Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions

[ben ji]

My dad is going Rambo against this raccoon according to the email I just got....

So, its like a chess game, but I keep losing.

Despite locking down feeders, minimizing garage door entry space, etc.

This medium sized racoon manages to lift the garage door about an inch to gain entry to eat cat food (and mess up cat feeders).

He has avoided live traps.

I may put a live trap inside the garage right where he enters kind of forcing him into it.

If that fails, it is going to be staying up late w/a shotgun.

The time I've invested in resolving this issue.

I have added about 5 new Santa Rosa plum trees North of the house.

You might be correct on that berry plant I thought was a vine.  We shall see.

Dad

[ben ji]

In regards to the last part...I planted a couple raspberry/blackberry bushes out at the cat ranch last year and when they came back this year my dad was convinced they were an invasive vine like the one that grows in our cedar windbreak....


Nope, just a berry bush doing berry bush things.

[ben ji]

Guyz, my dad is living the hobby farm retired dream life. I emailed him back because his phone died or broke or something and this was the response

Berries are about the same.  Ones doing good fine, ones that died are dead.
 
5 Santa Rosa plum trees planted now.  All have rabbit wire.  Two have deer wire.
Half inch of rain last night.  Bit of a surprise.  We just planted milo.  I've been running the irrigation.  Back tomorrow to get a new phone (mine will not charge).  Monday back here to monitor irrigation.  Leaving birds & Tazee here at the farm.  A week from Sunday is the Wohler reunion - but not at the Randolph senior center.  Mom is in charge this year.

Mr. Skunk has a trophy pair.  So fat he waddles when he runs.  Just opened the Morton West door, looking to see if I could see a kitten scurrying. It was mid day, getting hot out, Mr. Skunk wanted to run from outside to inside through my door.  Surprised me.  Funny waddle he has.  Ran to the big bales.  He is nocturnal so I'm sure he was hot and wanted the coolness so he could better sleep.  He pretty much ignored me.  Would have been a great video clip.  Careful as he will spray the dogs - bad thing to happen.

Very young fawn at the West end of the trees.  So new and slow I could catch it.  Careful to keep the dogs from that area.  Momma deer can kill a dog.
I've been eating on Hannah's sour dough bread.  Yum.  About a slice a day.

Also saw a 3.5' bull snake outside by the Morton West door.  Beautiful reptile.  Good shape, well fed.
About  1/3rd mile East saw a 2' stick laying South to North in the road.  Stopped, backed up to see it.  Yep.  Snake.  A fat garter snake.  Big around as a big hotdog.  Well fed.

See you Sunday.

[pissclams]

if western kansas had a harrison keillor

[steve dave]

G


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[ben ji]

My dad is going Rambo against this raccoon according to the email I just got....

So, its like a chess game, but I keep losing.

Despite locking down feeders, minimizing garage door entry space, etc.

This medium sized racoon manages to lift the garage door about an inch to gain entry to eat cat food (and mess up cat feeders).

He has avoided live traps.

I may put a live trap inside the garage right where he enters kind of forcing him into it.

If that fails, it is going to be staying up late w/a shotgun.

The time I've invested in resolving this issue.

I have added about 5 new Santa Rosa plum trees North of the house.

You might be correct on that berry plant I thought was a vine.  We shall see.

Dad

Got an update at fathers day yesterday and it went something like this

Ben ji - So did you get that coon that was getting into the cat food in the garage?
dad - Yeah, finally. I put the trap on the other side of the garage door where it enters and put a bunch of bricks next to it so that was the only way in...First night I caught a cat but the next night I GOT HIM.
Ben ji - Good stuff, did you drive it somewhere to let it go or.....
dad - We don't have to worry about the troublesome raccoon anymore.....

[ben ji]

Went to the lady's parents place south of warrensburg over the weekend and the mutts enjoyed the front porch with their own fan.

[ben ji]

Saw some turkeys on their recently harvested Hayfield when we were driving back to KC on Sunday morning.

[KST8FAN]

Went to the lady's parents place south of warrensburg over the weekend and the mutts enjoyed the front porch with their own fan.

What's the story behind rhe bull sculpture?

Are all those chairs linked by a bike cable and padlock like Cracker Barrel?


Tom

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[ben ji]

Went to the lady's parents place south of warrensburg over the weekend and the mutts enjoyed the front porch with their own fan.

What's the story behind rhe bull sculpture?

Are all those chairs linked by a bike cable and padlock like Cracker Barrel?


Tom

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The bull sculpture is a Remington replica or something. All I know is I helped move it there and it's heavy AF.

[ben ji]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK2TwWPvoM4/?igsh=cXprZmczMzZyZW8w

I'm pretty sure you would have to separate the different types of wheat upon harvest but maybe they are just going to feed it to cows so YOLO?

[ben ji]

Speaking of wheat I saw this article today which features my land Barron distant cousin (IIRC his great grandma and my great grandma were sisters of the person who homesteaded the original cat ranch) who is one day soon going to cash rent the cat ranch.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/amber-waves-grain-recede-americas-heartland-wheat-farmers-struggle-2025-06-19/

“It’s heritage, but there’s no profit," said Lon Frahm, the CEO of Frahm Farmland, a 40,000-acre operation in Colby, Kansas. Surrounding Thomas County is now dotted with wind farms. Farmers there once grew wheat exclusively, he said, but they have started to diversify due to more frequent drought and global competition depressing prices.
Frahm himself now mainly plants corn. He irrigates, fertilizes and harvests the grain using multimillion-dollar machines, then stores it in gleaming, 80-foot steel grain bins. His 7,000 acres of wheat sometimes produce just 5 percent of his farm's total output.
"There's certainly profit in corn," he said.

[ben ji]

Went out to the cat ranch this weekend and it was hot, windy and dusty. Long distance shot of some cows in the pasture.

[ben ji]

Close up pic of some cows

[ben ji]

The wind was blowing 30-40mph constantly and the windmill was just spewing out some beautiful ogallalah well water for the cows.

[steve dave]

Rural Kansas is rural Kansas. rough ridin' hellscape this time of year weather wise. Breathing in particulates not real fun.


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[ben ji]

Ate a metric ton of fresh tart Cherry's from an ancient tree and brought a bunch back with me.

[ben ji]

Rural Kansas is rural Kansas. rough ridin' hellscape this time of year weather wise. Breathing in particulates not real fun.


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The one upside of the extreme heat and 40mph winds was that the biting flies were in hiding, too windy for them I guess.

[farming_cat fan]

Started cutting wheat today and promptly got rained out.



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[wetwillie]

That looks like about 75 bushels per acre to me

[steve dave]

We just fired it up as well. Also I’m at the JW Marco Island with the wife and an ag conference just kicked off. Some big hitters in attendance.








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[DaBigTrain]

Damn big hitters got the double posting too

[meow meow]

sd still at a 5.3/7 from last night

[cfbandyman]

Started cutting wheat today and promptly got rained out.



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Hot

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Started cutting wheat today and promptly got rained out.



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Looks like some pretty good wheat!
Keep us posted on the harvest and yields.
Hearing reports of 70 bushel yields in north central KS (west of US 81).