tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78515747396614528632024-03-05T01:14:57.811-06:00a Girl on a Farmagirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-41466091484765442142012-07-12T15:10:00.001-05:002012-07-12T15:10:49.807-05:00Summer Fun Video Series #4Our landlord wanted to make bread so he had the neighbors plant a few acres of wheat. We got his old Allis Chalmers All Crop 60 Harvest running but shortly after I shot this video (about a week ago) it broke down. I hope to be back out tonight to finish it up.<br />
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<br />Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-38707485201696743102012-07-12T15:04:00.001-05:002012-07-12T15:04:21.416-05:00Summer Fun Video Series #3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry for the wind noise...</div>Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-49895131642478772562012-07-11T15:57:00.000-05:002012-07-11T16:00:46.443-05:00Summer Fun Video Series #2And here's another:<br />
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This was shot on June 26th. The sheep have been "free-range" ever since. Although the sunflowers, Indian corn and beans fell victim to their freedom. And I don't think it's rained since then either.Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-84525104823995091302012-07-11T15:05:00.001-05:002012-07-11T15:10:39.364-05:00summer fun video seriesSince we have completely neglected our blogging duties, I thought I would try to make it up to you with a bunch of videos from the farm. You are forewarned that these were shot using my cell phone, in the midst of doing whatever it was that I was doing at the time. So they can get pretty bouncy and there's some heavy breathing in the background on one or two... I also haven't edited them but most of them are pretty short.<br />
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Here's your first installment of the Open Sky Farm Summer Fun Video Series. Enjoy, FJ.<br />
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Movin' Cows</div>
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<br />Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-34493503389062178502012-06-15T09:50:00.003-05:002012-06-15T09:50:58.703-05:00Blessed Rain<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D1ZYhVpdXbQ" width="560"></iframe>Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-24495871522794408972012-06-13T08:27:00.004-05:002012-06-13T10:12:27.237-05:00farm update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Farmer Jon here, thought I would update you on some of the farm happenings. </div>
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We finally made the decision to castrate hogs. It ended up being a one man operation but it still worked well. I'd say the average time on each pig was around 1-2 minutes to catch, tag, and castrate.</div>
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<img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbQUpNl-9rLGe6p2E04HOH7xSt4r5l80o8N4DaxljV2fGh52-uUDlZwzP2rLTBL9Hfx9y4vF5quG21DPgbxYyOmvDzQidxTweS1m19X-1AczDKd7OMUFeBuA_5lbxXWTfaCyrv-18Ook/s640/IMAG0675.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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It's definitely one of my least favorites parts of the job but it's something that needed to be done to ensure that they didn't breed. Being able to choose the best boars and sows to breed allows us to select the ones that are thriving and avoid the ones that aren't doing as well. Which will ultimately make for even happier and healthier pigs. This took place a few weeks ago and they are all doing great! <br />
(I had a call out of the blue looking for a boar to buy as breeding stock. Of course, I had to tell him that I just castrated all my boars except one! I couldn't believe it. I've had these hogs for over a year and I get my first call for breeding stock, a few weeks AFTER I castrate for the first time...)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE7OYwGaLkL7e_o81YlCavMmMjK_AjLVuJKCSt10UgIdLvosFvJFiU7htAoNI0a0lXOBCHFN_SEznsknnWQeD_yNHho34rwRyY1JYsLDoTgJ43AKEvD2WEA5tx5ZQ_Ro39H94padvZK8/s1600/IMAG0676.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE7OYwGaLkL7e_o81YlCavMmMjK_AjLVuJKCSt10UgIdLvosFvJFiU7htAoNI0a0lXOBCHFN_SEznsknnWQeD_yNHho34rwRyY1JYsLDoTgJ43AKEvD2WEA5tx5ZQ_Ro39H94padvZK8/s640/IMAG0676.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I finally replaced the batteries in our off-grid system. It was a little intimidating reading and hearing from installers/gurus about how you had to be very careful or you could cause an explosion... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2EsKAxaCSUnUKvS1Nsk_9ORXrSRwWIvIay37kKe-eUqM_CiKcWVwF5UOJ1oAbZzTFrDfv3eo3cBnh-8lqUClEMsrLf6yQed_yvSf0AG47ObnNIYRGsz2oSUC9HkQxlcCBgIGeAgz7FQ/s1600/IMAG0745.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2EsKAxaCSUnUKvS1Nsk_9ORXrSRwWIvIay37kKe-eUqM_CiKcWVwF5UOJ1oAbZzTFrDfv3eo3cBnh-8lqUClEMsrLf6yQed_yvSf0AG47ObnNIYRGsz2oSUC9HkQxlcCBgIGeAgz7FQ/s640/IMAG0745.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
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But I followed their guidance: no metal zippers or buttons on clothing, wrap tools in electrical tape, wrap ends of cables, don't set tools on the edge of the battery box. And here is the finished product. FYI, those dang batteries are heavy (100lbs+).<br />
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Do you know what a musk thistle is? It's an awful weed that is on almost every state's <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CANU4" target="_blank">noxious weed list</a>. Which means you can get in trouble for having them on your property. Or at least for not actively trying to manage them. We have a BUNCH of them around the farm and since we aren't using chemicals we have to use good ole fashioned manpower to take care of them with a spade. Here's the dam right next to the driveway, covered in thistles. Dam thistles...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAMY_pRrxQdEZr38_hnPpb2JCMahQp-ZzlXJHc0iqC1PWF51Cy8jfSjN0B12ODooPx36HxsaOKdYQtHce0Nj_PxWC-oBKnIzoefvda_x8FBiqkLf7xhEYEBECvmuzO0J0eXoxWc7eQGU/s1600/IMAG0683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAMY_pRrxQdEZr38_hnPpb2JCMahQp-ZzlXJHc0iqC1PWF51Cy8jfSjN0B12ODooPx36HxsaOKdYQtHce0Nj_PxWC-oBKnIzoefvda_x8FBiqkLf7xhEYEBECvmuzO0J0eXoxWc7eQGU/s640/IMAG0683.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It didn't take long to clean up the east half but I quickly lost steam after that but we did finally get the dam taken care of. Although a handful have popped back up again already. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQEuH85u2wHfNhv2uKGDtBs-LDSPBBtLMqwQIM3A82CXqT-ownFGxzkEye-baafq3ETbGZeMrfshDHJZXUR8ldEJeLFP3Mb51BcxC1QPfaNxfT7u3Dtlpe0j1evX_QCXSzICk3-m_nro/s1600/IMAG0690.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQEuH85u2wHfNhv2uKGDtBs-LDSPBBtLMqwQIM3A82CXqT-ownFGxzkEye-baafq3ETbGZeMrfshDHJZXUR8ldEJeLFP3Mb51BcxC1QPfaNxfT7u3Dtlpe0j1evX_QCXSzICk3-m_nro/s640/IMAG0690.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
And, of course, Jamie and Clara have been very busy themselves. Here they are weeding in the garden.<br />
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</div>Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-56125493065412293682012-06-07T21:38:00.000-05:002012-06-07T21:38:21.083-05:00Finally I harvested something!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTs3AakF9vUgsDckzGkB1gvJDjSgLPyW9279F5fzDH8m3PtZFTWdvfeLhwHe5UzdZb1CfRD51kOp6VqSbpso3PXftIyt7X-xnWauQaUUQ2rSVol7vYLSuoaqrp-y-KDJ7Bkg8tFFt72gk/s1600/IMG_6801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTs3AakF9vUgsDckzGkB1gvJDjSgLPyW9279F5fzDH8m3PtZFTWdvfeLhwHe5UzdZb1CfRD51kOp6VqSbpso3PXftIyt7X-xnWauQaUUQ2rSVol7vYLSuoaqrp-y-KDJ7Bkg8tFFt72gk/s640/IMG_6801.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Yummy...first mixed green salad of the summer from my OWN garden. I'm pretty pumped to actually be eating something from my garden, especially since my last post was so woe is me. <br />
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Combine this with a shredded chicken breast, feta cheese, snap peas, roasted golden beets from <a href="http://robinettefarms.com/">Robinette Farms</a> and a little olive oil/balsamic vinegar and I had one tasty meal tonight! I love summertime meals!agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-2529755276510550762012-06-04T15:16:00.000-05:002012-06-05T12:23:51.772-05:00And first Farmer's Market done!Wooweee....that was fun!<br />
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I have a confession to make...I was not really looking forward to our first day at market. My garden has been an utter failure this year and I didn't feel like we would have anything to sell. I've been focusing so much on my garden that I completely forget we have great meat and egg products to sell! We sold ground beef, pork sausage, chicken and ducks eggs. It was so much fun to meet everyone! I had a total blast and can't wait until next week. Thanks for everyone who stopped by to buy meat and eggs from us or even just to say hi! We really appreciate it!<br />
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And now on to the garden. I had such high hopes this year and what I've come to realize was unrealistic expectations of myself. I underestimated the amount of work that I had planned for myself and overestimated my abilities to grow. Combine that with the fact that I've got a six month old to take care of and actually manage to cook some meals now and then. And let's not get started on the laundry... It's tough, because the really good growers make it look easy. And it's not. There is so much to learn about soil fertility, planting schedules, pest and weed management. My hats off to you experienced growers! But we all have to start somewhere and this year is my somewhere. For every seed that I plant, I gain experience. For every time I lose a planting to bugs, I learn. And every time I look at my garden and want to throw my hands up and quit, I have to remember what kind of lesson that would teach my daughter. It's easy to quit, but it's harder to persevere in the face of inexperience and adversity. So, I'm doing it. I'm taking the lessons I learned from my <a href="http://www.communitycrops.org/workshops">Community Crops</a> class and moving on.<br />
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Here's what we've got going on in the garden:<br />
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I've got some baby leaf lettuce and spinach over on the left that I'm trying to salvage from a flea beetle attack. The next row over are my tomatoes and peppers. The row after that is half beans/half sunflowers. And all the way over on the right, I have some multicolored corn, three types of sunflowers and Zinnias. Oh....and lots of weeds. You can't miss those suckers.<br />
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Here we have some head lettuce that I am bound and determined to eat. Three little heads is all I have left after transplanting over fifty. Note to self: transplanting fragile head lettuce transplants in 30 mph wind = not my smartest move.<br />
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And here are my two remaining heads of Romaine. I will eat those things!<br />
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And here's the best explanation for my lack of garden work...<br />
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I've got an ankle clinger all ready! :)agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-35999299214033217612012-05-20T07:33:00.001-05:002012-05-20T07:36:42.743-05:00farm updateFarm Jon Here. We're still working feverishly to "catch up" with all the spring happenings. Jamie was able to get tomatoes and peppers in the ground before the rain. I finally fixed the tractor and the shredder and was able to prep the area for our trees. Hopefully today I can get the trees in the ground.<br />
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I suppose I should explain the trees. I signed up for several NRCS programs this year. One of which was a windbreak/shelterbelt renovation, which entailed planting 350 trees around the farmyard. I was very excited because I worked with them to create an "edible landscape" so we have pecans, walnuts, plums, cranberries, apricots and many more. All of which are edible by animals and/or humans. The time came and I picked up the trees and the tree planter only to come home and be completely overwhelmed. I decided I wasn't sure if their design was going to be too much of a hindrance on farming activities. It wasn't until I was out there trying to get ready that I realized how many things would need to be moved (trailers, piles of junk, piles of tree limbs, etc) and other trees cut down. Plus, that's where I was grazing the sheep and the bulls. Anyway, long story short, I abandoned the project and was going to cut my losses on the 350 trees I had already paid for. Monday rolled around and I told my NRCS guy the situation. He hopped in his truck and came right out. We surveyed the landscape and came up with a new plan that would alleviate most of my concerns, get the trees in the ground and ensure that I didn't lose my money on the trees. So, here I am a week later and hoping to get the trees in the ground today. Hopefully, it's not too wet...<br />
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We have decided to get some official help (not just from friends and family). We hope to bring in 1-2 part-time folks to help with various tasks around the farm. We're pretty excited because we've gotten a great response from a bunch of great people. We're still in the process of getting back to everyone but we'll keep you informed of how the process goes and introduce you to them once we have it all sorted out. One of them is hopefully coming out today to help me plant trees, since someone has to drive the tractor and someone has to sit on the tree planter.<br />
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If you haven't heard, we will start selling at the Old Cheney Road Farmers' Market on June 3rd and we will be there almost every Sunday through October. <br />
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Also, we have <u><b>wholes and halves of pork available now</b></u> and will have <u><b>beef wholes, halves and quarters available later this year</b></u> (but only a few, so reserve now!). Let us know if you're interested or might know of someone who would be.Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-59892298082167437132012-05-10T13:51:00.000-05:002012-05-20T07:34:16.950-05:00spring is in the airbut all I can smell is burnt rubber, as the soles of our shoes (boots) melt from the constant running around. <br />
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Farmer Jon here and boy have we been busy. Which has become our new normal since we moved out here but lately we've been even busier than usual. Here are a few examples:<br />
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Our dark cornish chicks are a few weeks old and growing a little every day<br />
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Our Pekin ducklings arrived on Saturday and some of them are already HUGE!<br />
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The Khaki Campbell ducklings are doing well and can be moved to their permanent home soon. <br />
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The broiler chicks are doing really well. We were expecting more issues since they are a commercial breed but they have actually done really well so far. <br />
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And of course, we're still moving the sheep around.<br />
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And the bulls...<br />
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And the yearling steers and heifers...<br />
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And the cows and calves...<br />
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And don't forget ol' 14. She's still hanging in there. <br />
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I've had two equipment failures while trying to lift her up twice a day but I hope she will make some good progress this weekend. <br />
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Jamie's been working hard on the garden.<br />
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Here are her strawberries!<br />
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Did I mention the turbine was hit by lightning AGAIN! My renewable energy dealer/repairman thought I was joking. He said that has never happened. Luckily, I know how to take it down now. So I lowered it last night but I still have to wait for the part, now that the wind is blowing like crazy today... <br />
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See that little white thing. That's what needs replaced...<br />
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<br />Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-69176504358167228172012-05-02T22:55:00.001-05:002012-05-03T08:22:46.642-05:00#14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Farmer Jon here - After the first cow calved, I came out the next morning
to find #14 on the ground with a live calf and a dead calf nearby. She
had twins! But only the one was still alive by the time I got there. To
make matters worse, #14 couldn't stand up. So we called the vet and he gave
her various things to help but nothing worked. He left us with a hip
clamp to help get her on her feet. We don't have a loader(front scoop)
for our tractor so our wonderful neighbors were kind enough to come over
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We got her up but she couldn't support herself. Something was wrong with that right rear leg. Probably a pinched nerve or something. We stayed out there for a couple hours but she still wasn't any better. So they left the tractor for me to use the next day. <br />
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The next day I got her up again but still no luck. This went on for a couple more days before I finally got her on a trailer and brought her back to the farmyard.<br />
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A certain someone wouldn't stay out of the way of the tractor so I put her somewhere safe.<br />
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I put #14in the granary so that I could hoist her up multiple times a day without needing a tractor.<br />
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And then...<br />
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A couple days later...<br />
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She can walk!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5A2eCkCC8zKtpifYSp4WoEm0EbdENrSZGbL0I8OO1hhFOJmDv9WMVLSWCRa8ESqikjNsc3pQc7pAdf8ZwaOoi3QbD5rJCLtxNVDFFHv30ttg8guAnEb66rH4xGcn_bR5sIiqCSUIr9s/s1600/IMAG0588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5A2eCkCC8zKtpifYSp4WoEm0EbdENrSZGbL0I8OO1hhFOJmDv9WMVLSWCRa8ESqikjNsc3pQc7pAdf8ZwaOoi3QbD5rJCLtxNVDFFHv30ttg8guAnEb66rH4xGcn_bR5sIiqCSUIr9s/s640/IMAG0588.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of course, that meant she walked away from my hoist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM5EeLNVtWrMi_nmUO2ALS-p1-chTqL0c9kQXwewipd8D9AhkHh1zCIyRMhBzOEPYDUAQ-NDJ-tlka2DL_Gu6uvR8y587_zBcuVXgyXToUg7DNlboh33LdYv5WovK6_U-1a52ISFq0lo/s1600/IMAG0592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM5EeLNVtWrMi_nmUO2ALS-p1-chTqL0c9kQXwewipd8D9AhkHh1zCIyRMhBzOEPYDUAQ-NDJ-tlka2DL_Gu6uvR8y587_zBcuVXgyXToUg7DNlboh33LdYv5WovK6_U-1a52ISFq0lo/s640/IMAG0592.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So I tried to lift her up with the closest things I could find.<br />
Attempt #1 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vDGDQekUZa4sDPbVmDiK89xdH_5l1RLmUu3DpFVZZNTB8kGMgxE8E1BkrqXmGui3NPnKpTlDTSBAn1xlL4lepZsjNnR5mGE1rELXbJqL5DV6bG5aiUG8QDseAAVf_5JZ4ieO8LKVeGU/s1600/IMAG0594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vDGDQekUZa4sDPbVmDiK89xdH_5l1RLmUu3DpFVZZNTB8kGMgxE8E1BkrqXmGui3NPnKpTlDTSBAn1xlL4lepZsjNnR5mGE1rELXbJqL5DV6bG5aiUG8QDseAAVf_5JZ4ieO8LKVeGU/s640/IMAG0594.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Attempt #2. I actually had her up but then the hip clamp slipped off and she fell down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7IXPgOHdHuNtb5GTj7I8m3lmA5eRSx2CsTY4-A51rXGmpdsgjEq678mVzv2-PjYdF0rqDOb1SK6uEUrgAvN9MBUB36wQqPx_N2c_RGRYB-PhC6YX2Y7iXWAun8-H1z0yszuunnzUcuE/s1600/IMAG0597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7IXPgOHdHuNtb5GTj7I8m3lmA5eRSx2CsTY4-A51rXGmpdsgjEq678mVzv2-PjYdF0rqDOb1SK6uEUrgAvN9MBUB36wQqPx_N2c_RGRYB-PhC6YX2Y7iXWAun8-H1z0yszuunnzUcuE/s640/IMAG0597.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I eventually realized that I could put the bale spear on the back of my tractor and it would lift her just high enough that she could stand up.<br />
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I'm glad she's doing better but I sure hope she can stand on her own soon. This is going to get old in a hurry!<br />
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We sold the calf to a nice family down the road because we didn't have time to bottle feed a calf and the momma needs to conserve all her energy for getting better rather than producing milk. It was fun to have a pet calf for those few days but selling her was the right decision for us.<br />
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<br />Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-4637647580570375502012-04-30T11:13:00.000-05:002012-04-30T11:18:11.816-05:00TGIM!!!TGIM!!! Or in other words, Thank Goodness It's Monday...that may sound silly to everyone else who likes Fridays, but I feel like my Mondays are my Fridays. Our weekends have been so jam packed with me finishing up my <a href="http://www.communitycrops.org/">Community Crops</a> class, having friends and family over who generously babysit Clara and trying to actually get a garden going. Mondays are a chance for me to breath, take a step back and actually slow down a little bit. And of course, get caught up on laundry...which never goes away...<br />
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I guess I never thought how hard it was going to be to actually start a garden with a baby...and boy have I learned my lesson! I can't do it all anymore, which is difficult for me to swallow since I'm such a Type A, give it 110% type of person. I don't think I realized that about myself until I moved out to the farm. I was looking through all of my old pictures and I found one really good example. <br />
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Here are a couple of pictures of my cover cropping attempts:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf0Uv0tr3GwHduTVuoaAjizn-ViMtk2Dn13miRpQcSLY4hmJsVh03uPkfUirARr08ZTveqcJHko3KXzNS4slTQD0215QkI7f-HKRe1ckrLToPixKl2CykzZYwnLe8UpOCGblygwN7TOQ/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf0Uv0tr3GwHduTVuoaAjizn-ViMtk2Dn13miRpQcSLY4hmJsVh03uPkfUirARr08ZTveqcJHko3KXzNS4slTQD0215QkI7f-HKRe1ckrLToPixKl2CykzZYwnLe8UpOCGblygwN7TOQ/s640/IMG_2592.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvtRobAK3OAfveoDBcqoz3ET5zgu0vncTBn_iB1kNhcmnLBjb-5ExXR8sQMoc4WR0oXRjg-T47nHKW9UEntLnfIScV6QKSie1LGv9B3sGH4TLT7QFfdQd-152iA0UP4X3RnAlInmt9MA/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvtRobAK3OAfveoDBcqoz3ET5zgu0vncTBn_iB1kNhcmnLBjb-5ExXR8sQMoc4WR0oXRjg-T47nHKW9UEntLnfIScV6QKSie1LGv9B3sGH4TLT7QFfdQd-152iA0UP4X3RnAlInmt9MA/s640/IMG_2593.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Why yes...that is my old backyard! And yes, I was that crazy home gardener that was attempting to cover crop for weed suppression in her backyard. I won't even tell you how many crazy looks I got going around town trying to find cover crop seed. I finally found buckwheat and clover at Earl May and I spread it over my raised beds. It's so funny, because this was way back in the summer of 2010 and we hadn't even thought of actually giving farming a full time trial. It shows what a person can do if they are determined. And it totally worked, by the way. Buckwheat is a great weed suppressor since it's such a fast growing plant. I let it grow until it flowered and then had Jon hit it with the weed eater and tilled it into the ground. Not too shabby, huh?<br />
<br />agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-7550098437414784052012-04-24T23:55:00.001-05:002012-04-25T08:33:06.529-05:00you and me go plantin' in the darkFarmer Jon Here - Lots of happenings on Open Sky Farm. We're brooding just under 100 chicks and ducklings with more on the way in the next couple days. We have 16 new piglets. We're rotationally grazing the cattle and sheep and working on the Pastured Pig Paradise (more info coming soon). And the gardening is in full swing. We're also trying to get things set up for selling at the <a href="http://oldcheneyroadfarmersmarket.com/" target="_blank">Old Cheney Road Farmer's Market</a> this year. Some of which are more fun then others: getting insurance = not fun, having our freezer's inspected by the state = not so much fun, ordering banners = fun.<br />
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We were working hard to plant 400 strawberry plants before it rained the other night. Jamie finished the last couple rows in the dark working by the light of a headlamp but we got them in.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHOsO5A4vDY/T5NnncaR1pI/AAAAAAAAHEY/hzOcZ_MO7_M/s1600/IMAG0550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHOsO5A4vDY/T5NnncaR1pI/AAAAAAAAHEY/hzOcZ_MO7_M/s640/IMAG0550.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We even had our first calf of the season today! It's always fun to see what each new calf looks like! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe-87_Jf1v5KCWPD55COknHlIcagq5lVvHif64cQxhmpedBC7vL0dca_p2KLocnVxqCCNT3xe-gfaJ1NOEG649w7Pd6RUj-P1H5L09TiiD0ak4Bl5wKA3M_rgO4Fh0zG37Prme3Ae3no/s1600/IMAG0557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe-87_Jf1v5KCWPD55COknHlIcagq5lVvHif64cQxhmpedBC7vL0dca_p2KLocnVxqCCNT3xe-gfaJ1NOEG649w7Pd6RUj-P1H5L09TiiD0ak4Bl5wKA3M_rgO4Fh0zG37Prme3Ae3no/s640/IMAG0557.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But all those happenings haven't kept us from having a little fun. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjeXvN-4xhhanJ4FAAAsooMgkSgGz5isoUqX5eV5T0yLxbJdEdUkjNz2I8HJZuMz8Fb77E8DZW1Atp_GSCfFiSFezHDuAZGh625F4_cB_MFIVGBYmlGsKVt43s-Dt7bNEEpzpN5mWS54/s1600/IMAG0547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjeXvN-4xhhanJ4FAAAsooMgkSgGz5isoUqX5eV5T0yLxbJdEdUkjNz2I8HJZuMz8Fb77E8DZW1Atp_GSCfFiSFezHDuAZGh625F4_cB_MFIVGBYmlGsKVt43s-Dt7bNEEpzpN5mWS54/s640/IMAG0547.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And of course by "having a little fun" I mean pulling step in posts out of the pond after the water level rose a few feet.Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-56387340040802875072012-04-18T15:16:00.000-05:002012-04-18T15:16:14.077-05:00Lake Open SkyWow, Saturday was a wild weather ride! We were very lucky to scrape by with the weather we did, it could have been much worse. We did get some very strong winds and about 2 inches of rain that came down very quickly and the ground was not able to soak it all up. Hence Lake Open Sky! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsieF9dz8Ke2GJyeQDFCj3kopRHFMuOReGYl6KqvWKKra1EMFCa0zxR8_HCJRJOEoEx5Cqhf1WrBBR7WUVBsPB8LXk5PG92wVPN0wyVA5TDkmDeCwPrrMYTJmNzri5rNKMS7cA8qISoPA/s1600/IMG_6180.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsieF9dz8Ke2GJyeQDFCj3kopRHFMuOReGYl6KqvWKKra1EMFCa0zxR8_HCJRJOEoEx5Cqhf1WrBBR7WUVBsPB8LXk5PG92wVPN0wyVA5TDkmDeCwPrrMYTJmNzri5rNKMS7cA8qISoPA/s640/IMG_6180.JPG" width="640" /></a> <br />
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</a></div>I'm sure our newly weaned calves were wondering how they got themselves into this mess.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our pond by the driveway was so full that the water was rushing around the edge of the dam. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuvKGbD0nUhP8qdHuuoKjJ9Z9scMkR3HEuYvShD4_pL14f_1ONIlWNXb5FfgIOGQqf9m7RkE3XEjvpv1ZlmJJo8czVhByInpvXrT9Oxv0JJXor3JijSz4AjEpWFVDPyk2Uqxn4s5LFbE/s1600/IMG_6202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuvKGbD0nUhP8qdHuuoKjJ9Z9scMkR3HEuYvShD4_pL14f_1ONIlWNXb5FfgIOGQqf9m7RkE3XEjvpv1ZlmJJo8czVhByInpvXrT9Oxv0JJXor3JijSz4AjEpWFVDPyk2Uqxn4s5LFbE/s640/IMG_6202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Here's the water going around the dam. And off of our farm... :( <br />
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My garden got washed out a little bit and some newly planted potatoes were uncovered. Not too bad though! Like I said, the weather could have been much worse and my heart goes out to those who were affected by tornadoes. Spring weather in Nebraska can be so scary sometimes...<br />
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Some benefited from the excess water more than others...<br />
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agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-81162694406391702552012-04-17T18:54:00.001-05:002012-04-17T18:54:36.248-05:00Yesterday was magical...Some days a person can think too much. When a person starts to think too much, life gets overwhelming...that was me yesterday. I needed some time to get out of my head. And thank goodness yesterday was magical...<br />
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The grass was so lush after our recent downpours and the sun was just right on the horizon. It made for great lighting that I don't think I quite captured in my quick photo shooting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUCtH8qv8ZEuanZ7meWTnYOIM1k_GHxdTPYtmV9oYEoj0IlSkTHChaHgTNWMvJqgx9twlWQ29ATL620gXtSQ1R36F18horQwz54pbCQ08ABnw8xpP_8wy6eTQDoWYyjMp-21ez_VNdeY/s1600/IMG_6243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUCtH8qv8ZEuanZ7meWTnYOIM1k_GHxdTPYtmV9oYEoj0IlSkTHChaHgTNWMvJqgx9twlWQ29ATL620gXtSQ1R36F18horQwz54pbCQ08ABnw8xpP_8wy6eTQDoWYyjMp-21ez_VNdeY/s640/IMG_6243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFzPrNetpdC84SEDJjUzvT4WmHLHsW030vWYqckhVMmXLBhXrV89-py6VsPc7NwL7zi8yHd9zXr0NyZ5uwsfdfIFwf_IE14Lc2n5z5y8x0lJBXBcza4FsRLAkBJg_dAGkk8aSNBb25vQ/s1600/IMG_6251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFzPrNetpdC84SEDJjUzvT4WmHLHsW030vWYqckhVMmXLBhXrV89-py6VsPc7NwL7zi8yHd9zXr0NyZ5uwsfdfIFwf_IE14Lc2n5z5y8x0lJBXBcza4FsRLAkBJg_dAGkk8aSNBb25vQ/s640/IMG_6251.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I felt so much better after walking around outside for a little bit, just breathing in the spring air. I would have been outside a little longer, but one little stinker kept trying to practice her new skills and throw the camera to the ground...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkwJFm0exmK1zrwxc7Y0ihP8akLz-Xos_ZaqzQwzs5EpAQGcrYp7UBQMec3F25zl48GI9D__wDpwl-5U2uUN-RwvBl9xK0wZYKeQsZ0CxZHXhYVhyphenhyphenVzyeEkTPRan487CugYDLeoi0o1M/s1600/IMG_6238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkwJFm0exmK1zrwxc7Y0ihP8akLz-Xos_ZaqzQwzs5EpAQGcrYp7UBQMec3F25zl48GI9D__wDpwl-5U2uUN-RwvBl9xK0wZYKeQsZ0CxZHXhYVhyphenhyphenVzyeEkTPRan487CugYDLeoi0o1M/s640/IMG_6238.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-9422788910012423732012-04-16T08:10:00.001-05:002012-04-16T08:24:35.810-05:00a herd dividedFarmer Jon here - Well, we finally started the weaning process with the calves. I had to beef up my fencing to (hopefully) keep the calves and cows apart. The actual sorting of the cows and calves went fairly smoothly. I did it by myself, in the pasture. I ended up with one calf that is still with the cows but the rest of the calves have all been sorted off. I left the two bulls, a heifer and a cow that was open last year with the calves to help calm them down. After a few weeks, I'll pull the bulls out so there aren't any shenanigans. The heifer calves won't be a year old for another 45-60 days so I'm not too concerned.<br />
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Of course, many think we're crazy for waiting so long to wean. And many think we're crazy for waiting so long to leave the bulls in. And many think we're crazy for waiting so long to castrate the bull calves. But, so far, the cattle are all alive and well. Crazy...<br />
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(sorry, I was taking pictures with my cellphone again...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O_SJZv0Qe4I/T4quXBZ1igI/AAAAAAAAGJw/nRviMoSdP2M/s1600/IMAG0533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O_SJZv0Qe4I/T4quXBZ1igI/AAAAAAAAGJw/nRviMoSdP2M/s640/IMAG0533.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-59354944066802444892012-04-14T15:05:00.000-05:002012-04-14T15:05:14.338-05:00the honeymoon's overFarmer Jon here, I happened across an article the other day called <a href="http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/top-10-reasons-small-businesses-fail/" target="_blank">Top 10 reasons small businesses fail</a>. I thought it would be a good refresher of things not to do. Instead it was a wake up call. I felt like we, to some extent, were guilty of probably six to eight of those ten! I'm no expert but I don't think that's good. The good news is, I'm fairly confident we will still succeed but only if we fix some of the things mentioned in the article.<br />
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The biggest problem, in our case, was emotion. We were too emotionally attached to everything, which led to poor business decisions based solely on emotion. I think being emotionally invested in your business is very important (especially if you are a farmer) but I think we were TOO invested. Or at the very least, we were just focusing that emotion in the wrong areas. I've already delved into this topic on multiple occasions: <a href="http://agirlonafarm.blogspot.com/2012/03/balance.html" target="_blank">balance</a> & <a href="http://agirlonafarm.blogspot.com/2012/03/rocky-mountain-oysters.html" target="_blank">rocky mountain oysters</a>. But I feel like I've officially made the change in mindset. It's not a drastic change but it is a different way of thinking that needed to happen. "So what does that mean?", you might ask. Well, I'll tell you:<br />
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1. We continue with what we've started in regards to putting together a good inventory and accounting system that we can stick to and that we can quickly and easily extrapolate valuable information that we can use in making business decisions. For instance, right now I can't tell you exactly how much we'd need to make off of each hog to break even. How am I supposed to make money if I don't know what my break even point is on something? I can't. <br />
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2. Once we have those systems in place, we need to evaluate each enterprise and determine which offer the most profit for the amount of time and resources spent. If they all make sense to keep, that's fine, but if not, it needs to be eliminated from our operation or changes need to be made to make it profitable.<br />
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3. Re-evaluate our goals based on the conclusions of 1 & 2.<br />
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The rest will come with time, as we follow through with the changes mentioned above. It's funny how they all tie together. Our "poor accounting" is inhibiting our ability to determine whether "the math works" and/or what our "operational inefficiencies" are. I also think that our "out of control growth" led to a lack of a "cash cushion" and "operational mediocrity" due to being spread to thin. All of which link directly to "dysfunctional management" and the root cause for all of this stems back to some poor decisions based on our emotions which I think qualifies as "owners who cannot get out of their own way".Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-12712963679637788842012-04-06T17:01:00.001-05:002012-04-06T17:02:56.481-05:00spring has sprungFarmer Jon here - For a while there mother nature appeared to be skipping straight to summer but, thankfully, we are back to feeling like a spring. And just in time for all the spring happenings! <br />
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We just received our baby chicks yesterday.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XdpV8q2INrc/T39ajM6ulQI/AAAAAAAADXY/GyLcEBpNe-E/s1600/IMG_6066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XdpV8q2INrc/T39ajM6ulQI/AAAAAAAADXY/GyLcEBpNe-E/s640/IMG_6066.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kCPi31gaCaE/T39a9wcXeAI/AAAAAAAADYw/fc_pVEDaj6M/s1600/IMG_6077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> All three sows farrowed a total of 19 piglets!<br />
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Jamie is working hard to get the garden ready.<br />
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The asparagus has been growing like crazy for over a week.<br />
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We even officially started the grazing season today by putting the cattle out on a new paddock.<br />
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I have the day off and Jamie decided to pick up a shift at work, so Clara and I moved the cattle.<br />
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Clara had a lot of fun but she's not much help. She was asleep before I even got down to the cattle! <br />
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</a>Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-54288635594890890622012-04-05T10:36:00.000-05:002012-04-05T10:36:07.314-05:00Pressure cooking roostersSo, remember all of our <a href="http://agirlonafarm.blogspot.com/search/label/roosters">roosters</a>? They were still in my freezer from when we had them butchered. And with all of our meat that we were processing, it was high time that I learned how to cook them.<br />
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Roosters are a very different meat from the broilers that you would get in the store. First, they have very thin breasts and lots of dark meat. Dark meat is a fast twitch tissue, so it's normally found in the wings, thighs and legs. I am personally not a huge fan of dark meat. Nor am I a big fan of eating meat off the bone or deboning chicken. I can slaughter a chicken no problem...but when it comes time to shred the meat off the bones...yuck! That's Jon's job now, he can eat as much as he wants as long as he gets all the meat off. Don't we make a good couple?<br />
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My first time cooking a rooster, I tried the crock pot. Fail....even after leaving it on all day on high. The dark meat was still very stringy and the bird did not fall apart at all. Next, I tried in my dutch oven...fail...exact same thing. So, then I got to googling. And I really couldn't find anything on how to cook this dang birds! <br />
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Finally I got a flash of genius! Pressure cooking! I had bought a pressure cooker/canner with my birthday money last year (yup...I am truly geeky, I also bought other canning supplies as well as books on canning and cheesemaking). My original intent was to pressure can black beans and pinto beans, because I never remembered to set out beans the night before and I was trying to avoid <a href="http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/04/fda-bpa-cans-food-dow-bayer">BPA</a> in canned goods. <a href="http://www.edenfoods.com/">Eden Organic foods</a> is great company that has already taken the step of taking out BPA in all of their canned goods. I try to stock up on Eden canned goods when they are on sale because they are a little bit more expensive. So worth it though!<br />
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This was my set up. I pressured cooked 13 birds in about a day and a half. And boy was I sick of shredding chicken! Pressure cooking actually worked really well. Especially as the day went on, because I didn't drain the liquid from the canner each time so more and more good broth was helping to cook the roosters faster. I was a little nervous as this was my first time pressure cooking and I really didn't want to cause an explosion. I just carefully read the instructions and went for it! I did pressure cook them for 15 minutes instead of the recommended 10 since some of my birds were still slightly frozen. I packed the meat into quart sized freezer bags and now I have 13 bags of ready to cook chicken. Now THAT is the ultimate convenience food! Healthy and ready to go!agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-59383378301881534282012-04-03T21:20:00.000-05:002012-04-03T21:20:01.855-05:00Sheep in the backyardDid you know we have seven lawnmowers? Here they are!<div><br />
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</div><div>They do a pretty good job, although they haven't acquired a taste for certain weeds. We may have to actually end up mowing weeds, but they do a good job with the grass!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I think they were plotting their break out in this pictures...caught ya!</div><div><br />
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</div><div>How's that door taste? Better than grass?</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGYFzQi0rAy7IeN34f-Likwgv7bkS3wpEnnRzvCALFT9hFO7HzG7qsFksLYF-3g6lAz3tJqJdvO-wmRUn2aJY9QVPTi2V_RksOWzUzXoR8WFOYxTnTR0dM9dtZilDG2Yb0qKCi4X_ass/s1600/IMG_5994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGYFzQi0rAy7IeN34f-Likwgv7bkS3wpEnnRzvCALFT9hFO7HzG7qsFksLYF-3g6lAz3tJqJdvO-wmRUn2aJY9QVPTi2V_RksOWzUzXoR8WFOYxTnTR0dM9dtZilDG2Yb0qKCi4X_ass/s640/IMG_5994.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div>We haven't moved them fully out yet on pasture, just to the backyard for several reasons. We haven't set up good tight fence yet. And we've been having lots and lots of coyotes in our neighborhood. Since it's been so nice outside, we have had our windows open. And boy oh boy are coyotes loud at 1:00 in the AM! I looked out my window as soon as I heard them one morning and could have sworn they would be in our backyard since they were so loud. Jon even got on the four wheeler with a spotlight and shotgun to see if he could take care of a few. No luck, but it does make me a little nervous to put the sheep out by themselves in the pasture. We either need to get a guardian dog, put them with the cattle or bring them back to an enclosed area at night. But we all know our luck with dogs....</div><div><br />
</div><div>Why yes, that is a pool noodle wrapped around my dog's neck! Why in the world would a dog have a pool noodle around his neck?</div><div><br />
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</div><div>So, he doesn't rip out his new stitches, of course!</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Hopefully this experience will teach him not to mess with a heifer who has horns....</div>agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-458637557259183052012-03-28T16:51:00.000-05:002012-03-28T16:51:56.218-05:00CommentsJust wanted to let everyone know that we've tweaked the comments process so that it's a little easier for those who don't have accounts. You can either post anonymously or use the name/url option and leave the url blank. Let us know if you still have issues. We LOVE comments and hope this encourages you to post more of them!<br />
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Also, the weather is beautiful so feel free to come out and visit us. Just give us some notice to make sure we'll be here and that the dog doesn't tear your leg off. Just kidding about the dog. Or am I...<br />
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We are tentatively planning a Farm Day on May 19th, so mark it on your calendars. More info to come.Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-82632355340247906282012-03-23T11:38:00.001-05:002012-03-23T12:01:02.631-05:00A Lantern in Her HandI freely admit that I am a total book nerd. When I was a little girl, I had to have a stack of books with me before I left the house. That would often be 3-4 books, because I read so fast that I didn't want to be without a book! I wasn't the kid who got in trouble for being loud in school....I was the kid who got in trouble for sneaking her books when she should have been working! Thankfully I had very understanding teachers that knew I was a fast worker and just let me be most of the time.<br />
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After having Clara, my book reading dropped dramatically. My first book that I actually got to read was "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lantern-Her-Hand-Puffin-Classics/dp/0140384286/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332285158&sr=8-1">A Lantern In Her Hand</a>" by <a href="http://www.bessstreeteraldrich.org/">Bess Streeter Aldrich</a>. I've read this book before, but it took on a whole new meaning to me this time. The story, (for those who haven't read it) is about Abbie Deal, a young woman who moves to Nebraska during the pioneer days and follows along with her life. I've always been a little obsessive about pioneer days harking back to the first time I read "Little House on the Prairie". That series ignited a passion in me for reading and I encourage everyone to introduce their children to them. <br />
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The part of the book that really struck home was in the introduction. At one point, Abbie Deal was reflecting on her past with her grown children. Her children kept mentioning how hard and uncomfortable her life must have been during the years when they had first settled the land. Her simple quote of "Those were the best of times" really stood out to me. The life of a pioneer woman was HARD. Trying to carve a living from native prairie soil, while trying to fend off wild animals and hostile Native Americans wasn't easy. Not to mention trying to keep her young children from dying of disease or accidents. Now THAT would have made a good reality TV show!<br />
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That is exactly how I want to remember my time here on the farm. I want to be able to tell my children what an adventurous life their father and I led and encourage them to do the same. Hopefully this blog will be a great memento to show them someday that their parents used to be really cool and adventurous :)<br />
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In addition to being a great fan of pioneer days, I also love Nebraska history. And the Bess Streeter Aldrich museum just happens to be up the road in Elmwood, Nebraska! I sense a road trip in my future...<br />
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<span id="goog_1152731889"></span><span id="goog_1152731890"></span>agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-25113102003455334292012-03-19T18:54:00.000-05:002012-03-19T18:54:29.610-05:00email listIn case you didn't see it on Facebook, we are starting an email list to let people know when we have farm goodies available. Let us know if you're interested and we'd be happy to add you!<br />
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And if you refer anyone else to join, we will give you a dozen eggs!Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-45372208485261640782012-03-16T15:01:00.000-05:002012-03-16T15:01:06.558-05:00rocky mountain oystersI can't say I can tell you what they taste like. I've had them but it's been a REALLY long time. It's not that I don't want to try them again, I just haven't sought them out... Anyway, I digress.<br />
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Farmer Jon here blogging for you on this beautiful (almost) spring day. I wanted to update you on some of this week's events. I recently talked about <a href="http://agirlonafarm.blogspot.com/2012/03/balance.html" target="_blank">balance</a>, mainly in regard to the humane treatment of farm animals and how to find that balance of keeping the farm animals happy without getting too carried away at the expense of your farm <u>business</u>. Because, at the end of the day, it's still a business and if we can't make money then we can't afford to provide those animals with the happy, healthy lives they deserve.<br />
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As part of that, we decided that we needed to have our 8-9 month old bull calves castrated. We had considered finishing them as intact bulls but that would require two separate herds for half the year (which means a lot less grass growth) and then we would have to find demand for the very niche market of bull meat in the U.S. Plus, bulls are generally more aggressive then steers (castrated bulls) so there's a chance for unnecessary added danger. So, we decided to haul all of our bull calves, heifers and cows into the vet to be preg-checked, aged and/or castrated. We had to take them to the vet because we don't have a handling facility set up yet (pens and cattle chute). I figured that would be a 3-4 hour process. As usual, my naivety caused me to greatly underestimate how long it would take but even now, I'm surprised that it took about 10 hours before everything was said and done! I'll spare you all the details but you can imagine that there was a bit of cow chasing and some swearing involved. It has definitely helped me to re-prioritize the Farm To Do List. And guess what's now at the top of my list. Yep, a handling facility. Luckily, my family still has some equipment left from the days when they had cattle. They have been kind enough to let us use the old cattle chute and a bunch of other things, including the livestock trailer I used to take the cattle into town with. We've said it many times but I'll say it again - we are very grateful to have such supportive family and friends!<br />
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Now that it's done, though, we have a ton of great information. We now know that 11 out of 12 cows were bred back and 5 out of 6 heifers are bred. All of which are approximately 6-7 months along. We also now know that our cows are mostly 4-5 years old. We also got weights on all of them, which we can use to help us decide which cows we want to keep and which cows need to go. And it will help me develop an eye for estimating the weights of cattle. So, all in all, we are very glad we did it. For beginners like us, that information is invaluable. I still have heartburn about taking our medication free animals to a place where many other (sick and/or heavily medicated) animals have been but we needed to get it done and everyone seems OK so far. <br />
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By the way, who's up for a rocky mountain oyster fry?! I may or may not have forgotten them in the truck for 6 hours... Normally that wouldn't be a problem but with the 80 degree weather, I'm not so sure. Or should I say that Jamie's not so sure. I threw them in the freezer anyway in case someone still wanted them. <br />
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I also wanted to mention that Open Sky Farm is putting together an email list for anyone who wants to be the first to know of new things we have available. We will also offer email list only specials! Shoot us an email or give us a call if you'd like to be included.Farmer Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-90169108735109074332012-03-15T11:36:00.001-05:002012-03-15T15:07:07.264-05:00Dare to be a Herd QuitterJon and I had the awesome privilege of hearing Kit Pharo of <a href="http://www.pharocattle.com/">Pharo Cattle Company</a> speak last night in Sabetha, Kansas. Kit is a producer of grass genetics seedstock in Colorado. He using Black Angus, Red Angus and various other breeds and composites to produce his bulls. And boy are his bulls great looking! They are everything a good fertile bull should be. Just <a href="http://www.pharocattle.com/Semen-Source-2012/angus.htm">take a look</a> at his semen catalog. <br />
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Kit was also a great speaker. His philosophy is "Dare to be a Herd Quitter". His definition of a herd quitter is someone who goes against the herd mentality. It's a person who doesn't follow the herd, but strikes his own path. He is a great example of that. His animals are low input, easy fleshing cattle who are being raised with little to no hay during the winters. Not feeding hay to cattle in the winter is almost unthinkable to many cow/calf producers. It can be done with good grass management and rotational grazing. One of his points last night was how inputs are not getting any cheaper. Oil, gas, and diesel prices are not coming down anytime soon, which also translates into higher prices for corn and hay. Farmers are going to start going out of business soon if they can't find a way to lower their inputs and make a profit.<br />
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Another one of his points was the topic of innovation. In every other industry besides farming, innovation is quickly adopted with 17-24 months. In agriculture, innovation takes closer to 17-24 YEARS to be adopted. As farmers, we need to do a better job of applying new research and innovation. He also talked about the average age of a farmer. Guess what? It's close to mid 60s now. That is scary. Farming and agriculture are not doing a good enough job of getting young people interested. I feel like farming is at a tipping point. Small family farms have GOT to find a way to make money. They also need to figure out a way to making farming more family friendly and sustainable. We need young people interested in agriculture. Young people my age are smart. We want to have free time to enjoy our hobbies, vacations and families. We want to be able to enjoy life AND work hard at a profession we love. But too often, young people just hear the grumbles of older farmers who have been working hard for a long time with little to show for it. If you aren't having fun and enjoying what you are doing, farming will quickly make you very miserable. The farming community has got to figure out a way to keep the next generation interested.<br />
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Anyways, it was a great night and Jon and I really enjoyed ourselves. Clara also enjoyed herself. Apparently she decided that night was the right time to really show off her vocal skills and how loud she can shriek! Many thanks to Phil and Linda Wertenberger of N-K Land and Cattle for hosting Kit! They are PCC cooperative producers locally in Sabetha, Kansas and just plain great people. We are hoping to get back down there again soon to spend more time with them on their ranch.<br />
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It's so important for Jon and I to continue going to meetings like this. It helps keep us focused and we always pick up on key points that help us to make decisions for the direction of our farm. One discussion we've been having lately is our bull. But I will let Jon elaborate about that!<br />
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Speaking of future farmers:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dd2WW0H9fco/T2IaOFUzMnI/AAAAAAAAA0o/qcpDLOGn4OY/s1600/IMG_5692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dd2WW0H9fco/T2IaOFUzMnI/AAAAAAAAA0o/qcpDLOGn4OY/s640/IMG_5692.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>agirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.com0