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Plenty of new life on the Eppich farm - mom Heather, with son Joseph and brand new baby James John Eppich, born in late February.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

New baby boy joins the family

With calves also arriving, it’s a hectic time in the Eppich household

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The temperatures were fairly mild at the beginning of February. Gregory and John were able to haul the last of the straw bales home from Landis. It worked out well because by this time we had pretty much fed all of the slough bales and the bales that were not quite dry when they were […] Read more
Joseph helps Grandpa John with birthday cake duties.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Year begins with roller-coaster temperatures

Hopefully weather will hold for late-February start of calving season

By
January started with a mild temperature that allowed us to do a few more out-of-season projects. Early in the new year, Gregory and John worked on the holding corral at the Landis pasture. Later we used the 4450 tractor and the post hole auger to put in nine more railroad ties for the back corral. […] Read more
Grandpa John Eppich gives Joseph some instruction on hand position on a guitar.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Even with a few surprises, 2020 will be good

Eppich News: 2019 wraps up with the farm settling into winter

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So far this winter as of early January, we haven’t had too much snow and the cold temperatures only last a short while. However, one constant has been the wind. It can turn a nice day into a miserable one, no matter what the thermometer says. In early December we put our windbreak panels into […] Read more
As winter began to settle in and water began to freeze up it was good to get all the cattle home.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Livestock

Getting hay and cattle home for the winter

Eppich News: Plenty of projects to complete before the snow flies

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With haying season finished in early November it was finally time to start some winter projects. Gregory and John worked on cleaning the combines, swathers, and the baler and put them away for winter. They also had to work on the JD 4020, our feeding tractor, and get it ready for feeding and bedding the […] Read more
It is simpler for feeding and watering to have all cows and heifers together in one area.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Harvest and haying are finally finished

Eppich News: Combining and last of the haying were a race against the weather

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During the middle of October we were harvesting as much as we could. For the fields that were swathed we usually drove every grain truck and trailer out to the field in the morning, got the machines serviced, and then Gregory, John, and Joseph and I would drive the three combines. On Oct. 16 we […] Read more
At least Joseph appreciated the October snow that held up harvest.
Cattleman’s Corner, Crops

Harvest continued through October, but slowly

The hailed-out hay and crop will make fall and winter feed

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The end of September brought rain and then snow. Gregory and John managed to get all but two fields swathed before the snow. We had about five inches or more of snow, which Joseph loved. As it slowly started melting over the next few days, he was quite disappointed and was always wanting to go […] Read more
All hands were on deck to get crop harvested between rain showers.
Cattleman’s Corner, Crops

September rain interrupts harvest plans

Eppich News: It was a multitasking month with harvest, hay and cattle

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September started with about half an inch of rain Sept. 2. There was service work to be done on the combines before we could start harvest however, so it didn’t hold up work. By Sept. 4 Gregory and John slowly started cutting ditches and swathing crop again. On mid-afternoon Sept. 6 we started combining. There […] Read more
The occasional rain kept the grass green, although it wasn’t very tall.
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Still plenty to do before harvest

Hail and dry conditions tool their toll

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August was a crazy month of summerfallowing, cutting ditches for hay, baling, working on equipment, swathing the crop, and working in the garden. On August 4 my very good friends from the States came to visit: Lacey from Wyoming and Michelle from Tennessee. Michelle is Joseph’s Godmother, but they are both well-loved “aunties.” They had […] Read more
Posts are set for a new corral on pasture.
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Natural events took their toll on the farm in July

Eppich News: Storms and predators affected crops and livestock

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By the end of June, we finally made some time to rebuild a quarter mile of fence on our home native pasture. Half of our cow herd was still at home being supplemented with hay due to the late grass and the crazy spring. On June 28 John had his second cataract surgery done. On July 2 we moved the rest […] Read more

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