The slowest time of year for myself at Eden Shale Farm is the roughly 30 days between the end of the KCA Convention and the start of calving season in mid February. This year, that time frame was taken up by a severe cold spell. Our Mesonet station recorded ten straight days with a wind chill measuring 6° F or less (January 20th bottomed out at -16.8° F). During this time there was lots of ice to chop and plenty of hay to set out. When it is that cold, just taking care of the basic chores takes all day!
I want to give a big Thank You to our Farm Manager, Greg Cole for the long, cold days that he put in at farm when I couldn’t get there. I also want to thank our current intern, Joel, who came to help Greg every day that school was canceled during the bad weather. These two men carried the load during the harshest weather, and I appreciate them for it. 2023 was another successful forage year at Eden Shale. We were among some of the lucky few to get moisture at critical times throughout the summer and fall months. This allowed us to graze cattle until after the first of the year. This year we started feeding hay to the cow herd on January 3rd. This is on par with our average hay feeding start date which typically ranges anywhere from Christmas to the second week of January. Dr. Higgins has also had projects going on the past couple of months. There are two separate ponds on the farm that he has developed, in which the water will be filtered, stored in above ground tanks, it will flow through concrete tanks to water the cattle, and then back into the pond. These systems are summer only systems as they are above ground and they will freeze in the winter time. I will elaborate more on these systems as it warms up and we get them up and running. As I write this calving season is approaching quickly. We should start calving some where around Feb 20th plus/minus a few days. And once it starts we typically get approximately 90% on the ground in 45 days. So, if you need us in March we will be in the calving barn…
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There is an unsung hero in the agriculture world. A hero that we all rely on, but that does not get the credit they deserve. That hero is the farm store.
They come in many different shapes and sizes and most every small farming community has one. As an oasis of commerce, they serve as a vital hub of booth supplies and knowledge for local producers. Owen County is blessed to have an excellent Southern States Coop. Located on 7 acres at the north end of Owenton sits “our” farm store. This Southern States location was established in 1949 and has been continually serving its customers for the past 75 years. For half of its existence it has been managed by John Layton, who after 39 years of service retired at the end of January. John has been a wonderful person to do business with. Besides being attentive to our ever changing needs, he has always been helpful, always kind, and always smiling. I know that his leadership and service to the agriculture community will continue to have impacts for years to come. John is leaving the reins to a very capable team. Waiting to greet you at the “back counter” is Jeff Satchwell, Assistant Manager, and Ken Gainnes, Department Manager. These gentlemen assist the 4,000+ producers the store serves in getting products and services to your farm in a timely manner. These men provide the knowledge that ensure that producers are using the correct products and rates on everything from row crop inputs, livestock nutrition, or fertilizer recommendations for either. Without the Owenton Southern States we would not be able to efficiently run the Eden Shale Farm. They have been serving the Eden Shale Farm since our inception in the mid 1950’s, and still today they are pivotal in our daily operations. When asked what the most rewarding part of his job has been, John replied without hesitation through his always present smile, “The people. I have always enjoyed serving our customers.” |
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