From the Barns: Fixing frozen hydrant

The months seem to pass so quickly, especially when I realize that it’s the first Friday and this writing is due again. I sure hope that what I write is worthwhile to you, the reader. In today’s information overload, everything is deemed to be “content,” even persons telling the world on Facebook or in a YouTube video what they are doing with every minute of their lives — stuff I really don’t want to know.

I sure hope what I write here is not falling into that category. I am so respectful of authors and journalists who write for this very paper and have “content” that I find very worthwhile. Hopefully, I fall somewhere in that group, but I am sure far below those who do that for a living.

The changing, challenging, different weather has once again thrown us into a new difficulty. With cows now winter grazing, we were relaxing a bit with ample and satisfying forage and happy cows. I was off to Indianapolis for a meeting and Carson was working extra hard on his new cattle building to beat the real coming winter. In the hotel Sunday evening I heard the latest forecast of some surprising wind chill figures.

My mind was not in the right place and little thought was given to the two gravity flow water tanks waiting to be assaulted by Mother Nature. One escaped permanent damage, but the other hydrant was cracked and broken between the supply pipe and the hydrant handle — something that seems impossible with a little freezing, expanding water. The repair won’t be simple, but still necessary.

We had already solved what we thought would be our only water problem for winter grazing. With ponds drought stricken and at their lowest point in their history, one of our ramps had no water. Carson brought his skid steer and dug a 3- to 4-foot hole just off the ramp. Satisfied that we could access water with a temporary extension of the ramp, he broke the wall of dirt holding back water and escaped up the bank, letting the pond water flow into the new area. The next day, I put on my chest waders and placed two steel posts in the new water and extended the high-tensile wire around them for access. It looks like it should do the trick until we can get enough runoff rain to raise pond levels.

So, outside of water difficulties, winter grazing is off to a good start. Even though the fescue is shorter and has more dry stems than usual, cows are happy and look good and manure pats are near perfect for a diet between 10% and 13% crude protein range and not indicating any need for supplementation. The three inches of wet snow we received last weekend wasn’t a challenge for cows working through to the covered forage.

I will be hosting a Winter Grazing Tour on Dec. 9, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending with a free lunch at noon. You will read this a day or two before, but don’t hesitate to call — 309-337-0053 — and come, even though the flyer asks for reservations by Dec. 5. It will be held rain or shine. I say that because it seems as though I always manage to pick a date that brings rain. I want to continue my mission to help others use best grazing practices and, in this case, how winter grazing of stockpiled fescue is great feed, efficient feed, makes for happy cattle, extends the grazing season and sets the stage for successful frost seeding.

I will be repeating an alert to place on your calendars. The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition, the new voice of grazing in our state, will be hosting a late winter grazing conference in Springfield at the Northfield on March 12-13. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Allen Williams from Mississippi. As some of you may remember, Allen spent a lot of time in Illinois working with us on the Illinois Grazing Project. I have the greatest respect for him and always am learning when he is doing the talking. So, plan on taking that in and look for details as they come out in the coming months.

Be careful as winter approaches. Stay safe and sane.