Thursday, February 27, 2014

Moving the Ag Bag...

Today was the day...

It was time to "move the ag bag"...or in other words...transfer the silage from the ag bag to the silo.

Back in the fall, Jim put out a 150' silage bag on the west side of the barn, with plans to transfer it to the silo mid-winter.  It became a bit of a puzzle, figuring out when it could be done.  The ground needed to be hard (not a problem for most of the winter!) and the snow couldn't be too deep (not usually a problem, but this winter??) to move the bag.  The heavy silage trucks had to be able to maneuver easily or it wouldn't have worked.

Last week we had a major thaw, and a lot of the snow melted.  Then this week, the temps plummeted again, well below freezing and were accompanied by a bitter wind.  Enough said.

First and foremost...the owls were removed from around the bag.  They enjoyed their temporary perches in the tree by the outside pen...


Next, the bag had to be cleared of ice and snow.  Jeff (the guy who transferred the bag) came last evening with his loader tractor and removed a lot of snow from around the bag so the equipment could maneuver. However, there was still a thick coating of ice directly on the outside of the bag that needed to be knocked off before they could remove the plastic. That took lots of elbow grease...knocking it off with shovels.  I helped with that part, and now I know why my arms are tired tonight!


Jim cleared away more snow, and the ice that was knocked off the bag, with the skid loader...


Getting ready to start...


Jeff began cutting a big slit in the bag.  Only when the bag was removed, would we know for sure just how nice the silage was.  Jim had taken samples to be tested...and they were good...but until you see the whole thing, you always wonder just a little what it will really be like!  The tiniest of pinholes can let air into the bag and cause spoilage...


 The silage was very nice!


Jeff began loading trucks.  Some of the silage went to the other farm for the heifers...a couple of loads were sold to another farmer...but the majority of it went into one of the silos here at home for the cows...


Yes, that's a smudge on my camera's lens...and I took the picture in the wrong direction, looking towards the sun...but that's the silage uncovered, being scooped up by the loader...


So...now that the bag has been moved, spring is welcome to come.

Antyime!

Please?!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Farm Girl's Musical Weekend...

What a busy weekend it was!

Some of you know that Jenna plays the violin.

She plays in the high school orchestra and also in the Lancaster County Youth Symphony, which is new for her this year.  A friend that she's been playing violin with since third grade is also part of the group, and we carpooled with her for rehearsals. It was fun to hear the girls chattering on the way home about the music, etc.

Back in the fall, she also auditioned for the County Orchestra, which includes high school students from two neighboring counties.  She was happy to be accepted, and spent a lot of time learning her music.  The 150+ students spent all day Saturday, from 7:30 am rehearsing and preparing for the concert, which was at 5 pm. It was a fun, but very full day which was made extra special because our high school hosted the festival this year.

That was on Saturday.

Then came Sunday.

Sunday afternoon was the Winter Pops Concert at the high school...band, orchestra, chorus...the works. When it was over, Jenna and her friend packed up their things and quickly headed into Lancaster for yet one more concert.  (Thanks again to our friends!!  We were home milking.) The Youth Symphony String Orchestra gave their concert at 7:30 pm at a beautiful Church in the city.  (we like 7:30 start times!!)

The concert was beautiful!  This time, it was strings only, which I prefer.  This group shot was taken by a friend before the concert began...


Afterwards...

She had a great time, and was also glad that the busy weekend was over!


This is the fun part...getting to hear beautiful music played by all of these talented musicians who have spent much time and energy going to rehearsals and practicing their parts.

Well done, Jenna and friends!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Fraidy Chickens...

You've heard of "fraidy cats" I'm sure.  Ever heard of "fraidy chickens"?

Our chickens have been sequestered in their shed for waaaaaay too long now.  It's a self-imposed sequestration, and it needs to stop.  When the sun shines and it's not too cold, I do everything I can think of to get them outside...

I prop the shed door wide open...I put a couple of their feed tubs just outside the door to entice them...I toss ears of corn or veggie scraps (thanks Allen and Rosanne!) around for them to snack on...all to little or no avail.  Sigh...

This morning I was cleaning out the hutch calves' feed boxes, and I heard the chickens chattering as they watched me, safe under their porch.  I tossed the contents of my bucket over the fence, and they got quite excited!  But did they come running?  Of course not.

They tiptoed slowly along the path I've worn in the snow...


"Is it safe?"

"It's cold!"

"But I really want some of that feed and those alfalfa crumbs!"

(wasteful calves!  That's what happens when they're being weaned.  They don't clean everything up at first.)


A few of them made it to the fence, and happily feasted away.  It seemed like they were thrilled for the adventure...and for a change in their winter diet...


(If you click on the picture above, you'll be able to see another line of chickens bravely making their way along the path towards the feast.)


Temps have been rising here, and the snow is slowly shrinking away.  It's actually raining right now, with the temperature hovering right around freezing.  The rest of the week is to be warm, and we'll be looking at mud replacing the snow before long.

Spring must be on the way!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

More Snow...

It's still winter...no doubt here.  The groundhog was right!

This was around 8 am.  The snow wasn't too deep yet, but there were big drifts across parts of the driveway...


We were glad to see this guy this morning!


The driver said the roads were pretty bad, with lots of drifting.  After he left, we had heavier snow, so we're glad he came when he did.

Feeding calves was interesting.  There was about 8" of fresh powdery snow on top of the crusty, icy path that we had worn down to the hutches.  The dogs went with me, and they just loved the snow...


...Murphy especially...


She's such a DOG!


Once again, the chickens are sequestered in their shed!  At least all the snow cover is protecting the "grass" in their pen from all their scratching!


This is what Jim has spent most of his morning doing...


The piles of snow are getting bigger all the time.  Those round bales are stacked double, but they look like they're sitting on top of the snow...


It really is pretty.  At least it's not bitter cold this time, like we've had in the past.  It will definitely be a winter to remember!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Please...Come Play!

Look closely at this picture...

Do you see something other than snow and our neighbors' barns peeking over the hill?


I know it's hard to see, but if you click on the picture to enlarge it, you might be able to see our neighbors' dog, sitting in front of the tree on the far left of the fence line.

Every. Single. Morning...he sits just over the property line and barks... and barks...and barks.  It's far away enough that it's not annoying...but rather amusing!

I guess he's looking for "someone" to play with!

Snickers and Murphy ignore him most of the day...but at night we hear the "Twilight Barking" begin around bed time, and I'm sure they run through the fields to meet their neighbor while we're sleeping.


Friday, February 7, 2014

Random Five Friday...

It's been a while since I've joined up with Random Five Friday...but today's a great day to do it!  A lot has been happening to keep us busy around here.

1.  Lancaster County was hit by a nasty ice storm this week.  Wednesday morning was a mess!  It's amazing what 1/4" - 1/2" of ice will do to trees and power lines.  There are still many people without power, and it looks like it could be the end of the weekend until everyone is back in service.  We are very fortunate here, in that our lights never even blinked.  Jim was prepared to hook up the generator if we needed it, but we were glad to let it parked in the shed this time.

This is our rental property across the road.  Those old Chinese Elm trees are huge...and old...and they don't withstand stress very well.  Early in the morning, we heard "crack"..."crash"...over and over again. Thankfully no branches hit the house or any power lines.  Although it looks like a tornado hit, no major damage was done...


2.  A friend sent me this picture of our farm that she took on her phone.  The red of the Farmall M, and the orange of the manure spreader were the only traces of color!  This is what it's looked like around here for a while now...all white...


3.  I took this picture of the corner hutch the other day when I was feeding calves.  Pretty soon the snow will be melted (hopefully!!), the grass will be green, and Jenna will have two little 4-H goats in this pen again.  I might even put the chickens in here once it greens up, to give their pen a break...


4.  We got rid of this guy the other day.  He was little, but ornery, and there's no sense in keeping a bull that has an attitude...



5.  Jim and I attended the funeral for the mother of one of his closest friends recently, and I just had to share this picture.  The farmer and his wife don't always wear barn clothes!


Hopefully you're staying warm, wherever you are.  Have a great weekend!


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Guest Post from Becca Garber...A Window Into Farm Life In Sicily...


Today I get to introduce you to Becca, a blogging friend of mine, who lives in Sicily, Italy!  I first discovered Becca a little over a year ago, when I was reading another blog.  (I must confess...I don't even remember who's it was!)  She had commented on that blog... I clicked on the link...and began reading about her family's life in Sicily.  I was fascinated, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading about their lives in a part of the world that I can only hope to visit someday!  Her husband (Elliott) is a veterinarian, and right now he is serving in the Army on assignment in Italy.  Becca, Elliot, Lena (almost 3) and Gil (1) live in an Italian town surrounded by green valleys, and their house is in the shadow of a medieval castle.  I am sure you will enjoy reading Becca's stories of life in Italy as much as I do!


  
Hi there, everyone! I am a faithful reader and fan of Alica’s blog, so it’s a lot of fun to be here today. Like the rest of you, I’ve come to love Alica’s perspective about life on a small dairy farm. I thought some of her readers might also enjoy a window into farming life in Sicily!

About a year ago, Elliott and Lena were on a walk when they discovered a small farm in the valley below our house. The owners are a middle-aged Italian couple that has been married for 34 years. Salvo has slicked-back blond hair and is never seen without camo pants and a cigarette. His wife Paula rarely leaves the house and always sends me home with things from their garden: lemons, eggplants, oranges, zucchini, tomatoes, and mandarins.

Salvo and Paula have a small farmyard below their house with pigs, chickens, a duck, a goose, a tortoise, rabbits (for easy eating!), the occasional porcupine, multiple dogs and ferrets for hunting, and a motley crew of other canines who keep watch over the farm.

We now visit every week or so to let our children see and feed the animals, and on weekends we sometimes hike past the farm into the valley for a picnic. A couple of weeks ago we took some pictures as we visited and picnicked. Come along with us to a Sicilian farm!


Leaving our house, we walk past the castle and town cathedral, both of which you can see behind Elliott and Lena in this photo. We continue down the cobblestone streets and to the outskirts of town to the farm.


When we arrive, our favorite dog, Melissa, and her son, Patch, greet us. Behind Elliott and Lena you can see the cathedral, castle, and our house!


We’ve all fallen in love with a little puppy that lives on the farm. We first spotted him hanging out with the pigs, no mother or littermates anywhere to be seen. Elliott named him Wilbur after Charlotte’s Web. He’s a total mystery to us. Why in the world did the pigs tolerate him in their pen?? Normally they would kill and eat him. Why didn't he ever join the other dogs up by the house?


There are about 12 pigs on the farm now. Three sows had piglets at the same time earlier this year, so there were about 25 newborn pigs toddling around the pigpen at one time! Salvo sold some as piglets, and will continue to sell them as they grow. How different does this look to most pig farms in the States?



All the animals’ pens – pigs, chickens, some hunting dogs – are grouped together about 100 yards from the house. Lena loves to pick fresh grass for the chickens. “They gonna have good lunch, Mama!”



The conditions of the animals’ enclosures make me sad. I am sure the ragged fencing, dirty pens, and quality of food would surprise you, too. However, the pigs at least do get a pretty good diet of all kinds of scraps… including expired pasta, it looks like! How very Italian of them.


Still, even in the midst of the pigs’ squalor, there is so much beauty. Around them, the vegetation grows lush and green:


Next to the pigs’ pen, I spot a ripening artichoke, almost hidden in the silvery green leaves:


And the sunlight makes even the farmyard junk look beautiful:


After we visit all the animals, we head past the farm into the valley for a picnic lunch. Lena decides to bring Wilbur:


We find a beautiful spot in the sunshine to share a meal. In the right-hand side of the photo, you can see some of the trash that the town has deposited in the valley over the years. Unfortunately, there is a lot of loose trash in Sicily that exists right beside meticulously cultivated agriculture (like the olive grove in the left-hand side of the photo). We often say that Sicily is a mix between classical rural Italy (like Tuscany to the north) and a third-world country (like Libya to the south).


Below us in the valley we can hear cows lowing, which makes us think of Alica and her farm! We often see herds of cows moving through the valley below our house, and the sound of their lowing echoes up the cliff so that it seems like it’s right outside our windows.


Even though all the land in the valley is privately owned, cowherds and shepherds are permitted to let their animals graze freely year round. That is one sight I love in Sicily: large herds of sheep stopping traffic outside our town as a sprightly shepherd follows them, chatting away on his cell phone.




That’s Mt. Etna, our local sleepy-but-active volcano, in the background of the last photo!

After our meal, we pack up and start the walk towards home. Lena finds another enthusiastic friend as we pass by the farm. “Sure you don’t want to take me home with you?!”


Sicily is such a land of contrasts: fresh natural beauty beside decades-old rubbish, modern homes beside medieval cathedrals, cliffs beside valleys, sheep beside cell phones. It has been a great gift to raise our children in this lovely place.

I hope the simple joys of a hike to a farm, a picnic in a valley, and a handful of grass given to some eager chickens will be things we’ll remember and seek wherever life takes us.
  

Thanks so much for sharing your story and photos, Becca! Head on over to Becca’s blog to learn more about her life in Sicily!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Thank a Trucker...

Once again the ground is white here.

At 4:30 this morning, it was raining...but by about 5:30, the rain had turned to snow, and it's fallen quickly. I'd say that by now (10:15) we have around 6 inches.  This time, instead of a light, fluffy, powdery, easy-to-push snow, it's a wet, heavy mess.

Our milk truck usually comes relatively early...just after morning milking, and today he was right on schedule...until he got to our farm.  The roads were not yet (and still haven't been) salted or plowed, and he has to almost stop to make the sharp left turn into our driveway.  To make it worse, it's on a hill.  You can probably guess what happened...


Surveying the problem, and trying to figure out the best way to get un-stuck and in the driveway...


Jim scraped the snow off the road all around the truck, and up the the hill to our upper drive.  The truck usually comes in the lower drive, but the way it is situated, they decided to try coming in at the top of the hill instead...



Throwing down salt and putting on more chains...




A lull in the action while a buggy passed by...


And finally...

Jim hooked up the D-17 to the milk truck...gave him a pull to get started...and they got up the hill and in the driveway....


So...next time you take a drink of delicious cold milk, be sure to thank a trucker for driving in all kinds of conditions to get the milk from the farm...to you!