Ah.... just look at that grass....!

Well we are still under snow here, last week consisted of 2 good snowstorms, one good wind storm, and now rain and ice.....

Came across these pictures of the cattle in their summer slicks, all fat and sassy on green grass.....seems so long ago....

Looking forward to spring, looking past mud season and sure hoping those Bluebirds I saw in the tree next to the barn are better weather forcasters than those Robins were 4 weeks ago...!

Here is a picture of handsome Hawkeye (after the M*A*S*H series in case you were wondering...) strolling through one of our pastures....
The other pictures are of the herd lounging around relaxing, not a care in the world...just the way I love to see my animals.

Dont forget March (around these parts) is time to frost seed your pastures.....get some clover seed (fixes nitrogen in the soil) and go take a walk through your pastures when the snow is just about gone and melting fast. Usually I do it late March; the melting snow and heaving of the soil surface as it thaws and freezes allows the seeds to seep down into and make contact with the soil, so when the days warm up they are all set to germinate! Just keep your animals off until the plants get established.....the clover will be good for at least two years but I like to seed a little bit each year.

Great excuse to get out and wander around the pastures.....

Shoulda known better......

Well it WAS a nice break.....for one day. By evening the wind had picked up, by nightfall it was blowing so hard I didnt even try to feed hay (I had fed heavy that morning when it was 55 degrees and still...) By midnight wind gusts of over 58 mph were recorded at the Rochester International Airport. The wind was blowing so hard our house was literally shuttering, as we sit quite high with two stories and a half mile of open field to our west, the house being the first thing the howling winds hit. Needless to say we all spent the night on various couches downstairs, and I spent the night watching the barn roof and listening for that eerie rumble from several years back that torn our entire barn roof off in one solid piece, tossing it 30 feet away in the barnyard as the cows stood inside.
By 5 am I could barely see the barn light it was snowing so hard (our barn is about 150' from our house) and still blowing hard.

The cattle stood in the shelter of the barn , covered with snow, waiting for the morning feeding. Luckily I had enough sense to fill the water tank completely the day before; it sat steaming in the frigid cold.

So, you know the old adage "make hay while the sun shines" and "don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today.." Boy, are those words to live by, especially here south of Rochester NY.

Today is sunny, still, but cold (10), but another storm is at our doorstep, and a winter storm watch has been issued for us tonight and tomorrow.

Time to clean up, bed down, feed heavy and bungie everything in sight....

...where the heck did those crazy robins go, anyway?

Picture at the feeder, morning, Feb.19, 2011

Snow, ice, wind and manure.....

Not much new....we had a thaw here the past few days, temperatures getting in the mid 50's, which, after 10 degrees since forever, felt like summer!!
Of course all the snow and ice is melting FAST, which means alot of run off; water everywhere.....
The path the cattle made down through the pasture to the water is now a ridge of ice and turds that was compressed into ice by their daily walks to drink.
Quite honestly, it is a messy time of year, with piles of frozen manure everywhere, melting ice and manure, frozen hay and cattle who look as though their coats got trimmed with a weed-wacker...patches of bald skin, hair hanging in blobs...
They spend the nice days rubbing themselves on the trees and manure spreader parked in the yard....I guess anything to scratch off that ragged winter fur.

On another note I am excited to be looking for a new polled bull to add to our herd this year. Our bull Hawkeye will have babies on the ground starting in March, and after this breeding summer, will need to find a new home, as his daughters will be old enough to breed. Im enjoying the challenge of locating new bloodlines; and a challenge it will be, as there are few polled bulls of different bloodlines here in the eastern US. Right now I am considering some very nice polled animals from Washington state, which is REALLY far away......
If anyone reading this knows of a really nice polled bull out there either for sale or siring some calves this year, please let me know..

Enjoy this February thaw!

Picture of Miss Piggy and Mr. Bull on high ground from several years ago, late winter. I think it was the day after the barn roof was blown off....they look ever so slightly peeved...

Happy Groundhog Day

Well here it is, another Groundhog Day here and (almost) gone.

We didnt get the worst of the huge storm that tore across the middle of the country; just some snow, a bit of sleet (I think) and now some wind to top things off....pretty typical February weather for central New York state.

So I hear Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, which I believe means he stayed out of his den for a bit....meaning spring is just around the corner, which is a good thing considering I happened to see about 6 Robins in a tree last week and my bull is about 20% rubbed off already....which IS early if you ask me.

But I am ready; getting tired of bedding the barn every night, stumbling over frozen turds hidden under the snow...dragging 200 feet of garden hose out of my basement to water the animals....and then dragging it BACK in when finished....

Here is a little poem I found online when doing some research (!) on Groundhog Day...thought it was kinda applicable to us farmer folks...

As the light grows longer
the cold grows stronger

If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight

If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again.

A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay

On Candlemas day if thorne hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop.

from an English poem;

Candlemas is another name for this holiday and stems from the Catholic church. There is ALOT of folklore and history and calender stuff that all gets tied in with Groundhog Day...really too much for me to write about here; originating in the 18th and 19th centuries as ancient European weather LORE; Pagan festivals and Celtic calenders, equinoxes and all sorts of things.....it began in this country as a Pennsylvania German custom...

So...lets all hope Phil is right, and spring IS just around the corner! Sure wouldnt guess by todays weather though!

May your barns be half full....

WOW

I was killing some time the other evening and came across these awesome pictures of the early Herefords before they were breed to be todays long -legged, huge animals that are so common today. Not much air under those legs!

Just beautiful.
My goal here at Middleground Farm ...

Chores

So it got down to eleven degrees below zero last night. All was calm, all was still (and bright as a matter of fact....moonlite!)

Anyway it was such a still and sunny day (although still cold; a balmy 18 degrees out at chore time!) I decided to take a few pictures....

First is the cows relaxing in the barnyard soaking up some rays. I have to admit it was rather nice to be out...the sun felt good and there wasnt a breeze.

At the bottom is a picture of the hay "barn" area ...we get our hay delivered from our neighbor who bales excellent hay in 800 lb. bales that are "slid" into the barn on 4 x 4 "runners laid across 2 x 6's on top of plastic and a gravel base. Since the variety of hay varies from bale to bale, I like to mix it up a bit and take hay from several bales at once to feed out. I will also mix in a little of the oat straw as well for roughage, especially if the hay is very "rich" such as second cutting alfalfa.

While the beasties are eating its up and over the gates to flig the poop (which is like flinging rocks in this weather) and bed down for the night. This is how the barn looks each day after being cleaned and bedded. Cozy.....

Last I will feed some more hay for the night and possibly the next morning, tarp the hay and we're done. If I have a few minutes I'll watch the cattle eat, look for babies rolling, and just give then a general look-over to be sure everone is happy and well. Which is the second picture from the top...

Hope your all staying warm!!

Cold

OK, its really cold out. its already below zero and not 7pm yet. I think it will be 15 below by morning.

Not a whole lot changes on the farm during extreme cold or storms; just takes a bit longer to dress for chores, which need to be done whether I feel like it or not, no matter what the weather.

Extra socks, a fleece jacket, snow bibs, a heavy ski jacket, an old pair of LLBean felt lined snow boots;, a fleece collar for the face, an old ski cap, gloves. Forget wearing glasses...they steam up as soon as one walks out the door.

I try and fill the 150 gallon water tank on nice days, meaning anything above 10 I guess. I run the 200 feet of hose I keep coiled in the basement out over the driveway and lawn to the tank and turn on the water from inside the basement. The outdoor spigot is left open so it will work regardless of the temp. The tank will last about a week if Im lucky. The hose gets drained as its coiled up and dragged back into the basement till next time. A simple floating tank heater keeps the water from freezing.

Most days I just feed hay, clean out the barns, and put down fresh straw.... every day, actually. On real cold days I will walk down to the stream and break the ice so the other side can get their drinks. Feed more hay and I'm done. The animals are always kept dry and bedded, especially when its this cold! My neighbor once asked how I kept the cattle so clean.....(I just can't stand poopy livestock...)

So we wait for spring, and babies, and grass. I watch the unborn calves roll and push on their mothers sides as they stand to eat...it's real neat to see....once in a while they will roll and kick so hard the momma will stop and turn her head to look at her side as if to say "what was THAT?"

But for now its all white and cold and snow, a single path through the snow leads through a drift and down to the water hole....the animals stay a while and rub their coats on the trees down by the water. On sunny, still days, they will stand out in the field dozing in the sun, no matter what the temperature. Early morning will find them covered with frost from their body heat freezing to the ends of their coats.

Take shelter, keep warm and feed heavy .....spring is just around the corner

I hope....!