Thursday- Once again the class III milk price has been announced for August, $21.67, and once again we have lost opportunity of just over $4000. With an August 2009 price of $11.20, and 2010 of $15.18 contracts of $16.58 and $19.86 for this year seemed good. So it goes.... The 15 year high was $19.83 in 2007 with the low being in 2002 at $9.54. The average price over the last 10 years is $14.53
This weather has been perfect with daytime highs of 75. Bruce chopped what Ed raked yesterday and when Ed got home he raked what he had cut yesterday. That gave me a day off to make tomato soup. The tomato's are really nice this year. It has been a few years since we have had a garden that has done this well. We have already had 4 cantaloupe so Bruce is now happy!
We took the truck to have it fixed this afternoon and on the way back we made what will be routine stops, for the near future anyway, at the corn field. The corn that Bruce planted specifically for chopping is denting but the milk line is still high. Corn dries from the outside in so as the kernel matures a line is created between the mature end and the immature tip.
Friday- When I arrived home I was glad I spent my day working in town. The dog was limping. He had gotten his foot stepped on putting cows out on pasture in the morning. He walks on all 4's but holds the front one up when he runs. Ed had been raking hay and a bolt had come loose and wore a hole in the metal that will need to be patched. Bruce was chopping and had a bearing seize up on the chopper wheel which broke the spindle off. In the process of handling the tire he once again injured his back and is walking much like his 80 year old father again. We got a call that our truck was fixed so Bruce's mom took Ed down to get it before they closed. We now have a replaced catalytic converter and a quieter truck with normal power again. One of the signs of fall is the start of our card party group so we managed to get milking done early and arrived at a respectable time of 9 p.m. Four of the 8 couples in involved still milk cows and 2 used to milk.
Saturday- It was fun seeing everyone again but getting home at 1:30 and having the alarm go off at 6 is a bit of an adjustment! Bruce was able to get a therapy appointment early this morning so he helped milk 3/4 of the cows and I finished. Ed came over just before Bruce was ready to leave so he asked Ed if he would stay and keep track of me while I finished. His big concern was a cow with a sore quarter and he wanted someone around in case I had trouble with her. I finished milking without incident and Ed offered to help with the details. He and Mike got the cows out of the barn while I finished up in the the milk house. Mike came back faster than I would have expected so I walked down the driveway to see if the cows were already on pasture. Ed was just shutting the gate and the last of the cows were crossing the road. Mike is so used to helping us and had come to see where I was. I told him it was OK and he should take the cows out to pasture and off he went : ) He rarely questions getting a ride on the 4 wheeler with others but having someone else do what we usually do seems to concern him. Bruce came home, rested his back for a bit and then went out with Ed to replace the spindle and tire on the chopper. He chopped most of what was left, leaving some to chop fresh until he is able to get the silo unloader let down and adjusted. The silo is now full so he had to climb up and level the haylage off with a fork, today of all days! I worry, he walks like he is 80 and tells me he is feeling better (not fixed). He managed to get it done without doing any more harm. It is in the low 80's which feels like quite a change from the lower 70's we have been having. We managed to get through milking. Thankfully we don't have any special needs cows to lengthen our day.
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| a broken spindle means the wheel suddenly falls off |
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