Coyote Ridge FarmsWelcome To Our Rural Blog

Is it or will it be a blizzard?  I don’t know.  Maybe I should say “I doubt it.”

The weatherman is saying it will be the worst storm system in recent years.  Armed with the weather info, we gave the goats and sheep 2 fresh bales of grass-hay.  2 bales should get them through Monday or Tuesday.  A bale usually lasts 2 days.  We wanted to let them get their fill before the storm rolled in, incase they didn’t feel like venturing out during bad weather.  Goats are big babies and are not afraid to be seen that way.  Sheep, on the other hand, seem to love to be in the cold weather.

The only concern we have now is whether or not the goats will consume enough water over the next few days.  We have a new Ritchie™ Brand automatic waterer installed in the barn yard, but 50′ is a ways to go for water when you are a goat and it’s a little chilly outside the barn.  Again, goats are big babies.

After feeding the goats their hay, I got the Oliver tractor started.  I have been having problems with it.  It’ll start, but then it dies.  On Monday, I headed down the road… then it killed.  A neighbor farmer helped me out and we were able to get it home.  The neighbor suggested I run some de-icer through the fuel system, which I did… it didn’t help.  Yesterday, I decided to attempt to get it running again.  At first, it spit and sputtered, but then cleared up.  At full throttle, for 10 minutes, it ran perfect.  I told Carol I was going to drive it to the repair shop in Willmar (10 miles away).  Less than a minute down the road, I called Carol.  The tractor died.  I was only ¼ from the farm.  Carol drove the van and we towed the tractor to a nearby farm.  That’s where it sets now.  I bought the Oliver to be the workhorse of the farm… it’s been anything but that.  In the last 7 months, it’s been broken down for 4.  My cheap auction tractor is starting to cost me both time and money.  It looks like I’m going to have to waste a couple hundred bucks to have the shop pick it up and haul it in.  Right now the farm seems to be hemorrhaging ca$h. 

Did I forget to mention the other stuff?!  The snowmobile won’t start… with all the snow we have, we need it to check fences and to make sure the cattle are doing alright.  The farm truck has been at the repair garage for nearly 3 months now… I have no clue what’s taking so long there.  I’m sure that won’t be cheap.  More financial bleeding.

To add insult to injury, my sister informed me that the skid loader that her and I share, died.  It was a good little starter, but just before it stopped running, she said the engine made a horrible noise.  When she checked the oil… there was none.  It’s shot!!!  She said she had good news though… she informed me she bought a $10,000 replacement machine.  After looking at it, I explained to her that it was too big… it would not fit into our barn.  It’s practically useless to me.  So I’m screwed there too… another hemorrhage.

The upside for this week is the “blizzard’ I guess.  Carol had recently stocked up on baking supplies.  She figured that if the weather wasn’t fit for man nor beast, why not do loads of Christmas baking.  In just a couple of short hours, we already have a large bowl of caramel popcorn and a huge plate of Christmas Sugar cookies.  The house smells like Christmas.  Chocolate-mint fudge is next… then candied almonds, rosettes, pop-corn balls and more.  I think she wants put up the Christmas tree too.

Last night, Carol and Madison stuffed the rabbit cages with lots of fresh straw.  With the extra straw, the bunnies will make themselves nests that they will burrow in…and nibble on.

Weather-wise, at 3:30 pm, it looks like the snow has stopped… but the winds persist.  It is said it will get nasty tonight and into Sunday.  The forecasted high is to be -2°F and the low should be near -20°F.  The winds will accelerate to 20-30 mph after midnight tonight.  We’ll see…

At 5:00 pm, I went out to check on the farm’s fold of Highland cattle.  After starting up the 560 Farmall, I headed east of the place.  I could see the cattle – 1, 2, 3, … 6 and 7.  Wha?  I should be able to count 9.  Even though the cattle were over ¼ mile away and it was storming and blowing out, I could count the dark silhouettes of the cattle… I was missing 2.   Since I was out in this hellish weather, I figured that I might as well a feed them a round bale of hay.  If/when they came home, I could figure out which cattle I was missing.  As I dropped the bale in place, I could see the 2 heifers on the wrong side of the fence – the ones I was missing.

I tried chasing them to where the bale was, but that was a useless attempt.  The snow in places was 3½ ft deep.  The heifers had that hay bale in sight and around & around they (and I) went.  I then took the fence down and chased them through.  That wasn’t so hard.  While I was out ‘playing’ with the cattle, I decided to check the Ritchie waterer that is located in a paddock for the cattle.  It was clear of ice.

Time to get back on the tractor and head to the house… and… I got stuck.  The snow was so deep that the tractor was sitting on top of a snow drift and the tires just kept turning.  I couldn’t move forward and I couldn’t move back.  Throttle down and walk to the place to get a shovel… then back.  I shoveled the tractor out the best I could… it still didn’t move.  With the bale fork, I was able to raise the front of the tractor then push the tractor backwards.  I did this 3 times until the tractor was free of the snow bank.  By this time, I was freezing.  I hate the house we live in… but was grateful we had one.

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