Making corn silage

 The guys in Ukraine were busy last week making corn silage, here's a few photos. 

As you can see, they had to use the old chopper, they couldn't get a custom guy like last year.  There will be food for the winter for the herd, even with the drought. 

Today was a day of remembrance for the defenders of Ukraine. A day to remember those who have died defending Ukraine. Thinking of many we knew.  This artwork I found on facebook today is moving. 

Grasshoppers and straw bales

 My last post had video of them making and loading up the large straw bales, here's a few pictures of them moving them into more orderly stacks after dumping the loads near the barn. Oleg always shares video, so I tried to get some screenshots.

Garry is not sure where they found a telehandler to move the bales around and stack them.

Last week they got a drone to spray insecticide on the corn field, the hot dry weather had swarms showing up in the irrigated cornfield, looking for something green to eat. The black spots are the flying grasshoppers. Garry didn't know the Russian word for grasshopper when he talked to Max last week, so the video cleared up exactly why they had to spray. 

Anyway, Garry is busy with trying to coordinate a fall trip to Ukraine with Daryl, Jack and who knows else may come in October or November. Max has decided that building another "heifer barn" would be useful, as they are keeping and raising bull calves now. Obviously it would be a steer raising shed, though. 

Checking in with our friends

 Just when I started to get worried that I haven't heard from Nikolai, who can only send messages when he's back from the frontlines, a chat that popped up on facebook last night from him. Keep him and Andrey, also in the army,  in your prayers for Ukraine. 

I have a few photos from the children's meeting for our program's children. 

Here's a photo of our friends and program directors Oleg and Elena, with their baby daughter. They also have two sons, who are school age. Elena recently celebrated her birthday. 

We often say that God had a plan in place to keep our program going (and growing) during this war, bringing us Max Rudei in 2010, and Oleg and Elena to us in the summer before the war started. 

Bales

 I have discovered that the farm in Ukraine now has a large bale making baler! I assume they may have decided to buy one because they are missing some of our best bale stacking guys, Nikolai and Andrey, who were compelled to join the army this spring. Anyway, here's some video from Oleg, that I put on our youtube channel, showing off the big straw bales. Hopefully you can watch it.