So quiet or ashamed!

[SCS]

As I go on here, commodities are alive and beef is quiet. Waiting for weather to come around and second cut starts. Early Pure Bred Bulls are pulled and in two Commercials. Had good rain last week, Corn is first time but looking good. Silage in two weeks.

Besides that the seven pups are soon to be weaned!

[greybeard]

Do you chop your own corn or have it done for you?

[SCS]

Silage is for winter graze, this year we are doing cereals.

[kato]

Still haying here. Finally got a field up dry this week. So of course it's going to rain today. Lol Only another half section to go. The new rake is excellent, well worth buying. It made all the difference in getting that dry hay.

[SADIE]

Haying is going strong here. This is a new stand of Alfalfa/Orhard grass seeding under irrigation. It was an oat crop last year so lots of volunteer green feed as well.

Bought a new Khun Gyro rake this year as well and is very much needed to turn swaths to get to dry down.

Dryland hay was very poor around the country here.

Now have visible bales rolled up in good shape so now are comfortable with winter feed supply situation for our cow herd.

Lots to go yet. Bale today swaths that were turned yesterday. Rain in forecast tonight and tomorrow.

Will start picking. This is a newer rapid growing alfalfa variety "SEALTH"
could be a second growth after the frost if that holds off till mid sept.??

[grassfarmer]

I think it's quiet here because the cowboy tends to be stoic and resilient, the grain farmer more of a chronic complainer - at least some that post on Agriville are.

Had custom outfits in putting up silage and hay 10 days ago. My favourite kind of machinery - the stuff other guys make the payments on!
Outstanding silage crops off sweet clover and pasture sow-outs heavy in alfalfa. Lighter haycrop of worn out old alfalfa fields. Getting a welcome rain today which will help the regrowth. Compared to the west we are in great shape for feed and pasture.

Busy fencing now and planning water development. Lots to do getting a new place the way you want it.

[greybeard]

How do you figure the cost of custom silage GF ?
Seems to me last time I checked it worked out to about $100 ac if I swathed and maybe packed?

[grassfarmer]

Dollars per acre doesn't mean much to me given the variables of yield, distance to haul, moisture etc.
We found the custom guy we used in AB came in around $11-$12/ton at 60% moisture. That was everything from cutting to packing included.

Reckon @$11/ton this year which is going to be cheap as the moisture was lower. Again everything included - mowing, raking, chopping, hauling, packing. I find it pays to go with the bigger operators with the largest equipment as they can move the silage so much quicker and more efficiently.
On a dry matter basis it's cheaper than custom hay with less weather risk plus its stacked and weatherproofed versus the hay bales still sitting in the field.

[Horse]

GF How do you find sweetclover for silage? Had a neibor at red deer yr ago that seeded oats boy peas for silage and under seeded sweet/red clover so got 2 crops and only had to farm every other yr, but as I remember sweet was tricky so I think he added some rolled grain with it.
Hows the new stomping grounds a treat I think at least until the new wears off,I know it was for us but we only moved 200mi and stayed in same prov,that was 40yr ago.And still here not to smart I guess.

[grassfarmer]

Just got a silage analysis back on the sweetclover mixed with some really dried out strawy oats. The clover must have been exceptional as it still came back over 62%TDN, 15.8% protein. That's first year sweet clover, the trick will be getting it off early enough next year for silage before quality declines. It's all Norgold low comourin variety so we shouldn't have any feeding problems.

Yes I'm enjoying the new - as you say the novelty will wear off with time but I find that change refreshes you, recharges your energy.

[farmaholic]

SCS, what kind of dogs do you breed?
Looking for a Heeler.

[SCS]

Farm, have Border Collies at present, serving the purpose, the male has the disposition of and old Collie/Heeler cross stud dog we had. The Collies that are freshened up with a bit of heeler have a bit more bite, but lack the out work.

[farmaholic]

SCS, Just looking for a "pet". We don't have livestock anymore but I like Blue Heelers. Any leads of who may have some. I'm in SE Sask.