Wool

This year’s meetings start Jan. 26-27 with the Driftless Region Beef Conference and then Feb. 2-4 with the Grassworks Grazing Conference at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin.

The weather in November has been surprising. The warmer temperatures have been really nice. We had a chance to complete many of the projects on our fall to-do list. Harvest around us is going strong and it is a pleasure to see the combines in the field.

Harvest has started here in northern Illinois. Many counties to the south have probably been harvesting for several weeks. Around us the weather has been perfect for picking beans for a couple weeks. My pasture still has a good grass cover for the small flock of sheep we have.

Happy September! Always seems like the summer goes by so fast. It is nice to have a little cooler evenings. Great weather to sit out on the porch and enjoy. My Shetland lambs are growing nicely. Their color patterns are really starting to be vibrant.

As I write this column, I am looking out over our county fair. The Boone County Fair has been a family tradition since I was a child. The fair is special for a lot of families. I really enjoy seeing all the livestock shows and catching up with friends.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. We have sure been busy with a lot of projects around the farm. The hay cutting went well with 11 big square bales in the barn. With the rain we have had in the last couple weeks, I am hopeful to get another good cutting.

The Make It With Wool Competition will return to the Indiana State Fair on July 31. The competition will be at the Indiana Arts Building, with judging check-in at 9 a.m. and the public fashion show at 2 p.m.

Here in northern Illinois there has been a lot of rain. I am not complaining, especially since my son-in-law in Georgia is very dry. All the rain does make it difficult to cut hay. Looks like there is a break next week. Crossing my fingers for a window of a couple days.

Interesting how short spring can be in northern Illinois. This week the weather has jumped right into summer. I do not mind. Nice to see the grass and pasture turn green.

March is always an up and down month for weather. Nice one day and then cold and snowy the next. I am choosing to be positive and know it will not be long until spring. March is a good time to plan for projects when the weather turns nice.

Hopefully the groundhog is not correct and spring is closer than six weeks away. It has been cold the last few days and nights. The sheep are doing well, but stay in the barn most of the time. The north side of our barn has three doors.

Happy New Year! I usually do not make very many New Year’s resolutions, but this year I did try to think of some for the farm and fiber mill business. I would like to attend — probably virtually — at least one educational seminar on improving flock health.

The rain in late October and early November is not a favorite of farmers. For my pastures, the rain has given them extra life. The sheep should be able to get enough grass until the end of November with only a little supplement.

What a week! As I am write this column, I have just arrived home from the Boone County Fair, our local fair. The weather was a little wet and stormy at the beginning of the week, but perfect for the weekend.

Summer is certainly here with the hot weather. We like to say that we are having Georgia weather in northern Illinois. Luckily we had a lot of rain this spring and the pasture did grow well. In the last two weeks it has been dry.