The middle of June has arrived. How quickly the days pass by!
Our winter wheat is nearly fully headed out, but it isn’t very tall. I think our long, cool spring, which turned into hot summer weather, has played havoc on some of our crops. If you have alfalfa in your hayfields, you are probably happy, but if you are counting on natural grass it looks a bit scary right now.
I am hoping that things will thicken up yet, but not sure we are going to see much height. I hope I am wrong! I am still holding some cows back at home, and though they are desperate to get to grass, I want to be sure they are bred, and quite frankly, the grass needs to grow. It was amazing last week to see how the lawns slowed down because of the hot, dry weather, and then on Saturday it was so cold that it wasn’t much of a growing day.
Again, we talk and talk about the weather, but we just must accept it as there is not much we can do about it! If the forecasts are correct, it does not look like it will be so hot this week. I have been trying to get some spraying down, because no matter the weather, there is some type of weed that continues to thrive. As well, the flea beetle has moved into our hops yard again. I am trying to line up some chemicals, but it isn’t easy when we have such a small yard, and the other thing is that the treatment is not cheap.
My trip to Calgary was good. I really enjoyed visiting the Spy Hill Vet Campus. It was very impressive, and they worked incredibly hard to make a wonderful learning environment for their students. They only accept Alberta residents, and last year they increased their enrollment from 50 to 100 students!
The BCRC meeting was jam-packed, and I was very happy to have good flights and to get back home again. It was quite a difference in the view of when I left Winnipeg and when I returned, with the crazy weather they experienced. From the sky, the fields all looked like lakes. I am sure things will be OK once they dry out, but that much moisture at one time is not helpful.
I am hoping that I can start dragging out my haying equipment soon. I have a few more jobs on my list to tackle first, but I will slowly get there. My equipment isn’t young, but my dad always said if you use lots of grease and oil, you can make things last! I am hoping that is the case. I certainly cannot afford new.
I hope everyone was able to catch the Stanley Cup game! I was so excited for Carolina that you might have heard me cheering! Lexi was unimpressed, but I was happy for that team! I was even happier they won last night, so I didn’t have to give up another nice evening sitting in the house watching hockey!
