6 Things That Happened On The Farm In June

June was a really busy month on the farm.  Even though planting was wrapped up in May, there are a lot of farm-related things that happen right away in June.  Farm life is a busy life, but it's rewarding because, unlike some office work, we can physically see what we accomplished.

Here are 6 things that happened on the farm in June.

1 | WATER AT THE PASTURE
When we bought this pasture we originally thought we would have to haul water to the cattle, then we found an old windmill which meant there was a well at one time.  The catch was if there was still water and if there was, how could we get it back into working order.  Fortunately the well wasn't dry so we have water!  Since the windmill no longer works (it's pretty ancient) the well pump is run off of a solar panel.  Cows can drink up to 30 gallons of water per day.

Our son, Colton is all about getting a good look.  I love how he can stand on the VERY tip of his toes.

2 | CALVES WERE WEANED
Before we put the cows out on the new pasture, we weaned most of the calves.  The calves are all approximately 6 months old and no longer need the cows.  These bulls, heifers, and steers get their own pasture and fed twice a day.  What a life!

3 | COWS ARE ON PASTURE
The pasture fence finally got built in June.  Since cattle prices are high, fencing companies are busy this time of year.  Having a pasture is pretty exciting for us!  It's been a couple of years since we've had a pasture for our cows.  In years past, by now these girls and guy would be being fed hay rather than grass.  Grass is high in protein and a perfect food source for a cow-calf herd.  Plus they are pretty happy to have the extra space, water, and lots of shade.  Apparently they don't care much for pictures...

4 | FIRST CUTTING OF HAY
We got our first cutting of grass hay cut and baled in June.  This will be the primary food source for our cows in the winter months.  We hope for 1-2 more cuttings yet this summer.

5 | RAIN
We got 5+ inches of rain overnight in June.  This lead to a lot of flooded fields and water over the roads.  We are fortunate that none of our crops were heavily damaged by the excessive rainfall but there are some farmers in our area who are re-planting beans.

6 | CORN WAS SIDEDRESSED
What does this mean?  It means we applied additional nitrogen to the corn.  Nitrogen is a primary macronutrient required for corn production.  Without adequate nitrogen the corn wont reach it's yield potential.  This corn in this picture is somewhere between V12 and V15 (12-15 leaf collars) but it was sidedressed when it just under half this size, V4-V6 (4-6 leaf collars).  If we didn't supply the additional Nitrogen, the lower leaves on the plants may have had a yellow appearance, indiciating this nutrient was deficient.

Notice the tree-line in the background?! You thought Iowa was flat as a pancake, didn't you??

Like I said, June was a busy month on the farm.  Stay tuned for what's to come in July!

In case you missed it, here's what happened on the farm in May.