Author Topic: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions  (Read 356250 times)

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Offline slackcat

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4625 on: February 17, 2022, 08:10:04 PM »
Good stuff farming cat, always enjoy learning more. I'm wondering if cover crops have the same benefits out on western KS where there isn't as much moisture. Still beneficial? Would it steal the moisture your summer crops need?

I can't think of any places around the cat ranch that grow cover crops besides planting wheat directly after a the corn is harvested (but then they still harvest the wheat).

Usually it's just a barren wasteland of corn/Milo/wheat stubble in the field.
I'm unsure if covers would be beneficial in western, KS. I would imagine that they could be and the hardcore cover croppers will tell you that they absolutely would be beneficial. However, I would imagine that profit margins are somewhat narrow out there, therefore they might not want to take the risk of planting covers. The barley mix I planted cost approximately $50/acre. Rye closer to $15/acre. Cover crops are supposed to increase the water holding capacity of the soil and if they do aid with that, there is a possible benefit. I would say there is definitely valid concern with covers stealing moisture. I know termination timing is somewhat critical for us and would probably be even more critical out west if they are looking dry before spring planting. One year we terminated the cover a couple of weeks before we wanted to plant. Ended up getting some rain and the cover basically turned into a mulch and kept the soil too wet for planting for quite some time. We now like to "plant green" into standing, fully alive cover and terminate after planting.

We've done no-till for years and cover crops for the last 6-8.  Dikon radish will open up the soil and bring up nutrients, must plant in the fall well before frost.  For us it is after corn in early Sept.  We have also used rye in the fall but prefer wheat because it doesn't get as tall if we have a wet spring and I can't terminate on time.  We've found oats to work very well and have allelopathic properties to suppress weeds.  It's def. a learning experience.

Offline mocat

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4626 on: February 17, 2022, 08:13:49 PM »
Tom, my dad grew up on a farm in Sully County, SD and then they sold the farm and he went to high school in Sioux Falls. I visited the old farmhouse ruins when I was like 7. It's how I picture Siberia

Offline Stupid Fitz

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4627 on: February 18, 2022, 08:10:37 AM »
Need  cat ranch update or something. The actual farmers are getting a bit upity with their technical farming talk.

Offline ben ji

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4628 on: February 18, 2022, 12:28:35 PM »
Need  cat ranch update or something. The actual farmers are getting a bit upity with their technical farming talk.

This is a slow time of the year for the cat ranch. No hunting season for me to be out there and my dad is busy YOLO'n on cruise ships. Hopefully we can snag a few more strays to put out there in the spring.

Offline KST8FAN

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4629 on: February 21, 2022, 07:37:49 PM »
So once we opted out of Sundays bat cat game we looked for something else to do.  We stumbled on this windmill ranch near Tolar, TX.   30 windmills on 20 acres.

A retired nuclear engineer from a farm in SD who became fascinated with wind mills.

It was a fun hour plus learning the workings of these icons of the prairie.


Tom

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Offline ben ji

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4630 on: February 21, 2022, 09:29:16 PM »
So once we opted out of Sundays bat cat game we looked for something else to do.  We stumbled on this windmill ranch near Tolar, TX.   30 windmills on 20 acres.

A retired nuclear engineer from a farm in SD who became fascinated with wind mills.

It was a fun hour plus learning the workings of these icons of the prairie.


Tom

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Good stuff Tom, do you have any windmill's out on your land or no because you have some sweet sweet flint hills land that gets rain?

We have one of those old ass windmills out in our pasture by the "creek" that fills up a cascading line of stock tanks. I have no idea how old it is but it has run continuously for like a bagillion years (or before my lifetime). Since there are no cattle on it this year my dad actually showed me how to turn it "on/off" to save the wear and tear on the "pump" that brings up the water. You basically just flip a handle and the windmill still turns but the "pump" does not move up and down anymore.

Probably one of the few things my dad has actually taught me at the farm that may come in handy one day.




« Last Edit: February 21, 2022, 09:59:34 PM by ben ji »

Offline Stupid Fitz

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4631 on: February 22, 2022, 08:17:58 AM »
So once we opted out of Sundays bat cat game we looked for something else to do.  We stumbled on this windmill ranch near Tolar, TX.   30 windmills on 20 acres.

A retired nuclear engineer from a farm in SD who became fascinated with wind mills.

It was a fun hour plus learning the workings of these icons of the prairie.


Tom

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Aren't your worried about all the cancer?  :ohno:

Offline steve dave

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4632 on: February 22, 2022, 08:53:26 AM »
We have a bunch of those old timey ones but have been converting them to electric as they have failed. There is a company in Meade that still drills and services them last I knew.

Offline Sandstone Outcropping

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4633 on: February 22, 2022, 09:15:01 AM »
Windmills are great. Spent many summer days with dad "pulling windmills" where you had to pull the steel pipe out of the well to replace the "leathers" in the pump mechanism that would break down because of bits of rust and dirt. Fortunately, it was usually only 40' - 60' down to water so there were only a two or three "joints" to take apart. I think dad is replacing these with solar-powered electric submersible pumps as they fail. Easier to maintain with less moving parts. 

Offline star seed 7

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4634 on: February 22, 2022, 09:49:48 AM »
My uncle pumps air into his stocked pond via wind-meal. I guess it's good for the water?
Hyperbolic partisan duplicitous hypocrite

Offline steve dave

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4635 on: February 22, 2022, 10:44:10 AM »
My uncle pumps air into his stocked pond via wind-meal. I guess it's good for the water?
Yeah, fish will die if there isn’t oxygen in the water. A fountain also works.

Offline Katpappy

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4636 on: February 22, 2022, 06:27:44 PM »
My uncle pumps air into his stocked pond via wind-meal. I guess it's good for the water?
Yeah, fish will die if there isn’t oxygen in the water. A fountain also works.

We had a pump in our pond and my dad told me it was to cut down on moss growth.  Our irrigation pond was the largest in Trego county and the water in it was used to irrigate 80 acres of corp land during the summer.  We were less than a mile east of the Cedar Bluff spillway on the smokey river, but the state would not let us irrigate out of the smokey in the summer due to rough ridin' Russell needing our water.  That's when my dad built our pond, which we filled in the winter.  Almost forgot that a few years later he leveled another 40 acres and ran more under ground 8" water pipe to it.  It was a huge pond and we had a crap load of ppl wanting to fish our pond.  :)
Hot time in Kat town tonight.

Offline KST8FAN

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Re: Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions
« Reply #4637 on: February 22, 2022, 10:24:33 PM »
We had the remains of one windmill in the flint hills pasture, but nothing on the home place.  Dad had a electric pump from the big pond feeding a couple miles of pipe to Pride of the Farm waters in the winter lots.


Tom

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Offline ben ji

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I didn't realize wheat prices have gone this bonkers since the largest exporter of wheat invaded the 4th largest(maybe?) But I guess it makes sense.

Riots coming in the middle East but farmers will be making phat stacks in Kansas.




Offline KST8FAN

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Bro inlaw (HIQF) upgraded JD equipment for planting season.  I've got to use some PTO to co-pilot with him.

Meanwhile my cousin who farms the Tom family ground shot back a pix of his old school IH set up.

Ready for spring!


Tom

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Offline steve dave

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My dad got a new air drill I think

Offline ben ji

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Had dinner with the parents tonight and my dad had just got back from his first farm trip in 2 months.

Cat count is Zero and the garage where the automatic cat kibble feeder is smells like skunk.

Guess the cat ranch is starting at ground zero again this year.


Offline ben ji

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And yes, my dad did mention his desire to capture a baby skunk, have it descented and keep it inside like a cat...again

"Sometimes you will see the mother walking around and all the little babies following it. Just need to find a way to get one of the little ones. I don't think I could find a vet to descent it though, maybe out there (cat ranch area) but definitely not here (KC)"

I think I just found the perfect father's day gift....


Offline slackcat

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How about a black and white opossum?

Offline Stupid Fitz

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And yes, my dad did mention his desire to capture a baby skunk, have it descented and keep it inside like a cat...again

"Sometimes you will see the mother walking around and all the little babies following it. Just need to find a way to get one of the little ones. I don't think I could find a vet to descent it though, maybe out there (cat ranch area) but definitely not here (KC)"

I think I just found the perfect father's day gift....

I'm no animal expert, but I think it would be easier to just get a black and white cat. Although, your dad doesn't seem great at keeping cats alive.  :dunno:

Offline steve dave

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Opossum are not good pets. Skunks are better irl. My dad had both as a kid growing up and told me about them. Had to eventually get rid of all of them. The opossum was just mean. The skunk was great and friendly but if it got startled it had a bit of a hair trigger and would blow.

Offline Rage Against the McKee

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I would bet that the vet could remove a skunk's ability to blow. Not sure if you could ever get Pepe Le Pew to stop chasing those cats, though.

Offline sys

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"experienced commanders will simply be smeared and will actually go to the meat."

Offline ben ji

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Offline Katpappy

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Years back when I was first married, we lived in three-plex flats in the city.  Our neighbor had a skunk.  It was like a spoiled fat cat, and guess what he feed it, if you guessed cat food you are correct.  It was deglanded and didn't smell bad.  It was funny when someone would come over to see him when we were visiting and didn't know about the skunk.  Giff would have to pick up the little chub and let the person know it was his pet and did not squirt the smelly stuff.   :lol:
Hot time in Kat town tonight.