2009 Newsletter Archive

January!! Happy Year of the Ox!!

What crazy weather we are having this winter... Below freezing (as in single digits), then yesterday a high of 68º?? Bees enjoyed the nice day- making their needed flights in and out of the hive. I am eager so see how they fare this first winter and hope both hives make it to Spring in good shape.

Daisy is ready to pop. Our head-cow is "officially" due to calve on the 10th. She is showing signs of impending motherhood and is a very good momma cow to her calves. She will start off the 2009 calving/kidding season.

We have had a fine holiday- a quick trip to Texas to visit mom and Rumi (fun as always), nice weather to get work done on the new house. Savannah has turned into a 14 yr old wonderhelper- doing everything needed around the house and farm. I think she just wants to get the house done so we can move in as soon as possible! School starts back tomorrow- has vacation gone by that fast??

Last year I typed in the resolutions for 2008 and pretty much met them all, except for getting the house done. Let's see how well we do this year!

2009 Farm Resolutions:

~Finish the new house and move in...

~Fence in an area up in the "North Forty" for the goats...

~Run a waterline up to the tractor barn (with electric too!) and Rose Field (easier said than done)...

~Maintain our good health and even shed some extra poundage...

~Put up more than 16 tons of hay- maybe 20 tons...

~Have a great garden...

~Have thriving bees, goats, chickens and cattle...

~Remind myself each day how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family, friends and life on the farm.

All the best to you this month-

Mary Jane

February 2009

What a way to start a month- sleet, ice, temps in the teens… 4 snow days in a row… I am ready for warmer weather!

January began calving season with Daisy leading off with a dark dun heifer “Nutkin.” She is living up to her name as she loves to race the older heifers about- full of spunk and energy. Poor mom bellows and lumbers behind, udder swinging as she goes. Nutkin was born at just before 10pm when temps dove to single digits- Daisy was none to happy to be moved into the barn that night but being a good momma, went where her calf was.

Calpurnia delivered a nice black heifer. She is laid back and doing great. Have decided to name the heifer “Ham” as a ham she is.. So funny to watch her goof about. Ham was also born in “teen” temps (at 2 am!!) and has a nice thick curly coat.

Zuu Zuu surprised us by calving early (she does think she is the bull’s best girlfriend); we found her and Ginger Petals in the field on Groundhog Day. Ginger is a leggy girl (with legs like a baby caribou) and is a lovely ginger color. She looks like Bambi trying to negotiate walking on ice.

Lupine is next and is she ever round. No udder building on her yet- yet…

House building is progressing. Got all the ceiling tin up and are halfway with the drywall ceiling for the workshop. Borrowing a neighbor’s drywall lift is just heavenly. Could never put 12’ sheets up without one! Cannot wait to be moved in.

Savannah is in Honor Choir and will be singing with the other kids later this month for their concert. Like Honor Band of last fall, kids from across the area are nominated by their school to participate. They take part in a day-long workshop then finish the day with a big concert. Should be great!

Goats are doing well. We have just been added to the Spanish Goat Association and plan on promoting our great Spanish goats this year. We bred our buck Pedro to all does that were not his offspring- should have a great crop of kids!

Other than that, we are snugged in. Who said winter was a time to relax from farm chores??? Animals need food and water regardless of the season. Did get some culture in by attending the Springfield Symphony’s Strauss Horn Concerto as well as the traveling Broadways production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” which was just hilarious.

Good news is that Spring is coming. Hens are beginning to lay again (hurray!) and on sunny warm days our “bizzy girlz” leave their hives to get a drink of water. I miss our bees!

Until later- February isn’t all THAT long…

-Mary Jane

March 2009

In like a lion? More like a beast…

The winter storm that went across us, down to the SE and then up the east coast dropped temps precipitously. Enough so to trigger Lupine to calve when it was all of 16º. Of course- almost 8 weeks ahead of when she had her calf last year she surprises us with a lovely heifer on a morning that is just too, too cold.

Found mom and heifer calf just after dawn as I was going to check on the goats and moved the pair easily into the old barn. Baby’s tail was stiff- still might lose the end of it- but we got hot water and thawed it out. Calf was up and nursing and Lupine acted like a true professional.

In February Frieda calved us our first bull calf by Ace. “Sidney” is black and leggy. He has joined the heifer trio but isn’t brave enough yet to run away from the moms like they do. That “trio” of heifers is hysterical to watch. Glenn called them Winken, Blinken and Nod when we watched them tear off across the field, through the cows, around again in big loops.

That leaves us Hammer and Betty Jean to calve; most likely in late April and mid-May.

The goats have finally begun to “pop.” Tippy, the first doe born to us back in 2006, leads off 2009 with her third set of twins. Have been checking on the goats several times a day and at night. When it is dark they all huddle together and the soft grunting they do as they dilate sounds like old peep frogs.

Panda might have her kids any minute now, she has been calling for them all morning.

Got the tiles for the housebarn (yippie!) and almost have the hearth pad ready to tile. Glenn is ready for Spring, as we all are. Cold frame is built and seeded, hens are laying and Savannah is ready to wear sandals and t-shirts again to school. Her choir contest and band contests are this month. Am sure she will do fine as always.

I’ve rejoined WeightWatchers online and am very pleased with my dropped “poundage.” Is the only program that has ever worked for me. Toting bales, hiking around and doing farm chores are my “exercises” for the day. Have no problem with “activities” to do.

Hoping the bees will make it through these crazy cold snaps. I am a bit anxious and cannot wait for it to warm up enough to take a peek in the hives.

Until later- think Spring!

-Mary Jane

p.s. Back again- We have ended up with 33 doelings and 18 bucklings- only 6 singletons, the majority are twins and 3 sets of triplets. All are doing well (knock wood) and it looks like 101 Dalmations up around the tractor barn except for puppies we have "bouncy baby "bunnies"! "

Savannah did very well with her choir solo and this coming weekend is the middle school band contest. 8th grade is 3/4 over already!

April/May 2009

I cannot believe I am so behind! Ai! April jumped here on us and have not really had time to turn around. Knowing how we have been lately- will make this a rare “double month” installment on the old newsletter….

Finally got some rain and the weather is just beginning to act like it wants to be Spring. The Dexters were put in a “sacrifice” area (for the ground, not them) in the end of March and so that allowed the main field to have a bit of rest. The goats and their 51 kids stayed in the one acre paddock around the tractor barn and they pretty much “took care” of that space. Won’t have to worry about mowing the grass in there for a good while!

We subdivided the East Meadow into nine 1-acre paddocks which can be temporarily divided again into halves. That is where the Dexters are now- moving daily with the faster grass growth from one half-acre section to another. They took no time to learn the routine. Doing this will give each section a minimum of 18-days rest. When the grass growth slows, so will their moving about and then each section will be grazed longer (opposite of what you think should be done) and that will give them a 36-day rest period for regrowth. We hope our new plan will allow managed grazing through December.

Ricky the llama got his annual shearing, toe nail clipping and worming and with that done- the nannies and kids were ready to be put back into the wooded 18 acres along the drive and South Field. The kids are growing fast and I am looking forward to the 90-day weights.

Had company come from North Carolina- dear friends Sherry, Kevin and son Norman along with Sherry’s dad Dale came up for Easter to spend their week off with us. Was tons of fun having them here on the farm. Norman learned to milk a cow, make cheese and butter and took over “peep chores” with the pullets. We walked them all to death, up and down the hollers but they were very good sports and did not turn any chore down. Even got the baler and tractor worked on!

Savannah had been finding morels, so she and Norman did mushroom hunting. Had enough for a couple quiches. Used our own eggs, milk and mozzarella the kids had made and it was very good.

Other snippets:
The garden is coming along great. Russian bees will be shipped here in a few days and we have a couple more apple trees and blueberry bushes to arrive and be planted. Beggin continues to “put forth” the milk each day and is a good old milk cow. Is sooooo nice to have a constant supply of milk. The dairy does are kidding now- Buttercup surprised us with 15.5 lbs-worth of twins! When they get a little older I will start putting her apart at night and milking in the mornings. Charity, who is half dairy, had a single kid and is also “very milky.” Will have up to 5 dairy does to milk, eventually.

School is going well for The Child. Her Grammy is coming to visit in May when school is out and we are very excited. Don’t think we will have the housebarn finished but the guest cottage is workable.

Have two cows left to calve- Hammer and Betty Jean. They should both have their babes by next newsletter- but I will post pictures as soon as they hit the ground. Will Ace continue his heifer-throwing? Hmmmm…. Will see!

Finally, I may be teaching a couple cheesemaking workshops at Baker Creek Seeds during their May garden festival. Will find out more details soon!

Until later-

Happy Gardening!

Mary Jane

June!!!

Half-gone and I am late again with the news. Figures. Let’s see, where to begin- where to begin?

Savannah finished 8th grade with a graduation ceremony (??)- something that they do here- and had a great visit with her Grammy. Now The Child is in Houston visiting and having fun fun fun. She decided to skip summer school and have a vacation instead. Who could blame her? I am sure we will be able to hold off our second cutting of hay until she gets back- HA! We got over 600 bales from our first cutting but do not plan on cutting that much again. Will graze some of it out this summer but still get more cuttings of the good clover.

Without her around things are quieter than usual on the farm. Well, until some turkey poults hatched early that is. Got 5 eggs from a friend and brought them home, putting them in the incubator the next day. Takes 28 days to hatch turkey peeps but after only 14 days, 3 hatched! Apparently a hen had been sitting on them earlier and these eggs survived being picked up, boxed, run to Springfield, kept overnight and FINALLY put into the incubator. The other two will hatch in 28 days, per their originator...

Hammer had a dark red-dun bull calf. He is very compact. Betty Jean has yet to calve. Did the math and now I figure she didn’t breed back when I thought and given the fact that we leased the bull out last Fall, I think we won’t see a calf until September, which- considering the heat and flies- is probably a very good thing. The other calves are all growing well, right plump in fact, and I am just waiting till August until I breed the 4 heifers. New bull Valinor has a level-straight back and is growing into a very nice boy. Got a steered calf to help keep him company as Ace is out with the big girls.

Spanish goat kids are a hot commodity and ours have been selling very well. Thank you to our buyers who have picked out kids before they were even weaned! Did the Average Daily Gains on the kids and am very happy with the results. The top-gainer was a doeling with an ADG of .38 lbs/day. She has a twin sister who also fared extremely well. Any gain over .20 lbs/day on forage (with no supplemental feeding) is very good. What can I say? Spanish Goats Rule!

We are still working on the new house. Putting up the interior wall “treatments”... Using corrugated sheet metal instead of drywall. It looks great. Weather has been fairly good but we have had a bunch of rain. Have not had to water the garden yet. A few days of clear sunshine would really make the hayfield pop out. Waiting for the red clover to bloom before we cut again.

Bees are doing well- but one hive has a queen who is putzing about. Will keep my eye on her and see if she might need to be replaced. Russians act very differently from Italians, I am learning. So far they are not very aggressive but are not as prolific as the Italians we had last year.

Time to go put some sour dough rolls in the oven. Maybe I will be better on getting this news out next month... Won’t hold my breath though...

Cheesemaking/Buttermaking workshops at Baker Creek Seeds went very well. Had a bunch of folks come out even in the rain! We were under a tent and still were able to make butter, mozzarella and ricotta. I am looking into perhaps teaching these classes here at the farm- once we get the new housebarn finished that is!

Until later, Happy Farming!

~Mary Jane

p.s. Guess what? Another turkey poult hatched today... That is 4 poults from 5 eggs. Will #5 make it all the way to 28 days? Will see......

July

Summer hath arrived.... Heat, humidity and not a drop of rain... Got our second cutting of hay done- ended up with 954 total square bales in the barn. Would not have put it up in a timely fashion had it not been for neighbor Josh's aid.

Garden is dry- we have thick mulch and soaker hoses in place. Harvested potatoes the other day and half-filled a 5-gallon bucket. Not bad from one seed potato!

Turkey poults are growing. The fifth egg hatched but was devoured by- we think- a cat the first night it was outside in the poultry bin. Very sad. Found little feathers stuck to the chicken wire and a wing. Cat just reached in and plucked it out.

Sold our last 2009 heifer and that leaves one or two bull calves to go. Depends on their DNA status if they are keepers or steers. Older heifers were seen putting on hoof polish and lipstick, in anticipation of a visit from a bull... They all but get downright giggly when they get near one. Goobers.

Savannah accompanied me to Michigan last week for my grandmother's funeral. Was one of those in-and-out 2-day trips that just wears one out. The day before we left was the day we raked and baled, then loaded up the second cutting of hay. Saw relatives I had not seen in YEARS and the family reunion was great, even with the somber occasion. Savannah did not have enough time up there and wants to return. She just loves the Tawas area.

Glenn has made much progress with the housebarn. Even with all the other farm chores we are getting closer to completion- hot dog! A big old white oak that was damaged during the May tornado-fest will come down this evening. It cracked about 30-35 feet up and is leaning towards and over the new house. Do not need anything to damage the new house and slow our move-in!

Cheesemaking continues. Have a new cheese book and am fascinated. Spun out some frames of honey, had to requeen a hive and will check on the bees' progress tomorrow. Pretty soon the elderberries will be ripe and we know what that means- Elderberry Winemaking!

Until later- remember that each hot day brings up closer to September!

~Mary Jane

August

Hot enough for you? After our-hotter-than usual June we had a cooler-than-usual July. Also received 5.5 inches of rain last month which was good but I think the heat in June stunted the grass growth, so it took a while in July for the hay field to recover from our last cutting.

It is time for heifers to go to their new homes! Our red heifer Ginger has already gone to her new home and Ham, Nutmeg, CindyLou and a steer Butterball are going to their new home on Saturday. We have had several doelings and bucklings also leave us for their new farms.

Jr. Bull “Valinor” has been put to work with our “teen” heifers from last year. Giggling has been heard from the field and it appears he has them all settled. Now that he has found his “special purpose” he bellows at Ace, the Sr. Bull and the two will yell insults to each other from afar. Easy to do when you have ¼ mile between you.

The bees have finally settled themselves in. One hive would NOT keep a queen! We had to replace her, and that one pooped out. Nothing worse than examining a hive and not seeing ONE egg. Finally saw on a bee list-serve feed a string of conversations that basically said “to leave them alone with plenty of freshly laid eggs from another hive” and sure enough- we have a queen now who is laying like mad! Huzzah! The girls know what they are doing! Unfortunately, the heat in June killed the honey flow so I doubt we will harvest much, if any, from our two hives. As they are new starter hives, they will need to work harder this year than future years… Will cut them a break.

I taught a bee lecture at Baker Creek Seeds last weekend on “What you need to know about starting with bees.” At least I was able to share with the attendees what we have learned and all that has gone wrong- Ha!

The garden is going nuts. Squash, tomatoes, beans, ‘taters, cukes…. Ai yi yi. Blackberries are also coming in. Our plum trees fruited well for the first time and man- those fresh plums were WONDERFUL….. 3 varieties and all so good. Peach trees tried and a few ripened- maybe next year. Apple trees have apples, can they stay on till Fall?

Savannah has resumed her horn lessons which is great. Her tutor is very good and keeping Savannah on task and always “going for a little more…” She is MOST ready for school to begin on the 20^th. Also, she is the official “goat milker” now.

Speaking of the home dairy- we have gone to once-a-day milking. Frees up our evenings and although we are losing 1/3-1/4 our previous daily “take,” it is nice NOT to have to go milk. Have been making gouda which is a fairly easy cheese to produce.

Glenn has almost all the wall tin up in the new house. Will begin to dig out the lines for water, electric and septic now and also begin the hardwood floor installation. Yippie! A winter date for move-in just might be happening!

That about sums up the past month on the farm. We “clunkered” the good-old Volvo for a car that gets 10 more mpg and has a 10 yr warranty. I was getting the feeling that the tranny on the Volvo was getting ready to go (slipping lower gears) and her engine showed signs of a leaky headgasket. It was time. Would never have received $4,500 on a trade in for it regardless of condition!

Until later- will be making MORE pickles, tomato sauce, cobblers… And CHEESE!!!!!

~Mary Jane

September

Ahhhh, the beginning of my favorite time of year….

After our “Hellaciously Hot” June, our soggy July and the somewhat temperate but very dry August, we certainly could use some rain. Barely received 2 inches of rain in August- our driest so far. Winter pasture has been fertilized, just need some “natural irrigation” so it will grow up forage to support the herds this winter. Sad to see pasture curling up, almost dead...

Elderberries were pitiful around the house, called our farmer mentor and talked to him about it and he sent us “down the road a piece” to where elderberries “usually are.” Pay dirt. Have carboys-a-plenty with future wine, a case of jelly made and jars of syrup too. Tomatoes have been processed into sauce, squash shredded for future additions to various baked goods and casseroles. Fall veggies are planted, except for parsnips which I keep forgetting, and the blackberries produced a true bumper crop.

Bees finally have their ducks in a row and although we won’t get much, if any, honey for ourselves they are stocking up great for winter. Both hives have a working queen (well, they did last time I looked) and if we can get them through the winter all will be well.

Our fruit trees were laden with apples, peaches and Asian pears but then the fruit vanished at an alarming rate. So did our turkeys. And then our Buckeye chickens. The poultry didn’t exactly vanish but where slaughtered and left where they fell- necks and gizzards eaten with the bodies left pretty much intact. Got a live trap and captured a handful of likely perpetrators. Have not had any in the trap now for a week. Sad lesson to learn at the expense of the poultry but now that we have the trap, maybe our future poults and fruit will be saved.

Savannah was a bit let-down when school started. Miss Freshman was hoping for bells and whistles but high school is pretty much “same old, same old…” She has a great schedule and has been able to continue her horn lessons once a week now that school is in session. Taking Art Club and Speech for her after school activites.

Glenn has been going to town on the new house. He has a girlfriend now too. She meets him every morning, follows him to the house, is right next to him when he is outside and at night walks ¼ mile back to her house. “She” is a Cinnamon Queen hen from the “pastured tractor hens” which are up in the East Meadow. Funnier still, now that the crew are all of “laying age,” she is laying her morning egg right next to the door to the new house, alongside the foundation and steps! “Here, this is my gift for you..” She is one of the first out of the coop when Glenn lets them out and she follows him, or runs ahead, back down the road to the houses. She loved it when he was digging the trenches and if you go outside, she is right there with him. Need to come up with a name for her…

Glenn has all the power lines trenched, in conduit and covered over along with the water lines and not only that- redid the water and power lines to the guest cottage. The “septic dude” is to come next week to schedule us in. Hot dog! We are getting ready now to lay the tile in the bathrooms. He has the backer board done and we will get the heat mats affixed, then plop on the mortar…. The wall tin is completed too, another task/box on the white board we got to “mark off” as completed.

The “home dairy” is progressing- made a wheel of Swiss for the first time- milk production is edging back a bit but still is about a gallon a day. Plenty for us. If you have not seen “The Whole Truth about Milk” check it out… You may never drink pasteurized milk again. Yes, pasteurized… Same is true for homogenized… Savannah milks the goats every morning while I feed the heifers and milk the cow. I let her sleep in this morning, first time in 2 months she got to stay in bed. She came down at 8 am feeling “almost” guilty… Almost…

I have been doing web-work/design for a friend in VA. If you have a moment, please click here on her name, Dr. Tammy Leonard, MD, and it will open a new browser window to her website. Have not quite got it finished but if everyone reading this will give her a “hit” it will help her move up a bit on the ratings. I greatly appreciate the help! Comments about the site would be appreciated too- other than my own farm site, this is my first “commercial” site. If you have trouble navigating the site or find the type style/size, colors, or other elements are aggravating or hard to read, PLEASE let me know. Be my critics!

Goat kids are selling and we have sold all the 2009 calves that we can. Have one baby bull left but as he is a “carrier for chondro” and the market for them is slim to none, will most likely go ahead and steer him in a week or two. We were able to sell Elvis last year who was also a carrier bull, but don’t think we will be so lucky this year for “Little Red.”

Bring on the rain, cool the temps down, and let the fescue grow. Autumn is almost here!

Until later- chores are calling-

Mary Jane

October

Whoosh! And Autumn is here! Month has begun with a flurry of activity as dear friend Kathy flew in for a lovely visit, right during FarmFest weekend! What fun! Did the old grist mill tour, visited some other places and just enjoyed catching up.

Today we spent the afternoon getting ready for what might be a great flood- may get upwards of 5-6 inches in 48 hrs…

Bees are hunkering down, cows are spunky. Goats have been fine and we have been very fortunate finding some wonderful people who appreciate our goats as new owners of a few of the girls. Is always fun to find like-minded people and make new friends.

School is going well for Savannah- she was one of three chosen from the school for district honor choir. Honor band auditions are next month. She enjoys high school and is busy with afterschool clubs, activities and is writing two stories “in her spare time…”

Hardwood floor is looking good in the new house. Septic is in, power and water lines are dug, laid and covered…. Getting there inch by inch…

OK- a week has passed since I wrote the above and the past week has been just as crazy. Savannah and I went to St. Louis to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theater (which was absolutely grand), followed the next evening with Glenn and Savannah’s friend Julie to see Mamma Mia in Springfield (just too funny). It was a very musical weekend! Now another week of school is gone and tomorrow morning Savannah has to be at school at 4am for Band Day in Carthage. Crikey!

Temps are 20 degrees below average for this time of year. We’ve had a good 6 inches of rain but no sun. Grass is not wanting to grow. Animals are thinking of mutiny I fear…

October is just flying by- November will arrive with the end of the year on its heels… Still need firewood cut and stacked and days till we can FINALLY move in the new house.

Happy Autumn!

~Mary Jane

Due to being exceptionally busy, I was unable to write a newsletter for November and December 2009. Here ends 2009.