Sent a text to one of the guys I’m helping his boys catch some cats. They just fixed some low spots in the pasture entrance and covered some deep cattle trail ruts with fresh dug dirt. They used a loader bucket to cut a wall of dirt along a fence line that exposed some great waxing dirt with a good binder to make the chunky stuff I like for cats. I hoped to get in there before the last snowfall but only heard back last night after we got a dusting of snow and more is on the way. Looks like it is today or never but its 7 above at the moment with a 10 mph breeze so I’ll wait until it hits double digits before I head out.

I’m trying to get the dirt collected with snow mixed in it without having to deal with a lot of moisture when gathering it. I have a system of different size sifters and a large tub to collect and remove the unwanted powder at the same time it takes a bit longer to collect but the results are worth it to get well drained chunky dirt that way. I see the dust/powder as a negative so I remove it right away. The more steady wind I have the better the dirt gets the less wind I pour it from higher above the collection container and let the wind clean out the unwanted powder dirt.

It’s been below freezing so I’m hoping I can blow the snow and dust away at the same time with a leaf blower removing both unwanted things at the same time to reduce the cleaning process some. I’ll get some pics of how it progresses, the suns popping out I better get moving.

Get after it.

Sounds like you have a system figured out

Digging and sifting should get circulation going so you stay somewhat warm

Looked like the sun got to it so the blow away idea would not work with ice under the snow that was still there some dry spots so I ended up with half of what I was hoping for but I have enough to weather a storm or two.

The sun did some good and not so good.


Just what the wind blew out of the better stuff by pouring it back and forth from bucket to bell or bucket to bucket. Did the same off of the back of the truck before I was done.


Bell is a commercial vent cover it has a lot of advantages dealing with dirt. It's east to heat, pour and mix the dirt.

I used more coal shale than usual this year, hoping to go to WY within a couple years to get more

Id imagine there's some along the river here in places I'II need to ask the river rats.

When I needed to make a lot I used both of the bells I have. Still a slow process but speeds not the goal slow and gentle is best.


Course dirt is the goal.