Hello from Deep East Texas

[farmerjan]

Back pasture burned today…kind of spotty due to so much green this time of year but not too bad. Chicken litter goes down next week.

One of the cows purchased last year gave birth to calf #21 yesterday evening about 5:30…haven't gotten a good enough look to determine sex - but a pretty little thing. Here's a pic…momma not nearly as well-rounded as she was…lol…looks deflated.

Jersey cross ???

 

[1982vett]

get any rain? Been watching radar from afar. Doesn't look like we got much more than a sprinkle.

 

[Stonewall Joe]

get any rain? Been watching radar from afar. Doesn't look like we got much more than a sprinkle.

poured down here several times

 

[gman4691]

Incidentally, calf #21 is a bull…shown below. Daddy was red angus and momma is black angus x beefmaster.

Rain has setback the chicken litter application…sigh…wish we could have gotten it spread last week

 

[gman4691]

One of the red angus cows which were supposed to have been bred by a red angus bull. Zoom in on the light colored one in the middle. Pretty safe bet his daddy was NOT a red angus. Looks like a Brahma bull got into Rutherford's pasture…at least from the looks of this calf…note the little horns trying to come in…not to mention the dewlaps and neck wrinkles

 

[gman4691]

Jersey cross ???

Sire: Red Angus
Dam: Beefmaster x Black Angus

 

[Chevroid]

Hey Gman, how did you fare with the rain Friday night. We got 5.4" down here…the creeks topped their banks & flooded the pastures but by Saturday afternoon, the water had receded & the land had really soaked up the water

 

[gman4691]

Hey Gman, how did you fare with the rain Friday night. We got 5.4" down here…the creeks topped their banks & flooded the pastures but by Saturday afternoon, the water had receded & the land had really soaked up the water

We got a good bit…not sure how much but it has rained off and on all this month, so far…finally getting a break and drying out enough to get some work done…was down with a bad summer cold this weekend…still not 100% but much better than Friday evening…went into a NyQuil induced coma most of the weekend.

Chicken litter is supposed to be delivered this week…finally. Working 9 calves Thursday next week…and the barn construction can pick back up…they are probably out there today doing some dirt work. Seems it stopped raining and now everything is happening at once…controlled chaos…lol

 

[Chevroid]

Keep us posted on the barn progress. I'm interested as I will be building a barn here in a couple yrs.

 

[gman4691]

210 tons of chicken litter has been spread and now I couldn't buy a drop of rain…sigh.

Barn project is moving forward. The guys have been building trusses and have a few uprights in place.

Plan on starting a couple of smaller projects that I will build myself. Son-in-law wants to lend a hand to learn a few things about working with his hands. His father abandoned them when he was young so he didn't get a lot of hands-on experience with such things growing up. I'll be happy to have a younger & stronger back pitching in…lol.

Will work 9 calves tomorrow with some help from a good friend…vaccinate all the calves & band the bulls. Whole herd will get some insect repellent as the flies are getting a bit thick this year.

Then, it's off to Yellowstone for a week. When we get back, it's no holds barred work every evening after work and on weekends. Couple of smaller building projects, spraying where needed, & going to war with brush on fence lines…a full schedule this summer again. On a positive note, the past couple of years spraying is paying off…not many weeds showing up yet except for a few small areas. The back pasture is greening up good since the burn a few weeks ago. Actually feel like I'm gaining a little ground…finally. Now to keep it in a nine line bind…no retreat, no surrender!

 

[gman4691]

Keep us posted on the barn progress. I'm interested as I will be building a barn here in a couple yrs.

Best advice: Go with steel framing for durability; build a little bigger to accommodate unpredictable needs…better to spend a little extra up front than wish you had later; if using a contractor, make sure it is someone well known and respected…lowest bid isn't always best when it comes to results; think about how big you want the doors and make sure to accommodate any potential needs for new equipment that you may want to store inside (ie a taller tractor perhaps).

I'm using 4" square tubing so I can make modifications to the interior using either wood or steel….always easier to work off of flat surfaces than round ones…at least to me. One long side (80') to make a place for storing tractor attachments, trailers, etc. with 10' tall openings. Picture a mailbox flag with the flag "pole" being 80' long and the flag being about half of that…don't really know a better way to explain it and gave my footprint drawing to my contractor…should have taken a photo of it…

 

[Stonewall Joe]

210 tons of chicken litter has been spread and now I couldn't buy a drop of rain…sigh.

Barn project is moving forward. The guys have been building trusses and have a few uprights in place.

Plan on starting a couple of smaller projects that I will build myself. Son-in-law wants to lend a hand to learn a few things about working with his hands. His father abandoned them when he was young so he didn't get a lot of hands-on experience with such things growing up. I'll be happy to have a younger & stronger back pitching in…lol.

Will work 9 calves tomorrow with some help from a good friend…vaccinate all the calves & band the bulls. Whole herd will get some insect repellent as the flies are getting a bit thick this year.

Then, it's off to Yellowstone for a week. When we get back, it's no holds barred work every evening after work and on weekends. Couple of smaller building projects, spraying where needed, & going to war with brush on fence lines…a full schedule this summer again. On a positive note, the past couple of years spraying is paying off…not many weeds showing up yet except for a few small areas. The back pasture is greening up good since the burn a few weeks ago. Actually feel like I'm gaining a little ground…finally. Now to keep it in a nine line bind…no retreat, no surrender!

where did you get your chicken litter down there, we don't have much near our place and I'd like to get some hauled up