Winter work

As I write this it is about 10 degrees outside. On days like this it is nice to find a few jobs that don't require being out in the elements. Construction on the exhibit and the people mover wagon continue in the basement where it is about 65 degrees.

The other job that is consuming a lot of time is the yearly budget. At Wagner Farm we operate on a May- April fiscal year. For the board to have enough time to look over the projected budget and approve it we have to have it turned in by the end of January. One of the interesting parts of budgeting for me is the forecasting. The development of ideas for the future and reviewing of how we have done in the past gives the office part of the job some mile markers. As a farmer when you are mowing a field of hay you can look back and see physical evidence of your work. Progress is being made. On the office side of the job you seem to move from one stack of papers to the next and the strides forward don't seem so obvious. However, when you hand in a
300 + page budget binder you are definitely moving paper!

Exhibit work continues

In the last post I mentioned the wagon that was constructed for the truck farming exhibit. I wanted to provide a little update on that project since it is moving forward very nicely. The majority of the work being done right now is on the details such as the aging of the hardware and the painting of the horse. Jim and Carlin are a great team when it comes to really making an item look "just right". Jim has spent many hours washing the metal on the wagon with a special mixture that is made up largely of vinegar. The wash adds a patina to the metal that makes it look very worn and old. Carlin, our resident artist transformed the fiberglass model horse into a very life like Percheron that is now going by the name Flint. He seems to be a little slow as he has yet to answer to his name. Work has also started on the flooring that the wagon will sit on. We wanted something that would be easy to clean but would resemble an old country road. The solution was found with a mixture of pea gravel and Elmer's glue. This mixture ends up quite solid and because Elmer's dries clear you can not see the glue.

The crew is getting ready to take on the next steps of loading the wagon and getting harness for Flint.

The wagon builders

As I started to work on this post it struck me that I have written a lot about the building of wagons. There was the one Jim put together for the school outreach program. We also had the wagon that we are still working on that will eventually be in the truck farming exhibit. I want to introduce you to the third wagon to come out of the "WF carriage works".

If you have ever taken a horse drawn ride around the farm you have ridden on what we call the people mover for a lack of a better name. The design is very simple and borrowed by most of the museums that give rides. Build in 2002 out of untreated, rough cut lumber the wagon proved stout for many years. To guess how many people it has hauled or laps around the farm it has made would be impossible. After many years of faithful service it has come time to replace the old rack. Our wagon crew of Carlin, Dick, Paul and Andy have taken on the task to make a new and improved vehicle. There will be many upgrades and features on this wagon like brakes and contoured seating! Come spring we will be ready to ride is style, even if it isn't a surrey with fringe on top.

Best thing since sliced bread

When the weather gets cold one of the demons on the farm is getting water for the animals. When it is below freezing we spend a lot of time chopping ice with axes and filling the troughs. An average cow might drink up to twenty gallons a day so water intake is important. This year we have made a few changes that have made a world of difference. To start with we are now using a much larger 680 gallon round tank. While it is nice to have a larger tank the real variable to this equations is heat. This tank has a 164,000 b.t.u. heater attached to it. This keeps the water at a perfect 60 degrees. Ice Free! The way the tank was installed allows both the horses and the cattle to drink out of it at the same time. With water available anytime there tends to be a crowd around the tank making it look more like an office water cooler. I'm not sure what kind of conversations are being had but I think the animals just look happier with the new watering system.

It's still cold

We failed in our attempt to set the weather record with the "most days below freezing". The record was 41 consecutive days and we only got 19. Still, it's cold out there.

First post of the year

First, sorry for not keeping up on the postings during December. I actually got e-mails asking if I was alright so here's the story. Back in June I was working with the 4-Hers and one of the lambs was giving us some fits by jumping around. Somehow I managed to get a dislocated shoulder in the mix up. I procrastinated the surgery to fix it until I couldn't push it off any longer. I got to spend my holiday nursing a bum shoulder.

With the snow falling at the farm my family and I took off for a little warmer weather and road tripped to Atlanta. One of the highlights was getting so see where Great Grandpa Nate Price of the 97th Ohio fought it out in Franklin and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Now I'm back at the farm I have plenty of good stories and updates. I am very much looking forward to a great 2010. Happy New Year to all