No snow last week so the scurs tweaked the dials on the Weather Eye once more. Is spring on the horizon is it only a mirage? Starting Thursday, sunny with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Sunny Friday with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the mid-30’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Tuesday, sunny with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. We’ll start seeing our daylight increase at three minute per day starting on March 4th. This also represents the first day when our normal high stays above freezing for the season. The normal high for March 4th is 33 and the normal low is 17. The scurs have strapped their patio furniture down with bungee cords. No need to go on rescue missions that way.
Recent weather conditions allowed a demonstration plot of corn, soybeans and wheat to be planted at the SROC in Waseca. Warm temps have raised some justifiable concerns about alfalfa. Some rumblings that it may have broken dormancy, at least in places. With the AC running in the car, 70-degree highs on Monday didn’t help. If the dormancy has been broken, the cold temperatures forecast for this past Tuesday night could have a negative impact on it if. Back in the early 1990’s we had a somewhat similar scenario. Temperatures dipped to about 10 above and the NW wind howled overnight. It was devastating particularly in fields where late cuttings were taken. When that occurred, the only alfalfa still alive was in the middle of the field where small strips of alfalfa escaped the haybine on that last cutting. The one difference was the calendar date. The cold spell that took the alfalfa out that year was in the 2nd week of April and the alfalfa had a lot more top growth on it. We’re about 6 weeks away from that and it gives us a wider window of opportunity for stand injury to occur.
Distinct possibility some will put in small grains. For many, it’s been a while. One thing keeping people from being excited about it is the wheat price in the $6 - $6.50 range. Growing it isn’t so bad but marketing can be a headache with all the quality criteria that must be met. Harvesting is another potential headache especially if you’re not equipped. Barley? Can count on one hand the barley fields I’ve seen the past 40 years, most of it chopped or baled for forage. I recall a rare instance of it being harvested when someone was short on corn. Oats are probably the easiest small grain to justify and with the straw, it can be profitable. There’s always a demand for oats at feed plants in their rations along with some demand for cover crops. Oat straw is usually considered the gold standard. Why? A lot of livestock folks believe it to be more absorptive than wheat straw and lacks awns or beards of barley or wheat straw. Awns can irritate eyes and cause wounds that become infected turning into abscesses. When wool used to be worth something, beards embedded in the wool were difficult to remove and made it itchy.
Speaking of wool and my earlier glee over having the ewes shorn, we had one ewe lamb outside in the 18-degree cold last Friday night. One of the reasons we shear in early to mid-February is so the ewes will go inside to lamb. This ewe must not have got the memo as she was standing out by the manger with a little one at her side. When I went over to check it out, I stumbled across another one that was down in the hay. It was chilled so I scooped it up and hauled it into the house. I went back out and coaxed the ewe into the barn then penned her up. She immediately laid down and started pushing again. Didn’t take long and I could see legs coming, hind legs! Quickly grabbed them and pulled the lamb out, then cleared its airway. Being born backwards, without prompt attention the lamb’s lungs can fill with fluids and it can suffocate. Being born breech is even worse than being born in the basement and never brought up.
It may be only February but there are more definite indications at the ranch from the bird world that spring is on the way. We had some swans flying over back on Valentine’s Day and were treated to Canada geese overhead about treetop level this past weekend. Robins have been heard but still not seen. A killdeer was heard Sunday morning. Not surprising as some of the shallower wetlands that have water in them have opened up. With the wetlands opening up, once the brief cold snap moves through, it’ll probably be time to see if any pussy willows have catkins on them. Buds are swelling on the silver maples, and they’re leaking sap all over the backyard. Since they like eating the buds this time of year, the squirrels must have a sweet tooth.
Poppy had a big weekend complete with lots of people time. We ran some errands but were able to be home for most of it, vaccinating, docking, tagging, moving animals around and of course chores. Sunday was a day to exhale a little, make some repairs, unload some feed and get things in place for the upcoming week. By afternoon it had clouded up but was still pleasant. Neighbor Jon called wondering if he could bring the family over to see the lambs. Last count there were 25 on the ground so plenty to look at. At first, Poppy was inside and Mrs. Cheviot brought her out on the leash. Once Poppy saw the kids it was game on. The lambs were a fascination but as frequently happens Poppy stole the show. Corgi’s usually love people and this one is no exception. By the time they left, along with numerous zoomies, there had been lots of hugs and kisses exchanged between kids and dog. Poppy was tired that night and probably wound up dreaming about her next human encounter. Always something to look forward to.
See you next week…real good then.