management

Everyday management is the art of not being surprised.  It is harder than it looks.  For the conventional crops farmer it is what is happening when the machines are all pulled out of storage in the spring, serviced, lubed and lined up ready for the first dry field.  For the diversified crop and livestock farmer, it is what happens every day all year around, for there is always the next thing to be ready for.

Often enough, too often for this old fellow, surprise happens anyway.  Farming is like that.

Today, we have the complex cover crop lying in thick green swaths, wilting.  The combine is busy in the winter rye, another experiment, this one in weed control and a bit disappointing.  The sows needed to be fed this morning, the farrowing house checked and serviced with feed and bedding and all the feeding groups seen.  The cattle will need to be moved to new grass this afternoon, tomorrow they go on the driveway paddock and then over north.  Time to cut the thistles when they move.  The grain auger needed to be put up to store the rye. 

In addition, we got a tire remounted on one hayrack, making it ready with its two mates to haul the wet cover crop bales to the wrapper on Monday after the baler rolls them up.  We hope it's ready to bale then.  We spent time in the shop also this morning straightening and rewelding the hayfork, necessary to carry bales to the hayracks, and then spent what extra time we had getting an old sprayer ready to spray a mixture of trace elements on the hayfield next week to boost it for last cutting.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we hope for a quiet one.  Monday we will need to land running.  Cover crop baling, straw baling and moving, sows to be fed, fence repair to start new sow fence and feeders to plan and hopefully just a bit of family time at the lake.  Now we will see what the weather has to say about our plans!  Heat predicted. Rain?