Mud, mud and more mud; that’s what we have.  The time has come for things to dry out because every day matters from here on out.  Now please do not take this the wrong way, farmers have a knack for making lemonade out of lemons.

I thought I would take this time to give you a perspective on how weather and other circumstances that are beyond our control effect the everyday life on the farm. Let’s start with a general time table of events.  Below is a time table list when things should be done and how long it usually takes under normal weather conditions.

April

1^st thru 10^th         Barns should be cleaned and manure spread on the fields. First calves are born.

11^th thru 20^th       Ground worked, new hay seeded and oats planted. Fix any broken field tiles.

21^st thru 30^th       Ground worked and prepared for corn.  Fencing inspected and repaired

May

1^st thru 10^th         Crops planted and ground worked.  Calving still in progress.

11^th thru 20^th       Silage corn planted.

21^st thru 31^st       Clean silos and barns for new crops, put away planters and tillage equipment and get out hay equipment.

June

1^st thru 15^th         Start cultivating crops, put up 1^st cutting of hay. Calves still being born.  And , of course, every single day we are gathering our farm fresh eggs.

The April showers that bring May flowers has been plentiful in our area this year, this has held us back from getting anything done. If the weather continues the way it is forecast we will still be planting the first of June.  As with any farm, a delay like this means a loss in revenue, and in our case feed.  It is not the first time we have faced such challenges, nor will it be the last. We pray that a little rain is saved for the summer growing season with a lot of warm summer nights.

Kellie and I hope that your upcoming summer is full of sunshine with a few good rains to keep things fresh and growing. We will leave you with a few pictures from our farm with visions of what’s to come.

Been great to touch base with you.

Kellie & John Henry