Frost hit crops hard

Well, if you didn’t take the time to cover your sensitive plants in your garden, they likely had frost!
Unfortunately as a farmer, corn and soybeans are sensitive to cold temperatures but covering them really isn’t an option! Now the question is, “What will happen to them?”
If the corn was hit bad enough, you still have an option of turning it into silage.
Actually, you can do this with your soybeans, as well, but you still may be able to combine them (though at reduced yields and likely smaller seed size). The loss depends on the amount of time they were away from actual harvest date.
My soybeans at the Emo Agricultural Research Station likely were a good three weeks away from harvest, so I would suspect a rather large yield loss.
Alas, it just looks like 2014 will go down as a very challenging year–the entire way through!
Everyone should be safe to resume forage cutting now so let’s hope for some sunny days.
• • •
We tackled multiply jobs at home over the weekend. Saturday was a decent day and I keep thinking I likely should have been at EARS combining, but my list of chores was getting long at home, too.
We had a calf that was born with only one testicle down, so I was unable to castrate him at birth. Since my vet cousin was home for the weekend, I thought I would bring him in and have her take a look at him.
While I was rounding him up, I found two other calves that had abscesses, so I rounded them up, as well, and brought them all home. Unfortunately, the testicle hasn’t changed but we were successful in draining an abscess.
This is typical for the industry–as prices increase, it seems you always find other challenges!
The girls, meanwhile, were partaking in all the events along with my vet cousin’s kids, so there were lots of questions and fun throughout the weekend.
Marlee and I were walking up to the house to find some of the tools we needed to drain the abscess and she was telling me, “Auntie Kimmie, when I grow up I might want to be a vet?”
I said, “Well, that’s great Mar!”
“Well, for sure I will be a farmer and I’d like to milk cows or even goats!” added Marlee. “Cool” was my response!
Then she noted, “But no matter what, I won’t have a town job, like a teacher, because those jobs are just bad!”
I tried to explain those are not bad jobs, just a different career choice. But to Marlee, they were just bad!
• • •
Our entire community was shocked and sadden by the passing of Bob Cooke last week.
It always was a real pleasure seeing Bob on the street. He took the time to speak your name and ask about all the things that mattered to you.
I still can remember when he started school at Donald Young– him in kindergarten and me in Grade 8. I thought he was the cutest little boy I had ever seen!
I was fortunate to be his “book buddy” a few times.
I was so happy for him when he returned to our district and purchased his childhood home. We had a great visit about this and how returning to the district was exciting.
I cannot help but think how he warmed the hearts of so many and I wonder if he didn’t feel how much we valued his friendship, his smile, his humour, and his special chats with all of us.
A few years ago, I presented an award to a volunteer and before I presented it, I did a small presentation about all the good things this person has been doing in our community.
He told me later that he really appreciated that because we tend to not tell each other our positive feelings until we are attending someone’s funeral.
Let’s all try to work harder and get better at passing on positive/caring thoughts. We need to remind our family and friends of how great it is to have them in our lives.
I cannot help but think of Bob’s family, but I hope they find comfort in knowing how much our entire community is feeling this loss and thinking about them at this difficult time.