Hi guys.

I'm right here. Just got in from chores, I got my feet up in a chair, watching the world baseball classic, reading the days mail and seeing what you guys are up to. Not much going on here. This is my least favorite time of the year. Right now its the sun is still out beautifully but it is 27 degrees, windy and the ground is somewhere between frozen and a sloppy mess. The cows are really protesting about all this mud. The only thing worse is when it is frozen ruts. Right now it is darn hard to do anything.
Went to a bull sale last saturday, should have got ya some pics of that but I didnt think about it till afterwards. I am planning on going to another on this saturday. Anyone have any expirence with a son of "mytty in focus"? His numbers make me think one of his sons would be a good choice for a bull on some heifers.
We have had alot of rain lately so there is no hope of field work any time soon.
Trying to decide whether or not to buy crop insurance. Never have before. Seems like we have so much tied up in inputs this year it might just be too risky to go with out. If corn went to $2 or something crazy like that it would make for a long winter.
Went to a funeral for a neighbor yesterday. 92 year old life long farmer. He has been retired a good number of years and enjoyed his retirement alot. Avid golfer and all around a really special guy. Very active untill the last 6 months or so. He also was a WWII D-day vetran. He was in one of those dual drive sherman tanks in the first attack wave that was supposed to float but sank before they got ashore. He always said if it hadnt sank he would have been killed for sure on the normandy beach in that tank. He finally did land on the beaches a couple days later in a different tank and went on to fight in the battle for normandy and was awarded two purple hearts. He will be forever fondly remeber.
I did get the 4020 out of the shop and it is seems to be working out well. Went to the Case-NH dealer this morning and picked up some parts and a couple of barrels of oil this morning. Time to get things ready to plant I suppose. Shouldnt have any new calves for at least a couple of weeks. Spent the better part of this afternoon cleaning up the mess in the shop. Going to visit the Fulton co. FSA office in the morning and drop in on my Pioneer seed dealer. Thinking if it gets down to 10 degrees tonight I will be able to put out hay for both groups of calves. The sooner spring gets here the happier I am going to be!!
So what have all you guys been up to?
bill

Working,thankfull for that and taking care of my two sons.Wife was busy attending the Big East womens basketball tournament with her mother who comes up from Florida to watch her beloved UConn womens team.
On my front I picked up a new journal bearing for my DB hay rake.Hope this makes it go better.I guess some more cleaning is required before I can put it back together and then I guess I will start on the Grimm ground driven tedder.
All is good right now .Hopefully the ground dries up over the next couple of days.

Vito

Well here in MN. things are covered up sometimes you sure would like to get a peak at what is under all that covering...but I guess we don't have that luxury until it gets good and warm so I'll have to wait and use my imagination as to what the summertime will bring not to mention all the greenery..

As for the bull thing...I have used mytty in focus alot on my ai cows they have turned out nice. I have been getting around 75 lbs birth rates, very nice in this weather to not have to worry. Just thought i would through that out there. Good luck with everything!!

Here in Missery its wet as can be and colder than a well diggers a$$, the wind is blowing consantly, you can not get a darn thing done. Other than that I am happier than a Sissy in boys town.

plow hand
You maybe should start hanging around the local fitness centers.Might thaw and uncover some things for you.Let alone plant a seed ......

Vito

Thanks. Tried to buy a son of his last weekend at that sale. I had the contending bid but I quit because I just didnt know enough to keep going. He was a good looking yearling bull and I did like those numbers. Bottom line is I dont want to have to baby sit a bunch of heifers while I'm trying to plant corn.
bill

Been busy tryin to get stuff ready for spring gettin soil analyzed and everything. Will be my first year for beans so excited for that. Got a lot more hay ground and working on splittin a hesston 1320 bar right now. Also lookin for a hay rake in ky. Anybody know of one lol

BILL YOU WILL LIKE THE IN FOCUS CALVES WHEN THEY COME EASY BUT THEY WILL NOT BE THE HEAVIEST AT WEANING. WE ARE USING A SON AI. HE IS AN APEX IN FOCUS BULL. WHERE YOU GOING THIS SATURDAY?

DAVIS

After having a dry and dusty feb. we are getting some moisture,snowed on Monday nite and it's still here, down to zero last nite. Today with the help of two neighbors we scour vaced my older cows and replaced some ear tags , Should be starting to calve in the next 10 days and my work will really start, still need to line up someone to do the 2 am check. We won't see green grass enough to turn out for at least 50 days yet!

Sunnyhill angus, Fairview IL.
bill

What did you pay for those drums of oil? ARe the those the 33 gallon drums?

Ha ha Animal. Wasn't that you telling me how warm things were a couple of weeks ago? It is so cold, windy and now muddy up here that I now have my Massey 1105 loader tractor burried out on some pasture where most of my mommas are wintering and I can't anything even close to it to try to pull it out. I am having to roll round bales out by hand and using electric wire as a feed barrier, really sucks. I walked a half mile worths yesterday with mineral and range cube bags making several trips.

Honestly I dont know. We buy it as bulk oil so they fill the drums and charge so much per gallon. They usually deliver it but this was a special and it had to be done by friday. I signed for the other parts inside but after he filled the two 55 gallons drums in my truck out in the oil building I asked him if he needed anything else, he said no and I headed home. One was Hy-tran the other was 15w-40. I bet it will be expensive.
bill

Wildest winter I have ever seen, 3 or 4 days cold, 3or 4 days warm and windy, that has been our cycle all winter, no snow, but when it rains it comes in buckets. And you bet I will put in with you that this mud sucks!!!