Wednesday Again

The day started out at 59 degrees!  Brrr.  The cows and I loved it but the corn likes heat and humidity so this can only be temporary.  After milking Bruce took a milk sample  to culture of a cow recently fresh that has a high somatic cell count.  I ran the sample to the vet this afternoon in hopes of having results back before the weekend.  After milking I had to go to town to report our acreage at the Farm Service Agency.  This is the agency that runs any federal ag programs, and in order to participate you have to operate by their rules.  The acreage reports are due by 7/15 even though commodity prices are currently high enough that the programs aren't really paying anything.  It is easier to just report yearly to keep records current.  In order to participate in any programs we also have to work with the land conservation department.  They are the ones that supervise our cropping rotations, strips and erosion control.  The other reason to report is we have crop insurance on our alfalfa seeding and they require an official crop report.  Bruce did a really good job of keeping track of the details which is why I did the report this year instead of him.  While I was gone Bruce ran over to the neighbors to look at his blower.  He has one identical to ours and Bruce wanted to make sure he had replaced the belt on ours correctly.  In the process he realized he had the pulley backwards so he had to turn that around.  Oops : )  Bruce raked the hay this afternoon but even with low humidities and a breeze it didn't get dry enough to chop today.  We started the breeding process again today by putting cidr's in a group of heifers.  The fear is it will get really hot again when they are due to be bred.  We have had this problem in the past during the summer and heat stress has a pretty negative impact on fertility.

As a general rule Bruce goes out with the dog and the 4 wheeler to get the cows but tonight he insisted I ride along.  While the dog supervised the cows going home, he had to show me all the wild black caps that are growing in our woods again this year.  I really think, second to border collies, nothing makes him happier!  Picking berries in the heat and the bugs and getting all scratched up is a fun vacation day for him.  Needless to say, I don't entirely share his enthusiasm but I am more than willing to make batches of jelly for him with whatever he picks