Firewood Grades

I thought that I would take a minute and describe our different firewood grades- and a quick description of pros and cons to each-

High Grade- Hardwoods- This wood has the highest btu/heat output- It last longer in the stove-Can be harder to get started in the stove but once started it takes less wood to heat an area than the other grades

High Grade- Fruitwoods- This wood is cleaner burning; great for taste; smoking

Mid Grade-This has a great smell; hotter initial output; doesn’t last as long in the stove- More creosote buildup than high and low grade; but it crackles like pine in known to

Low grade- is more abundant in this area hence the lower cost; less creosote- slightly lower output of heat unless stove is full; longer and cleaner burning than the mid grade; steady heat; can have slightly more ash build up; Great wood to heat a home

I personally suggest that if you have a wood burning stove- trying a 2 to 1 ratio (2 cords Low Grade/ 1 cord Pine) By mixing these two you can utilize the hot quick burn of pine to get the low grade going well- which will have a longer burn time and leave you with a pan of coals in the morning.

Another suggestion if you are only burning pine or Mid grade- Every 3 cords or so- try burning a half cord of our High Grade (Hardwoods); because the hardwoods are cleaner and hotter burning it will help reduce the buildup of creosote in the chimney. Inspect and clean the chimney a couple times during the season to be sure things look good for continued burning.

Winter 2020

We had a busy winter processing and delivering orders; This picture was from a great customer (Professional Photographer) who captured the moment. This is a 1/3 cord box we call it. It is something new we started- makes it easy for the customers who don’t want to really have to touch the wood much when they buy it. Overall it was a great winter- thanks to everyone for your business!

Crazy August 2019

It has been an interesting month for sure. At the beginning of the month, Shepherd experienced a hail storm unlike anyone has ever seen. Gusts with 75 mph winds plus golf size to softball size hail definitely put a dent in our work- literally! We had a set back with work to clean up the damage, so that’s been the majority of the past month.

Here’s how big the hail got around our home. I know that it got much bigger in surrounding areas, but it still caused damage.

We finished up our second cutting of alfalfa hay.

We are also preparing for the cooler season by getting in more firewood- mainly pine. Here’s what one load looks like, but we are expecting several more in the coming weeks. We will have lots!

 

Hot Past July

It sure has gotten hot the past few weeks, but we have still been working hard on ground maintenance and a few home projects, along with getting hay up and shipped.

One of our home projects was starting our garden this year. Here is a before picture (Lydia is holding a worm- Mom’s preventing her from putting it in her mouth):

And look at it now!

We have corn, cabbage, tomatoes, bell peppers, spaghetti squash, beans, strawberries, and pumpkin. I think they’re doing well for our first year!

This is an example of our pickings- Lydia is eating the strawberry and the cabbage is pretty big.

This is a flower bed we put in as well. I love the colors!

One day as Josh was out irrigating, he found a huge carp to bring home. Lydia wasn’t too impressed with it- probably because it was nearly as big as she was! 🙂

More adventures to come in August!

 

 

Summer start

 

One property also added a cool fountain to their bed- check out the progression!

This is what it looked like before any work began.

This was the first part of putting down concrete into 2 portions- one for the fountain and the other to the flower bed.

This was the final product! After the concrete work, they worked on electricity to get the fountain going, set the fountain portion in, then finish with planting, irrigation to water everything, and mulch as a final touch. Doesn’t it look so good?!

Spring is Here!

The tulips are sprouting!

April 8, 2019

I think it’s safe to say that things are finally thawed out for the year. It sure was cold this past winter! Consistent negative degree weather with strong winds isn’t my ideal kind of winter.

 

As a follow up, Lydia is a year old! It’s nearly impossible to believe a year has already gone by so quickly. She is walking- nearly running! -and still loves to smile, lighting up the room. We love her more than we thought imaginable.

      

 

New Adventures!

Well, it’s been a while since we last made a post concerning our business ventures- it’s long overdue! First and most importantly is the newest addition to our family: Lydia was born mid April and brings smiles wherever she goes!

S6 Enterprises has been busy this summer; with more changes being made to the business. We are now branching out (pun intended) 🙂 to additional services encompassing membership opportunities.

These memberships are designed to build lasting relationships with our customers and, to help in a long term plan of maintaining and perfecting the overall property.

Along with starting these membership offers and keeping up with all of that work, it has been a busy season on the farm: irrigating, cutting and baling hay, checking calves, starting an in-house nursery, and repairing and maintaining a lot of equipment! 

 

 

Calving Time on the Farm

Well, it is that time of the year again- Calving season has begun once again! It started a little earlier than expected- during the snowy final weeks of February- making it more of a challenge to keep the calves healthy and well. As Billings Gazette wrote, this year has been the largest accumulation of snowfall we have gotten in the past 40 years and now it’s beginning to melt. Spring is on its way. It couldn’t come any faster 🙂

We have had several cows have their babies, but we are expecting the rest to come throughout the rest of March and the start of April. Other than a few minor problems from February weather, the calves have been doing well. We just hope that the nice weather continues so the rest of the season continues as a breeze.

Due to all the melt off of snow, the creeks are rising fast!