Corn Experiment...

Last week I showed you a picture of the corn fields, and a close-up of a corn stalk here...

After a weekend of hot weather after an inch of rain, I wanted to see just how much that corn grew!  Here it is...that same corn field, four days later...

...and that same corn stalk...

The corn has grown so much that the stalk doesn't quite have the same shape that it did in the first picture, so it's a little hard to compare.

This was interesting for me...I never paid such close attention to the corn before!  I've paid more attention to the weeds in my garden...which by the way, have grown a lot too.

I guess I'd better go try to get rid of them, but I think I'll wait until it cools off a little.

Moving Heifers...

Jim and I had a project to do this morning...

There are a couple of springers (cows or heifers about to have their calves) at the other farm.  We like to have them here at home about a week before they freshen so that we can keep an eye on them, and gradually introduce them to the feed they'll be eating here.  In order to make room for them here, we took three, fifteen month old bred heifers to the other farm.

Loading heifers can be a circus sometimes.  We back the cow trailer up to the door on the east side of the barn...and maneuver persuade somehow get the heifers to walk from the southwest corner of the barn, around the perimeter of the cow stable and onto the trailer.  Although two of the three heifers reserved their right to be stubborn, as only heifers can be, I'm happy to say that it went relatively well today. 

Once they were on the trailer, they each were given a magnet to help prevent hardware and were vaccinated...

This is one of the springers that we brought home.  She's a first calf heifer, and Jim estimates that she has about a week until freshening.  She was taken to the other farm last August, (not bred AI) and must have been bred by the Jersey bull over there within the first two weeks she was there.  She should have a little Jersey calf right around her second birthday, which is our goal.  She conveniently swished her long tail just as I snapped the picture, so you can see her udder, fully formed and beginning to swell...

We have had several nice heifers freshen in the last month or so, and they're a great addition to the milking herd.  Raising our own replacements is time consuming but worth it when it reaches the point where they begin putting milk in the tank, replacing cows that need to be culled for various reasons.  We know where they came from and we also enjoy keeping track of their genealogy...knowing that "this heifer's mother is so-and-so...that must be why she acts like that", etc...

Now that our project is finished, it's time to take a little break on this hot Memorial Day and pretend we have the day off!  :)

A Corn Update...and More...

Here we are at Memorial Day weekend already...and the weather forecast is typical.  It's to be hot...temps in the upper 80's, and it's to feel like 92 degrees on Sunday.  I think summer's here!

One thing this weather is good for, is growing corn.  Earlier in May, I posted about how fast the corn was growing.  We thought it was growing fast then, but look at the change from then 'til now...

Just two days ago, we had about an inch of rain...and with the heat that's expected this weekend, it will be growing like crazy.  I'm doing an experiment here.  I marked this particular corn stalk, and next week I'm going to measure it again.  I might be wrong...but I'm expecting to see a significant change...

On another note...some other other things have been happening here over the past few weeks.  We're sad that Slinky, one of our very favorite cats...otherwise known as the Ultimate Kitty apparently contracted a respiratory virus and didn't survive.  There will never be another cat quite like her, and we miss her!

However, we were so happy to still have Peanut, Slinky's daughter.  She's the kitty that takes me to my "happy place".  So when Peanut began showing signs of the same illness that took her mother's life, we were worried.  We took her two 5-6 week old babies into the house for the weekend and tried our best to take care of them.  We mixed up a formula that I found on the internet for their milk...Jenna faithfully cleaned the goopy eyes of the one kitty and fed it with a syringe, as it wasn't able to lap milk from a bowl.  We were glad that they learned to use a litter box pretty quickly.

We had very little hope for Peanut, but decided to take her to the vet.  Remember, she's a barn cat that comes and goes as she pleases...

He gave her fluids, antibiotics and something for her fever, and we hoped for the best...

...and we're happy to say that cats really do have nine lives!  She slowly began drinking, then picking at food, and appears to be recovering nicely!  We put her babies back in the barn with her, and the little family seems happy together.  The little ones are eating and drinking from a bowl...

...and becoming rather spoiled!  The black one is definitely the boss.

What is it about babies that melts our hearts and makes us do things we never thought we'd do?  

Have a great weekend...and stay cool!

Saturday Evening Stroll...

It's been a busy week...but tonight I took time to take a stroll around the yard.

Here's what I saw...

This is a new peony for me.  It came from a neighbor a few years ago, but for a variety of reasons, this is the first year it's bloomed.  It was worth the wait...

The roses (also from a neighbor, who grew them from cuttings off his own bushes) are just loaded with blooms...

The red hot poker is doing it's thing...

Next I walked through the vegetable garden.  I planted a new patch of strawberries this spring.  Although you're supposed to pick the blossoms off the first year to allow the plant to grow strong, I cheated a little and left just a berry or two to ripen...

I'm trying tomatoes again this year.  I can't figure it out, but for some reason I have trouble getting my tomatoes to fully ripen.  I use a lot for canning, and figured I'd try again, rather than buying them.  Any advice?

My green beans are up behind the tomatoes, and we planted a second batch of radishes in between the cages...

The early veggies...cabbage, lettuce, beets, onions and potatoes are loving the weather we've had this spring so far.  I'm growing my cucumbers in cages so they climb and save space...

The dog follows me everywhere!  I was also watched closely by this...

And by these two...Dilly and Pickles...

...and by this ornery looking newborn.  I just wonder what she'll be like when she's older, hmmmm...

She (and others like her!) are the sole reason that I put plant supports around my (?!) squash...

I don't put them there because they'll do the plants any good, but because they might protect them just a little if when a calf gets out of the hutches and runs wildly through my garden!  (it's happened too many times to count, and I will win this war!

How Fast Does Corn Grow?...

It doesn't always happen this way, but the conditions this year for planting corn have been just about perfect!

Day 1
April 30, 2012 - Corn is planted...

Day 10
May 9, 2012 - Corn is just peeping through...I had to use the zoom on my camera in order for you to see it...

Day11
May 10, 2012 - Corn rows can be seen, but I still had to use the zoom for it to show up on the picture...
.

Day 12
May 11, 2012 - Corn rows can now be seen easily without using the zoom...

 This year has been just about perfect...we have been blessed!

(Too much rain, along with cold weather can cause the seed to rot before it sprouts, and rain followed by a hot, dry spell can form a crust on the ground which doesn't allow the tiny corn plant to push through the soil.)


It's been said that you can hear corn grow.  I've never tried it, but I can believe it.  Two months from now, this corn should be higher than my head!  With the rain we're to get in the next few days, along with warmer temps, it should start growing in leaps and bounds!

What's Bloomin'...

Spring is in full bloom here...

The Iris are open...a full two weeks early...

The Peonies' buds are swelling, and will be open soon.  I like seeing them next to the Iris...

In another few days, these Japanese Iris will be covered with blooms.  Most are blue or purple, with a few white mixed in...

I was surprised to see these Rose buds just about to open too...

The Spiderwort loves the cool weather we've been having.  When it gets too hot, it stops blooming until it cools off.  I planted the chartreuse one last year, and the one behind it with the dark green foliage volunteered from about fifteen feet away...

Flax is one of my favorite spring flowers.  It blooms when it's cool, but doesn't like our hot, humid summers.

Can you tell I like blue?

These daisies are showing off in my "spring blooming bed" next to the house...

This spring has just been fabulous for the flowers!  After a long dry spell, we've now had just about the perfect amount of rain, and wonderful cool-ish days...a real spring, for the first time in a while.

The flowers are thankful, and are showing it!

Making A Compost Bin...

I've been reading a lot about, and experimenting with making my own compost for a long time.

To this point, I've always just made a pile...straw/manure/sawdust mixture from the calf hutches...chicken and goat manure...some dried grass clippings...and the usual kitchen and garden scraps all piled together.  However, it all pretty much just sat there and did nothing...very slowly.

Today I finally got around to putting together a compost bin, using three old recycled pallets to make a three-sided bin.  I forked the pile to the side onto a tarp, and leveled the ground to put the pallets in place.  I used some fencing staples and some bale ropes to secure them together...

The pallets will allow air into the pile, which is necessary for composting.  I also read about putting a "chimney" in the center of the pile to speed up the composting process.  So, I rolled up some chicken wire and secured it in the center of the bin.  I even had an audience...

Next, I forked the contents of my pile back into the bin.  I chose to let the front of the bin open, for ease of turning the compost.  If I need to, I can put another pallet across the front to hold it all in place better.

I'm hoping to use two more pallets, to make a double bin, putting them to the left of the existing bin...then I can begin a second pile while the first one cooks...
 

...but I can't get to my other two pallets for a few weeks yet.  (They're underneath about a ton of barn-dri right now)  We'll see how it all works out!

Barley...

Isn't it amazing what happens in just a few months time!

From this...planting barley...October 2011...

Coming up a few days later...

 Just starting to green up...a few inches high...late winter, early spring 2012...

To this...May 2012...

What is that in the field?

Oh...it's just Murphy and Snickers, having a blast.  They have so much fun chasing each other around in the field...

Before we know it, it'll be June, and we'll be combining barley and then baling straw.

Then what ever will the dogs find to do?  Oh yes, that's right...they'll chase cats and dig holes in the yard or lay in front of the big fans in the barn.  They have quite the life!  :)

What Was It?...

On Tuesday I posted about planting corn , along with this picture...

 

Did you figure out what the gray is in the planter box?

It's graphite...intended to help the seed flow more smoothly through the planter and into the ground.  As soon as he told me what it was, I remembered way back when our kids made Pine Wood Derby cars, and we put graphite on the wheels/axles to make them run faster.  It's the same concept.

The seed corn is red because it's been treated with a fungicide and with other things that vary, depending on the variety of corn.

Just in case you ever wondered.  :)

Corn Planting 2012...

Late April...early May...the exact dates will vary depending on the weather, but it's corn planting time around here.

Last year we had a very wet spring, and it was difficult to get the corn in the ground.  This year it's been dry, with the exception of some rain last weekend, and the soil has warmed, so we're about two weeks ahead of last year with corn planting.

Yesterday morning, Jim had some fertilizer spread on the corn ground before it was planted...

I caught up with Mark as he was filling the planter here at home.  He saw me coming, carrying my camera, and he laughed, saying "Are you updating your blog again?"  I guess I'm getting a reputation...he knew he could say that and get away with it! 

While Mark filled the planter with seed corn and insecticide (above), Jim was doing "important paperwork", as he called it.  (The guys were having fun teasing the blogger yesterday)   Jim plants different varieties of corn...some short season for early silage, so we don't run out!...some late season for shelling...and keeps track of where each variety is planted...

I learned something new yesterday.  Mark added something to the seed corn.  Do you have any ideas as to what it is and why he would use it? 

Hint:  it's the gray that you see here...the red is the seed corn.  I'll post the answer in a day or so...

This is that field that we had some tiling done in this spring.  Between the dry spring and the tiling, the field has dried out nicely, and was ready to plant yesterday.  I like seeing the neat rows made by the corn planter...

One thing that I like even better, is seeing the rows of tiny corn stalks peeping up through the soil.  If it stays warm like it's supposed to, hopefully by sometime next week, we'll be seeing some green!