large % of the cows unbred. Come on warm weather. :!:

Was over in Natchitoches a week ago and everyone in that area was talking about the cold....lots of stuff was killed back and not much green anywhere. Plenty of water tho and probably a lot of skeeters on the way when it warms up.

 

[angie1]

I can't wait to hear the whipporwills sing at night.

Yes, I love this sound too. That, and grouse drumming. I have heard that on hot humid nights you can hear the squeak of corn growing, but I am not so sure about this one.

Was 6 this morning, I was pleased with that.

 

[JRGidaho`]

I know that the rest of the country has been cold but we just had the warmest January on record. Grass has started to grow. This is very early for us. There is a calculation that is used for when to start spring manure applications. It is called T-sum200. It is based on the daily mean temperature. The 18 year average is 96 for this date. We are already to 141. I am sure not missing those 34 degree pouring down rain January nights.

Shucks, we haven't even been below zero this January and it was nearly 40F today. It has been a remarkably warm January here at 6000 ft elevation just below the 45th parallel. I always look on the bright side that we are 15 miles nearer the equator than we are from the North Pole.

With the sun shining and 38F, it was just shirt sleeves and a light vest for working outdoors this afternoon, but I still don't expect to see green grass before the beginning of May.

Yesterday I snowshoed about three miles up one of the side canyons and the snow was only about 2 ft deep where I turned around. It should have been a good three ft up there by this time. That's our summer rainfall lying there. We need more!

 

[bigbull338]

id rather feed them than have a bunch of cows come up open.

 

[cypressfarms]

id rather feed them than have a bunch of cows come up open.

Me too. I'll be making weekly trips to my dad's barn with the trailer to tap into my "emergency" reserve of hay. He sets aside a part of his barn every year to hold some hay for me, and it's a good thing. Should be enough to last three weeks. Corn gluten at my local feed mill is $145/ton. February will be a critical month. Funny thing is, it would all be solved with a couple of weeks of warm weather.

 

[LaneFarms]

Cypress if you can get a semi to pick it up I can get you all the hay you need if it gets to that point.

 

[1982vett]

No shadows here this morning. :lol:

 

[Caustic Burno]

This will be the year that the stuff hits the fan. I normally calve early winter, plant a lot of ryegrass and keep a minimal amount of hay. So this winter we have 18 degree temps (the coldest here in 25 years). The extreme cold has stunted the ryegrass. The last of the hay went out this past weekend. Normally by this time I'd be grazing the ryegrass, but it's not even close to being ready. With the cold weather, the cows have eaten twice the amount of hay as usual. Looks like I'll either be bringing in a bunch of bulk feed or having a large % of the cows unbred. Come on warm weather. :!:

We have had this discussion there is no such thing as to much hay. My winter pasture is starting to jump now.
This is the reason I never sale hay, remember a snow on Good Friday a few years ago talk about knock a pasture back.

 

[cypressfarms]

This will be the year that the stuff hits the fan. I normally calve early winter, plant a lot of ryegrass and keep a minimal amount of hay. So this winter we have 18 degree temps (the coldest here in 25 years). The extreme cold has stunted the ryegrass. The last of the hay went out this past weekend. Normally by this time I'd be grazing the ryegrass, but it's not even close to being ready. With the cold weather, the cows have eaten twice the amount of hay as usual. Looks like I'll either be bringing in a bunch of bulk feed or having a large % of the cows unbred. Come on warm weather. :!:

We have had this discussion there is no such thing as to much hay. My winter pasture is starting to jump now.
This is the reason I never sale hay, remember a snow on Good Friday a few years ago talk about knock a pasture back.

Your right Caustic, there is no such thing as too much hay - this past year, however, I wasn't able to work and prepare like normal (because of being ill), so now I suffer the consequences. I had yet to rebuild my barn from Gustav - just didn't have the strength to and couldn't afford to have someone build it for me. So that meant that all of my hay was outside. Covered with tarps, but still outside. Then end result was that more than 1/3 of every bale was waste, so the cows went through them like crazy.

I still consider myself lucky, though, coming through the illness. I'm not complaining one bit - don't get me wrong - but some warm weather would be nice.

 

[F350]

The winter pasture situation sucks here as well. Normally, you can just about toss ryegrass seed on the concrete and watch it grow. Not this year..........

 

[Caustic Burno]

You had a long row to hoe Cypress thank the good Lord for the results. I understand Hurricanes to well for my likeing. You need to build you some hay cradles really cuts down on the waste.

 

[marven]

Hi,
Nice post.
The tarpaulin industry has made extensive progress in recent years by not only adding more color variations to their line of products but by also producing more available sizes.
Large tarps have been produced specifically for areas needing wide coverage such as commercial rooftops, baseball fields, construction sites and more.
It is certainly great to see signs of spring after a long, cold winter. The nicer weather makes almost everyone want to get outdoors.
Thanks.