Things have been a bit hectic here this past week. The tobacco crop is very dependent on the weather. The curing is finished, and has been for just less than a month, but the really dry fall weather hasn't brought it into proper case. Case is the term used for the amount of moisture in the leaf. When the leaves are pliable enough to be handled without breaking, but not so wet as to mold when pressed into a bale, they are said to be "in case". I had a few days of rain coupled with warm weather and I had to strike while the iron was hot. I wasn't able to hire much help and so it's just me and an itinerant farm hand who had been helping some neighbors doing a job that typically require four people. The tobacco leaves are removed from the stalk in placed in a large box to form a bale. The leaves have to be graded according to color and position on the stalk and baled accordingly, so as you might imagine, it is a long tedious job. I get super sore standing in one spot doing this. The stalks are carried out to the manure spreader and spread over my pasture when the spreader is full. They make a great fertilize, but can't be spread back on the field from which they came for fear of disease. On top of that, we are in middle of our annual meat distribution, and so far so good. Today is the last day for that. And, to top things off, yesterday , I bought a new blue heeler puppy and am about to initiate stock dog training.( I'm a glutton for punishment). The cold weather has taken the tobacco out of case and bought me a little free time, but getting up twice to take the puppy out is taking a bite out of my sleep cycle! Half the crop is now stripped and should be ready long before the sale date.
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- latest reply 7 years ago
7 years ago
NoraWI says 2016-12-16 16:44:52 (CST)
Glad you are well and back!
7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
JerryHicks says 2016-12-19 05:04:25 (CST)
Nora, it is always nice to be missed! LOL This has really been a weird year, from start to finish, at least for me. The weather has been very odd, and we are just making the best of it. I've been having to start very early to get everything set up, and finish pretty late to get all the normal chores I would do in the evening. I forgot to add that on top of this, I have also taken on a new puppy. She's a Blue Heeler, whom I hope to make a cattle dog of someday. Right now she's just keeping me running to try to teach her what she can and can't get away with. She is learning pretty quickly though.
7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
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