Parker Farmstead, a Family Farm since 1870

After a taste of Spring, Winter came roaring back with ice and snow and cold winds! Typical Midwest seasons, right?!

Any perception that Winter is a sleepy, restful time on the farm is not true.

Frozen water, moving snow, starting tractors, keeping animals fed, clean and bedded, hauling hay, silage, grain, water, and the surprises each day brings. Of course critter babies arrive mostly at night or early morning and we keep a watchful eye in case Mom needs help or baby needs warming up and help finding those first drinks of milk. With the help of our brother in law, we are finally installing a camera in the maternity pens. This will help us better monitor them and save some middle of the night trips to the barn. Late Wednesday 14 piglets arrived about 11:30pm. Mark was there to help mom. Sadly, one passed away the next day but 13 are doing great.

3 new calves were born this week. 2 heifers and 1 bull.

Our Yorkshire/Berkshire Cross piglets.

Winter is heavy on annual and ongoing paperwork too. Our table and office desk is full of files and stacks for tax preparation, organic certification, seed catalogs, crop planting reports, breeding charts and on and on. Our heads are in 3 years-reviewing 2021 expenses, income, and investments, keeping up with current recordkeeping and bills, and having next year in mind for budgeting and planning.

I’ve been tending a sick lamb for nearly a week. One of the twins born a few weeks ago has been struggling with a suspected selenium deficiency. WI soils are low in selenium and if an ewe doesn’t ingest enough via her feed and minerals while pregnant, her lambs can be born deficient or deplete their stores as they quickly grow. About one month before lambing, I should’ve given her an injectable supplement as a precaution, but I had free choice mineral out and was overly confident I guess. The lamb seems to be bouncing back. I’m hopeful, and I’ve learned a few lessons.

The annual farmer’s Spring Planting Fever (yes I intentionally capitalized that) is here too. Seed corn, a milo and soybean seed mix, and a oats and peas blend have been selected and purchased. At a Wednesday auction the boys found a larger discbine for mowing hay and other forage. We reviewed our crop rotations to determine any fertilizer needs and budget for them.

Now, a welcome sun shines through the office window. It’s time to close and get back to tax prep. I hear the chainsaw as the boys get ready to work in the woods for a few hours.