Got any farmers here in the lounge?

[triguy46]

Just finished raking hay, will bale tomorrow. how's crops in yer area?

[rug]

1. Have you checked in here?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=268

[NNadir]

2. Do you have any lounges on the farm?

[triguy46]

3. We do have strategically placed garden benches around the place.

The new barn will become a lounge once temps stop hitting 105.

[Inchworm]

4. Grandson was totally facinated watching a cattle auction on RFD today

As was I.

:hi:

[triguy46]

7. That is fast action. Gotta pay attention. First lesson when you win...

Don't name the livestock.

[Inchworm]

11. Best I could tell.. there were some $400,000.00 sales!!

I thought about getting a cow and pimping her out. That's only one calf a year though right? I'd need a harem!

:D

example
100 steers ... 540# (I figured this 540 number was average weight)

=5,400 pounds

Selling at $11.50

=$62,100 worth of cattle?

Definatly interesting. I got to thinking... I bet people do this sort of thing and don't even have ranches.. just a fat wad of cash to trade with if the deal is right.

:)

[Kali]

14. takes about 210 cows to get those 100 steers

and 6 months to a year for them to reach that weight. And a miracle or top herd for them to weigh nice and even.

so 5 weight steers were going for $1.15? where are you? That is top price for lighter calves here lately.

Buy low - sell high, always good advice, and hard to follow.:rofl:

[Inchworm]

18. We were watching it on Direct TV - RFD Channel

I think they were in Montana. I was totally going by memoty on those numbers, so the steers could have very well been calves :)

:hi:

[Silver Swan]

5. Alas, I am not a farmer

But I am a farmer's daughter.

[triguy46]

6. I've heard of you. In fact, there are a lot of stories about you....

And guys that have cars break down in your area, or traveling salesmen.

[vadawg]

9. roflmao, actually its the farmers daughter and the gypos,

though i cant for the life of me remember any jokes.

[csziggy]

8. Our pastures are doing great - the horses are on minimal grain and are rolypoly fat

I haven't checked with the guys we buy our hay from, but I suspect this will be another poor year. During the first long warm spell we got no rain at all for about a month so the grass got crunchy and didn't grow. Since it started raining we have not had more than one or two days without rain, which makes it impossible for hay to dry enough to bale. That has been the problem around here - we either have a drought year or one too wet to cure the hay.

I've only been off the farm twice since the shoulder surgery so I'm not sure how things are going in general around here. The organic farmer we're trading manure for veggies with seems to be doing OK but with the heat the amount of veggies is being reduced. In a couple of weeks, there will nothing more until it begins to cool off in the fall.

On the other hand, the baby racoons are almost as big as their mama, two of the turkey chicks survived and are about half as big as their mama, and the fawns have all grown so much I can't tell them from the does. I think we're on the third set of bluebird fledglings leaving the nest and the titmice seem to have produced a large number of babies - there were six or eight at the bird bath this afternoon. And after not seeing red foxes at all for a year, this year we have both red and gray foxes with kits on the farm.

[triguy46]

10. Ah, yes. Dry. Then rain at the wrong time. Then hot....

I talk a mean game, but I'm lucky that I can do it as a sideline/hobby. I cannot imagine the stress of farming for a living.

[csziggy]

16. That is the main reason we leave the haying to the pros

We have enough pasture that we could cut hay but the weather here is just too iffy. And the horses have to come first so if there was a crunch, we'd lose the hay cutting.

I've been lucky enough over the years to find some good reliable hay guys. And since I am a good customer, they make sure they allot enough hay for us for the winter. Usually we only have to feed hay about four or five months a year and I am down to only four mares, so we don't use all that much hay anymore.

[triguy46]

20. Everything can be hired out. Guess I just like doing it.

[csziggy]

24. We made the decision to concentrate on the horses because that was my love

We had the chance to get into registered polled Herefords way back but decided that we just didn't like cows enough to deal with them every day.

I do wish I could have some chickens like I did years and years ago but the foxes and hawks would end with more of them than we would - plus now there are coyotes in the neighborhood.

I'm glad somebody enjoys haying and that you get to do what would like!

[texanwitch]

12. I grew up on a farm, my aunt has a farm, and I have land that could be a farm.

I would love to be a farmer.

I remember well, making hay.

That is what baling hay was called.

I almost got run over by the hay wagon when I fell off.

[AwakeAtLast]

13. Grew up on one, so I always pay attention to the fields around here

Some are looking fairly good, considering the bad spring we had, others are going to need some help from above. Some people are dry, but we have actually had too much rain and due to get more.

[Kali]

15. rancher

we don't have the water to do much but have a small garden and a few fruit trees. Range on this place is coming slow. Storms are going around us every day, but 15 miles east its nice and green. Maybe tonight.:shrug:

[femmocrat]

17. We don't farm, but are surrounded by farms.

Our property was sub-divided from the main farm. Everyone around here is growing soybeans this year. I haven't seen much corn, but there is some local corn for sale already.

Yes, they have been baling hay here (western PA), too. We've had a great summer, not too hot, a little low on rainfall, but not too dry (yet).

We have a huge garden and it is doing fabulous! :) :hi:

[Rosie1223]

19. I thought I was the only one

Its been the wettest spring ever here. Everything thing is really late because the fields were too muddy to plant.

[AlecBGreen]

21. our haybine is out of commission

but itll be fixed (God willing) this week so we'll get a nice crop of weedy hay for the goats. Its been a real wet, not-so-hot summer here in Virginia

[murielm99]

22. The crops are not really looking that great here.

We have had too much rain. It is hard to bale when it rains this much.

And it has been sort of a cool summer, too. Not good for making the corn grow.

The price of corn was up a couple of cents today, though.

[handmade34]

23. Former and wantabe again

I'm jealous. haying was always my favorite... the smell, the sweat, the company, the relief getting the last load in before the rain... and then feeding in the thick of winter and lingering in the barn a little too long but loving every minute...