That was something else, reeling from that early October winter storm -October 12 2019

00:00 - that is that was something else that was 00:02 - probably that'll top the list on one of 00:06 - the most severe winter storms I've ever 00:08 - experienced not so much because of the 00:11 - wind not so much because of the snow 00:14 - but more so just the conditions that 00:16 - lined up and the amount of work that it 00:21 - caused us these last few days we've had 00:25 - six and a half maybe seven inches of 00:28 - rain over the last three weeks so our 00:31 - land is saturated our feedlot is full so 00:37 - then when this foot and a half of snow 00:39 - fell on us it just created an impossible 00:43 - situation for us to get just the very 00:45 - basics of work done now within the 00:48 - feedlot 00:49 - we didn't know where that snow layer 00:51 - ended and where the mud layer began you 00:54 - know it's just absolutely terrific 00:55 - and the yard is we are absolutely 00:58 - crippled we couldn't we did our best 01:02 - just to get basic feed out to the 01:05 - animals we couldn't even drop straw for 01:07 - him it was I mean it just pounded into 01:09 - the muck and the animals were pretty 01:12 - much in a you know it was weird they're 01:16 - just standing huddled together in a 01:19 - weighted out kind of mode so that was 01:24 - quite the experience we're getting 01:26 - through and we're getting feed out to 01:28 - the animals and they're hungry we can't 01:31 - seem to keep them in the Pens because 01:32 - they want to get out to feed so as soon 01:34 - as we get the feet into the Pens they 01:35 - come straight back in it's very 01:38 - unsettled we're getting bedding to them 01:40 - now which you're appreciating we're 01:42 - finally able to get out to some of these 01:43 - pastures of ours and they're the same 01:46 - thing they were just basically standing 01:48 - there way to dote mode we got there with 01:50 - feed because they're not accessing any 01:53 - feed underneath the snow right now and 01:57 - they're wet and they're cold so we just 02:00 - hope that the weather improves and warms 02:03 - so they don't get chilled 02:06 - and all get sick on us so it's been 02:12 - funding the guys are in three different 02:15 - directions on the farm right now feeding 02:17 - and I thought I'd just slip away here 02:20 - and nobody will notice I'm gone for a 02:23 - few minutes I just got to check on some 02:24 - of my beehives haven't had a opportunity 02:25 - to come out and check the hives just the 02:28 - roads have been so heavy that we can't 02:30 - even get a tractor down 02:32 - it just says unreal he can't push the 02:35 - snow because Olamide you can't blow the 02:37 - snow because it's so heavy in water and 02:40 - it's just the snow is starting to shrink 02:42 - on the roads shrink in the fields is 02:45 - because it's melting the ground 02:47 - underneath is warm and it's above 02:49 - freezing right now so it's starting to 02:51 - shrink on us which is good so I thought 02:54 - I'd just come take a peek at my colonies 02:56 - to see how they're doing this is the 03:02 - closest yard that kind of was a little 03:06 - bit concerned about the quality's icing 03:08 - over and suffocating but I have a 03:11 - feeling that they're just fine because 03:13 - of the warmth of the ground underneath 03:15 - the warmth of the cluster they'll be 03:18 - melting the snow right up against that 03:20 - colony so they should be able to breathe 03:22 - and you'll notice I have buckets on them 03:25 - still I'm still feeding my hives these 03:27 - colonies are fed up so they have a box 03:29 - full of cured syrup just they're so big 03:33 - and I got to make sure that these 03:34 - colonies have enough feed to get them 03:37 - well into April if we run into a 03:38 - terrible winter we've got to make sure 03:41 - there's enough feed in these colonies to 03:42 - get to them well a taper without having 03:45 - to do any winter shed feeding feeding 03:48 - them late like this adds stress because 03:51 - they have to carry the syrup they have 03:54 - to remove the moisture from the syrup to 03:56 - cure it and if they don't then that they 03:59 - serve gets stored in the the frames as 04:01 - wet and honey and serve being 04:04 - hygroscopic it'll take on humidity and 04:07 - spoil so we got to make for damn sure 04:09 - that we're not you know causing problem 04:13 - by feeding them too late like this 04:16 - but my train of thought is these 04:19 - colonies of you know they're up there 04:21 - wait there 95 100 pounds in the box so 04:25 - they have a box well cured syrup this 04:27 - will be the last date of the first used 04:30 - and this extra pale anticipating they're 04:34 - gonna use within this next month and 04:36 - it'll just provide them just a little 04:39 - bit of reassurance to get them into a 04:41 - late-winter so I'm just gonna take a 04:47 - peek here to see if they're feeding on 04:49 - the pails I am anticipating that well 04:53 - everything looks pretty desperate right 04:55 - now looks pretty bleak along with 05:00 - everybody's spirits but I anticipate the 05:04 - sun's gonna come back and we are not 05:07 - done with nice weather yet I bet you we 05:11 - have some beautiful weather come to melt 05:15 - all the snow it's gonna make for a hell 05:16 - of a slop there's gonna be a lot of 05:18 - overlying flooding but aside from that 05:20 - we're gonna get some nice days coming 05:22 - and these these bees are gonna become 05:24 - active again and now that I have them 05:27 - set up with the syrup pails everything 05:29 - has access to syrup they're gonna go up 05:33 - they're gonna be able to feed and 05:35 - they're gonna be able cure in the syrup 05:36 - before we had the desperate nature of 05:40 - Old Man Winter as he finally falls upon 05:42 - us my biggest concern right now is 05:45 - actually accessing the Arts to be able 05:47 - to move these hives out with so much 05:51 - moisture now with that seven inches our 05:53 - aid and then this foot at half of snow 05:56 - like it's gonna be impossible to access 05:58 - pretty much all my yard just give me a 06:01 - vest so I'm thinking what I'm gonna 06:03 - have to do is wait for the frost to set 06:06 - in and just hope that the next snowfall 06:09 - holds off to allow the frost to set in 06:11 - to allow me to walk into these yards to 06:14 - move them out so either night or use 06:17 - this tractor to move mode everything's 06:20 - on pallets I mean I can move things with 06:22 - tractors and skid steers and 06:24 - just adds layers of work moving beads 06:27 - with the easy loader is so much quicker 06:30 - so much easier so well this has have to 06:35 - see how everything pans out here and 06:39 - we're just kind of in that wait in the 06:40 - same mode but there's nothing we can do 06:44 - so there's no use fighting it it's just 06:45 - you gotta go with it just this is why we 06:48 - said her hives up in September we've put 06:51 - so much attention to making sure these 06:53 - hives are set up and ready to go by 06:57 - October because October sometimes comes 07:00 - in nice but sometimes it comes in like 07:01 - this and there is enough good thing you 07:03 - can do about it and you got to make sure 07:06 - these hives are set up and ready and it 07:11 - just bringing them in is just a detail 07:12 - so anyways I better get back to a farm 07:16 - right away they're gonna start no I just 07:17 - think I'm gone but I just want to take a 07:19 - peek to see if they're in fact opening 07:22 - up the entrances and just good to see 07:25 - how they're doing 07:29 - so this yard is fairly exposed 07:43 - ya see the ice but look at that get 07:53 - balls feel the warmth coming out of 07:54 - those colonies against their look back 07:56 - these guys aren't gonna suffocate they 08:00 - slow in and access here rest assured 08:07 - these colonies are big big colony to 08:12 - look after himself see house eaters that 08:14 - warmth has melted difference of the 08:17 - entrances actually here some bees flying 08:22 - in here that's absolutely ridiculous 08:29 - look at that so in a way this ice have 08:37 - been front here kind of protected the 08:39 - entrance in that brutal wind 08:45 - my girls are buried here you can see 08:50 - little caverns look at that 09:03 - little caverns see the hives have melted 09:06 - space all the way around the colonies so 09:09 - they're buried in snow but there's open 09:12 - space all the way around and here's the 09:17 - entrance here it's in that cooler the 09:23 - warmth off the colonies look at the 09:27 - sheer warmth off the colony has melted 09:29 - the snow all the way around the colony 09:32 - there's no fear of these guys 09:34 - suffocating here Don what's whatsoever 09:39 - it's pale they're tapping somewhat empty 09:42 - because you're feeding it's not 09:45 - something it's a heck of a lot easier 09:54 - feeding these hives in the fall than it 09:58 - is you know trying to feed them late 10:01 - winter while they're in winter mode so 10:05 - the heck of a lot less stressful getting 10:08 - the syrup down into these colonies now 10:10 - then trying to get it into him in 10:14 - disguise empty that even cool these 10:32 - colonies underneath the snow probably 10:34 - didn't know any different the storm hit 10:39 - if they were actually feeding bales 10:46 - empty