Winter Nursery

eFarmers & Ranchers certainly don't spend the winter sitting on the sofa enjoying bon-bons!  I'm thankful that my DH and our son feel motivated to take care of winter cattle check-ins, so that I don't HAVE to go out in the cold every 3-4 hours!!!
They do allow me to go along when I want to, though.  =)

Last night, our 4 year-old and I got to tag-along to check the momma cows and those scheduled to give birth in the next month or so.  They have been grazing on a large field of young winter wheat, in addition to hay pasture.  In order for their diet to be sufficient, we also offer supplements (tubs of mineral & salt blocks). The photo above shows the hay bale after it was pulled apart and spread out, they love these hay bales!

The cows followed us all over the pasture, trying to get the hay bale on the back of the pickup!

Our 4 year-old thought their "snow moustaches" were FUNNY!  To get to the short, green wheat plants, they nuzzle the snow out of the way, leaving a circle of snow!

Today, half of these cows were moved closer to home so our new baby check-ins are a bit easier (on us!)

The baby calves with their long, fuzzy winter coats are absolutely adorable!

 



Momma cows are extremely protective of their offspring! And they routinely delegate 2 or 3 mommas to "babysit" a group of calves while the other mommas are grazing.

 

We found to separate NURSERYS on yesterday's check-in!  Cattle use nurserys like this throughout the year, not just in winter.

 

 

I'm always suprised at how God created animals to adapt to climates. These cows & calves all have a MUCH thicker coat than what they have in summer. And the calves (and sometimes the adult cows) often run and frolic in the snow!

 

 

Thankful, that Daddy can take us to work sometimes!!





Life...for Moms!

Just felt like I needed to share this post I read from one of my favorite blogs.  Because, it is essential to understand that we are not alone!  We should not expect to be perfect or expect others to be perfect...

We’re all imperfect.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wheat harvest

Life is rarely predictable!

Weather in Kansas is rarely predictable.

2012 Wheat Harvest in Kansas is certainly unusual, and few would have predicted its early beginning!

Yep!  It is still May and we are harvesting wheat in Central Kansas!  No one we have discussed the subject with, remembers a start this early for wheat harvest in our area.
Big deal, you say?  Absolutely!
First of all, there are other spring farm jobs that are still needing to be completed (hay baling, planting, etc.)!
Secondly, (and selfishly) it means no break for us between end of school/son's HS graduation and wheat harvest!  We are all starting the harvest season exhausted. (May 25, 2012)

June 5, 2012

Proving that our schedule is CRAZY during wheat harvest, I am just now getting back to finish this post(1 1/2 weeks later)!!
I spent only one day actually working in the field for harvest, so far.  I have been busy running guys back and forth to different fields, picking up or making meals to deliver to the fields, or just catching up on dishes and laundry at home!
I am extremely grateful for a 2 day break from harvest, due to rain.  We SO needed the moisture!  And I KNOW several of us needed the rest/sleep...

For those who want to know details of our harvest...

We mostly do custom harvesting(for customers).  We have harvested one field of our own, and the yield was well above our average yield!  So thankful for that.  We have completed many fields for customers, the yields have ranged from average to well above average.  (In our area, dryland wheat average is about 40 bushels/acre.)
We have a Case International 2188 combine (pictured above), a Gleaner S67, a tractor and grain cart, a grain truck, and a semi truck.
All the wheat we harvest is dryland winter wheat.
We harvest in our county and several surrounding counties, but all within 30-60 miles of home.
Our employees include my husband, 18 year old son, 2 hired hands, and myself.

So, although our harvest started unpredictably early, I am very thankful that we are working toward the end of wheat harvest!
And I'm continually praying for safety for all who are working with us and around our state and country during harvest season....

Colossians 3:23

New International Version (NIV)

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Spring on the farm....

It is planting time!


Field corn planting is complete, both for our customers and our own acres.  Now planting soybeans.  Today Hubby is planting soybeans on our acres, but earlier this week and last week, he planted for several customers.  The field corn we planted last month is about 14 inches tall and, because of several fortunate rains, is looking really good!!!

We finished up a few spring silage harvesting jobs for customers in the past 3-4 weeks!  The pic is of hubby driving our CLAAS silage harvester, our truck driver is in the adjacent truck, and a neighbor in his truck behind.  Hubby enjoys this work, so glad I usually don't have to help in the field for these super long, super fast paced days.

We have about 14 cows with calves and right now, they are lovin' grazing on prairie grasses.  The small calves are newborn to 2 months old and are so much fun to watch!  They romp and play in the pasture, chase each other, and try to tease mom, much like human toddlers do.  The cows are very protective of their calves.  They do not like it at all when we or our dogs get near their calf.  They will fight a coyote or other predator, if one dares to get close to their little one. 

Next up is swathing (mowing) hay on waterways, so it can dry and we can bale it for winter feed for our cattle.  We hire another farmer to swathe the hay, then use our own baler when the hay is dry enough to bale.

Then, 10 to 20 days from now, we will be beginning to harvest our winter wheat crop!  The mild winter and spring brought about a very early maturing wheat crop-- 3 to 4 weeks earlier than our normal here in Central Kansas.  Kansas wheat harvest is a memorable experience for anyone who participates with the event!

Very intense...
Very hot...
Very exciting...

Looking forward to it/dreading the longgggggg days!  A typical harvest day (for us) begins around 6:30am and doesn't end until the stalks of the wheat plant are too tough with humidity to efficiently be cut by the combine--between 9pm and 12pm, normally.  Makes for a tired, grumpy family! But we so love working together at it!

We also love playing together!  Especially with our 3 year old.  =)
Hope you are enjoying your Spring!!!

Long time between posts...I know!  But trying to figure this "blogging thing" out is harder than I thought!!  =)
Just in case anyone reading this wants to know about the farming side of my life...


Hi, I'm Jeanie from central Kansas. I was raised on a dairy farm in NE Oklahoma. My husband and I now farm what was formerly his grandparents' farm. We produce beef cattle, soybeans, milo(grain sorghum), corn, wheat, occasional sunflowers, hay, and our children (we have 4--age 18 to 3), on our small family farm in central Kansas. I help by doing our farm accounting, billing for our custom farming business, meals, and when needed for any other farm job!

I recently joined an online farm wives support group, and thought I should start adding a bit of what we do on my blog.

So, currently, hubby is preparing equipment to start planting spring crops.  Corn will be planted in a month or so, depending on soil temperatures.  Our recent weather has been extremely mild, so we will see what March holds for us!   Seed is ordered.  We only have a few cows that will soon finish calving (giving birth to calves).  Last Tuesday's storms and rain greened up the winter wheat.  The combine is nearly ready for wheat harvest in mid-June.

I am just finishing up 2011 accounting for the farm.  And I hope to deliver our bookwork to the accountant in the next couple of days.  Tomorrow, I get to hold the second project meeting of our 4 H club's beginning sewing project!!  I am far from a good seamstress, but teaching young kids basic sewing techniques and to not be afraid of creating something themselves is very rewarding.  I'm looking forward to working with the three girls who are signed up this year!  This afternoon I enjoyed relaxing with our 2 youngest while playing Go Fish and Old Maid on our king-sized bed.  The girls LOVE camping out on there!

That is life-as I know it...today!

New beginnings...resolutions...

The beginning of a new school year has always made me want to resolve to improve particular areas of my life.  Although, this happens many times throughout the year for me, New Year's and beginning of school year are the worst/best!
Usually, my resolutions are personal improvement-oriented.  Hopefully, not too self-centered, but I sure have a LOT of room for improvement!
So, this year I resolve to:
     Simplify-mostly in our home, but also in my thoughts, expectations, etc.
     Focus on now!  especially where my husband and children are concerned.  But, also, with friends and even strangers that I come in contact with.
(I am, also, still memorizing on Bible verse each week with a Bible Memory program thru my church.  Very challenging for me, but it has REALLY forced me to focus on each word in a verse and it's meaning in my life.  So, to keep me accountable, I am posting the verse here.)
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.