Storms passed through here Sunday night and Monday morning. All total we got .7 of rain. It had gotten pretty dry so we were glad for what we got, especially since some areas got nasty storms along with their rain. It was good timing for the crops, especially the seeding that has just been harvested.
The flies are here. They become a nusance for the cows and make their life miserable. In an effort to combat the aggravation the cows tend to huddle and rest in a small area, which with the rain, becomes a mud hole. They get the mud on their feet and udders which makes prepping them for milking take twice as long. The moisture and mud attracts flies so the viscous cycle continues. Yesterday Bruce put fly repellent on all but one group of animals that are on pasture. We use a product that you pour down their backs. It doesn't take much but already today there are very few flies on them and they are more content.
Joe was here last night and milked with me while Bruce set a new fence for the heifers below here. They are now back to the first piece of pasture they were on. Bruce finished milking with Joe so I could get the calves fed.
Today Bruce checked into getting some help to pick the stones on our seeding fields. We will see if we can make that work. The rest of the day was spent replacing the shaft, hub and belt on the blower while Ed started cutting our 2nd crop alfalfa. It was a cloudy day with less humidity. The hay isn't drying very fast at this point. There is less tonage in the 2nd crop so the plan is to rake 2 windrows together. This makes chopping more efficient and helps hold the moisture. Joe did some weed trimming tonight and then he and Bruce milked. I was able to do few things in the house before I fed calves and helped let cows out. I enjoyed the break from milking even if it was to clean house : )
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