Category: Farm Life
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Cool Tool!
Every year, we tear down our welded wire pens so the manure can be scraped out. Then, we have to rebuild them. This usually means several days or weeks of pounding in t-posts by hand. Blisters and sore muscles are just a few hazards of the job. It’s getting very old, very fast, so we… Continue reading
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Solar Controls
With the panels up, work now moves back inside. Sensors, controllers, expansion tanks, pumps, and valves all had to be hooked up. Continue reading
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Solar Panels on the Roof
September 16th: it’s the Big Day! It’s time to get the solar panels on the roof. Our system is designed to have five panels initially, but it’s also designed to take an extra panel if we need it later. First, we had to get our ropes and ladders set, then get safety lines tied to… Continue reading
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Fall Farm Work
While the solar system was being installed, we continued fall farm work. One task was to clean out one of our ditches. Ken used the backhoe to clean it out on September 11th. This area is where we will rebuild the pens for the rams for winter. We have an apple crop this year, and… Continue reading
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More Solar Work
On August 25th, the heat dump loop was completed. Next, we had to work on the actual panel mounting structure. The first step was to get the blocks that would provide the spacing for the braces. That was finished on September 11th. The next day, we started the mounting structure. With the blocks secured, we… Continue reading
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Solar Continues
The installation of the solar hot water system continues. The heat sink pipe is now in the ground, and it’s been fully covered. Continue reading
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Solar Hot Water System Started
We’ve decided to install a solar hot water system to provide domestic hot water and heat to the house in winter. We already use a combination hot water heater and boiler that gives us domestic hot water and in-floor radiant heat, but it’s propane-fired. We are in an excellent area for solar, and we hope… Continue reading
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Some of the Horses
Here are a few of the mares out on pasture. We’ve run out of grass in the back, so they’re getting hay for now. Continue reading
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Chickens
The first batch of dinner chickens is ready to butcher. These guys are a bit smaller than last year, but they’re also two weeks younger. The difference in food costs may offset the smaller size. Anyway, we’ve been out of chicken for a while, so it will be good to get them done. We do… Continue reading
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Spare Bovine
We had a spare bull show up at the house yesterday. The neighbor had borrowed a bull to breed his two cows to, and the bull decided to go on a walkabout around the entire mesa. He visited several places, including ours. After strolling past the house, he went back to harass the guard dogs.… Continue reading