Dry enough to seed

This morning Garry was up early, the day dawned dry but overcast. He helped Max load up Oxana's milk (the lady milk buyer) and figured out why it has been a problem for him lately. She used to come with a driver and helped load the milk she was buying into her containers and they would put it in the van. Now she sends a driver and Max has to do all the lifting- not just help with it (the driver is only paid to drive) Garry was unimpressed with the new system also- considering she's always after us to drop the price she's paying for the milk. It sounds like we will be taking another price cut- but still above what the truck that drives around the villages, buying people's excess production is paying- 2 grivna a liter- about a quarter of a dollar.





The rain held off and so Garry and Maxim went and borrowed (rented?) a seeder one of the neighbors is trying to sell- Garry would consider buying it if it had a box for grass seed- but it doesn't. They also went and picked up the barley seed- they still couldn't get the oat seed as originally planned- (and got the cows fed, ect) I was busy making soup to bring to team meeting. We left home as Maxim was ready to get everything going with the tractor. It started to sprinkle on the windshield as we drove out of the village. Luckily it didn't last, and Max got the big field planted in the barley/peas mix (they could only buy half the peas Garry wanted so they will be a little light) In the morning Max will go pick up an airseeder first thing while Garry finishes planting the grain mix- there is smaller field attached to the big one. Then (barring rain- the forecast looks like todays) they will get the alfalfa seed on the fields.

Garry has found out that the seed needs to be purchased the fall before planting, as it has been hard to buy what he wants now. So he will be doing that for next year!

We had a good time at team meeting as everyone was there. The boys enjoyed hanging out with the Bellamy teens- and playing Killer Bunnies (its a card game.) At the end of the month the Bellamys are returning to Canada for a month to get their oldest son settled in Alberta- he finished his homeschooling last year, and plans to get a job. They have been in Ukraine for eight years so it will be an adjustment for him, even if he's a Canadian. Not to mention for the rest of the family leaving him behind this time.









After lunch we had to hurry off, and stop at the building downtown where the Ukrainian-Canadian Dairy Commission is- Garry needed to purchase more semen for breeding cows (we had to bring the liquid nitrogen tank in with us. He could not breed two cows that were in heat earlier in the week as he was completely out- and his favorite cow was ready to breed tonight (the Holstein that had 32 liters a day) I waited in the car for quite a while- the guy that knows the price was out to lunch- but they finally decided on a price so Garry could pay and leave. I took pictures while they were gone- they was a nice playground/park across the street. You can see its warming up outside- but babies and small children are still bundled up. Here is one of Garry and Jonah carrying it back out of the building.

We drove home so Garry could see how Max was doing seeding- check out how green the winter wheat fields are getting!- Mooshka had been locked out of the house while we were gone- the kittens were very happy to see her!