branding

Sunday was SOOO much fun. We had an ol' fashioned branding up on the hill.

Our daughter and son-in-law, Meghan and Travis brought out their cattle horses to help with the round up. My sister Colleen and her husband Del came over from our "sister property" DVR. Johnny and Keith (better know as the cowboys) were the ringleaders and my cousin Lester did the neutering deed as well as wrestling the tails on the heifers. Keith's grandson, Zach held the branding iron between the cows. Our good friend Terry along with Travis helped the cows decide to go where we wanted them to go. Marvin and Greg did several different jobs - wherever they were needed. I kept track of which eartag numbers were put on each cow as we replaced their existing tags with our new style and color. Various family and friends hung out and visited and played. The weather was absolutely perfect and the day was clear and warm.

We were done at about 2:30, just in time for the weather to take a sharp about-face and turn really cold and windy. By this time, we were back at the house and BBQing pork ribs and tritip and sausage. After salad and potatoes and brownies, everyone slowly left and we fell into bed at 8:00 - exhausted but very happy. It was a perfect country day and all animals were healthy and happy.

Keith's other grandson, Ian along with Zach, helped me round up a wayward goat. Those little guys have way more energy than I do. I was tired just watching them run after the little nanny.

What a wonderful place we live where family and friends can get together for a day of work and play and just enjoying the great outdoors.

trees & fruit blossom

This beautiful piece of property came complete with 2 curly willow trees. Although they were doing "ok", we felt that they would flourish around water so we had one dug up this past week and moved to the end of the pond. I thought you'd enjoy the pictures of the process.

When you get a fancy bouquet of flowers from the florist and they have those curly sticks, those are from curly willows. I googled and found this info:

Size
The corkscrew willow tree is a small- to medium-height willow tree. At maturity, it can be anywhere from 20 to 40 feet tall. The willow can spread 15 to 30 feet and has a rapid growth rate.

This type of willow tree can be planted in many different types of soil, with partial to full sun. It can adapt to many different climates. The willow does produce flowers, but the flower color and size is subtle, and blends with the leaves.

Geography
Corkscrew willow trees originated from the northwestern region of China. It has been introduced around the world to areas including North America, Australia and Europe.

Time Frame
Growth from starter tree to full maturity takes only 10 years. Depending on the climate, the willow will have a defined summer and winter cycle. The corkscrew willow bears small, yellow-green catkins for flowers. These flowers grow in clusters without petals.
Many growers admire the corkscrew willow's winter branch pattern. When the leaves have fallen, you will see the twisted twigs and branches that grow nearly parallel to the trunk of the tree and then curve back out.

Benefits
Corkscrew willows have many benefits for gardens and landscaping. The willow does not grow tall, but still has an intricate root system. The tree grows rapidly, which provides fast tree cover for property lines. Corkscrew willows can also be cultivated much like the bonsai tree, because of its gnarled, twisted branches. Willows are easy to maintain

I also really liked this picture I took of our pluot tree. I never tire of the pretty spring blossoms.

We branded cattle this past weekend so look for the next time I write when I will include lots of great photos.

Willow, in thy breezy moan,
I can hear a deeper tone;
Through thy leaves come whispering low,
Faint sweet sound of long ago--
Willow, sighing willow!
- Mrs. Felicia D. Hemans, Willow Song

New Babies!

Suprise!

Evidently, our pigs were not told that they needed to wait until January to breed. Our best guess is that they became pregnant on the way from Iowa to California. Anyway, we woke up the other morning to find that one of the gilts had 3 baby piglets! Then, I went to take pictures on Wednesday I was suprised again to see that a second one had 3 piglets.

Plain ol' Good Earth

For those of you that have followed us, you might remember that 300 acres of our farm has been under "CRP" for the past 10 years. When the Hughes bought the property, they knew that it would come out of CRP on September 30, 2011.

Because this property had remained untouched for at least the past 10 years, we were unaware of its potental.

A few weeks ago, Marvin took the disk up there and uncovered some of the most beautiful ground on the entire farm. It is rich and completely void of rock. I know, it's very sad when I get excited about soil, but this is the state of my life now.

Anyway, Marvin worked up around 100 acres (with the help of Wayne and a little bit of mine) and planted barley. Now if we would just get some rain!

Down on the bottom section (just under 200 acres), we are busily getting it ready for veggies. There is about 80 acres planted in a forage mix and another 15 or so with rows for vegetables. We will be putting some transplants in the ground next week, but will need to hold our breath that we don't get those big freezes again. Last year we planted a bunch of transplants and it snowed on March 1st!

We will also be planting seeds, but this really tries our patience. The ground needs to be a certain temperature for them to germinate and it just isn't there yet. We also will be fighting weeds and late season cold. I guess that is the life of the farmer - practice patience and pray for the right weather conditions.

Ben continues to be on skunk patrol. I really don't know where he finds them all, but will be glad when they are gone as they really like chickens.

The picture above of all the antenae is a hill that is a few miles from our house but in direct view. They may look ugly but we are very thankful for that great cell phone service.

I will try to write again soon so make sure you check back often. Please drop us a note when you get a chance HZHarvest12@yahoo.com.

Since rain was on my mind, I looked up the annual average precipitation at Bradley. It is13.08 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is February with an average rainfall of 2.87 Inches

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.
Frank Howard Clark

The New Barn

We are so proud of the new barn. It is truly a beautiful addition to the farm.

Last Sunday, Marvin and I went up to the barn to feed the Mangalitsa pigs. We opened up the barn doors and went around the corner. When we came back, the two "baby" Navajo-Churro sheep were inside. We have been trying to catch these little guys so that we could cut their tails and neuter them. We took this opportunity and closed the doors with them inside. Del and Jason were coming over from DVR so Marvin would have help to catch them, tie their feet and take them to the round pen.

A couple of hours later, the guys went up to do their deed. During this time, the ewes had been crying for their offspring and the 90 pound lambs were getting a little frantic.

They were able to catch one of them quickly and efficiently. The second one was a different story. Marvin went around one side of the hay pile and was going to grab him by the horns when he came out. The lamb had a different idea. He charged full speed ahead and butted him right in the nose knocking him down!

Poor Marvin had a broken and bloody nose, but he got his man in the end (without harm to the lamb). I'm happy to say that they are doing well after their procedures and once again calm.

I've always wondered why they dock their tails so I looked it up:

Docking improves the health and welfare of sheep and lambs. It prevents fecal matter from accumulating on the tail and hindquarters of the animal. Research has shown that tail docking greatly reduces fly strike (wool maggots), while having no ill effect on lamb mortality or production. Docking facilitates shearing. Not many sheep shearers want to shear sheep with long tails. Docking makes it easier to observe the ewe's udder and detect potential problems.

Some markets (lamb buyers) discriminate against tailed lambs, since having a tail lowers the dressing percent (yield) of the lamb and removal of the tail during processing requires extra labor. On the other hand, ethnic buyers of lambs often prefer undocked lambs. For the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, unblemished lambs are often preferred for harvest. An unblemished lamb is one that has not been docked, castrated, or had its horns removed.

Not all sheep require tail docking. Because hair sheep lambs do not have long, wooly tails, it is usually not necessary to shorten their tails. Lambs from the Northern European short-tail breeds also do not require docking. Fat-tailed sheep are usually not docked. Some producers of wooled lambs do not dock their lambs or they only dock the ewe lambs.

I really liked this prayer. Hope you do too.
Lord bless my garden with all that it needs
Hep me to nurture, then small tiny seeds..
I ask not for fortune, or fame Lord I need
Courage to keep faith, in growing a seed..
To live on a back road, with Nature around
making a living, from seeds in the ground.
And Lord, I am thankful, for Sunshine and rain
for time watching Birds and all the wild game.
I’m truly thankful, For quiet country time
Being a Farmer, suits me just fine….
to sit in the quiet of seeds while they grow
with warm country blessings that reap what we sow.
I hope i will always, call farming my friend
Blessed in the Spirit, of Country …Amen

Thank you Lord.

Enjoy the weekend!