First Frost

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In the last couple days been to Knoxville and Johnson City. We must have got more rain around here than them as a rabbit would have to pack their lunch to come visit those folks, they are dry. I noticed some already had hay out. Kind of looking forward to a good frost as I am tired of these weeds and pollen.
 
jltrent said:
In the last couple days been to Knoxville and Johnson City. We must have got more rain around here than them as a rabbit would have to pack their lunch to come visit those folks, they are dry. I noticed some already had hay out. Kind of looking forward to a good frost as I am tired of these weeds and pollen.
Click to expand...
Totally dry here since last weekend.
 
jltrent said:
You may get to liken it so good may want to stay or at least get a winter home. Just watch out for the skeeters, gators and pythons. Cold weather around here does take care of them.
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Another tanker driver seen a python 20 miles south of here. He was filling the Lee County FL sheriff's F250 and the snake came from under his truck. 22.5 ft. The sheriff dispatched it instead of taking it into custody.
One power crew told me they seen a python wrapped around a 6 ft gator.
 
kenny thomas said:
Another tanker driver seen a python 20 miles south of here. He was filling the Lee County FL sheriff's F250 and the snake came from under his truck. 22.5 ft. The sheriff dispatched it instead of taking it into custody.
One power crew told me they seen a python wrapped around a 6 ft gator.
Click to expand...
I might could handle those gators, but they can keep the pythons. I will stay were I am at.
 
jltrent said:
In the last couple days been to Knoxville and Johnson City. We must have got more rain around here than them as a rabbit would have to pack their lunch to come visit those folks, they are dry. I noticed some already had hay out. Kind of looking forward to a good frost as I am tired of these weeds and pollen.
Click to expand...
Hard not to get jealous of the folks that are getting too much rain. I'm tired of the pollen too...but we need those hearty weeds that grow without rain here in Texas....after that 8" of rain (single rain storm) we had August 23...it hasn't rained since, ground is going brown again. Closing in on 2 months no rain, after 4 months no rain. It's just sunny everyday with highs 80 to 90 degrees (heat doom still on us). I'm excited when I see the dew on the grasses in the cooler mornings..maybe the plants are getting some of that.
Leaves are still green, lots of sap dripping from the green leaves...they said something about water needing to be in the ground (to bring up the chemicals needed through the roots) for the leaves to start turning. Due to the drought it's not happening. I'm hoping we get at least one good rain in late October so it re-starts what's left of the grass.
I've been boycotting expensive hay, even the expensive corn stalk hay...i ran a bunch of calculations and did extensive research...and I'm going to try to carry the cattle over the winter with whole corn and other protein grain feeds and let them graze anything brown they can find. Once we get to the first week of February the the good tasty weeds come up before the grasses even. When you boil it down Texas only has a two months of winter...December and January.
At $65. a round small 4'x5' bail for corn stalk hay where 40% gets wasted and is higher in nitrites due to the drought...found out whole corn per weight density and cost to be a better value.
What I believe will happen by the time January comes...hay producers will get fearful and lower their hay costs dramatically and I'll start feeding them hay then.
 
Starting hay today. Hopefully 60-90 days of hay till winter blend is ready to turn into. I've got plenty of hay but don't want to feed if I don't have to.
 
TexasRancher said:
Hard not to get jealous of the folks that are getting too much rain. I'm tired of the pollen too...but we need those hearty weeds that grow without rain here in Texas....after that 8" of rain (single rain storm) we had August 23...it hasn't rained since, ground is going brown again. Closing in on 2 months no rain, after 4 months no rain. It's just sunny everyday with highs 80 to 90 degrees (heat doom still on us). I'm excited when I see the dew on the grasses in the cooler mornings..maybe the plants are getting some of that.
Leaves are still green, lots of sap dripping from the green leaves...they said something about water needing to be in the ground (to bring up the chemicals needed through the roots) for the leaves to start turning. Due to the drought it's not happening. I'm hoping we get at least one good rain in late October so it re-starts what's left of the grass.
I've been boycotting expensive hay, even the expensive corn stalk hay...i ran a bunch of calculations and did extensive research...and I'm going to try to carry the cattle over the winter with whole corn and other protein grain feeds and let them graze anything brown they can find. Once we get to the first week of February the the good tasty weeds come up before the grasses even. When you boil it down Texas only has a two months of winter...December and January.
At $65. a round small 4'x5' bail for corn stalk hay where 40% gets wasted and is higher in nitrites due to the drought...found out whole corn per weight density and cost to be a better value.
What I believe will happen by the time January comes...hay producers will get fearful and lower their hay costs dramatically and I'll start feeding them hay then.
Click to expand...
I hope you folks get a lot of rain shortly as I feel for you. I have been through some pretty dry weather as it doesn't affect most folks, but it is a night mare for farmers. I have worked several different jobs and I believe farming is the toughest. Most folks thinks farmers are rich and see the price of meat in the stores and think they are getting rich. Been a cattle farmer and in the business over 50 years and I am about to the point other than keeping the old farm clean I wish I didn't have the non profit headache. I can't even go anywhere as always having to worry about them getting out etc.
 
Cows are still in the hills and will be there for another month and a half. A bunch of weaned calves out in the hay meadows eating regrowth. About 100 of the 183 calves leave the 17th. After that I may have to start supplementing with hay. B is hauling about 400-500 calves home tomorrow. Cows will stay up in the hills. Calves will get locked up for about 5 days and then good to a hay meadows which has pretty good grass. A blend of ownership on little light calves will come here for the winter. Probably have to start supplementing them by the end of the month.
 
We got a frost last night; that should stop the alfalfa from growing. I'm not going to get a third cutting, it's only about 12" tall, maybe a little taller in spots. The plan is to windrow it and let the cows eat it out of the field; as long as we don't get much snow they should be able to graze until the first of the year. Friday I ship the cows and calves off the desert, and plan to wean the first of November.
 

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