Cold

I am typing here in the wee hours of December 24th - Christmas eve.  While we have a nice forced air gas furnace, I still like to burn our wood stove when I have time and the temperatures plunge.  I have time, the temperature at the moment is 2 degrees F, the wind is blowing and the wood stove needs a stick or two of firewood.  While I'm up, I thought I'd enjoy the quietness and write a blog entry.

We actually have two wood stoves in our house; one in the living room and one in our basement.  The woodstove I'm attending tonight is the one in the living room.  It is a Woodstock Keystone stove and is a mix of cast iron and soap stone.  It is a beautiful piece of work and has been a great heater for us.  The stove has a nice front glass and andirons that give it a fireplace look.  The soapstone evens out the heat.  When the fire is raging, the soapstone takes the edge off the heat, holds it to some extent and when the fire dies down, the soapstone releases the heat into the room - creating a soft even radiant heat.

The Keystone utilizes a catalytic converter element that lowers the temperature in which gasses off the firewood would otherwise burn.  This scheme allows the wood stove to ignite these gasses for additional heat instead of sending them up the chimney.  It also gives a very clean burn; when the catalytic converter is burning, there is no visible smoke going out the chimney.

The catalyic converter is in the top of the stove.  When it gets hot, it glows red as shown in the pic below and stove top temperatures can reach 700 degrees F - a very hot stove!

May the Hay Dog enjoys the intense heat, often sleeping with her head under the stove...

She generally wakes up panting uncontrollably and drinking copious amounts of water afterward...

My pics of the stove do not do it justice.  Below is a pick from the Woodstock website of the Keystone.  Their website is woodstove.com.

Enough about the wood stove...

Today, being December 24th, is part of a trend that will continue from this past December 21st until June 21st.  We get a little more daylight everyday.  This is good news on the Jamison Family Farm as much work lays ahead of haying for 2023.  January will be here in a a week or so and then February and March.  We will start fertilizing and potentially spraying for weeds come March - time is already short!

Speaking of fertilizer, prices are still very high - as with everything.  If we do fertilize, it will likely be minimal and while it impacts our yield, it also has a huge impact on our bottom line.  Our farming is not a hobby operation, but one that generates income; we will carefully manage our inputs to maximize profit.

Of particular emphasis in 2023 will be clean, early cut hay for maximum quality.  We will apply herbicides accordingly and may overseed some teff grass into our existing stands to create a thicker volume of hay growing - to increase yield, but also to help choke out weeds.

2023 will bring a change to how we manage hay inventory and customers receiving it.  Due to the high cost of inputs, diesel, etc., in 2022, pricing was higher for this farm and every other haymaker I know.  Typically we hold hay for repeat customers almost to a fault.  In 2022, we turned away potential new customers who wanted hay sooner than later - in favor of holding hay for these historical repeat customers.  A number of these repeat customers choose to shop for lower cost hay, which I understand.  Others wanted X-number of bales, but when they came, took half or less - denying new customers available hay.  All of this came at a cost to this farm and we did not move hay out of our barn as quickly as previous years.  We lost potential new customers and had to park expensive hay equipment outside in the weather due to a barn full of hay.

The change in 2023:  Hay will be sold first come, first served going forward.

May the Hay Dog would prefer I type about Christmas...

Here on the Jamison Family Farm, we are of the Christian faith.  We rejoice and give thanks for Christmas Day and the birth of our Savior - Jesus Christ.

Along with May the Hay Dog, the Jamison Family wishes everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Before I go - a few pics from around the farm these past few months.  We will see you in 2023!!!

This blog entry was checked and edited by May the Hay Dog - Woof!