[dominiquer60]

Bitter day today. We managed to take advantage of the last couple warm days and at least get all the tap lines up out of the crusty snow to a level where we can work on them. Dale stayed home from the market to fix lines and tap a little, but it ended up to cold to work on sap lines. So he started siding the last wall of the sap house, if we get doors on it by the time the sap is done we will feel like kings.

Around here we “rig” things together, like 3 metal gates and a couple metal fence posts to “rig” together a creep feeder for the calves, or “rig” an old license plate on the end of the corn picker shoot so ears stray in a direction that we want them to (more or less). Rigs can also be vehicle related, sometimes our neighbor Jerry drives by with a rigged rig:)

Erika

[dominiquer60]

This will be my first year claiming both cattle and dog as working animals, both tax preparers that I questioned say that there is no problem in doing so as long as they are part of the business.
Erika

[dominiquer60]

“Our Mission
Mission Statement: DAPNet is dedicated to using horses, mules and oxen, as a practical power source to maintain the viability of small farms and communities while celebrating renewable land-use practices that advance the cultural web of local communities.”

I would like to use the term “draft animal(s)” instead of limiting our selves to 3 types, don’t forget the ponies, camels, water buffalo, goats, dogs and chain gangs of Russian immigrant women that can be used for draft power 🙂

I like to the point and simple, sometimes wordy statements can be a turn off and may give outsides the wrong impression of who we are. I don’t know where the line is between “a good bunch of people with common sense that are not afraid of real work” and “a bunch of hippie back-to-the-landers.”
I wouldn’t want Plain Clothes communities and conservative mined folks that have way more in common with us than not, to be afraid of joining or getting to know us. What comes to mind is the Unity, ME Amishman’s question to the MOFGA/LIF group about religion and the organization. He knew the organization was something that attracted him to the community, but he was still scared that we were a bunch of “cram buddha and magic crystals down your throat hippies.” I am glad that he learned otherwise, it seemed a great relief to him.

I guess as the membership Chair, I just want to put it out there that a mission that is attractive to us and to outsiders will aid in attracting members.

I have no suggestions at the moment, but perhaps sleeping on it will cleanse my mental palate.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

When I used to work on a sheep farm feeding round bales, we would often use a hay knife to cut through bales to start them. The old fashioned kind that one used to use to cut through loose hay in a barn. I got one at an auction for $5 because no one really knew what it was.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

We almost lost our sugar house because of the snow load. After a good shovel, some chains and jacks, we were able to get her back in place. Dale has gotten siding on the north side so far. It is currently 40 degrees as I type. Dale has decided to move the arch back into the sugar house and try to get a line dug out tomorrow. We still need to saw out more siding, but we can do that as we go, better to get sugaring first. After all we sugared for the entire week long season last year with no sides at all, one side has got to be better than none:) Good bye long nights of winter, here comes the sugar.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

Andy,
I think that you have done well hatching for the first time, especially with a rare breed. Having good fertility with many of todays purebreds is not easy, and rare breeds tend to be closely related and more difficult to reproduce. Add to it the difficulty of hatching in a home (I assume) with fluctuating temps, humidity and air pressure, and you have done well.

Some years are just bad hatching years, the last time I tried hatching some Dominiques, in 2004, I set 90 eggs in 3 different attempts and got one cockerel. That same year professional/ and top notch hobby breeders all over the country were having a hard time of it too, number were down everywhere in the purebreds.

So good job, and if you are lucky next year they will do a great job of it themselves.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

Congratulations Andy, Best of Luck with them!
Erika

[dominiquer60]

I like linseed oil for thing that come into contact with skin. My plow handles and all of my hand tools are finished using regular thin coats of Danish Oil (fancy linseed oil). Varnished hand tools tend to facilitate blisters, but linseed products get that nice to the touch finish after they are broke in. I would imagine it would be similar with a wooden pole, and the animals don’t touch it as much anyway. Just my two cents on linseed

Erika

[dominiquer60]

I just read the first 15 pages of Little Britches on Amazon, they cut me off just as the entire family was stepping off the train onto their ranch for the first time, the conductor blows the whistle to alert them of something and…
I see that I am going to have to go to the library tomorrow:)
Erika

[dominiquer60]

I know an older gentleman that uses a riding plow with a single bottom. He prefers to walk and drive them from next to or behind the plow depending on the conditions. A few years ago he let me plow a few furrows with the choice of riding or walking, I did both and found his team easy to work with either way. It was my first time plowing so the furrows were not very straight, but the team was kind and forgiving. At home he tells me that he ties the lines up and just uses his voice, I don’t doubt him. I am sure that you can drive your team from where ever you want to, as long as you work at it a little. Good Luck.
Erika

[dominiquer60]

When we have a board meeting I have two DAPNet promotion opportunities for us to discuss and approve/disapprove.

1) Cornell University has a Small Farms program, I sent the e-news to the lady in charge and she asked us for a one paragraph write up to include in her next e-newsletter promoting events, workshops, organizations and funding opportunities. This months deadline is friday, but we can always include it in her March enews if we miss this month.

2) Eli Berry called me today to see how we were doing and to fill me in on the Low Impact Forestry group’s changes. LIF is now an official MOFGA committee, Eli is the liaison and has recently been elected to the MOFGA BOD. MOFGA and LIF are each going to have a booth at the Northeast Livestock Expo, http://www.northeastlivestockexpo.com/, in May. He said that the fee to exhibit was very cheap ~$20, and that if DAPNet wanted to buy an exhibit table he and other LIF/DAPNet could man if for us. We could send them some extra newsletters and event info once we get closer. Eli envisioned eventually having a couple teams there to do some demonstrations. It would be especially neat to have our teamsters, that many of these fair going folks don’t recognize from the pulling events, doing these demos.

Anyway just wanted to put some food for thought out to you all. Enjoy the warm weather if you have it.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

Mother Kathrine, I am so sorry for the loss of your shed, but feel terrible about your lost yearling, was it one of your linebacks?
Erika

[dominiquer60]

Rod,
I am glad that you and the animals were not hurt, I hope the equipment that you had in there made it also. It can be tough to gauge how much weight is on our structures with all the freezing and thawing has occurred. We have a similar one to yours, we are glad that the top hay bales are wedged under the ridgepole.

Many buildings in our area are collapsing too, a large dairy barn with 25 Holsteins that died, a commercial hoophouse, greenhouses, garages. We have spent the last 6 days shoveling roofs ourselves. I did my one hoop house Thursday, it didn’t look like much, but with the layers of ice and then being melted altogether, I am really surprised and glad that it didn’t go before I could get to it. We also saved our sugar house, the rafters were creeping outwards. Jacks, come-a-longs and some newly sawed cross braces are patching it together until the weekend markets are done.

Just be careful everyone, looks are deceiving, happy shoveling all and be safe.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

I am game anytime except Saturdays and Sundays I am not available until after 6pm, markets and chores really need to come first.
Erika

[dominiquer60]

I just saw my red calf walk by the window. They figured out that they could step onto the 7′ long concrete barriers that border one side of the barnyard.
Right up and over, without a problem. Back to standing on a rubber mat in the barn with the doors open, and back to shoveling out greenhouses for me.

Erika

[Author]

Posts