From the Barns: Time for repairs

I dug up a hydrant at daughter KT’s house over the weekend and can report 24 inches of frozen soil at that location. The final repair will wait until warmer days and no frozen soil. A PVC cap will suffice for now to stop the flow of water.

I found out I must look to a new generation of children that will fit down in the 24-inch culvert to scoop out the gravel. Granddaughter Kailyn was small enough and flexible enough to get the assignment and still pleasant when the job was done. I think she saw the value of running water in the house as motivation.

The shop has been getting a workout with all the fix-it projects we had stacked up and the weather has been motivation to move most work indoors.

The cow crew did find a warmer day last week to finish up the weaning and preg checking for the year. Frozen and warmish beats out muddy and really nice when it comes to winter cow work and getting cows fed could be an issue nearby except for the lack of precipitation that seems to plague us right now.

The little snow we had disappeared without notice and cow lots and fields are exceptionally dry — nice for getting around, but concerning with farming and pasture seasons coming up fast.

The fat market has continued to roll on higher and should continue to move that way unless some announcement or “earthshaking” — he said sarcastically — event gives the board and packers some less than genuine excuse to back it up. Cattle producers can’t fix this shortage of beef overnight. It takes years to build up any meaningful numbers. A drought this summer will not help in this effort.

Brush clearing with the skid loader and one of many attachments I’ve collected is filling whatever spare time we can find. Another skid loader is on my want list this time of year as our current model is in high demand by everybody.

Basketball season is wrapping up and indoor track and field has meshed in nicely to break up the monotony of this late-winter season. By next month the urgency of spring work will be a reality — better enjoy the pace while it lasts.