What cows tell us, and other things farmers know.

Everyone has random things they know aside from their specialty or job. Here are some things that only a farmer knows.

If your tires are clean.

This may seem funny but if the tires on any of our 4 tractors, and 2 ATV's are clean, it's only because there's some snow on the ground. 

Winter driving for most means that your vehicle gets covered with frozen slush and road salt, making winter driving the dirtiest time of the year. 

This is the opposite on the farm, our roads, and fields are the cleanest in winter. 

Usually, they are muddy or dusty, but in winter if the ground is frozen and there is snow, that snow polishes the tires and everything else it can reach to a shiny like-new quality.

If it's around 10 in the morning and you,

look out the window and all the cows are laying down chewing cud? There's a good chance it will rain that afternoon. 

Cows (and most animals) are very sensitive the barometric pressure, therefore they tend to know if a front is coming. 

A happy cow will normally graze in the morning then lay down and chew cud in the afternoon, but if they feel a storm coming they will reverse this, they stand against the rain, they will not lay down in it unless ill.

Cows are not the only ones who know if it's going to rain. 

Farmers themselves are very attentive to the weather. 

We have to be, our crops, animals, and living depend on it. 

If we have a field of hay down and we get two days of rain, we have lost that whole field. 

A big loss, of time and income. 

A very common sentence in our home is "what does the weather look like?" It doesn't matter if we look it up on our phone or can read nature.

 Want to know the forecast? Ask a farmer.

Farmers are scientists.

Whether they are aware of this fact or not, a lot of the things we do are based on science. 

Ever try to get a tractor unstuck when you are by yourself? 

Understanding how leverages and fulcrums work can go a long way to getting unstuck. This is just one example, There are hundreds of others.

This may surprise you but farmers know fashion. 

However, it's for a completely different reason than you think. 

We get dressed in the morning and are out the door, what we choose to wear has to function for us! Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have jeans that are falling down all day? 

We know what works, for work!

 We also know what's comfortable and what lasts. 

It is completely normal for my husband and me, to go through a pair of work boots or a winter coat in one season. 

Yes, we are that hard on things. 

When we find something that lasts with what we do, we become very loyal customers.

We also know how valuable time is.

 probably better than anyone, All you need is some small thing to go wrong and there goes your whole day. 

You know that saying 'time is money' that could have been coined by a farmer. 

Say you have your tractor, hay baler, and wagon out in the lower field, you're all set to bale $500 worth of hay.

 On your first time around you break a shear pin.

 Now if you keep replacements in the tractor, you pop a new one in and off you go. 

You wasted maybe 5 minutes. 

What if you don't have one?

 Well, then it's back to the farm with the whole works. 

( 20 to 30 mins) 

You have to drive to town, 

(30 to 35 mins) 

you have to go to the store and find the right part, then stand in line, 

(25 to 30 minutes) 

What if your first store is sold out?

You have to go somewhere else.

 (15 to 20 minutes) 

Then drive back home.

 (another 30)

Put the part in and get back to the field. 

(30 mins or so.) 

There you have just wasted somewhere around 3 hours of daylight. 

This might make you so late that you risk having your hay get wet. This could comprise your quality, you then have to charge less, so that 3 hours could have just cost you $150.

All for a $5 part, that you could keep stocked in the tractor.

We know how to plan ahead. 

This is true for the above reason, having parts you know you go through often is smart. There is another way we must plan ahead as well, let's say I want to breed my cow Daisy. I not only have to plan for her 9-month gestation and make sure she's having the baby when the weather is conducive, as in spring or extremely early summer.

I also have to plan far enough ahead to know, if we have a steer and he is going for butchering, he needs to be butchered around 1 1/2 to 2 years old.

So, this two-year date should not be too far from cold weather to butcher in. 

I know it's like a brain teaser.

You do not want to butcher your animals in the hot weather, it is stinky, nasty, messy, and dangerous for the meat. It attracts flies like you would not believe.

 Cold weather is the best time to butcher it reduces a lot of those worries.

Farmers know the importance of eating healthy.

 They also know where food actually comes from! 

This is extremely important to me personally.

 I think our nation has become extremely separated from where their food comes from and how it is grown. 

Farmers know how important it is to have proper meals of healthy food, if you are out in the sugar Woods in cold weather running lines you do not want to be suddenly in a sugar slump because you ate Candy at lunchtime, nope! 

You want to eat healthy fats and good protein to keep your energy up so that you can function throughout the day with a clear head and strong muscles.

Things farmers know are countless, it also depends on the type of farming you do, and the type of person you are. 

Remember, my husband and I grew up on farms, so if you want to know "everything" we do, may I suggest the easiest method, find a time machine and go back to when you were about 2 years old. 

Otherwise you are going to have an extremely steep learning curve and a long road to hoe. We are still learning new things everyday, you never stop learning.

That doesn't mean you cant start latter in life, but you've got a lot of ground to cover.

A really smart manager of a farm can be extremely successful even though this is a hard market to be in. 

You don't necessarily make a lot of money because you're running extremely expensive equipment that needs upkeep.

It's a hard way to make a living but it's also a fiercely wonderful, independent way to make a living! 

Because it is not just your job, it is a complete lifestyle, you live it, eat it, breath it!  

It is a way of life that a lot of people probably couldn't handle, but if you farm well and you love it, it's the best job in the world!

The big yellow monster.

Farm equipment has come a long way in the last 100 years. 

Back in the day when farmers walked behind draft horses to pull two sharp plow blades through the soil to turn it over.

Today's 30-foot row plows that are GPS guided and tractors that are self-turning.

In a lot of ways, these new inventions make our life easier.

 However, Farmers very much have a love-hate relationship with their equipment, because anything with an engine and wheels is subject to breakdowns and problems. 

Now if your car breaks down you probably get a tow to the mechanics, you probably need a ride to work, the grocery store and back to get your car when it's fixed.

I get it, it's annoying but consider this.

 Our work is completely dependent on our equipment and often very time-sensitive, so when one of our tractors breaks down all work stops.

Unless you have the wherewithal and income to own two of everything it is very unlikely that you are going to continue work during a breakdown. 

We have been in this situation so many times I can't even count the 100's of times.

It is frustrating to the point of tears.

There was one day back in the fall where my poor husband made 6 trips to the automotive store in an attempt to fix a simple problem, I don't remember a lot of the details at this point, I just remember it being a horrible day at the end of which he was tired and grumpy, understandably so. 

He got nothing done except driving back and forth looking for parts that never seemed to be the right one. 

Another example I can give you is when driving our old Massey-Harris to a friend's woodlot to help with the removal of some downed trees, we got a flat tire on the side of the road. 

Not a safe situation to be in, and not a simple fix, far away from home, from all our tools and workshop conveniences.

In the end, we did get the tire fixed and the tractor off the road by that evening, but not without several trips back and forth getting, very exhausted and personally having a hairline fracture in my finger. 

These tires are extremely heavy and I did already know that but now I know it for sure.

1500 lbs sure!

In some instances, an equipment breakdown can mean no food for the animals, no transportation for you, and a potential loss of crops. 

I intend to do several posts for all of you explaining all our different crops and how they need to be cared for and harvested but, I'm not going to go into those details now. 

Just try to understand that if the equipment doesn't run the crops don't get brought in the longer the crops don't get brought in the more risk involved in losing them, which equals losing income. 

Farm equipment is very expensive to purchase, very expensive to keep running and almost always very expensive to repair.

99% of the time farmers do it themselves, its quicker and saves money.

The justification of a new piece of equipment must meet the criteria of the cost of the investment and the added ease it makes in your life balance out somehow.

The farming equipment that we have in our area of New England is nothing compared to the large pieces of equipment that are used out west where they harvest 100s of square acres. 

Hard to even fathom in our Hills and Valleys of Vermont, but it doesn't matter the size of the equipment if something breaks, goes flat, doesn't turn over, or just simply won't run, all work on the farm comes to a screeching, clattering, smoking, halt.

sometimes literally.

There's frustration, cursing, bruised fingers, greasy jeans and at the end of the day, you're left exhausted and lacking a feeling of accomplishment. 

The worst day on a farm is getting nothing done!

So if you get a flat tire on your way to work and you're popping on your spare donut be glad that it only weighs about 35 lb and remember not to get your finger behind the rim because 35lb would hurt, but a thousand lbs cracked my finger. 

Just another day at work,

Let's keep it rolling

My answers

Q: Why do some farms smell more than others?

A: This is a good question. It has a lot of variables, the type of farm to begin with. A grain, hay, or vegetable farm might look like any farm when flying by at 55 mph. 

However,

They might not have any animals on them, thus lacking the "farm" smell. 

The other reason depends a lot on the type, quality, and care of the animals. Having one cow and two pigs would probably not smell, much. having 200 cows and 300 pigs, that's a whole different story. 

How clean you keep your critters is important, but even if you are the cleanest farmer, 200 cows make a lot of poo. It has to go somewhere, for even if the cows are cleaned well, the smell of the manure pile will be wafted where it will by the wind. The type of food the cows are being fed makes a difference in the odor of the poo as well.

Q: Will chickens/birds lay eggs even without a rooster around?

A: Yes, the only difference is that the eggs will not be fertile. 

Don't women form an egg monthly even without a man around?

Q: Do farmers really have romantic trysts in the hayloft?

A: Well probably sometimes. Is it really romantic?

 Nope, it's dusty and hay is pokey, it doesn't feel good on the skin.

Q: Do farmers harm the soil?

A: Yes, and no. 

Good farmers that are concerned with soil conservation do everything they can to improve the soil, making it better every year. 

Some farmers are not concerned about this, so it depends on the farmer.

Q: Don't you feel sad when you butcher an animal you raised?

A: Of course! 

You are taking a life, that is always sobering, it should be done with great respect! That being said, we knew when the baby was born that this was going to be the end result so you prepare yourself for this fact. We spend much time and energy bringing up our meat animals to make sure they have happy lives. It is important that they have loving care and attention as long as they live with us. Humans have been eating animals since the beginning of time, it's just another part of the food chain.

Q: is it true all farmers are poisoning the ground with herbicides?

A: simply put, no!

 There are a lot of farmers that grow things organically, therefore using no chemicals whatsoever. 
There are also other ways to keep weeds down in the field. 
Such as cultivating which is a large version of rototilling. 

There are some farms that are so large that it is almost necessary to use herbicide to be able to produce any amount of product. 
Although I do not agree with using chemicals, I do understand their desperate need to keep the farm going and make a living.

I thank everyone for their questions and hope I have answered everything well enough.

Valentine's Day on the farm

"what are you saying about us?"

I woke up at 3 in the morning on Valentine's Day.

My thoughts probably should have been wrapped up all warm and cozy thinking about how grateful and lucky I am to have such a sweet husband.

Now, I do think this all the time, but upon waking up on this Valentine's Day morning my biggest thoughts were worrying about the chickens. 

You see, the week before, one of my new hens started to limp.

This is not terribly concerning or unusual. Chickens have dainty little feet that they hurt every now and then.

I had checked her over and just thought she had sprained something. I was keeping a close eye on her to see if she improved. 

On Tuesday morning when I went to feed them, I realized that there are now 5 of them limping in the same way. It hit me like a ton of bricks! 

They had not been outside all winter, they were lacking the normal vitamins and minerals they need to be completely healthy! 

Why hadn't I thought of this before?

 Even the most well-seasoned farmers can have things slip their mind sometimes, and this is what happened to me. 

Why, do you ask, was I so worried about these birds? 

They're only chickens after all. 

Well yes, they're only chickens.

 Chickens that I purchased at two days old, chickens that I babied and cared for, and handle and talk to every day. Babies that I managed to keep every single one of them alive, which is quite something when you're talking about day-old chicks that are very susceptible to all sorts of problems. 

I was very proud that I had managed to keep the whole clutch alive and I am quite fond of these chickens. 

So why was I worried about them? 

They're a part of our farm family.

Every life matters on the farm.

So I arrived at our local agricultural store 20 minutes after it opened on Valentine's Day morning, with my dog in tow, to buy medicine for the chickens, only to realize that I had left my purse at home. 

So, why did I leave my purse at home?

  I left the house in all my work clothes and I never take my purse when I'm in my work clothes, why do I need my purse in the barn? 

So again, with the dog in tow, I had to drive back home get my purse and go back to the store. I had to find the medicine I needed as well as some medicated grain and Valentine's Day treat for the rest of the crew, just since I was there, and then headed back home.

After doing my normal chores, I added the electrolytes to the hens' water, and giving them their medicated grain, it was like offering candy to starving children! 

They all rushed the feeder, lame ones included. 

They knew they needed that food.

Then I had to put the medicine directly down the little beaks of the very lamest ones.

As I caught them one by one, pried open it's little beak, depositing a few drops of disgusting smelling vitamins in its little mouth, most of them recoiled,  trying to spit it out, wiping their beaks in the bedding.

Obviously not like the taste, and who can blame them? 

 Judging by the smell it was not very appetizing.

I had one little hen, who drank it down like it was candy! 

She was the only one who liked it, I told her she was crazy!

As I moved on to do other things, one of the hens shook her head, splashing vitamins from her little chicken's beak right onto my lips.

It was disgusting, and it's my least favorite part of farming!

I have ingested many vitamins minerals and medications from all of my animals because they do try to spit them back up. Here's the thing, I should know to do, keep my mouth closed. 

Hope you had a good Valentine's Day love from the farm

Farmers are fantastic!

Farmers are not always given the respect they deserve. 

Some people call us red neck, white trash, and blue collar. 

Whether this is used with negative overtones or said light-heartedly I hear red, white and blue. 
What is more American than a farmer? 

We know the land better than anyone! 

We can feed our whole family, town, state? 

Farmers are not just farmers, we are mechanics, veterinarians, welders.

Problem solvers, salesman, builders.

Farmers have invented amazing things out of necessity. We have given ourselves to America.

Do you know what else is fiercely American? 

Football! 

So whether you are a football fanatic or don't give a Flying Fig, I'm sure everyone is eating some delicious snacks today so take a moment and think about this,

Farmers don't get a day off. They work 365, sometimes 24\7.

Regardless of whether or holidays.

We can move the earth and feed a national!

We derive respect!

Okay so maybe your only thoughts today are about football and you don't care, but you really should and here's why.

Family farms everywhere are going out of business, the land is being sold subdivided and clear-cut.

We lose an acre of farmland an hour, according to the American Farmland Trust.

Please support your local family farms, save a way of life and an amazing breed of people.!

Remember everything you eat came from a farm.

It doesn't matter if it's a fresh vegetable from the store or it came out of a box. 
It all started at a farm.
the ginger ale I am drinking as I write this, someone grew and harvested the ginger, and the sugar to make it.

Having chips at you Superbowl party? 
Thank a potato or corn farmer!

It's not an overstatement to say your Superbowl party is sponsored by Farmers. Tomato, potato, corn, chicken, pepper, whatever you're eating today whether you're watching the game or just having a regular Sunday meal it all is because of farmers!

Whether we are a small farm that has a local veg stand or a ranch out west that has 25000 head of cattle. 
If we farmers were not here, you would starve and freeze.
farmers grow cotton and wool, the leather for your shoes comes from a cattle farm somewhere.

Goose down coat, or bedspread? Goose farm!

So sit back, enjoy the game, have a cold Budweiser (wheat and hops farmer) but keep in mind if it wasn't for us farmers, your super bowl party would not have a scrap of food, and that would suck.

So please, always remember everything we do, always remember to thank a farmer!