It's been a long time since our last post. Shame on us! We will try to do a better job this year.
We are so glad that spring is here. Winter was tough this year. During February 2021, we had an extended cold period where we spent three weeks below freezing and had several days of temperatures at or below freezing. Every winter we know we will break ice daily in the cattle waterers so the cows can drink. But the cold spell meant that we were breaking ice two times a day! And during the coldest period, we broke ice three times a day to give the cattle access to the water.
But that is behind us now. Spring is here (we think) for good! There have been a few false starts resulting in some late frosts and an even more-surprising unexpected snowfall. When the temperature dips below freezing late in the spring, the cold can kill apple blossoms and even disrupt bee colonies.
The apple blossoms were in full swing when we caught a night of temps in the mid-20s. We still aren't sure how much impact there was on the apple crop. It will take another week or so before we can tell how many blossoms survived the cold.
About half of our bee colonies did not survive the winter. But those colonies which did survive were doing very well! We purchased some new queens and split the strong colonies and installed the queens in the newly-created colonies. The cold slowed the growth of the new colonies, but we think they will get stronger as temperatures warm.
The cattle herd did quite well through the winter. We had 15 calves during Fall 2020. They have now been weaned and the seven steers from this crop are now eating the new grass as they rotate from paddock to paddock. These steers should be fully grown by fall of 2022 or spring of 2023. We have a few cows who calve in the spring, resulting in three calves so far this spring (two heifers and one bull). Spring calves on fresh spring grass are the cutest.
That's our update for now! We will be at the Warrensburg Farmers Market every Saturday from 0800-1200 starting May 1, 2021. Come by our booth and chat, or make a purchase of apple butter (while it lasts!), honey, or retail beef cuts! See you there.
We are so glad that spring is here. Winter was tough this year. During February 2021, we had an extended cold period where we spent three weeks below freezing and had several days of temperatures at or below freezing. Every winter we know we will break ice daily in the cattle waterers so the cows can drink. But the cold spell meant that we were breaking ice two times a day! And during the coldest period, we broke ice three times a day to give the cattle access to the water.
But that is behind us now. Spring is here (we think) for good! There have been a few false starts resulting in some late frosts and an even more-surprising unexpected snowfall. When the temperature dips below freezing late in the spring, the cold can kill apple blossoms and even disrupt bee colonies.
The apple blossoms were in full swing when we caught a night of temps in the mid-20s. We still aren't sure how much impact there was on the apple crop. It will take another week or so before we can tell how many blossoms survived the cold.
About half of our bee colonies did not survive the winter. But those colonies which did survive were doing very well! We purchased some new queens and split the strong colonies and installed the queens in the newly-created colonies. The cold slowed the growth of the new colonies, but we think they will get stronger as temperatures warm.
The cattle herd did quite well through the winter. We had 15 calves during Fall 2020. They have now been weaned and the seven steers from this crop are now eating the new grass as they rotate from paddock to paddock. These steers should be fully grown by fall of 2022 or spring of 2023. We have a few cows who calve in the spring, resulting in three calves so far this spring (two heifers and one bull). Spring calves on fresh spring grass are the cutest.
That's our update for now! We will be at the Warrensburg Farmers Market every Saturday from 0800-1200 starting May 1, 2021. Come by our booth and chat, or make a purchase of apple butter (while it lasts!), honey, or retail beef cuts! See you there.
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