Hello 2009

Happy New Year! As we close the book on 2008 and look forward to 2009, there are several things I expect us to accomplish on our farm in the coming months:

• We'll get a new feeding barn constructed. We're supposed to be receiving the final drawings within the next few days so we can begin talking to builders. This project will allow us to more efficiently manage our feeding and waste collection, and will also provide additional "cool space" for our cows in the summertime.
  
• If the weather cooperates, we'll have a more broad-based forage plan. I expect we'll do more to utilize seasonal rotation/strip grazing for our milk herd, harvest more of our spring forages as silage as opposed to baleage, and plant both corn and sorghum for silage this summer.
• We'll probably make some much needed equipment upgrades as well. Our old dump truck needs to be replaced, and we'll probably get a heavy duty work truck/dump trailer combo to take its place. We may also trade in one (or two) of our tractors and get one with more pto horsepower and torque.
  

Here at home, it's going to be hard to predict what the year will bring. We're expecting our second child (and first daughter) this spring and lots of people have told me that having the second is more of an adjustment than having the first. I guess I need to get a jump on things and start improving my time management skills right now. But whatever comes our way this year, either at home or on the farm, we're confident that in 12 months we'll be looking back on 2009 and calling it a good year.