It's a dirty, stinky job, but it has to be done. Every day. Hot or cold, sunny or rainy; even in the middle of last year's blizzards it had to be done. I'm glad it's not MY job...Jim gets the honors of hauling manure out of the dairy barn every day.
Several times a year, the heifer pens also need to be cleaned out completely. In the fall, after the fields are clear and there's a place to spread the manure, Jim cleans out the pens, and again in the spring. "Pen pack" makes a great fertilizer! It doesn't smell the greatest, but it's good for the soil, and it's great to have the pens empty and ready for winter.
Last week, before he began cleaning out pens, Jim put a new web on the manure spreader. This is probably the third time he's replaced it since we bought the spreader...a bunch of years ago.
Here he is, piecing the new web together...
Halfway done...
Complete! The web moves in a circle, pushing the load of manure towards the back of the spreader, where the beaters send it flying through the air and out onto the field. You don't want to be standing too close! The spreader won't look this clean for a long, long time...
And now the fun begins...cleaning out the pens at the "other farm"...a family farm that we rent and where we keep our dry cows and bred heifers...
And of course, on a cold, windy day, a thermos of coffee is a must...
This is how Jim is spending his day today...how about you?
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