Pastures New

     The sun smiles on Owyhee County this morning.

     Or at least endeavors to. I came across a bit of agriculture in action this morning. And with great pleasure was able to bring another post to the site.

     The sheep have come down out of the hills and are now currently grazing in whatever pasturage their owners can arrange. Generally these are fields of what was alfalfa seed.

     There's not much to eat on these plants since the harvest so the shepherds must keep the sheep on the move. The shepherds live with the sheep, thus the camper in the photo up above. The sheep know what's going on, so many of them will stick close to the camper as it's driven to the new pasture. (Note the funny lines on the sheep above. They've been recently sheared, and the shearing tool is flat while sheep are roundish. This leaves behind a bit at the edges.)

     The rest follow behind with a couple more shepherds and their more helpful dogs. (A couple of the dogs got distracted sniffing around in the fields nearby.)

      With this fellow bringing up the rear. These gentlemen came all the way from Peru. They don't speak much, (English, anyhow) but they're quite friendly. They'll always smile and wave, if a bit shyly.

     Constantly on the move, these sheep know how to travel and are quickly past. In the more remote corners of the west its not uncommon to come across these bands. If you do, be patient. The people and animals here are just as eager to be off the roads as you could be for them to be off. Just stop your car, open the windows, and enjoy the pleasant sound of hundreds of hoofs on the road.


     A little side note: The total page view history of this site passed 5,000 the other day. I realize that as far as the Internet goes, this is not very many. But all the same, I'm surprised and very grateful to reach this number. Thank you all!

Something New

     Good morning readers. When I started this blog, if asked what the worst thing that could happen to it would be I might have said: "The blog becomes more about me than about agriculture." I feel that this is, in fact, the case. So I have made a decision. Today will be the last regularly scheduled post of Owyhee Agriculture. But if you are fretting, do not. I'm simply moving to another blog page where I won't be muddying that brand, so to speak.

     The agriculture of the Owyhees is still near and dear to my heart and, given material, I may return from time to time to share information, culture, and images.

     But for now, I hope you will join me at my new site. It can, and most likely will, contain just about anything I find interesting or worth sharing. (This entire section is a link to the other blog.)

     Thank you all for stopping in. As always, I hope to see all of you again soon.

Moon & Sun

     Still feeling quite poorly and having a bit of trouble getting some software to work so I've done a simple panorama. These pictures were taken at dawn this morning.

      In retrospect I should have taken these pictures a couple of days ago when it was a full moon, but I didn't have the idea until this morning.

     I'm considering switching gears, blogwise, so there will probably be some big changes for Owyhee Agriculture in the coming days. I'll keep you posted on just what exactly they will be.

Frosted Friday

     Short post today. Due to battery issues and being quite ill, I'm going to more or less phone it in this morning. But first, I would like to thank and congratulate the folks in Finland who were the first country to ever top the locals in hits to my site this week. Kiitos!

     Pleasant, right? A photographer can travel quite a while before finding something to photograph. Not only that, but it's pretty cold too.

     The best thing to do is to stay in and have a nice breakfast with a friend. (It might be brunch, considering the time at which the picture was taken.)

     It is a world devoid of contrast. The frost and the fog basically washout most of the color. In many ways, it's pretty cool. All the same, I'm going to have a rest and see if I can't kick this cold. Stay healthy, readers!

Something To See

     Today in Owyhee County through photos:

     Those horns almost look like handle bars...

     The Zuni say: All cats are jaguars after dark. Out in a cut hayfield, I think cats get a similar delusion.

     When we were kids we used to call these giant worms. They are, in fact, massive silage bags.

     Nobody's home.

     Is your mama a llama?

     Those are the highlights, (Of what I saw, at least.) Enjoy!

And Yet Again

     It's frosty out there, but I suppose it's probably that way for anyone this far north. Just another picture day today. I'm coming down with something so it'll be pretty short.

     This is Old Blue. He's done a lot of farming.

     There sure are a lot of beets this year. You might not be able to tell from this angle, but these piles are several hundred feet long. There should be quite a bit of sugar in there.

    That's all for today. Have a good'n!

Owyhee Observations

     I am needed elsewhere this morning so last night I put together a few pictures for you. Enjoy!

     There's still field corn out there, but the leaves are drooping or falling off altogether leaving nice neat lines a person can take pictures down.

     Bedding out the fields for winter.

     You can't so much see it here as you could with your eyes, but there was a definite line in the world where the light and shadow met. Still, I thought the picture nice enough to share.

     The moon is visible during the daytime for much of the year here in Owyhee County. Here it is just rising in the east. (I think that's the direction it was going anyhow.)

     Minutes later I took this photo of the sun setting in the west. And that's where my picture taking ended for Monday.
     Have a great day!

First Snow

     We've had our first snow of the season just this last Friday.

     Later in the evening the clouds parted to show that while in the lower parts of the valley we received rain all day, up in the hills there was snow.

     And while Saturday was dry, Sunday was snowy. Persistently so.

     Very little stuck, though. Only the highest points of the county still have snow. (I swear I'm not biased when it comes to tractor brands. There just isn't much variety here.)

     The weekend is over and, so it would seem, is the snowfall. Today is a sunshiny sort of day, but it's still November. And while the sun would make it seem otherwise, you wouldn't want to head out without a nice thick coat. I'll sure be bundled up. See you back here tomorrow.

Rains

     Another rainy day here in Owyhee County. The wind will sometimes drag these in. That's the main trait of wind: It moves things.

     Like dust. The wind yesterday did it's level best to make this ditch into an unditch.

     For the most part, the rain has left equipment empty. The drivers elsewhere while the plants and ground dry out enough to work.

     Some, though, are undaunted. This combiner will have to ensure that the moisture level in his corn is low enough so that it won't spoil. The corn will have to be dried or somesuch.
     At any rate, that's all I have for you today. Have a good'un.

Windsday

     Have I already used that title? I can't remember... The pun doesn't work quite so well on a Thursday, but there it is anyhow.

     Nevertheless it is a very windy day. This happens a lot in Autumn, and the risk of losing topsoil is a real one.

     So farmers mostly stick to jobs that won't raise much dust, like whipping alfalfa...

     Combining field corn... (When you combine corn you're only after the kernels, they will most likely become cattle feed. The rest of the plant returns to the soil.

     Or stacking hay. Did I mention that the wind is also quite chilly? It's nice to have a heated cab with a cup holder for coffee on such days.
     It's best to keep out of the wind on days like this (you'll catch something) so I would advise any locals to do just that. For those of you who are away from places with these cold winds: How about inviting the rest of us over.

Owyhee Autumn

     My leaves are falling off. Are your leaves falling off?

     Autumn is beginning in earnest here in Owyhee County and that means that my yard is going to be full of leaves. (Walnuts too.)

     It is a world of sounds here at this time of year. Distant sounds drift through the crisp air; The whine of a distant machine, the calls of far off animals. (I heard a donkey this morning.) They try their hardest to make their way through the overwhelming silence. Under the clear sky they come together and make you feel like a very small piece of it all. It's nice, so long as you're keeping warm.

     Autumn is a pretty short season here. Summer stays late and winter, though probably not what you'd expect, is generally eager to take hold. So, it's best to make the most of them while you can. Which is what I plan to do. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few good pictures out of it as well. (like these asparagus berries, maybe)

 

    

Nothin' Much

     Have some pictures.

     Last of the last, the dry field corn. It can sit as long as necessary with little damage.

     A flock or "murder" of crows. Having this many crows flying over and around you is disconcerting, let me tell you.

     Pasture cows get moved around from pasture to pasture quite often. Anyone who stops nearby gets and expectant stare.
     That's all for today. Enjoy!

     (Oh wait, I have one more...)