We sailed straight through the summer and will shortly enter one of our busiest seasons of the year. The anticipation for this season alone is exhausting and we know that not many breaks are in the near future. What season are we moving into you ask? Chopping and calving season. Depending on spring planting dates for all of the farms we custom chop for, corn silage chopping starts mid-late August and goes through September. Calving season follows closely in line with our chopping and we are currently t-minus 25 days from our first cows due date!
There is a lot to get ready! We prepare all year long for calving season keeping the cows in good body condition and organizing them in better calving groups so that we can keep a good eye on when they calve. We also get our calving box ready which includes all the necessities for calving. Typically, we also work on some fencing and prepare the pastures to have baby calves in them again.
Chopping on the other hand is always a literal sprint to get everything ready. There are a lot of moving parts that all have to fall in line in order to start. We have to prepare the chopper, the push tractor, silage trucks, and organize with our farmers what order we will be chopping in. Depending on the weather, planting dates, and location of the farms this schedule can vary and the farms are constantly checking in with how far along their corn is coming. So really we have a ticking time bomb on when things have to be ready. Since chopping isn’t our only job, it is often hard to prepare in advance for this season because we are sprinting straight through spring and summer with how busy we are. The expression, there aren’t enough hours in the day really rings true!
Aside from physically preparing for this season, all of us have to mentally prepare for the months ahead. If we hit the timing right, we generally have 2-4 weeks to slow down in between the chaos of summer and the chopping season. This year we have had some rain that has allowed us a few slower weeks here and there, but we finally finished first cutting hay this week so really we haven’t had the down time we need to get prepared. This mentally takes a toll on all of us. At this point, we are all fighting the mental and physical burnout and lots of anxiety is setting in about the success of the months ahead. To help prepare ourselves for the busy months ahead, we try to get some extra sleep, spend time with family and friends, try to take parts of the weekend off to rest, etc. Oftentimes however, the stress and work waiting to get completed stands in the way.
So, with that, we better get back to preparing. We hope and pray for a safe and successful season ahead.
Love,
Olivia, Tabby, Gina, & Kendra
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