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January 2007
Happy New Year!
2006 has left us in the midst of many, many projects. We are still clearing up fencelines, mending and refencing fields,
reworking buildings as well as starting on our new house-barn. October brought us not only a break for the summer heat, but
our Dexters up from Texas. We love our cattle and cannot say enough about Neil and Maureen McCready/Fan-C Dexters of Texas.
In November we had our Fall kids born and they are growing like weeds. One young buckling has herd sire prospects- weighed
11 lbs at birth and gained 20 lbs in 30 days~ not bad for a Spanish lad! Three of our Texas doelings we received in July
arrived bred and their kids (all does) are also thriving. The next batch of kids, sired by our Kiko, will arrive in late
March and early April. For our older Spanish nannies, these were their second "batch" of kids for 2006!
The Dexters are growing nicely and are enjoying "stockpiled pasture" (we did not graze on this particular field
after we cut it for hay in early June) and are sharing the field with the other bred does, bucks and the guard llama. Two
strands of hot woven wire are keeping all in within the allowed grazing boundaries, even the nosey-nose goats. Early training
of electric wire has its rewards! We hope to finish refencing the perimeter of this field soon so we can add the nannies and
their growing kids.
Stockpiling pastures certainly is the way to go for winter feeding. What ease! We do have hay available from round bale
feeders (if they so desired) and give the cattle, goats and llama a handful/token amount of meal in the mornings. This allows
us to check on them, pet them, and gives a bit of "positive reinforcement" for coming to us when called.
The winter has started off a bit above normal temperature-wise, but will soon be going back to single digit lows. There
is plenty of firewood stacked, we are fortunate to have an abundance of hay and the garden was bountiful. I suppose we are
as ready as we will ever be for the "real" winter ahead.
Until later,
Mary Jane
February... Brrrrrrrrr!
We missed the ice storm that hit the rest of Missouri, mostly because we are lower down here in the holler. We got rain,
a touch of ice, but that was all. Driving up the road to town was amazing- there is an invisible line that defined ice-no
ice and up on the ridge things were worse than we imagined.
And, to make matters worse, Ricky the Weather Llama saw his shadow, so we figure
another 6 good weeks of winter left. The fact that flurries were blowing by didn't help soften the forecast news.
The rest of January went well enough, considering all that happened. One pregnant doe, Cookie, showed up one morning
with a broken back leg. The injury did not break the skin but one could feel both ends of the broken bone- snapped right
in two. Vet was unable to come out as he was getting ready to perform surgery, so we discussed with him a plan of attack
and carried on ourselves. Grabbing what we could- wood window trim, VetWrap, hand towels, plastic bottle, margarine tub and
lots of duct tape later, Cookie was up and about in the Hay Barn Hospital. Had to keep her relatively quiet and confined,
but goats are such social animals- the week she was in solitary greatly depressed her. She ate less and less each day,
losing weight. After her time was completed in isolation, we let her back out with her mob. She was a happy goat again!
Eating with gusto, bonking heads with the other goats...
She can run with the mob on 3 legs and will prop her peg when she feeds. Circulation has been good in the hoof of the
affected leg, so we are guardedly optimistic. The splint comes off in March, 2 weeks before she will kid. February will
be the longest month- for all the waiting.
The puppy, nine month old Jasper, decided he wanted to play with an old fishing lure he found. After it bit him in the
lip, we had to get wire cutters. Hard to do with a hundred pounds of yelping, jumping dog, 12 inches of long pink tongue
and 3 treble hooks dancing on a 5 inch lure- waiting to hook into something else. Makes you want to carry wire cutters with
you at all times.
The young buckling born in November shows potential- at two months he is now nearly as big as our year-old Texas does!
He is already market weight, but we will give him a go-round with some does later this summer to see if he can indeed pass
that growthiness on.
Hay is scarce and prices going up. We were fortunate to get one cutting done last spring and I won't complain any more
about its lack of protein. At least we have some hay. Corn prices are shooting up as well (don't get me started about ethanol
plants), but we have found that cottonseed meal, at 41% protein, is a good protein supplement for the lactating nannies.
The calves and pregnant does are doing well on their stockpiled fescue and between it and the aforementioned hay, are pretty
self sufficient.
Savannah is up to snow day #7 from the school closings. Four days were used before Christmas, one for the January ice
storm, and two so far for this week's snow and below freezing temps. She has one day left worked in the schedule, after that
future snow days will be added on to the end of school. She is happily dreaming about her upcoming trip to Hawaii in June
to get her through the frigid temps. We just have to remember is that come summertime we don't have air conditioning- suddenly
the winter weather doesn't seem so bad- just put on a sweater and have some tea!
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has put out their 10th annual catalogue. Based here in Mansfield, they are growing by leaps
and bounds. It is a wonderful catalogue, and free! The story behind the company is charming- give them a call for your own
copy!
We also attended a conference early in January at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach. "Computers on the Farm"
opened our eyes to the world of big business in farming and the unimaginable ways technology has become "indispensable"
on the farm. As a result, we recently purchased a GIS mapping program that allows you to draw, map, and keep records on
your acreage. FarmKeeper is a wonderful tool- we can now know exactly where to put our temporary fences for our grazing strips,
how much fence is in a field's perimeter, etc. I recommend it to anyone.
The rest of February will see us getting a bit more done on the house barn, a little more fence run when the weather is
hospitable, and getting the pastures frost-seeded with clover for better forage in the future.
Until later, stay warm yourselves!
-Mary Jane
March- In Like a Lion!
March roared in with a band of tornado-spawning storms; can't get more "lionish" than that. Later that day
the weather was nice enough, but most strange to have thunderstorms in the pre-dawn hours.
Fields are beginning to show green, snow geese have been flying north in huge numbers- if we have seen this many go over
us, imagining all the other flocks is almost boggling. The does-in-waiting will be having kids in pretty soon now, and Cookie's
cast came off- her broken leg has healed!!! The goat gods have smiled upon us~ I am sure the Mrs. Meyer's bottle, with it's
residual geranium scent, made her feel better (goat aromatherapy??) and did a fine job of keeping her leg out of the weather
while her terrible break mended- even in the sub-zero nights!
February's market prices for goats were nice and high- should be the same in March. Will have some buck kids to take
at the end of the month. February, March and April historically are the high-priced months in the area.
Fencing, gardening, no-till-drilling of clover, lespedeza and orchardgrass and work on the new house will be on our March
"to do" list. Ordered several fruit tees from Jung's and Stark Bros. Asparagus crowns will also be soon arriving.
All in all, must say that Spring is right around the corner. High temps in the 40's-60's and lows hopefully won't dive
below 24 again until Fall. More rain would be nice, both January and February had less than 3 inches each month, including
melted snow contributions. Will see how precipitation in March and April pan out.
Time to get outside and get to work!
-Mary Jane
April! Spring is Here! Eggs are set! Kids are born!
And the ticks are here too... Had such a warm March that just a few days of 70's brought them out. Bleh! THEN we get
record breaking highs, 80 and 81, immediately followed a few nights later by "soon to be record lows" in the teens
and 20's.
Have added several strands of wire to make a total of 7 or 8 strands, depending on topography, in the East Meadow. Much
of the fence was ok, but many parts needed to be completely tore out and replaced. Glenn cleared a path along the fenceline,
making it easier to run the wire now as well to check for breaks, limbs, etc. in the future.
The Dexters and goats will LOVE it up there. The East Meadow is the highest point on the property and I know they will
all be up on the top of the rise at sunrise and sunset.
March began the Spring kidding, and the Spanish/Kiko kids are adorable.
All white like their buck with ears like beagles, but one has kept the long droopy ears of her dam- Cookie's little doe
Cupcake.
Two more does to kid and we will be done until the senior nanny group kids again in August. Next year we will be kidding
in 3 groups, not just 2.
The heifers and little Joseph are growing nicely. This month I will halter train them- a learning experience for all
of us, I am sure. Have had some good advice from Boulder Creek Farm and the halters made by the Thomas's in Oregon are perfectly
suited- they have had Dexters for over 30 yrs. and know how to fit a Dexter's head.
"Can we wear a hat instead of a halter?"
Fruit trees are being planted as they arrive, still anticipating asparagus next year. Mom sent rhubarb crowns which are
already sending up leaves. Mmmmmmmm, rhubarb pie... Have been too busy to "put out" the garden yet, but last year
we didn't get going until mid May and it did just fine. Morels! We apparently are covered up in them here. Were too busy
last year, unloading the semi, when we moved here to hunt them. Looking for a nice good rain to bring them out in bunches.
The cement crew came today and poured the slab and footers for the housebarn. This spring and summer we will be in shorts,
in the shade, away from chiggers and ticks being carpenters! Imagine! Shorts, shade and bug-free!
Savannah is getting geared up for her Student Ambassador trip to Hawaii in June. Her horn playing amazes us (not a musical
bone in our bodies) and we don't have to nag her to practice. Got her a new horn, she started on a rental single and needed
to move on up to a double, and she says "I just love to play on this horn."
Martins are migrating up, some have stopped and checked out the gourds we hung last month. Just love hearing them sing.
Hopefully some will stick around. Tons of migtating robins, bluebirds nesting, even whip-poor-wills and owls singing in the
night. Eggs are rocking gently in the incubator, a mix between our partridge rock rooster James Brown and our buff Orpington,
silver-laced Wyandotte and partridge rock hens.
But- as we have only female guineas- their eggs are saved especially for hard-boiled eggs. PERFECT size!
Well, I feel ticks crawling everywhere- you find one (or five) then you feel them for the rest of the day... bleh!
(Aha!- there's one...)
Happy Spring!
-Mary Jane
It's May! It's May!
Figure we are about where we were a month ago before the big freeze hit... Everything got set back in a big way- even
"hardy" plants like blackberries, wild roses, buck brush and fescue. Look like they had been hit with a blow torch-
wilted, brown, dead. But now, all is forgotten- green growing grass, leaves popping out, birds singing. Spring has returned!
Cookie and CupCake indeed graced Mrs. Meyer's website last month. Cookie was their feature for an Earth Day "reuseability"
wire release. Her broken leg story made the internet and I would like to say she has become more the wiser but no- fame doesn't
bring smarts. Found her yesterday with her head caught in the fence, just an inch below the hot electric wire we put up to
keep such activity from happening. Turned off the juice, got her out and imagine won't be long before "the other side"
looks tempting again... Her paddock is lush- she isn't wanting for food- she is just being a goat...
The cows all halter trained well- they only needed 48 hrs of tutoring. The more submissive girls accepted things better
than the two bossies. Joseph was the caveat- the more time he spent being "trained," the more "bull-igerent"
he became. Realized it was an opportune time to get him de-horned; something we should have done earlier. That done, we
let him loose. Figured he had been through enough. Our vet is wonderful, does house calls and graciously takes with him
whatever I have baked.
The cows and older goats are enjoying the newly opened East Meadow. As expected, they find a good spot high on the hill
to watch the sunsets while they ruminate things. Ticks turned out to be the Curse of the Meadow. We quickly built a holding
area with a chute so we could inspect and de-tick as needed. Two of the cows (the bossies) will stand quietly while you play
"tick bird." Read that it will take at least 2 years of diligent management to see a difference in tick counts.
Guess that means next year won't be much better.
Getting geared up for the end of school, haying time, carpentry and a trip to Texas. (Do I see more Dexters in my future???)
More about all this next month.
In the meantime, asparagus is coming up- seeds in starting trays are doing what seeds should do (wouldn't want to be in
too much of a hurry here)- ground is warming and we will be planting corn soon. Time to go watch one of these May sunsets
and see what the cows find so fascinating...
Until later~
Mary Jane
June
Has May flown by or what? Already summer is upon us and farm chores keep us so busy we do not even know what day it is
half the time.
We are learning that prioritizing the "to do" list is a necessity, but it does put off things that once done
would be nice; like the house, for instance. Fencing issues, planting the orchard, haying, and the ever present emergent
issue du jour seem to keep pushing the new house back onto the back burner. One day we will move into the housebarn, when
exactly I do not know...
We found a great deal on used hay equipment and the sickle mower, rake and baler should provide us with years of service.
Dividing the cost of the equipment by ten years, then dividing that figure by about 450 annual bales (very conservative) gave
us a cost-per-bale that was hard to resist. (Yes- I didn't include cost of manpower or diesel but will be able to add that
in after we run our first cutting) Just picking the right time to mow, cure, rake and bale in between seemingly daily rain
showers is the trick! Having our own hay in square bales should make supplemental winter feedings easier and also cut back
on waste from the big round bales we had last year. Half of that hay ended up making the mulched beds for the corn. Will
we get more than one cutting this year??? Hmmmmm..
Took a trip to Houston, Texas right before Memorial Day to visit family and had a wonderful, wonderful time. First time
we had been away from the farm for more than one night in over a year. Just needed a couple more days to do all the things
we had wanted to see and do, but that will give us something to plan on next visit. Mom and Rumi spoiled us Ozark farmers
at "The Houston Ritz."
Also stopped by Fan-C-Dexters in Navasota, our breeder from whom we bought our started calves. Brought home 3 mature
cows and 2 heifer calves (2 of whom are dun). We now have 9 females and the one bull in our herd. All have great pedigrees,
personalities, and are a joy to behold.
12 hrs on the road was hard on all of us, but the cows and calves did just great. They unloaded just as dark fell and
the 60 degree weather, cool green pastures and cessation of movement must have been "bovine nirvana" for them.
Already I can walk among the new arrivals, scratch on them and they do come when called. Dexters are just too smart.
5 month old heifer Fan-C-Violet will be weaned and halter trained soon. We expect Hammer to calve around Labor Day and
that will compete the calving for 2007. Nannies will kid twice more this year- end of summer and again in mid-Autumn.
Savannah is now out of school so her added pair of hands is wonderful to have around. Corn has been planted, gardens
weeded and chicks tended to. Catching and releasing black snakes from the chicken coop is part of her job, and she enjoys
being our resident "Crocodile Hunter."
The pool has opened up and she is able to swim; her reward for hard farm work! She is getting all geared up for her Student
Ambassador trip to Hawaii. What tales she will have when she returns!
Little buck Prince Cosimo is having his shot at the does. Will give him 6 weeks then put one of the other bucks in for
"clean up" if needed. Cosimo is the Spanish buck who grew tremendously quick and big- will see if he can pass that
on to the next batch of kids.
The half-Kiko kids born in April will be ready to sell in August/September. They are growing great and were seen the
other day up in a tree that leans over. Strange to see goats up above your head!
Have finally solved the "mystery floral fragrance" we have noticed the past couple of weeks in the absence of
any visible blooming flowers. When you walk in the woods or on the edges of the fields you get wafts of a sweet gardenia/mimosa/rose-like
fragrance but try as we might- we couldn't find any flowers. Finally, looked UP and saw the wild grapes are blooming.
Found a flower low enough to pick and mystery is solved. Up close the aroma is less than pleasing but when placed in
a windowsill and allowed to "dilute", it smells heavenly!
Until later!
Mary Jane
July
Whew! Our second summer in the Ozarks without a/c (but we are thinking seriously about a window unit) and my! How lovely
winter seems! And how far, far away!
Have been moving cattle and goats about, trying to get the best use of available forage. Guinea keets hatched and we
have sold quite a few. Haying went well till the baler imploded- we were saved by neighbor Herman who round-baled our remaining
windrows. One cutting will do us for the winter, but the clover and orchardgrass we drilled is coming up nicely; with the
extra rain we received last month (3x last June!) a second cutting is looking favorable/possible.
Savannah enjoyed Hawaii- will get pictures on the website next month. When we have a bit more time...
July has just up and grabbed us. The housebarn is going well- joists in, insulation installed and drainlines in-process.
Just no time to sit and work on the newsletter last week! (or this week- looks like)
Stay cool, enjoy tomatoes and until later-
-Mary Jane
August
Word for the month: heat! But we have to remember, it was hotter EARLIER last year, and for longer too. Also, has been
terribly dry. Over 6 weeks since we had any rain of consequence, which means more than 0.3 inches. July totaled all of 1.56
inches for the month. Hard to feel bad about the heat when humidity is less than 50%.
Had our first calf born to the farm: Hammer's Little Bit calved on a Friday afternoon, just hours after she and the other
Dexters were hollering at the gate of the East Meadow to be moved closer to the house. Yes, I speak cow. Thought it was
odd at the time that they should all be at the gate, asking to be let out. Opened the gate and they all filed up the drive
and turned into the Rose Field. From there, up to another gate that opens to the alley and when I got caught up with them,
they plainly wanted into the alley-way. Opened that gate and off they went. Once in the alley they went into the two smaller
paddocks and settled down.
Later that day I went to check Hammer and saw her water must have just broke. Went to the house and got some towels and
told Glenn and Savannah. When I returned, saw hooves presenting but the bottoms of the feet were skyward. Hammer went down
and I easily helped guide the calf out, breech of course. Little Bull was shell-shocked and not moving. Wiping, drying,
hay-in-the-nose didn't work so I picked him up by the back legs and jiggled him, laid him down and did mouth to nose. Positive-pressure
ventilation. That did it. He finally started to work his lungs and Hammer did a great job cleaning him off.
Had to help get him going by bottle-feeding some goat colostrum and then some of his own mom's colostrum (thanks to neighbor
Herman for milking Hammer out). Vet said, "A breech calf, if it lives, can be a slow learner." Well, by the next
morning "Baby Beefers" was nursing on his own and a gained 7 lbs in a week. Watching him in the field you would
never know he had a rough start. Hammer had never had a breech calf before, but is such a patient dam and was exceedingly
tolerant of our interventions that first night.
One of our guineas hatched out a clutch, but when the keets were a week old she brought them inside the coop to roost.
"Great!" thought I. That night snakes took care of one Silkie hen who had been sitting on a nest of guinea eggs
and 9 of the 10 keets. Guinea mom then would lead the single keet hither and yon, losing the poor thing in different places
around the yard. We tried bringing the keet inside but when it became clear we could not easily raise a single keet, we put
it in a small pen with our other Silkie hen who immediately scooped up the keet as if it had been hers all along.
Momma Silkie did so good, we got 4 broad-breasted bronze turkey poults and within minutes she had them too tucked under
her wings. Banty hens will mother anything. The happy family is still penned at night (not in the coop) but now can run
loose in the yard to forage. We figure we have 2 male/2 female turkeys and will keep the best pair for next year’s
generation. So far, guinea keet and the turkey poults think they are Silkie chickens. They come when called and are very
calm when you walk among them. When the babes are a bit bigger they can go into the coop with the hens, but for now. Nah...
Savannah is ready for school, if only for the central air conditioning. She says the best part of the Hawaii trip was
snorkeling on the reef.
Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center were also highlights, but the trip was so fast, so full- it is hard to
pick a favorite spot. Well, the snorkeling crater was pretty cool.
Glenn and I have been installing windows in the house barn. Floor joists are in and we thought to put in the windows
before we finished the drain lines for the plumbing. Haying is done and we did get almost half of the hay field cut a second
time. Would like to finish the job, but with the lack of rain it is soooo dry we are afraid to damage the root base. Will
most likely just let the field rest and stockpile for winter grazing.
We are now well-versed in balers, sickle mowers and rakes. Figure the amount of money we spent on equipment (sans labor
and diesel) means this year the hay costs us $4.50 a bale. Next year, if we keep every thing going, that can go down by half
(if I use my own rationalization and farm-depreciation). Still a great deal even though we learned about haying the hard
way. Ag people are saying already that there will be another big hay shortage this winter with prices estimated to be 3x
that of last year!!!
Picked 2 bushels of elderberries which equals 25 finished pounds. Plucking the berries off the stems is what takes all
the time. The good folks from Ozark's HomeBrew Supply are sending me some winemaking yeast and other tidbits after I called
them asking for help. I am set up for ale, not wine. From everything we have read, elderberry wine is supposed to be a superior
homemade variety that rivals some of the best sherries and similar wines. Will see. Oh, and it takes up to 5 years for the
wine to properly age. Like it will last that long!
Until September,
Mary Jane
September
Thank goodness that August is over and the days are getting shorter! Terribly dry and hot (it did eventually become
hotter and drier than last summer) to be replaced by more humid, a little cooler, and generally damper weather. The field
corn, which had all but shriveled and turned brown, is now tasseling and putting out ears. In September... Amazing what
a couple inches of rain can do. In fact, it is raining now! Not just drizzle, but honest rain! Poor turkeys are yelping-
they have never seen it rain like this and they don't know what to do! (Well, besides hide under the bushes and deck-)
Let the does have the spring off and they should all be rebred now for late fall/winter kids. Some are already looking
plumper. The older does have been producing kids every 8-9 mos. Figured a longer break would let them rest and not "burn
ou" too quick. Looking forward to lots of twins and triplets! The youngest does will get their chance in November with
the Spanish buck, Cosimo for Spring deliveries.
The Dexters have done very well on the pasture- Baby Beefers is a chunk, Freebie is growing like a weed and even Violet
is looking growed up. Joseph has been seen following heifers and cows around, chin on their hip. They are being very discreet
Am hoping the older cows will give him a break as he is a little shorter than they are.
Went to middle Tennessee for our niece's wedding. Was an informal family reunion and we all had a great time. Saw family
we hadn't seen in almost five years. Savannah had fun seeing her cousins, especially now that there are six new babies in
the family. The wedding was beautiful, the weather pretty much cooperated and equally as good- as was as we left it when
we returned to the farm.
School is back in session and 7th grade is turning out to be more fun than 6th. Savannah likes her classes, the new freedoms
of being an official middle schooler, and is doing great in her studies. In the morning we all walk the ¼ mile down the driveway
(have chairs at the gate) and we have a nice quiet time before the bus comes. Almost quiet, we take the dogs too and Jasper
is learning the "rules of the leash."
Housebarn is coming along; plumbing and insulation are going well. Windows are all but in and I cannot wait to get moved.
One day, one day. Not like we are on the clock or rushing a deadline. Things will get done when they get done. Springfield's
Habitat for Humanity's ReStore had a moving sale last month and we got some wonderful buys- wrought iron security door (will
make a nice garden trellis), an old glass-paneled wood storm door (for between the pantry and the kitchen), a nice and deep
acrylic double sink for the pantry and the BEST buy- a gently used Kohler deep double-well cast iron kitchen sink. It must
weigh 120lbs! Everything was 50% off. Just love that place!
Rain is slowing and lunch time approaches... Glenn will be down soon for a break.
Until later! Think Autumn!
-Mary Jane
October
Cooler days! Delightful nights! O! Happy Autumn!
September went by way too fast. We received much-needed rain and the garden did it' Lazarus-trick and surprised us with
field corn, tomatoes and even watermelon after we had given up post-drought. Watermelon? In October?
Attended the Missouri Dexter Breeders Show and Sale and brought home a handsome (as my mother calls them) cow-calf pair
from Jim Bennett's herd. Betty Jean of Diamond and her unnamed bull-calf have fit in just fine. Betty Jean is a bit upset
with us now- we have weaned the calves and she, more than the other cows, voiced her displeasure all night long.
Also, we picked up 5 Dexter steer-calves and will be offering them for sale. We wanted one for ourselves, so we now have
some for others. Did you know that Dexter ribeyes are 15% larger than regular USDA ribeyes when compared to carcass weight
ratios?? Oh those clever Dexters; even though they are small they still come out big. They are priced at $500 and will be
ready for the freezer next summer/fall. You can finish them (grass or grain) however you would like. These steers will be
grassfed only while they are here and raised as organically as possible. Just received our hay analysis results and we are
pleased. Will not need to supplement-feed the cattle this winter- just our stockpiled pasture and hay.
Two of the steers are dun colored and fairly well-matched. I may start them as oxen and sell them as a team. Will see
how that goes- they are very curious now and not skittish.
The goats are beginning to show their pregnancies. Had them in the corral and chute to give them a look-over, and had
one by her collar. She turned and went the other way, and so did my left index finger which had hold of the collar. Heard
a sound not unlike that when you are jointing a chicken, and I thought it was only dislocated. Nope- the middle bone has
3 breaks. D'Ohhh!
The housebarn construction is moving along. Interior walls are popping up- it is looking like a house now. Not giving
any sort of estimated time of entry- we will move in when we move in. Now with my hand out of commission for a bit, I ain't
much help...
Made a visit to Houston. What fun! Some people go sightseeing- I go to grocery stores! Reveled in the variety of goods
and came home with culinary treasures. Savannah was sent home with a fall wardrobe thanks to her Grammy and is a (modestly)
fashionable farmgirl. Savannah even went ice skating and did very well for her second time out! Mom and Rumi are the perfect
hosts!
Looking forward to Springfield's FarmFest this weekend. A 3-day trade show that has over 800 vendors, free parking and
no admission costs! Door prizes, etc- I feel lucky this year... Saturday night during the agriculture extravaganza is the
MO Dexter Breeders meeting, will be nice to see our new friends again.
Until later! Enjoy the change of seasons!
~Mary Jane
November!
2007 continues to march along, picking up speed as it goes. What happened to June? Where's September? The woodpile
is full, the leaves are falling- I guess it is November. Neighbor Hubie has a great wood cutting saw on his tractor's PTO.
He cuts the trees and uses the "tractor saw" to cut them into the correct lengths. He shares the firewood with
his neighbors- cutting more than he needs while clearing his fields. Glenn has to just drive up and get a front end loader
full dumped into the pickup. Stacking the wood is easy!
October sped by- fueled by activities, meetings and new farm additions. 4-H got it's fall season rolling and held a membership
drive bonfire. Games, roasted marshmallows and hotdogs on a perfect moonless, starlit night. Just like the good old days.
FarmFest at the Springfield Expo Center was fun, I didn't win any door prizes as hoped, but did get great ideas, some
gadgets and talked to a bunch of people. The Missouri Dexter Breeders held their Fall meeting in town during FarmFest and
that not only was an enjoyable social but was also very productive.
Savannah's 4-H leader told us she had a gelding who needed a home. They have too many horses right now, so we went out
to look at him. Buzz will be 3 in March and is started under halter. We only went to look- really... He took to Savannah,
she to him and Chet and Anna were kind enough to trailer him over for us.
So, now "we" are learning about horses, building a round pen, picking up accessories, etc. Savannah has not
been around horses much and is learning quickly- watching where her feet are, how to move and not to move around him, etc.
I feel like I have stepped back in time 25-some years; all my previous "barn rat"; days coming back to life. Buzz
is taking to Clinton Anderson's DownUnder Horsemanship training methods very well. I know Buzz is further along, but I am
starting at the beginning with him so I can be brought up to speed!
A friend from Virginia came by; with her friend from school. Gave the Missouri tourists a break from Branson- visiting
the "SteelMeadow Petting Farm" is enough to put anyone in a good mood! Enjoyed the company, even if just for an
afternoon.
Our bull Joseph just isnt't that big a guy- never was and never will be. He is a short-legged bull (under 36 inches)
and we felt for our herd we needed a non-carrier. After contacting several people, we decided Whistle R Ace from Jim and
Linda Smith's herd was the best candidate. Ace is no taller than our oldest, tallest cows, a deep dun (almost red) and very
well-mannered. Jim and Linda brought him over to SteelMeadow and we had a "Welcome Home, Bull" party.
Baby Beefers has a new hero and follows him everywhere. Zuu Zuu likes him, and is often grooming him. He will have to
wait until after Daisy delivers before he starts to see any action- our heifers and other cows have already been bred. That
seems to be fine with him- he no longer lives in the bachelor-bull herd (at the low end of the totem pole) and is out in fescue
nirvana with his own girls.
With the help of our neighbor Herman we steered 6 calves. Herman has never worked Dexters and was amazed at their docility.
They still run and jump in the corral, but do settle pretty quick in the chute. They just take everything in. Good Dexters!
Can the goats get any bigger? Precious here is huge but hasn't started her udder yet. Other first-time moms are showing
signs of future kidding and we will move the goats closer to the house soon. 15 will kid this winter, and 4 more in March.
We were able to sell 4 buck kids to a neighbor needing (literal) weedeating. The 5th buck kid was picked out by a friend.
She liked his "hams." We traded 1:1- our half-Kiko buckling for her ¾ Saanen doeling. The little buck went immediately
to work with her does and I mean immediately. He amazed her with his "dedication to duty" and he is only 6 mos.
old! She said even her older granny nannies liked him, which says a lot. Goats are picky about their boyfriends. Her Buttercup
is in with our half-Kiko doelings, being bred to Pedro, the Spanish buck. Will be nice kids. Buttercup comes from heavy
milking lines- I can taste the homemade goat cheese!
The garden is officially over. Frost hit last Saturday for the first time and we had just picked the last of the crops.
Made some Salsa Verde yesterday- yummy. Had a bumper crop of basket and birdhouse gourds- they are now drying. One gourd
must weigh 40lbs! It will take weeks to dry. Pitiful walnut crop this year- we have none to pick! That late freeze in April
killed the fruits off. Last year we sold 3 pick-up loads of walnuts- this year we see practically none. Will let the squirrels
have them, if they haven't found them already.
The turkeys are looking right plump. Wonder if I can lace their ration with onions, sage and some pepper??? Hmmmmm...
Until later- enjoy the Bounty of the Season!
~Mary Jane
December
Whew! December is half-through and I am just now getting to the newsletter...
It has been raining goat kids at SteelMeadow. 19 little "bunnies" out in the paddocks with their moms. Hopping,
jumping, running around the sheds. Constant motion and then they all get into a big pile for a nap. One more doe to kid
out and we will be done until March. Have one doe we are milking- our "emergency milk" doe. She likes the extra
food and special attention. You never know when you will need some colostrum.
Cows are enjoying their stockpiled pasture. Each week they get .75 acres more- should be enough to get us to the end
of February. Glenn is welding up some hay feeders. Cows and goats like to nest in the hay- I hate seeing "money on
the ground" like that... Talk about sweat in those bales! That's food- not bedding!
Looking back it has been a great year- Hope 2008 is just as wonderful for all of you as I hope it will be for us.
Until next year~
Mary Jane
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