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  • latest reply 5 years ago

5 years ago

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So what's the "farming " news here folks? Are people putting cattle out to grass? Planting? Did you halter break colts this winter?

We are getting a good rain now in Idaho, halter broke yearlings are turned out for the summer, 3 foals on the ground, cattle on grass April 6( out of the hay stack for good) , I may give away a 3 yr old Clyde to a guy down the road if he buys a gelding from another man. This will make him a nice team, and I don't mind donating to the cause.

Month ago I visited RX acres in Oklahoma, nice place. They were busy so will have to go back when things quiet down . I'd love to see more, after the rattlesnakes den up, ha! I hope they get rain soon.

Our team work is mostly in winter so everything will get a break.

G.D.Rose says 2018-05-01 21:44:45 (CST)



Grass starting to grow in my area NW Nebraska, won’t go to grass until at least the 15 of may. Local Farmers just started planting spring crops this week, the soil just warmed up enough for the early crops.


5 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Redgate says 2018-05-02 07:54:04 (CST)



Our spring definitely hasn’t gone as planned. Our winter was long. Usually we are setting out seedlings by early April. Our last frost date is mid April, and no one seems to remember a frost more than a week after that. So, many of us started finally putting things out in mid-April, when we had a warm spell. Then, out of the blue, we had a frost one night, totally unforecasted, that wiped out a good number of our veggies. I even used frost blankets, but it didn’t help. Now we are into May, and still hesitantly putting transplants out.

I got my new Pioneer Homesteader and had big plans for cultivating and letting the horses run the garden. Unfortunately, it’s looking like another drought year already, as we’ve only had about 2 inches of rain since mid February (we should have about 2 inches a month right now). So, we have manually mulched each row of our (small) market garden—a time consuming endeavor to say the least, as we have about 2 acres of rows. We’ve also decided to leave sod in the strips between rows, which is certainly not ideal from a hilling perspective. Nonetheless, we have to conserve moisture in any way we can. The drought about wiped out our garden last year. So, looks like it will be an easier season than planned for the horses.

As a result of the above, our CSA program will be delayed into June this year. The blessing in it all, though is that the lack of rain has reduced the annual spring weed explosion. I don’t have any time left for weeding the other gardens yet!

Hopefully things smooth out, we get it all set up, and the rest of the year runs a bit more smoothly. The animals are doing well, and enjoying the limited spring lush that has popped up. We’re planning to move the goats into their woodland paddocks this week, the weaner pigs are arriving, we’ve got goats due to freshen, and are expecting a litter of livestock guardian pups in about 10 days.


5 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Klaus Karbaumer says 2018-05-02 08:19:45 (CST)



Hi Dusty, nice to hear from you.
Well, I am not exactly putting any cattle out on the pasture, even though in a few weeks I'll let my neighbor use part of our pastures for his cattle again, but grass started growing nicely. This year we are behind by about four weeks. We got some much needed rains in April and so far we planted arugula, beets, kale, onions, radishes, potatoes, spinach and have already started with the first sales of spinach to restaurants. I had sown spinach in late November and after a dormancy in winter it came up rapidly as soon as the day length was sufficient. Now I am waiting to plant more. But today and tomorrow we'll get thunderstorms, some of them severe, and last night was a drencher, so there is some delay again.
I acquired a different plow ( a pull behind 16in Oliver with one share) and traded in my John Deere riding plow. It got increasingly more difficult for me to walk behind it, and even after I put a seat on it again, climbing up on it wasnt too comfortable( I have a problem with a bad hip). But getting on the forecart isn't a problem, and so we worked with the Oliver. Even though it is a bit harder, but my team of old style big Percherons is almost 5000 lbs, they managed quite well.


5 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Dris Abraham says 2018-05-02 11:36:59 (CST)



Great to have Dusty visit. Yes, we are just weaning lambs, foaling mares, trying to manage with no or little rain. Will be buying hay and grain this year. Once and a while half inch here and there followed by days with 20 mph plus winds. No fall grain planted in 2017 due to no rain and to date nothing planted for spring 2018 and no real prospects. Managing grass pasture best we can and getting help from good neighbors on additional pasture. Very happy with foaling to date and had a great clinic with FT Riley Mounted Color Guard from Kansas. This is the life we choose and we go with the flow!!


5 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

smith says 2018-05-10 23:05:14 (CST)



Finally the saddlle horses are about half shead off and a few rows off spuds in the ground, a flood in progress that is inundating my hay field so it looks like we might get some hay if the elk don't eat it all .


5 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum


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