Canesister's 2019 farm journal

[seedcorn]

Farmers are being taught how much fertilizer is being “given” away with straw and hay. Farmer needs between $1-$2 just to get back what he lost per bale of straw. Put another $2 to bale and store, $4 is break even. Some farmers still have a hard time understanding that simple concept. Why some are short of cash, don’t understand why.

 

[canesisters]

I totally understand this, that's why I offer to pay. But I don't see why I should pay the same for a 2yr old round bale that is black and growing grass on top like a chia-pet as I do for the one I'll feed to my cow. It's a moot point anyway, they don't want to sell. And that's ok because I've already PAID for the round bales that I feed and each one leaves a pretty good amount of waste on the ground that is well mixed with manure. I just have to pick it up.

On another note - still no 'garden' news and no progress on those projects.... just been SO BUSY every single evening
But I'll be starting another set of seeds this Sunday. Hopefully I won't kill THIS bunch.
However, I ordered a book on cheese making that is set up as a series of lessons progressing from the easiest to the aged hard cheeses. SO EXCITED to start making something other than yogurt.

(super thick greek yogurt & last summer's strawberries)

 

[seedcorn]

Keep us up to date on your cheese making factory.....

 

[baymule]

A friend of mine makes kiefer from her goats milk. We buy it from her, it's so good! She also makes a soft cheese spread and mozzarella cheese that we gladly buy. Delicious!

 

[digitS']

I used to make cheese to feed to my chickens.

This was a little larger than a backyard flock and it seemed to work well for egg production. The process was essentially just for cottage cheese and it was a way (whey) to make the surplus milk more useful to the hens.

I never had the courage to eat it or make any other cultured product, for myself. I wish that I had known about using Greek yogurt for cooking those days.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

Farmers are being taught how much fertilizer is being “given” away with straw and hay. Farmer needs between $1-$2 just to get back what he lost per bale of straw. Put another $2 to bale and store, $4 is break even. Some farmers still have a hard time understanding that simple concept. Why some are short of cash, don’t understand why.

Hope they know NOT to store rained on anything. Maybe they could "learn" to recycle all of THAT in their fields instead of chemical fertilizer.

 

[seedcorn]

They do but that is not enough fertilizer.

It’s not that easy to make alfalfa or straw. Sometimes, it just happens. They do not control the weather.

Round bales are Hardly damaged by rain. Here, they are made and used or sold within a year.

 

[canesisters]

Busy weekend (but STILL no progress on those projects ).

Got all the mowing caught up so the place doesn't look like an abandoned lot anymore.

I uncovered the strawberry boxes several weeks ago and was afraid that the COLD weather after uncovering them had killed them off. But, apparently not. One bed is going NUTS, the other has room to spread.


Opened up a section of the south fields for the cows.


A friend was going to a nearby farm that was having a tree sale. I tagged along and came home with 2 mulberries, 2 pecans and a weeping willow.

... now to add planting to the LIST of things I need to get done...

 

[baymule]

We just can't resist planting more can we?

 

[canesisters]

nope