Above 1200 Sq/FT Out on Quaker Road

[jblnut]

Those cat prints are priceless.

Stupid cat.

You had a very busy day! Amazing to see what happens on at your farm.

Naw, I just take a ton of pictures so it looks like I've been busy

ok i'll bite:
you doubt it on what basis?

Probably the same basis as what I doubt it on. No one has conclusively proven it causes cancer in the same way things like asbestos have been proven to cause cancer. If Bayer is "covering up" the findings of studies proving it to cause cancer it seems quite unlikely for that stuff not to have gotten dug up recently with all the BS going on in the courts.

Look how many of the thousands of lawsuits are from homeowners, groundskeepers and similar jobs and only two hits coming up on the Google searcher are related to actual farmers. I can only imagine the amount of exposure farmers have compared to other professions has to be higher. Buying a quart of watered down RoundUp to spray your driveway weeds at Home Depot vs buying it in concentrate and mixing it yourself seems like a major difference in exposure ....

I'm not defending RoundUp (or any other chemical) to the point that I think they're 100% safe but the factual data that is causes cancer either isn't there or it's been hidden.

 

[cliftonbros89]

Probably the same basis as what I doubt it on. No one has conclusively proven it causes cancer in the same way things like asbestos have been proven to cause cancer. If Bayer is "covering up" the findings of studies proving it to cause cancer it seems quite unlikely for that stuff not to have gotten dug up recently with all the BS going on in the courts.



Look how many of the thousands of lawsuits are from homeowners, groundskeepers and similar jobs and only two hits coming up on the Google searcher are related to actual farmers. I can only imagine the amount of exposure farmers have compared to other professions has to be higher. Buying a quart of watered down RoundUp to spray your driveway weeds at Home Depot vs buying it in concentrate and mixing it yourself seems like a major difference in exposure ....



I'm not defending RoundUp (or any other chemical) to the point that I think they're 100% safe but the factual data that is causes cancer either isn't there or it's been hidden.

And I can’t say it’s what did it for sure. But I can say my dad is the one who has don’t majority of the spraying for years. Roundup and everything else. He is of corse the type who’s to “tough” to wear any sort of protective gear. No gloves, goggles, nothing.

A few years ago he came up with Multiple Myeloma, which according to some of these studies is a cancer linked to exposure to Roundup. It was apparently far along before it was ever found. There were no signs or symptoms of it. The only way it was found was from a tumor. The tumor formed after he slipped off a step on a truck and hit his hip. The bone had been weakened by the cancer causing a crack, which is were the tumor developed. It was a stage 3 to 4 cancer when it was first found. It wasn’t long after that it just about knocked him out. He was stuck in a wheel chair for about 3 months.

Does he think Roundup did it? No. Could it have? I have no idea. It’s not like they tested it. I don’t see why it couldn’t be a possibility. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.

But one thing to add to your google results. I’m not saying there are more cases out there. But taking into consideration the experience my dad had, there could be plenty of farmers out there that have been exposed and could have something developing right now, they just don’t know it. But we won’t know either. So who knows?

 

[Farmall450]

ok i'll bite:
you doubt it on what basis?

B/c it's extremely, extremely heavily used and no one has gotten cancer from it. If it was this terrible carcinogen you, I, and everyone else would be feeling the effects...like most things in life, if you claim xy is a z, you need to prove that -- not just fear monger and speculate.

 

[Sifan]

And the exposure of farmer's doing their own ground is small as compared to fertilizer/chemical companies that custom apply for many farmer's. How many of those employees with extreme exposure have cancer? Would think their workers compensation insurance companies would be cancelling coverage and getting away from the exposure. Haven't heard of that.

 

[oldironfarmer]

And I can’t say it’s what did it for sure. But I can say my dad is the one who has don’t majority of the spraying for years. Roundup and everything else. He is of corse the type who’s to “tough” to wear any sort of protective gear. No gloves, goggles, nothing.

A few years ago he came up with Multiple Myeloma, which according to some of these studies is a cancer linked to exposure to Roundup. It was apparently far along before it was ever found. There were no signs or symptoms of it. The only way it was found was from a tumor. The tumor formed after he slipped off a step on a truck and hit his hip. The bone had been weakened by the cancer causing a crack, which is were the tumor developed. It was a stage 3 to 4 cancer when it was first found. It wasn’t long after that it just about knocked him out. He was stuck in a wheel chair for about 3 months.

Does he think Roundup did it? No. Could it have? I have no idea. It’s not like they tested it. I don’t see why it couldn’t be a possibility. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.

But one thing to add to your google results. I’m not saying there are more cases out there. But taking into consideration the experience my dad had, there could be plenty of farmers out there that have been exposed and could have something developing right now, they just don’t know it. But we won’t know either. So who knows?

Sorry to hear of your dad's troubles.

I have no doubt the jury awards have been because the juries thought the big company to afford to help the plaintiff. Big companies are at a disadvantage that way, with biased juries. They find the big company 10% at fault and levy them with 90% of the judgement. Figure that one out.

I have to say I haven't used Roundup in many many years. I do use lots of 46% glyphosate. If there is a problem then Bayer is not the only guilty party. I think the award I read about, the gentleman was a groundskeeper. He could have been subject to a lot of exposure if he was not careful and if they routinely use the product.

One thing that is curious to me, is how they picked Roundup as the culprit. Sounds like a good lawyer looked at everything he had been exposed to and picked the chemical with the largest manufacturer.

The fear mongering has certainly taken off. But I have to agree, there should be more farmers with the problem. Even custom applicators might not be as susceptible since the professional applicators should be taking better precautions against exposure. And it has been in use for 40 years.

 

[Farmall450]

Sorry to hear of your dad's troubles.

I have no doubt the jury awards have been because the juries thought the big company to afford to help the plaintiff. Big companies are at a disadvantage that way, with biased juries. They find the big company 10% at fault and levy them with 90% of the judgement. Figure that one out.

I have to say I haven't used Roundup in many many years. I do use lots of 46% glyphosate. If there is a problem then Bayer is not the only guilty party. I think the award I read about, the gentleman was a groundskeeper. He could have been subject to a lot of exposure if he was not careful and if they routinely use the product.

One thing that is curious to me, is how they picked Roundup as the culprit. Sounds like a good lawyer looked at everything he had been exposed to and picked the chemical with the largest manufacturer.

The fear mongering has certainly taken off. But I have to agree, there should be more farmers with the problem. Even custom applicators might not be as susceptible since the professional applicators should be taking better precautions against exposure. And it has been in use for 40 years.

I tend to agree -- I don't know many people who spray large quantities of actual roundup -- always a 40-some percent generic like yourself. Plus, he was exposed to an abundance of chemicals and sun, one of the worse killers out there.

 

[jblnut]

And I can’t say it’s what did it for sure. But I can say my dad is the one who has don’t majority of the spraying for years. Roundup and everything else. He is of course the type who’s too “tough” to wear any sort of protective gear. No gloves, goggles, nothing.

A few years ago he came up with Multiple Myeloma, which according to some of these studies is a cancer linked to exposure to Roundup. It was apparently far along before it was ever found. There were no signs or symptoms of it. The only way it was found was from a tumor. The tumor formed after he slipped off a step on a truck and hit his hip. The bone had been weakened by the cancer causing a crack, which is were the tumor developed. It was a stage 3 to 4 cancer when it was first found. It wasn’t long after that it just about knocked him out. He was stuck in a wheelchair for about 3 months.

Does he think Roundup did it? No. Could it have? I have no idea. It’s not like they tested it. I don’t see why it couldn’t be a possibility. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.

But one thing to add to your google results. I’m not saying there are more cases out there. But taking into consideration the experience my dad had, there could be plenty of farmers out there that have been exposed and could have something developing right now, they just don’t know it. But we won’t know either. So who knows?

Sorry to hear about your Dad's health problems. Doesn't matter who it is or where they are it always ***** when someone close to you gets sick.

"So who knows" That is the issue. No one knows, at least no one knows conclusively enough to point a factual finger.

B/c it's extremely, extremely heavily used and no one has gotten cancer from it. If it was this terrible carcinogen you, I, and everyone else would be feeling the effects...like most things in life, if you claim xy is a z, you need to prove that -- not just fear monger and speculate.

Agreed. It has been heavily used for decades and no one has proven that it does or does not cause health issues. The fear mongers are getting the best of it right now.

And the exposure of farmer's doing their own ground is small as compared to fertilizer/chemical companies that custom apply for many farmer's. How many of those employees with extreme exposure have cancer? Would think their workers compensation insurance companies would be cancelling coverage and getting away from the exposure. Haven't heard of that.

Getting your custom applicators license, at least in MN, is not incredibly difficult but there are a number or criteria you need to meet. My Dad has a Private Applicators license to spray restricted use chemicals on exclusively our land. The process is almost the same it just limits you to spraying only your crops. We don't have interest in custom spraying.

Sorry to hear of your dad's troubles.

I have no doubt the jury awards have been because the juries thought the big company to afford to help the plaintiff. Big companies are at a disadvantage that way, with biased juries. They find the big company 10% at fault and levy them with 90% of the judgement. Figure that one out.

I have to say I haven't used Roundup in many many years. I do use lots of 46% glyphosate. If there is a problem then Bayer is not the only guilty party. I think the award I read about, the gentleman was a groundskeeper. He could have been subject to a lot of exposure if he was not careful and if they routinely use the product.

One thing that is curious to me, is how they picked Roundup as the culprit. Sounds like a good lawyer looked at everything he had been exposed to and picked the chemical with the largest manufacturer.

The fear mongering has certainly taken off. But I have to agree, there should be more farmers with the problem. Even custom applicators might not be as susceptible since the professional applicators should be taking better precautions against exposure. And it has been in use for 40 years.

It seems that RoundUp has become a "buzz word" just as "GMO" and "Organic" have. Bayer (Monsanto) is the target because they are percieved at the company that started it all and they should have to, and seemingly can afford to, pay for the mistakes everyone has made. Monsanto's patent for RoundUp expired in 2000 and since them there have been dozens of companies that produce products with glyphosate in them. We haven't purchased actual "RoundUp" in 15+ years as it's more expensive than the generic versions. Ironically we've been using Honcho for a few years and it's Monsanto's own generic version of RoundUp.

I tend to agree -- I don't know many people who spray large quantities of actual roundup -- always a 40-some percent generic like yourself. Plus, he was exposed to an abundance of chemicals and sun, one of the worst killers out there.

Actual RoundUp and generic versions are virtually identical. We buy concentrate and dilute it HEAVILY when we spray corn/soybeans. There is no reason to ever spray it "full strength out of the bottle" as the full strength concentration level depends on the particular weed you're trying to kill. Spraying the concentration directly is a waste of money and 100% unnecessary.

Something else to chew on .... Glyphosate isn't on the list of Restricted Use herbicides meaning anyone can buy it and spray it without knowing anything about how to use it properly and/or the potential dangers of the chemical.

 

[Farmall450]

Actual RoundUp and generic versions are virtually identical. We buy concentrate and dilute it HEAVILY when we spray corn/soybeans. There is no reason to ever spray it "full strength out of the bottle" as the full strength concentration level depends on the particular weed you're trying to kill. Spraying the concentration directly is a waste of money and 100% unnecessary.

Something else to chew on .... Glyphosate isn't on the list of Restricted Use herbicides meaning anyone can buy it and spray it without knowing anything about how to use it properly and/or the potential dangers of the chemical.

Agreed -- I didn't mean to imply people spray it direct, but rather they go to PBI Gordan or whomever for a generic (that's identical to RU 1). Ours happens to be Cropsmart. I was just agreeing w/ OIF that it's ironic how they go for the biggest cash cow (Scotts/Monsanto) when I doubt that guy was actually spraying much of their product (due to the cost).

 

[jblnut]

Numbers are fun and the hourmeter looked fun yesterday morning.

I started the day off by running the field cultivator over some of the wet spots in the fields we want to plant to corn. The field cultivator is MUCH lighter than the disk and stirs the soil up nicely to help it dry out. It seems I found a branch that wandered into the field somehow

Water in the field !! There is a tile running through here and I don't know why it isn't working ....

The field cultivator marched right through it !!

The one MAJOR downside to using the field cultivator is that it digs up an INSANE number of rocks !!

Dad was picking them while I was digging them up.

This trailer load is off about 10 acres so far

Another 10 acres or so on this load. Side note, the alternator in Dad's Gator died so we threw the generator and battery charger in there to give it a charge when we need to start it. It gets a trickle at night plugged into the wall until we get it fixed.

After the wet spots were worked up I hooked onto the disk to level it all out and prepare for planting. I guess we didn't get all the rocks picked as this one lodged it's stupid self in between two blades !!

My newly made bar did the trick nicely. It's a solid 1" chunk of 304SS with a pipe welded in the middle to give it a bit extra strength

Dad and I loading the planter back up with seed and liquid fertilizer.

Off he goes !!!

I stopped to look how many old disk blades we had around and there are five left .... and a flywheel off an old IH 46 baler.

Looks like the construction guys had a good day again. I don't plan on putting a gate at the closest point in the picture so no need for concrete all the way to the edge. Plus, if I ever do decide a gate is needed I can dig a hole, set a post and hang a gate without having to bust out concrete first. Should work great if ever needed.

Under the outside posts I had him dig a 2' deep and 2' diameter hole, set the post in the center and fill it full of concrete. Hopefully that keeps them planted forever !!

Half of the feed curb poured.

North wall set and ready to pour.

Holy Marth that is a thick wall I told him to copy the other barn but this wall is a full 10" thick which is 2" more than the old barn walls. It's fine but wow that is thick !!

I ordered a roll of magnet used to put info on the side of a vehicle to help close up the openings in the new heaters in the chicken barn. They'll be hanging from the ceiling most of the time unused so I need to keep them clean !!

It turned out working out really well !! They stick great and will be super easy to use when the time comes.

Today the goal is to plant the rest of the corn and run the rock roller over a bunch of the corn ground to make it easier to bale the corn straw this fall. Less rocks sticking up is never a bad thing !!

 

[Farmall450]

Good to see you getting seed in the ground.

Those pull behind rock pickers that they use up north sure are nice. As are the drums you run with your auxiliary hydraulics to sift out the dirt.

 

[jblnut]

Good to see you getting seed in the ground.

Those pull behind rock pickers that they use up north sure are nice. As are the drums you run with your auxiliary hydraulics to sift out the dirt.

Corn is all planted as of today !! Whoo hoo !!

The rock roller is a well used piece of equipment that is for sure !!!

Not sure what the drums ran with aux hyds are referring too ??

 

[Farmall450]

Corn is all planted as of today !! Whoo hoo !!

The rock roller is a well used piece of equipment that is for sure !!!

Not sure what the drums ran with aux hyds are referring too ??

They're quick tach rock pickers for skidsteers.

 

[jblnut]

They're quick tach rock pickers for skidsteers.

We've been looking to acquire a Robo Rock Picker for a while but can't seem to justify $6k price tag. I've seen them in action and it's impressive !!

We have a Jenkins Iron and Steel skeleton bucket that works really well. Takes a bit of shaking to get the dirt out but it gets the job done. Once I get a larger machine a Robo Picker is on the short list for sure.

 

[jblnut]

We plan to bale the corn stalks on around 100 acres this fall if all goes well so I decided to roll the rocks down to make it easier when the time comes.


It is pretty easy to see where the ground is dry


I got about half the 100 acres rolled and we ran to town to get parts for the planter that Dad broke, supplies for the chicken barn because new chicks come on Thursday and of course we had to go to Pizza Ranch for lunch. This is a 2,000lb pallet of Poultry Litter Treatment and I had my doubts if the ol' Bobcat 763 skiddy rated at 1,500lbs would lift it. Well it lifted it no problem but it was too tippy so Dad hung off the back as a counterweight and I got the pallet off the pickup


Jay the builder guy cut 4'ish off the tin on the old steer barn wall so the air could move between them and the steers wouldn't eat the tin. They like to chew on things.


See. There are what appear to be shadows on the 2x6 that lovely ribeye is chewing on but they are indeed slobber marks from the cattle chewing on the lumber between the wire panels.

 

[cliftonbros89]

Corn is all planted as of today !! Whoo hoo !!

It’s probably not often that you have corn in the ground before we do.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: with all the stuff you have going on you still have time to roll your neighbors property and then yours too. AMAZING!!

are the rollers full of water?

Have a great weekend!!

 

[jeepxj]

Corn is all planted as of today !! Whoo hoo !!

The rock roller is a well used piece of equipment that is for sure !!!

Not sure what the drums ran with aux hyds are referring too ??

only 80 of 1,400 for the family farm

 

[jblnut]

It’s probably not often that you have corn in the ground before we do.

I'd imagine there are very few years we have been done before you. We're up to a little under 2" of rain so far from this storm and from what I've seen you guys are even wetter than we are !!

JBL: with all the stuff you have going on you still have time to roll your neighbors property and then yours too. AMAZING!!

are the rollers full of water?

Have a great weekend!!

You should never be too busy to help out a neighbor as you never know when you'll need their help back !!

The roller is made from a 5/8" thick piece of pipe and is hollow and empty. If it were filled with water I can only imagine what it'd weigh !!

only 80 of 1,400 for the family farm

Eeeek that's no good !! We're quite lucky to have the size of equipment we do so when it is dry enough to to tillage and plant we can knock out a ton in one day !!

 

[jblnut]

Hurried and blurry pictures of Dad with the neato leveling bucket using it to spread shavings out.


I started to rake the shavings while Dad finished spreading them around.


Once Dad was done spreading shavings out he took over on the rake and I manned the scoop shovel to level out around the barn walls. Side walls are 624' long, end walls are 60' so that makes for 1368' of leveling one scoop shovel at a time. That'd be 48' more than a 1/4 mile. It ***** but has to be done.


Once shavings were leveled out I blew the feed pans clean. This one was full of fresh shavings that were blown in the barn a week or so ago. They have a semi with a large blower on it they use to put shavings in the barn. I get roughly 60yds each flock to keep things fresh and to replace the stuff the housekeeper takes out while cleaning the barn out.


I wore a face shield this time and it was much more enjoyable !!


The backpack blower gets quite dusty so I blow it off with the Ryobi Jet Blower. Seems silly to blow off a blower


I am going to start on a disk blade cooker. This is one of the Wishek blades. I've done some Googling since madison069 showed the idea on here and they go by many names. Disco, Cowbow Wok, Carolina Cooker, Plow Disk Cooker and Discada. This will be called the Wishek Wok as it's made from a Wishek disk blade


Gotta clean off the rust and scale from sitting outside for a few years.
It's worn down quite a bit at only 26" diameter


A solid 10 minutes with a wire wheel and it's smooth and shiny !!


I'm not sure if the backside will benefit from being rust free but I cleaned it off anyway


Stamped right into the blade !!


The center is a full 3/8" thick steel and needs a 2-1/8" diameter plug. I had a chunk of scrap that I cut a nice plug out of.


Perfect fit !!!


Booger in a bunch of weld ....


I hit it with the big DeWalt grinder then the smaller Metabo, then a flap disk on another Metabo and finally the wire wheel again and it looks like there never was a hole there !!


The next steps are to find something neat to make handles out of and clean/season it. It is crazy heavy and I'm thinking I may need to put feet on it or build some sort of stand for it to sit on over the fire ring. Maybe a heavy tripod with a cable winch or something. Maybe a pair of horseshoes for handles or a chunk of roller chain. Or a field cultivator sweep ... hmmm.

 

[Farmall450]

When should we come over for surf & turf?

 

[jblnut]

When should we come over for surf & turf?

I'm hoping to season it this coming weekend and maybe grill some steaks on it Sunday if all goes as planned. I'm debating on putting a vertical ring all the way around it as well but don't really know if it'll be needed.

I will gladly provide the turf but don't dabble much in the surf side of things. I have a neighbor that brings us fish once in while but for the most part, I don't eat many things that didn't have feet when they were alive

 

[madison069]

I enjoy adding to other people's list of things to do, just like my wife does to me. LOL

I've seen several setups for legs. Some folks has tall legs with a ring holding the legs so a propane burner can be used and not have to bend over to cook. I've seen short legs with a ring to place the disc over the fire. Ive seen people weld legs to the disc so they don't loose the legs. I've seen welded chains to make legs with a ring holding each legs. Then if they didn't weld a leg to the disc, they would make a ring with no leg so they can have a way to keep the disc from tilting when they placed it on the picnic table after cooking.

As for handles Ive found anything that makes a ring/loop is better then a straight piece sticking from the side, less chance of the disc rotating in the your hand with loops/rings. So horse shoes, BOP metal rings gaskets, Hydraulic units metal ring gaskets, rebar bent to a loop, sucker rods bent into a loop, and the loops are either welded directly to the disc or they rotate in a piece of pipe so the handles can be folded back for storage.

Me I got a stainless steel unit with a tall leg setup with a propane burner that my dad gave me years ago. I hope to get an actual plow disc so I can use it over a camp fire and add it with my small cast iron cookware collection.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: you and your dad certainly seem to get plenty of exercise. best of luck on the new grill!!

in case you happen to find one of these old steel balls and need another project to make a nice firepit that you and your kids will stare at maybe longer here's one idea.

have a great week and hope your new chicks are all well mannered.

 

[rixtrix1]

jbl: you and your dad certainly seem to get plenty of exercise. Best of luck on the new grill!!

In case you happen to find one of these old steel balls and need another project to make a nice firepit that you and your kids will stare at maybe longer here's one idea.

Have a great week and hope your new chicks are all well mannered.

Haha! As for drive's firepit idea, I must have seen this differently at first sight. Obviously you, and drives, got it right by your answer in the following post( and now, so do I)

 

[jblnut]

I enjoy adding to other people's list of things to do, just like my wife does to me. LOL

I've seen several setups for legs. Some folks has tall legs with a ring holding the legs so a propane burner can be used and not have to bend over to cook. I've seen short legs with a ring to place the disc over the fire. Ive seen people weld legs to the disc so they don't loose the legs. I've seen welded chains to make legs with a ring holding each legs. Then if they didn't weld a leg to the disc, they would make a ring with no leg so they can have a way to keep the disc from tilting when they placed it on the picnic table after cooking.

As for handles Ive found anything that makes a ring/loop is better then a straight piece sticking from the side, less chance of the disc rotating in the your hand with loops/rings. So horse shoes, BOP metal rings gaskets, Hydraulic units metal ring gaskets, rebar bent to a loop, sucker rods bent into a loop, and the loops are either welded directly to the disc or they rotate in a piece of pipe so the handles can be folded back for storage.

Me I got a stainless steel unit with a tall leg setup with a propane burner that my dad gave me years ago. I hope to get an actual plow disc so I can use it over a camp fire and add it with my small cast iron cookware collection.

I think I will be putting a piece of 2-7/8" oil well pipe next to my camp fire ring to use as a pivot and mounting a bracket to hold the Wishek Wok or a grill rack or whatever. Should be easy enough I hope.

JBL: you and your dad certainly seem to get plenty of exercise. best of luck on the new grill!!

in case you happen to find one of these old steel balls and need another project to make a nice firepit that you and your kids will stare at maybe longer here's one idea.

have a great week and hope your new chicks are all well mannered.

Dad was quite excited that someone finally noticed he helps out around the farm. He thinks I give myself too much credit for what I show gets done. Dad is a MAJOR part of this operation and I couldn't do it without him. Not a chance.

"Set the world on fire" that'd be a neat piece of yard art for sure !!

The new chicks are here and I'd love to show y'all a pic but Flicker is doing maintenance and I can't upload new pics. Oh well.

haha!

The chicks in my life that live in the barn are well mannered but even if they're not, I only have to put up with them for 42-44 days and they're turned into tasty morsels

 

[jblnut]

Flickr is back up and running so here is an update with some photos !!

On Tuesday evening we brought the entire pallet of PLT into the barn as it was raining and miserable outside.


We got to work on putting the metal post protectors on the 6x6 posts in the barn addition. These Ryobi tools are going to see some serious use in this project. They'll get put through their paces for sure !!


I crated something to ship out to someone. If it fits it ships


Nothing to do in the fields so we put some more truck tire/implement rims together.


Dad got the corn planter switched over and ready to plant soybeans if it ever dries up long enough !!


Dad has been working on the knotters on the baler and I helped troubleshoot a bit. The gold piece to the right of my finger is suppose to be on top of the piece with a worn spot in it to the left of my finger. When things in a baler knotter don't line up it doesn't tie and often wrecks other stuff.


Thursday morning I went and helped a neighbor with some fiber work. We ran a pair of conduits from his house to his new barn a few years back and had the local phone company pull fiber through one of them a few weeks back. Today we got the fiber hooked up to the Unifi hardware at both ends. A US-16-150w switch in the barn will power cameras, AP's and all the equipment on the internet. A US-8-150w in the house will run everything in there and it all goes through a USG out to the rest of the world. It's been a fun stress-free project to work on with him. PLUS, this is the fellow that has a pair of scrapers and a Deere 750G I'll be using this fall to do dirt work for the farm shop so I gotta be extra nice to him


Thursday afternoon we threw a little chicken barn party.


A new batch of chicks arrived a little after noon


43,500 this time. Look at how happy they are


Thursday afternoon/evening Dad and I bedded the steers with Soybean bales. The steers like them and they are way easier to use than the 4x5 rounds of cornstraw.


A few in the large group looked big enough to sell so we weighed them. There are 11 between 1,445lbs and 1,550lbs so it's time for them to go !! I absolutely love this new cattle working equipment. Safe and easy to use !!

 

[ripperd]

What batteries do you have in your Ryobi stuff? I have some Ryobi stuff but my batteries don't look quite like those.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: sounds like you have a few less well mannered chicks this time which might be a few less sheckles in your bank, but maybe make it a bit easier to walk around.

I love my Ryobi 18v tools and now that the new batteries work great and hold a charge (the orangish colored ones were ****) the old blue Ryobi 18v tools work great too. the skill saw is for light duty as is the drill, but the little impact, sawsall and my Ryobi 18v chainsaw get plenty of use and keep on working.

I know holidays really don't count as day's off in a Farmer's calendar, but hopefully you'll get better weather to work around the farm this Memorial Day weekend.

cheers

 

[jblnut]

What batteries do you have in your Ryobi stuff? I have some Ryobi stuff but my batteries don't look quite like those.

Far left is a black 4ah Lithium, 3ah Lithium+ HP, far right is a 9ah Lithium+ HP. The new Lithium+ HP batteries are amazing in the brushless tools compared to the older black and silver Lithium batteries.

JBL: sounds like you have a few less well mannered chicks this time which might be a few less sheckles in your bank, but maybe make it a bit easier to walk around.

I love my Ryobi 18v tools and now that the new batteries work great and hold a charge (the orangish colored ones were ****) the old blue Ryobi 18v tools work great too. the skill saw is for light duty as is the drill, but the little impact, sawsall and my Ryobi 18v chainsaw get plenty of use and keep on working.

I know holidays really don't count as day's off in a Farmer's calendar, but hopefully you'll get better weather to work around the farm this Memorial Day weekend.

cheers

Fewer birds is a good thing. As they've decreased the number of birds the liveability has improved and the total weight coming out of the barn has gone up. They are less crowded and seem to do better.

I haven't met a Ryobi tool I haven't liked !!

Holidays as a farmer are nice. I get a day of holiday pay from my in town job to stay home and work. It's great !!

 

[jblnut]

A good buddy and fellow GJ member gifted me a hat that he thought fit me well and Leo found it. It has become his favorite hat


Since it is still to wet to do field work we worked on stuff for the steer barn addition. We started off by cutting a bunch of pieces of various sizes of square tubing.


Dad cleaned up the edges while I kept cutting.


This is a piece of 4" square 3/16" wall tubing. I purchased a 5pk of DeWalt blades a while back and this is how much wears off for every cut. I made a total of 22 cuts in this 4" tubing as well as 9 cuts in some 1/4" wall 3-1/2" tubing and I completely used up 3 14" cutoff wheels. That is not very impressive considering I cut all the 3-1/2" 3/8" wall oil well pipe I used for posts with 1-1/2 Makita blades. I think it was 18 pieces if I remember correctly plus another 12 cuts in some 2" square 1/4" wall tubing.


Dad got the baler knotter parts replaced !!!


We manually turned the flywheel so it ran through a knotting cycle and it tied 4 perfect knots the first time !!! It sure seems as if the problem is fixed.


Once we were done cutting tubing and fixing the baler we went to my shop to drill holes in the pieces that needed holes. Dad drilled a few dozen 9/16" holes while I cleaned up some pieces of square with my new Ryobi Brushless Grinder. Gonna give this thing a workout today !!


In addition to the grinder I picked up a Ryobi Supercharger to keep things a little more organized.


We finished putting up the post protectors today. Each double post protector received a dozen 4" 304SS lags to hold it to the post. They should long outlast me. They're made of 1/4" plate


The only single one didn't get as many lags but it is also half the size


Drill a 1/4" pilot hole with a Milwaukee impact rated drill bit in the outdoor posts ......


Enlarge it with a Lennox Step Bit .... my pair of Ryobi Brushless drills got a workout doing this !!!


Put the pair of hinges in .....


And cut off the extra with the grinder and a Super Slicer disc.


I have a rule where I don't usually cut the grass until June 1st, or until we're done planting soybeans. Well it's May 25th and we're not done planting soybeans yet but I decided to cut the grass anyway. It was looking "a bit" shaggy


Ever since I took a cedar tree head on last summer the lights on the mower don't work so I had to quit once it got dark. That's okay because I got a few things welded up after dark. Tomorrow I need to get some Grade 8 nuts and bolts to finish up these brackets.

 

[ABSTIFFGS]

Nice hat Leo!

 

[Bob Heine]

For a second I thought Leo was wearing my hat but I'm a lowercase ****.

 

[jblnut]

Nice hat Leo!

I can't believe you gave the hat away. It had such a nice fitting home on your big head

For a second I thought Leo was wearing my hat but I'm a lowercase ****.

Leo is wearing my hat but's that's okay because as they say "like father like son". I hope he turns out as dorky as I am

 

[jblnut]

In the spirit of reusing things I made a pair of handles for the Wishek Wok out of a pair of wire ties used to hold some of the rebar bundles together that showed up for the steer barn addition. They were easy enough to bend but strong enough to hold firm when I pick it up.


I brought home a bunch of Grade 8 nuts and bolts and the girls helped put a nut on each bolt. They'll get welded into the tubing we got cut and drilled yesterday.


We took a vote what to do on Sunday and everyone was in favor of getting the garden ready. That meant I needed to dig the little garden totes out of the weeds and mud.


They are all in place and I got one of them weeded and tilled before Mama Bear and the little people posse came to "help".



Everything is weeded and tilled. Time to fertilize !!!


Although that may just look like dirt if you look closely there is a splash of chicken litter in there. Wicked potent stuff so it doesn't take much !!


Whoo Hoo it's all planted and the Tomato's, Green Bell Peppers and Jalapenos are mulched with some fresh grass clippings to keep moisture in and weeds out.


We decided to plant some pumpkins as well. This will be a first for us. One hill of a pair of GIANT seeds that were no kidding a full inch long. The other hills are a mix of normal size and the teeny tiny pumpkins. Should be fun.


There were two tubs I could not get out of the mud. One will be strawberries and the other is going to be weeds.


Dad and I got the feed rail brackets build for the steer barn addition. More pictures to come on how these will be mounted.


The three nut/bolts will be used to hold the bracket onto both the vertical post and the horizontal feed rail.


Hinges on the left, not sure what to call the items on the right. They'll go on top of the posts with the gates to keep the steers from lifting the gates off.

 

[Farmall450]

That supercharger is a treat.

 

[madison069]

Hmm, never seen rebar ties used as handles. I'm assuming that they are bigger then the standard bailing wire type stuff?

Nice tote garden! I've heard of folks using grass clippings for mulch but I can't bring myself to do it as I envision grass growning in the garden! I ended up using some mulch on mine.

 

[ripperd]

Far left is a black 4ah Lithium, 3ah Lithium+ HP, far right is a 9ah Lithium+ HP. The new Lithium+ HP batteries are amazing in the brushless tools compared to the older black and silver Lithium batteries.

Aha, ok that is why they didn't quite look like mine.

I just have a couple of the base black 2.0AH lithiums, and then a 4.0AH lithium+. I could use another 4.0 lithium+ but that's about it. The only tools I have where the lithium+ makes a big difference are the leaf blower and the 1/2" drive impact. All the rest of my tools are smaller ones. I should put the angle grinder on the christmas list though! My corded grinder is crappy and annoying to be tethered with!

 

[RickP]

You and your Dad sure do get a bunch of projects done around your farms. It must have been nice to get a "break" from the farming on Sunday for some family time (and then spend it gardening...) I like how your kids help out with your projects when they can - Leo looks great in that hat!

 

[Tom Sestito]

Really like the idea of movable garden in totes. It’s modular!

 

[jblnut]

That supercharger is a treat.

Yeah it is working well. I made the decision to give the work supplied old DeWalt 18v stuff back to them and told them I'd stock my own tools in the van. The 18v NiCad's are always dead when I want to use them and they take forever to charge and don't last long anymore. This way, I'll have 6 fresh batteries charged up in the shop at home all the time and I can grab the whole works to take in the van or to use around home. It's working very well thus far.

Hmm, never seen rebar ties used as handles. I'm assuming that they are bigger then the standard bailing wire type stuff?

Nice tote garden! I've heard of folks using grass clippings for mulch but I can't bring myself to do it as I envision grass gowning in the garden! I ended up using some mulch on mine.

I'll post close up pics sometime but they're a solid 1/4" diameter. I keep putting clippings in all summer as the rot and break down. Weeds will find a way to grow no matter what you do so a little grass growing isn't the end of the world for me I guess.

I heard you got something in the order of a farm fresh 65lb crate delivered today I hope it serves you well and I'd love to see what you do with it !!!

Aha, ok that is why they didn't quite look like mine.

I just have a couple of the base black 2.0AH lithiums, and then a 4.0AH lithium+. I could use another 4.0 lithium+ but that's about it. The only tools I have where the lithium+ makes a big difference are the leaf blower and the 1/2" drive impact. All the rest of my tools are smaller ones. I should put the angle grinder on the Christmas list though! My corded grinder is crappy and annoying to be tethered with!

I put off getting a cordless one for a long time and I regret all of the waiting !!! Definitely worth the money !!

You and your Dad sure do get a bunch of projects done around your farms. It must have been nice to get a "break" from the farming on Sunday for some family time (and then spend it gardening...) I like how your kids help out with your projects when they can - Leo looks great in that hat!

The "break" is nice but when you farm you're never really done with it. There are steers to feed and chickens to check and when Mama Bear isn't watching I'll sneak off and weld or grease something so I don't get out of practice

I try to involve the kiddos whenever possible as I think the things they learn while "helping" are more valuable than most things they'll learn elsewhere. A solid work ethic, manners and the ability to help out when needed are the most important things in life.

Really like the idea of movable garden in totes. It’s modular!

The first year we were out here we planted the garden in the ground and it was awful. Critters ate it all and we were limited where we could put it. A few years back it got really cold for a few days after I had things planted and I picked them up and put them in the shop with the wood stove roaring to keep it all warm !! It worked amazing !!