Dec. 5th. and 52 deg.

[Blessings Farms]

 What is up with this weather up and down . Forcast here is high 30s to low 50s
until Jan . We have had freezing fog last two mornings and not clearing until
afternoon .

[lakeportfarms]

I suspect it's El Nino, just as they have forecasted. My in-law's will be going to Florida for a few weeks in January, and my guess is that they won't find as drastic of a difference in weather as they have in the past two years. This type of pattern is supposed to make the Southeast U.S. cooler and wetter than it normally is during the winter.

I just had 290 tons of sand delivered yesterday to spread on the sacrifice areas in anticipation of a milder and rainy winter and spring. Cost was about $1800 including the trucking (we're only 4 miles from the sand and gravel pit...thank goodness).

It sounds like a lot, however I'd guess that (and now betting on) that it will be offset by the savings in feed cost from the milder winter. The cows, especially the bulls who spread around a lot of it for me, sure like it.

[Deleted]

looks like we may have a week without much rain here. but with the cool temps I dont expect much drying. but at least it will not get worse.

[Blessings Farms]

Cant believe forcast for weekend mid 60s and rain. They think we
may break records set for the next week . Crap we even have dandalions
still blooming . We need a hard freeze to set thing right or we will
have insects up the I even saw a wasp last weekend .

[wvdexters]

72 F here in WV mountains today!! Spent the day clearing pasture in a halter top...... Dec. 12??

[lakeportfarms]

I'm taking advantage of the nice weather, and doing some work on the drainage around the farm. We had the 15" of snow a few weeks back and that is it. I saw the remnants of two snow piles in a parking lot Thursday, which have probably melted by now. Record high yesterday and they are saying a record high today of nearly 60 degrees. Without any really cold weather on the horizon to kick in the lake effect snow, there's a good chance we won't have a white Christmas this year. I guess we'll have to settle for just a white Thanksgiving. The Dexters are enjoying the nice weather, and we have several new calves this past week so it's nice for them too.

[Blessings Farms]

68 here yesterday. Saw four different places people mowing there lawns on
the second week of Dec. Heard a interesting thing about weather prediction
from a local nersury too . Older gentelman told us that the only way to
predict things for him is by deg. days and when he explained it made sence.
He stated that the total deg. days will stay consitent year to year with in
a normal amount . Thinking about it started out cold , cool summer , and
now a warm fall and begining of winter makes you think not ?

[Deleted]

warm here but not like some of you had. Sat foggy most of the day. Sunday raining all day. No choice but to work out in it. 3 inches so far still raining but should stop soon. Got most everything done that was critical before winter. Hope the ground freezes soon. 

[lakeportfarms]

I sure wish it would freeze as well. However it can wait a bit longer now because I decided I haven't been working hard enough so I have been digging trenches and laying drain pipe from low areas to lower areas, that I hope will help when spring comes. I'd hate to get a blast of below zero weather with trenches a few feet deep and rock hard piles of dirt that I can't put back where it belongs.

[lonecowhand]

Better Hurry! Don't need cattle traps!

We're actually getting blessed rain out here, temps in the low 40's, highs 50's. I can see snow covered mountains in the Sierras, and mornings have snow on the Coast Range. How beautiful and rare.

[Blessings Farms]

In the low 30s but back to mid 50s by the 25th.

[jamshundred]

This weather is so similar to the early winter of 1965 in the DC metro area it scares me! A sweater was too warm on Christmas Day 1965, and on New Year's eve the sky opened and snow fell by the buckets. There was a three day work holiday for nothing but snow plows were moving. I was used to WINTER, had never had a day off school for snow during my school years, walked along fence posts above a road filled with drifted snow many a winter on my way to school, so seeing an entire metropolis at a stand still was amazing to me! Christmas day here is to be in the 70's. And last week, the local "legend" Bobby told me that we are to get 30-50 inches of snow in the New Year. ( He is currently puzzling over whether he heard it was coming in one large blizzard or over the course of multiple snow events). The huge snowfall in Feb 2010 has not faded from memory as yet. I keep assuring myself Bobby herd a forecast discussing snowfall for Ohio or Michigan or Iowa so good luck guys! lol.

[Blessings Farms]

50s and 60s rest of the year here . Getting lots of rain too a very muddy
mess .

[genebo]

Well, your weather pattern finally reached here. It has been raining for two days. It rained so hard today that the rain was overshooting the gutters and making a roaring sound as it hit the deck. This afternoon I heard the longest roll of thunder that I thought something was wrong. I went outside to see what it was. eh thunder was still rolling and continued for two or three minutes.

Later, on the news, they showed a video taken about 3 miles west of Paradise Farm that showed a funnel cloud. The rotation was picked up on doppler radar. It didn't touch down.

We were lucky.

Not only did the pond fill up, Paradise Falls started up at the overflow. Maybe I'll get a picture in the morning. Not everyone has their own private waterfall.

[jamshundred]

Definitely a mud hole here.  Maybe the 70 degrees today and tomorrow will dry it up some.  I bought myself some Muck boots on sale at Tractor Supply for Christmas!   Happy girl.

I DO want to see the picture of your private waterfall.    It is supposed to rain every day this week.  Forget that about drying up some.  But the grass IS growing.  Goodness.  I am all for keeping this going right through until this time next year.    ( As long as all growing things in nature are not killed or harmed by unseasonably warm conditions).

[Deleted]

lot of rain in the last 2 days here. within the last hour we now have a white Christmas, well if the snow can hold on for another day. A couple of inches in the last hour.  After Saturday we drop below freezing and stay there in the forecast so that helps.

[wvdexters]

The rain is here too. But not like you all are getting it. 67F today, and I've been out catching up on chores in my t-shirt. I have to admit I am getting spoiled!! When winter comes it is going to be such a shock. The dexters sure are loving it, except for the mud. We keep moving them around, trying to keep them up on the hills. The lower areas where the tubs are located, are getting awful muddy. And yes, we ARE using the tubs again this year. They are the best, perfect size for the little ones (coming), and hold the heat better than the insulated one we bought.

[genebo]

Here is Paradise Falls. I may have exaggerated a bit in telling about it, but we certainly are proud of it. The pond is just over 8 feet deep and it has been 5 feet low, so every time it fills up is a time to rejoice.

The first shot is of the Falls You can see two of my Barley straw bales that floated free.

The second shot is of the outward bound water, headed for the Atlantic.

I hope I didn't disappoint you.

[lakeportfarms]

No Gene, it must be taking a detour through our pastures on it's way to the Atlantic. Our mud is out of control around here. I hope it freezes soon, but not freeze quickly. The ruts and stomped areas need time to be flattened out either with hoof traffic or with my box blade, otherwise the cows have poor footing and any fillings I have get shaken out. I've been working on the drainage and it's a race against time, because if our temperatures get back to normal I'll have 4' high mounds of concrete to try to put back in the trenches.

I sure hope in the long run this helps, because right now it's a mess!

[Deleted]

I have a few changes in mind for next year to combat the mud. I plan to trench in tile and directly drain the barn eves into it. I am also thinking of grading in front of the barn and putting down larger size crushed concrete. I suspect the mud is more unpleasant for us than the cows. I do still have spots with very little mud and yet the cows spend there time standing in 6" of mud.

[LoriG]

You may want to try putting down enviro tech road fabric under any rock. It makes a huge difference as the rock won't be disappearing into the mud and it is a weed stop as well. We put in a road to our hay feeder so we don't sink into the mud this time of year/ it is wonderful when taking out big round bales!

[genebo]

I put road fabric under the coarse rock around the frost-free fountain. Ten years later, it's still in fine shape. Never gets muddy.

I put road fabric under smaller rock (#8's?) in the feeding area and the red clay ate it, rocks and all. It got to be such a muddy mess that I was afraid for the cattle's safety. I had visions of the LaBrea Tar Pits.