Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Winter Chill

Considering the problems that much of the rest of the country faced from the Christmas 2022 winter storm, I suppose I shouldn't complain much about our experience here in south Mississippi. However,  going from nightly temperatures in the 40's and 50's to temperatures in the high teens and low twenties is particularly hard on the plants and animals.  One day temperatures did not get above the freezing mark.  And then, within the week, night temperatures were in the fifties and low sixties again.  Low temperature January 3 was 70 degrees.  We experience temperature swings like this two or three times a winter when the jet stream dips down and brings arctic weather into the country.  This was a particularly bad one.

This is the front field after the freeze.  Planted here is a mixture of spring oats, vetch and radish.  The yellow is mostly oats, not sure if it will come back.  Before the freeze it looked something like this:
Jeffrey and Jackie weaned the lambs just after Christmas;  the 30 - 40 pound lambs are in the foreground.  The 40 - 70 pound lambs are in the background.   Since the fresh forage is now unavailable, they are getting feed twice a day and free choice hay.
The moms are on hay to dry down their udders.  Odin in the foreground. 

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