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Rain
Aug 17, 2020 7:09:30 GMT -6
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Post by Allenw on Aug 17, 2020 7:09:30 GMT -6
Wet and green here but not very far away they are dry. I need to be putting hay down, I have been waiting for moisture to bale this time of year.
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Rain
Aug 18, 2020 17:38:49 GMT -6
Post by dave on Aug 18, 2020 17:38:49 GMT -6
We had a storm go through quickly yesterday. The first rain in about 2 months. It poured rain, the wind was blowing it sideways, and lot of thunder and lightning. We got 0.2 inch of rain in about 15 minutes. Good thing we got the rain with the lightning or we would be spending the day fighting fire. Possibility of more tonight and tomorrow. I hope it doesn't come as dry lightning. There is way too much bone dry fuel out there.
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Rain
Aug 18, 2020 18:24:44 GMT -6
Post by angusrancher on Aug 18, 2020 18:24:44 GMT -6
We had a storm go through quickly yesterday. The first rain in about 2 months. It poured rain, the wind was blowing it sideways, and lot of thunder and lightning. We got 0.2 inch of rain in about 15 minutes. Good thing we got the rain with the lightning or we would be spending the day fighting fire. Possibility of more tonight and tomorrow. I hope it doesn't come as dry lightning. There is way too much bone dry fuel out there. Sandhills to our south are really susceptible and seem to attract dry lightning. We're really at the mercy of mother nature right now, as well. Been times in years past where there were many fires going on at once.
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Rain
Aug 19, 2020 7:20:53 GMT -6
Post by chuckie on Aug 19, 2020 7:20:53 GMT -6
We have had less that one inch since this thread was started. We did get .47" one day, but it takes only a few days for that to be evaporated back up. Usually we get less than .10 when it does rain and we have had a few of those days.
Since they were not predicting rain for this week, my husband cut another hay field yesterday. Now this morning they are calling for rain all of a sudden for the next three days starting tomorrow. I feel for sure that it will rain now that it is on the ground.
Angusrancher and Dave, I am sorry that you are not getting the rain you need.
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Rain
Aug 19, 2020 12:46:07 GMT -6
Post by dave on Aug 19, 2020 12:46:07 GMT -6
We have had less that one inch since this thread was started. We did get .47" one day, but it takes only a few days for that to be evaporated back up. Usually we get less than .10 when it does rain and we have had a few of those days. Since they were not predicting rain for this week, my husband cut another hay field yesterday. Now this morning they are calling for rain all of a sudden for the next three days starting tomorrow. I feel for sure that it will rain now that it is on the ground. Angusrancher and Dave, I am sorry that you are not getting the rain you need. I don't need rain other than for fire protection. The range land got some good timely rain back in May, so there is plenty of grass in the hills. There is lots of irrigation water for the hay meadows.
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Rain
Aug 19, 2020 13:25:19 GMT -6
Post by chuckie on Aug 19, 2020 13:25:19 GMT -6
Dave, having irrigation on a hayfield is a dream come true. Mostly when you are in a dry area, you can control what kind of quality you want. As long as you fertilize every 30 days and stay on the same schedule cutting it, you can have the highest protein for your animals. I would enjoy having that option.
I think of all the things that I don't have; an irrigated hay field would be at the top. Then lets not forget the silencer squeeze chute under roof with fans. Now I am thinking of a third choice.
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Rain
Aug 19, 2020 14:27:46 GMT -6
Post by dave on Aug 19, 2020 14:27:46 GMT -6
This is flood irrigation. No pumping cost. The water is nearly free at $7.00 an acre. The places in other irrigation district we looked at the water cost $60-$70 an acre plus the cost of pumping out on to the field. Looked at one that pumped out of a well. 100 acres under pivots. Their power bill to pump the water ran about $6,500 a year. Here along with it being cheap, I am also at the head of both ditches. If anyone has water, I have water. The water isn't metered so I basically have unlimited water.
Kind of hazy out today. Has the look of a fire a ways away. I looked it up on the computer. A 4,000 acre fire caused by lightning about 25 miles straight south of us. Another 30 miles or so south of that there is a 20,000 acre fire. Both just burning grass and sage brush. Well that and fences and any cows that they don't get out of the way.
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Rain
Aug 19, 2020 14:38:49 GMT -6
Post by dave on Aug 19, 2020 14:38:49 GMT -6
This is a picture looking south from the Malhuer City cemetery. The 4,000 acre fire is about 10 miles or so straight down the middle of this picture. Malhuer City was a gold rush town from about 140 years ago. It was a ghost town that burned down in a range fire back in 1957. The only sign it even existed is the cemetery which is very well maintained today.
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Rain
Aug 21, 2020 9:21:51 GMT -6
Post by chuckie on Aug 21, 2020 9:21:51 GMT -6
Wow, that is a beautiful picture. I don't like to hear that the old ghost town burned down. To imagine what all went on in the streets and the buildings. I have been in old log houses that were built many many years ago, and I think about what all went on in the house. I could imagine that there was an old clock ticking, and what all was going on inside. There was a dog trot cabin about 4 miles down a field road and it also had a cemetery next to it. There were several people buried there, and there were so many young children too. Some died when they were born and some lived a year or two. I wondered what had caused the children to die so early. I know there were many diseases that took the lives of children long ago. There must have been a lot of pain when that happened.
One day I rode my horse down the road and the farmer had tore it down and burned it. It made me so sick that they had done that. I know it was not my log house, but it was so much of the past that it hurt to see it gone. It had a huge old Cedar tree in the yard and they had cut the lower limbs, and used it as a shade tree. The farmer cut it down too. No telling how old the tree was. Both the tree and the log house used up so little land.
The old tomb stones were made from what appears to be limestone. Those stones did not take the weather so well and are covered in a sort of moss. The engravings were not so deep, so they are really hard to make out. Now, trees have grown up around it. It does have a fence surrounding it. I was afraid they would bulldoze the cemetery. It has been a while since I have been out there. Now that I have a horse, I am going to ride back out there to see if it is still in the trees. Farmers now don't leave a field road. I bet I put 1,000 miles on those field roads as a child and an adult on a horse.
Running an irrigation system is not cheap!! $6500 is a lot of money to run. I believe I like your way the best. Being at the head of the two ditches worked out perfectly for you.
Are you able to sew the seed you want for the hay?
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Rain
Aug 21, 2020 9:33:48 GMT -6
Post by chuckie on Aug 21, 2020 9:33:48 GMT -6
Dave, I just did a map search of what area you live in. That looks like a really nice place to live. You are in such short distance to four other states.
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Post by dave on Aug 21, 2020 19:13:21 GMT -6
The reason there is two ditches is one for each side of the valley. The river runs through the middle of my place. One of the disadvantages to this place is that the fields were river bed at one time. Stick a plow into the ground and you will turn up lots of river rock. I am sort of stuck with the grass that is out there. Planting anything new would need to be done with a no till drill.
I am the up stream place in this valley. The river comes out a steep canyon up from me. I actually own about the first half mile of the canyon. It is 15 miles through the canyon. Then it opens up to a wide flat valley with big beautiful ranches. That valley is about 30 miles long and over a mile wide in places.
There are a lot of ghost towns or sites where there were towns . There was a big gold rush in this area starting in 1863. The Malhuer City cemetery where I took that picture was started in 1870. 10-15 miles from there is Mormon Basin. They had tennis courts, a movie theater. and about 400 people. The gold mine shut down in 1920. There is nothing there but mine tailing piles, pine trees, and cows in the summer. Lots of the town sites just have a ranch house or two now.
I don't know which "four" states I am close to. Idaho is about 30 miles away but the border is the Snake River. It is 40 or 50 miles to the nearest bridges. Washington may look close on a map but it is a good hard 3 hour drive to the places where you could cross that state line. Nevada is about 5 hours south. You actually have to drive into Idaho a little to get to Nevada. And when you do get to Nevada you are in the middle of nowhere.
The first picture is looking into the Malhuer City cemetery. Taken 180 degrees from that previously posted picture. Well maintained and not a house within 10 miles. The second is of our place taken from the first little hill above the house. It is a mile from the house to the big hill in the south end of the property. There is 2,000 feet elevation difference. The next is a water trough we installed. It is spring fed back up on the BLM. The last picture was taken just a couple steps from that trough looking down into the canyon.
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Rain
Aug 22, 2020 19:23:15 GMT -6
Post by chuckie on Aug 22, 2020 19:23:15 GMT -6
That is beautiful Dave!! I feel I live away from others when I cannot see a house from mine, but you are living the true meaning of living out to yourself. It appears you have so much going on there. I suppose looking at the map of where your county is placed, it just appears you are really close to those states. I am at one end of Tennessee, and if you look at the map it doesn't look that far from the far tip of East TN. But if you drive it, then you have driven over 500 miles.
I think that would be a wonderful place to live! Looks pretty green there too.
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Post by greybeard on Aug 26, 2020 15:53:17 GMT -6
We got the 1st bands from Hurricane laura about an hour ago. Rained and blew hard for about 1/2 hour, calm and drizzle now. Not supposed to be a big rain maker but I expect significant wind around 11pm or midnight. Should be a fast mover and get on up into NW La or NE Texas by 10am Thursday.
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Rain
Aug 26, 2020 16:39:38 GMT -6
Post by dave on Aug 26, 2020 16:39:38 GMT -6
That is beautiful Dave!! I feel I live away from others when I cannot see a house from mine, but you are living the true meaning of living out to yourself. It appears you have so much going on there. I suppose looking at the map of where your county is placed, it just appears you are really close to those states. I am at one end of Tennessee, and if you look at the map it doesn't look that far from the far tip of East TN. But if you drive it, then you have driven over 500 miles. I think that would be a wonderful place to live! Looks pretty green there too. Out here distance gets measured in time rather than miles. In Idaho the freeway speed limit is 80 MPH. It is 70 here in Oregon but drive 70 here and everyone (freight trucks included) will pass you. At 75 there is still a fair number passing.
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Rain
Aug 26, 2020 18:56:42 GMT -6
Post by 1982vett on Aug 26, 2020 18:56:42 GMT -6
We got the 1st bands from Hurricane laura about an hour ago. Rained and blew hard for about 1/2 hour, calm and drizzle now. Not supposed to be a big rain maker but I expect significant wind around 11pm or midnight. Should be a fast mover and get on up into NW La or NE Texas by 10am Thursday. Got a couple showers today from stuff being pushed back. Wasn’t a lot but it has settled the dust.
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