Spring 2020

Finally some spring like weather this week. Warm, in the sixties a few days and as of today, 24th April, most of the snow is gone. Surprisingly wet in the fields considering how little snow we had. Guys were combining last week trying to clean up last fall's leftover harvest. It went ok with the ground still frozen solid but this week not so good. I see muddy ruts as the frost comes out of the ground. So I'm leaving that wheat field a little longer in hopes of avoiding getting stuck with the swather and combine.
Dry fertilizer delivered this week as well as a tank of anhydrous ready to go. The auger complained with shrieks of protest as we started unloading fertilizer. A bearing seal had separated allowing fertilizer dust inside.. By spraying oil on it I was able to limp along with it to finish unloading the semi. Always a worry wondering if the auger will break down in the process of unloading.
The repair was more than I could handle eventually requiring three of us to get the shaft and old bearing out of the auger.
The last calf was born 6 days ago and as I feared, I have a new job as a calf feeder. The cow has mastitis or something wrong with her and either has no milk or none good enough to drink. The calf is strong and willing so I've been pail feeding it with milk replacer twice a day.
Great scenery yesterday with the white clouds in blue sky so I shot some driving video and a little drone video as well.

Six Months Late

I'm six months late but the 2015 harvest officially ended here on May 1. Those flax swaths from last fall were good and dry (and dusty). Poor quality after a winter  laying in the field but hindsight is 20:20 now and I should have harvested it damp last fall.
Lucky to have plenty of help being the weekend with brothers, nephews, sister and niece in laws around at various times doing trucking, straw raking, moving machinery and just generally available for any little job needing doing. Nothing got burned, broken or stuck in the mud, well just a little bit with the truck but it could have been worse and hopefully we will have that mudhole filled in and drive able by this time tomorrow.
A few minor problems but the most annoying was the length of barbed wire, complete with a fence picket that somebody thought it would be fun to throw into the outside swath in hopes it might get picked up by the combine causing plenty of damage. Fortunately I saw it before starting the swath.  I guess somebody did not like me closing the gate to the field to keep people from driving over the swaths through the winter and decided to show their displeasure this way. I have a few ideas what to do with people like that but unfortunately none of them are legal so enough said.