Wearing Me Down.....

Super-H-Mike · Feb 18, 2014

Winter !! Barn cleaner frozen, spreader frozen , now the water line to the barn froze ! The frost must have finally reached it underground, too long of a run for welder trick ? About 300 feet. I know I dont have any cables that long ! lol So I am carrying water twice a day. Made a sled for the stock tank from an old car hood to skid it out to the cow yard for the steers. Of course , they tip it over, so I strapped it to the hay elevator. The electric fence is shorted I figure due to the lower 2 strands completely buried in snow. It is warm today, but wont last, more snow and cold coming ! I need a vacation ! lol

Tom in TN · Feb 18, 2014

Mike,

Things might not be as bad here on my farm, but I, too, am simply worn down. The bitter cold is now past and now I'm swimming in mud that is literally five or six inches deep.

I don't make any money some years and only make a little bit on the years that I do have a profit. I was honestly thinking this morning about selling out the cow operation and just baling hay for sale.

I need Spring very badly right now.

Tom in TN

ChasK · Feb 18, 2014

I know what you mean. I lost a hydrant
last weekend. The main waterer in the building
is down the line and, so far, is still working!
Only half finished with lambing, and having that
one freeze would be less than convenient!

farmerwithmutt · Feb 18, 2014

Both my waters froze hydrant still open cattle walked over fence.i had to haul water anx had a barrel mounted on 3 pt got by a
tank and let it go .could you use a bale fork and barrel mounted cross wise?

Fordfarmer · Feb 18, 2014

That's about how I've been feeling, too. But at least you have mud... we still have LOTS of snow, and more on the way in a few days. Highs in the teens again by the weekend...

Janicholson · Feb 18, 2014

Scrape the snow off of and put bales of ay on the ground above the run. The hay will insulate the soil and allow the unfreezing to happen faster. The frigidity continues to travel downward in the soil (and keep the surface frozen or at least cold) earth heat of 55 to 60* will creep back into the soil at the pipe and melt the blockage.
Frost is only driven by Delta T (coldness next to warmer) Jim

Dick L · Feb 18, 2014

Winter is right. I have not figured out why my horses stay in the lots I have all electric rope fence. I do have three that go back and fourth between lots but the other four don't. One section the snow drifts are over the fence. One horse waded up almost to the where the fence would be while I was out there. I yelled, Get Back Here, and she waded back out and I have not seen any tracks in that area since. I have been wondering how deep the frost is here. Might not be all that deep with three feet of snow cover.

rrlund · Feb 18, 2014

Yep,you can see my complaints down on rla's I Surrender post.

Royse · Feb 18, 2014

I've had enough too. I just spent another 4 hours moving snow.
Last week my brother's steers walked out of their pasture over
the fence because it was buried in snow.
He borrowed my loader tractor to move the snow, now I have to
fix the tractor. It just happened to break while he was using it.
Not something he did wrong and he's helping with the labor.
At least I do not have animals I have to care for in this weather.

Brian G. NY · Feb 18, 2014

Illigitimi non carborundum!

JerryS · Feb 18, 2014

I don't see how you guys can tolerate even a normal winter up there. Down here in the sunny south we have "winter" weather only every three or four years--three inches of snow that lasts two days or so, freezing rain, low temps in the teens---but I get claustrophobic even then. I'll take three steamy months of summer, thank you. If I had livestock to care for or equipment to operate and maintain, don't know what I'd do. I grew up in a dairy barn, and I hated even our little mild winters.

farmerwithmutt · Feb 18, 2014

Looks like im not the only one that got cattle over the fence i just put post in snow and new wire and wouldnt you know its thawing .
im lucky i have a good fencer put a rope up and they wont try it neighbors even hook on once in awhile

scott2013 · Feb 18, 2014

I feel for you guys. I was stationed in New England (Connecticut mostly) for the better part of 15 years and as soon as I got the chance to move back south I was gone. The cold and snow just don't work for me. Last week we had ice down here in Georgia but today it was 75* and sunny! Now later on this summer when we're melting in the triple digits y'all be chillin' in the 80's but I don't have to shovel heat...

Spring is coming!

Scott

Super-H-Mike · Feb 18, 2014

My snow piles are 10 feet high all over the yard,
running out of space for more, and March is usually
the snowiest month ! This is a REAL winter, worst I
ever recall. Spring will mean flooding , at least
the drought of last year should be over !

Brown Swiss · Feb 18, 2014

I'm full of chit, frozen chit that is, finally got some out.
I have my FILs farm I rented and put yearlings 1and half miles away, water lines froze, FIL went to Arizona for winter, he said has never happened before, now hauling water to them, milk house drain froze up, hauling water out of milk house, and I get people asking what am I going to do with a that money from the milk, my answer, you start milking and see how rich you get!

JMS/.MN · Feb 18, 2014

Mein Bruder taught me that expression 5 decades ago....don"t let the backstards wear you down!

the flying belgian · Feb 18, 2014

I know how you feel. I only have a few hobby animals but no matter if you have one or a hundred animals they still need water everyday. The hydrant that I draw water from froze up about a week ago. I was born and raised on this farm and I only recall that hydrant freezing up one other time about 50 years ago. Pa used to say "just keep putting one foot ahead of the other"

Bret4207 · Feb 19, 2014

I feel for ya. Winters don't get any easier as the years pass. Somedays I think about selling it all and moving south. But I don't do hot all that well and my wife hates hot weather too. Plus, I'd have to find some idiot to buy this place and start all over someplace else.

Just a few more weeks...or a couple months maybe, and spring will have sprung.

Wearing Me Down.....

Super-H-Mike

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Tom in TN

Well-known Member

ChasK

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farmerwithmutt

Well-known Member

Fordfarmer

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Janicholson

Well-known Member

Dick L

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rrlund

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Royse

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Brian G. NY

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JerryS

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farmerwithmutt

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scott2013

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Super-H-Mike

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Brown Swiss

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JMS/.MN

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the flying belgian

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Bret4207

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