Happy New Year 2014-My brood - Strong Roots at home!

Dec 29th 2013 - Almost the new year.  Reflecting back on this year's adventures in fodder farming and raising piggers, steers and horses.  Still working on building the fence in the middle pasture, will need irrigation pipes.  Having concerns about water shortage as our weather has not produced much rain so far, we're hoping for a good drenching next week.
Exciting things are happening as Cliff may have a chance at a ship adventure and I may be doing some marketing and PR work for a few organizations.  Our Hawaii kids were able to buy a small house close by for when they "retire".  And Chelsea and Mack will be visiting in February.  I can't wait, we'll have a house full of cousins playing and having fun.  The good news is that Mom's new knee is working well, the therapy has really paid off and she's getting around really well.
It's been a great year and here's wishing 2014 will be another great one.

Christmas Baking at the Double b

I love this time of year, football, family, music, lights, singing the season and snow!  The kind of snow that stays for days and glistens in the sunlight, reminding you of the spirit of thanks and a season that moves you to be kinder!  Oh sure we still have the chores but we feel a little more thankful to be blessed with a life that allows us the choice to have them and greatful that we have the health to perform them.  

Then there is my all time favorite element - the pumpkin bread, the fresh cranberry jam, Cliff's Christmas fudge and the guiltless, pure pleasure of indulging.  A little shopping for special items, a bit of crafty creativity and the surprise of giving something that has been on the list for all year.  

We are waiting for the snow to melt for the first dormant spraying of the orchard, waiting for the temperature to climb in order to fix the stalls that the horses tried to chew, and waiting for our wild ducks to return to the pond.  Planning to plant six more fruit trees but need to extend the orchard fence which will block the deer from accessing the backyard grass, sorry.  And still trying to obtain the motivation to drive some fence metal stakes to make the borders of a front pasture fence for the horses or cows.  Or we could just sing our way into the New Year!

Merry Christmas to all!

Harvesting

I attended the Rough and Ready Grange Small Farm and Garden Forum the other nite and they had some great presenters on growing and "harvesting" meat and veggies.  Harvesting - I suspect that is the kinder, softer version of the word slaughtering, a little less offensive when we speak to other humans.  The end result is the same and on a small farm, it gets a little bit personal. 
I was encouraged, however, being told there are folks up here raising meat chickens, turkeys and ducks. We aren't ready yet, no chicken house and tractor.  Building a chicken house and tractor is a perfect winter project but not yet as the weather has been beautifully warm and sunny and we still have much more to do before the rains gets here.
Almost Halloween and 75degrees - no rain so no burn permits, pond level down and drying, good time to work clearing weeds and debris for the fresh rain catch.  Limbing, so many low hanging branches and mistletoe to cut and a fence line to build in our front pasture.  I'd say there's at least two weeks work yet before we put the outdoor season away.
I'm excited that our first year pasture has done well and look forward to getting production from "middle earth", when the rains come, the rye and dry pasture grass should jump up and we'll be rotating the cows and horses.  We'll try that bunch grazing for the steers, not sure whether the horses will comply with the electric fence application when green grass is long and tall in another section so close.
Fodder House still not back in production, but I think next week my be a great re-start.  Although, November has family visiting from Hawaii, a two day visit to the Bay Area, a 49er game and a Boston Tea Party, Thanksgiving and family weekend and football.  Might re-think re-opening until after November.
Wonder where John Denver got the idea that "life on the farm is kind laid back". 

Fodder Grow Big

 And the new chicken house, those four hens don't know how lucky they are.


I love my fodder grow trailer.  I love the healthy product, I love that the pigs, cows and horses all love it and I am in love with the work required to produce it.
But - there's always a but!  This summer's hot outside temp, the cool air conditioned trailer created humidity.  The fodder production suffered horribly.  Finding the temp and humidity levels are imperative for growing healthy fodder.

We had such instant success March, April May, June we shut down for family reasons, starting back in July, having to add the air conditioner and in August, the de-humidifier.  But again had to shut down in September to accomodate non-farm activities and committments.
Now that the weather has turned cooler - going to sanitize everything including all pvc and drains.  Test regulators and drip system and fire back up.  I hope the cooler weather promotes good, healthy crop productions - maybe this will be a fall, winter, spring grow trailer.  And that's all good - I'll keep posting up!

There is a Season for Everything

September, we've been prepping the "middle earth", behind the barn, clearing stumps, taking out a few diggers and oak bushes, cleared berries and cut back manzanita growing by the fence.  We have been avoiding the nest of ground bees, until one day and a temporary lack of attention, drug the rippers over the nest.
Within seconds I sensed the attack, a few had intruded into my hair and within moments I was hot, and itchy on my legs and my hands and felt strange. I went to make another pass at the field but couldn't complete the row, I motioned to Cliff on the other tractor that I was "going up".  By the time I got off the tractor and drove the "mater" gator up to the house - something was seriously wrong.  A shower was the ticket, had to reduce the intense itch, so took a benedryl before the dousing.
I'm pretty sure taking the benedryl saved my life.  A five minute shower and I was so dizzy and weak, I could move only two steps holding on, I barely made it to the couch.  No I didn't lose consciousness, but definitely weak, dizzy and still itching.  45 minutes later, in comes Cliff and says "Where'd you go"?  I guess he didn't think anything at all was odd about my towel only clad appearance, on the living room couch, in the middle of the day.
The next three days I treated myself with benedryl, sleeping alot.  The scabs, from the reaction to the stings, went away and the pasture got planted without me.  I feel just aweful about the bees, and hope to attract bees with the clover flowers that will come up.  And it just might be a good birthday present for Cliff, he has been interested in honey bees for awhile.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

My last post was incredibly optimistic and a bit naive concerning the impending calf birthing.  We had just penned her up in a comfy corral with shade surrounded with fresh straw.  We brought in all her favorite foods, fresh water, and allowed for the steers to hang out, outside the corral.  It was Saturday and we were hopeful.
In the traumatic days that followed, we watched our beautifully huge, content Momma cow go from agressively pregnant and constantly hungry to not hungry and rejecting food and water.  Large animal vets were called, calls not returned.  We self treated, based on reliable best guess advice from our feed store.  We took copious notes on everything going in and coming out and we monitored round the clock, checking for change in condition every two hours.
Monday morning help arrived in the form of an experienced rancher, Susan Hoek who gave me a name and phone of her Vet which I called right away.  Unable to schedule the appointment that day, she had an opening on Tuesday.  On arrival, we got the patient up on her feet, took the vitals, did a pregnancy exam, definitely not calving time.  So what's wrong?  Not sure, could be pregnant toxemia, or something else.  First things first is the need to force feed and water.  So into the squeeze shoot and shot two large bladders of super propylene glycol and administered the first of a series of antibiotic and vitamin K shots.  Cliff, who we in the family lovingly refer to as Doctor Death, is given instructions on drenching and shooting.  No confirmation whether the calf was alive.  No indication that labor was imminent.
Over the next three days we drenched, shot, had an additional Vet visit, confirming that there was no visible improvement and still no sign of labor.  The Vet advised letting her out with the other cows, as this may be adding to her stress.  She was pretty weak and uninterested, but at least we didn't have to chase her all over to pasture to give her a shot.
Saturday - this was it.  Pretty sure this cow was a gonner but had to do something.  Asked for abortion meds, she would leave it on the porch but doesn't recommend this as treatment.  One last time, check in on the Momma Cow-she was on her feet, standing funny, steers trying to mount her.  So we separated her from them, and waited.
She was definitely beginning labor, after an hour and a half a hoof was visible, more than an hour ticked by and she had little sign of progress and was struggling with the contractions.  Cliff tries to help by pulling but the calf was coming breech and he was unable to turn.  Finally with pulling and contracting together they delivered a 70lb calf, a small white faced Hereford, it was very blue, not breathing.  We suspect the calf had died prior to the labor but there was no strong smell of having been dead for a week or at the same time the cow began to show symptons of being sick.  The cow took no interest in the calf, and was too weak to even get up for the rest of the delivery.  This is the down side of being a farmer.  We're just so very sad. 

Bacon Ham and Sausage

Getting ready for the winter, just stored up fresh pork, ham and bacon are in the smoker.  Just got our first feedback - the sausage was amazing.  Thanks so much to the Village Smokehouse in Rough and Ready for the smoking, amazing flavoring, curing and cutting - fabulous job.  Miss talking to the piggers tho, they were fun to watch each day.  The cows and horses are loving their shares of the fodder.

Speaking of fodder, we've had the trailer online since 8Jul, tried 2 bags of different seed, really dirty.  Had 3 bags of seed that got a little wet.  We've fixed our flooding problems by installing a huge filter at the well head.  The trailer floor has dried nicely, and finally we are out of seed that got wet.  It was consistently inconsistent.  The seed purchased from Barn 71 in Marysville was the worst ever, it hasn't produced anything, I will try to plant the second bag in the ground or try to use as feed.  We're putting in trays with good seed now, but won't have results for another 5 days or so.  We'll keep you posted.

Meantime - we're having a baby, our cow is close to delivering, I hope, I hope.  She's been in the pen since Saturday with some of the signs but no birthing yet.  My biggest concern is eating, she's been off her food and has not eaten sufficient in 3 days now.