The first two months of 2020 consisted of the usual farm year end paperwork, getting calves off to auction and shovelling snow. Along came March and Covid 19. On the farm, March and April slipped by fast with calving and getting ready for spring and summer activities.
May came with the announcement that the Florenceville-Bristol market was cancelled. The vegetable patch was downsized and now I needed another avenue to market my beef. May and June did not provide ideal growing weather for pastures or the hay crop so more corn was planted for corn silage, and then searching out more standing hay to cover the fact cattle were going to start eating winter hay by August.
Late frost hit the strawberries, and haskaps. There were plenty of haskaps on the lower part of the bushes. We had the best raspberry crop ever. I was able to sell some and froze 8 cups in a bag for winter sale, nothing like a raspberry pie in January.
Extreme heat came before all the haying was complete, making short days, but great for the corn. Pastures quickly dried up so feeding hay became a daily routine. Seven calves were weaned a month earlier than normal and cows shipped. Reconnected with freezer beef customers and sent animals to butcher shop. I missed the Thursday market reconnecting with the community and an opportunity to share our beef burgers and chili. Record breaking heat temperatures for most of August.
September back to wrapping bales of green oats to supplement the hay and corn silage. RAIN, RAIN, where are you. Many of the water sources dried up leaving only well water for the herd on the home pastures. Mother Nature did provide an array of fall colors to enjoy. The custom team arrived and harvested the corn silage, a good crop for hungry cows.
November brought much needed rain and today December 1 we have had over 2 inches and it is still pouring. Now we are in the process of shipping some of the calves to auctions this month instead of January to cut back on the amount of feed being used.
BUY LOCAL is important to keep the local economy alive. Keep beef in mind when making your gift list. ANYONE WOULD LOVE TO RECEIVE A BOX OF LEAN, GROWTH HORMONE FREE BEEF AS AN UNIQUE GIFT.
May came with the announcement that the Florenceville-Bristol market was cancelled. The vegetable patch was downsized and now I needed another avenue to market my beef. May and June did not provide ideal growing weather for pastures or the hay crop so more corn was planted for corn silage, and then searching out more standing hay to cover the fact cattle were going to start eating winter hay by August.
Late frost hit the strawberries, and haskaps. There were plenty of haskaps on the lower part of the bushes. We had the best raspberry crop ever. I was able to sell some and froze 8 cups in a bag for winter sale, nothing like a raspberry pie in January.
Extreme heat came before all the haying was complete, making short days, but great for the corn. Pastures quickly dried up so feeding hay became a daily routine. Seven calves were weaned a month earlier than normal and cows shipped. Reconnected with freezer beef customers and sent animals to butcher shop. I missed the Thursday market reconnecting with the community and an opportunity to share our beef burgers and chili. Record breaking heat temperatures for most of August.
September back to wrapping bales of green oats to supplement the hay and corn silage. RAIN, RAIN, where are you. Many of the water sources dried up leaving only well water for the herd on the home pastures. Mother Nature did provide an array of fall colors to enjoy. The custom team arrived and harvested the corn silage, a good crop for hungry cows.
November brought much needed rain and today December 1 we have had over 2 inches and it is still pouring. Now we are in the process of shipping some of the calves to auctions this month instead of January to cut back on the amount of feed being used.
BUY LOCAL is important to keep the local economy alive. Keep beef in mind when making your gift list. ANYONE WOULD LOVE TO RECEIVE A BOX OF LEAN, GROWTH HORMONE FREE BEEF AS AN UNIQUE GIFT.
RSS Feed