Well, we are finally getting caught up on our Fall work.....the calves are all weaned and the cows are out on winter range. Granted, there isn't quite as much winter range as we'd like, but we are blessed with something to get us by until about the first of the year. Then it will be time to feed hay to the cows, regardless of the weather.
We still have one bunch of calves left to give booster shots and two bunches to sort for sex and the replacement heifers to sort and the rest of the heifers to get EID (age and source) tagged. That MAY seem like we have a lot to do, but compared to everything that's behind us, we are definitely on the downhill side of Fall work.
It's gone pretty good. A couple bunches of cows have not penned very well......we're trying to cull out the nasty bunch quitting old sallys and give them a much deserved trip to see the sights of town. We culled down a little heavier than we usually do, but it was a necessary evil. Some of those old gals were getting quite a bit of age on them and it was starting to show. But the ones we kept, pregged up good and look really good into this first week of December. The calves have been healthy, such a blessing. And I'm so doggoned proud of my replacement heifers, I darn near bust a button every time I go feed them. I wish somebody would come look at them.....so I could brag on them a little. And I hope I'm still bragging come the first of March when they start calving.
We made a couple of improvements this year that helped us a bunch. The first was the purchase of a hydraulic working chute. Boy, I tell ya, my shoulders sure enjoy standing there letting my two hands do all the work! It seems to be easier on the cattle and getting rid of our homemade, "made for elephants" palp cage, made it much better for the calves to not get turned around in the alleyway. The second improvement was just me using Maggie (who has turned into quite a little cutting horse, I must say!!) to bring cows up the sorting alley. The cows have a lot more respect for Maggie than they do little old Dad and me waving our arms and sorting sticks. Maggie pins her ears and most of the time that's all it takes for them to trot right up to the chute.
So despite the fact that summer was rough....the roughest anyone around here has ever seen, we are getting along. And doing well. We are blessed. And we are still grateful to have the opportunity to do what we love in a place we love and I'm with the people I love the most.....Matt and Dad. My friend Virgilene often says, "the important things are good". And she is right.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Time Will Tell
It's going to be a tricky winter. Some folks are saying it's going to be a bad one for snow, while others are saying we'll probably have more of the same conditions we've been having. Either way, it will be something to deal with.
I contracted my cottoncake for the cows and calves yesterday. Let's just say that it's going to be VERY expensive. But you'd expect that. With the drought we expect less corn, beans, wheat, etc than were initially expected, driving the prices up.....Way up. Much of the yields will not be poor since a majority of farmers have some kind of irrigation here in the middle of the US. Dryland crops will be much less than projected early this spring. Because no one really projected that we were heading into a drought season. It's one of the "sh*t runs down hill" type things that has an effect on everyone.
Hay prices are absolutely through the roof. I've talked to several ranchers who have "wet meadows" they put up hay on. They are able to mow places they haven't been able to mow in many years because it is so dry. The hay isn't as good as it has been, but it's going to beat a snowbank.....if we get any. We hear folks are bringing in alfalfa hay from Canada for $400/ton. Let me put that in perspective just a bit for you. In a normal year, we feed roughly 10 ton A DAY. We are a pretty small operation compared to some. Fortunately for us, we have had a surplus the last few years and have added to our hay this year from our pivot of alfalfa. There's still a chance we might be able to get a fourth cutting which won't be a lot of hay, but it will be hay we didn't have before. Depending upon the winter conditions, we should have enough to get us through the winter.
It's definitely a learning time for many of us. We have had things so good the last few years that for the most part, it's been a "no-brainer" getting through each season. For me anyway, it's been a year of a lot more "putting the pencil to the paper" , so to speak. One good thing about us ranchers.......we spend a lot of time alone where we are able to do a lot of thinking.
But to me, the thing that is perhaps going to trip some of my fellow ranchers up (and I could be wrong about this....it's pretty much just speculation here) is what's going to happen next year. While our cows still look good now, I believe that is the benefit of the last few years of good grass and nice winters. I think a cow's system is actually a year behind what her body looks like. So it could be difficult to care for the cows this winter. I think, more than ever, nutrition will be key this year. And perhaps we'd be ahead to feed better than usual, to try getting our cows through this difficult time and have them ready for calving and breeding season NEXT YEAR.
Time will tell what the cattle industry holds for the next few years. I'm sorry to say this drought will probably put some producers out of business, like it did for cattle producers in the southern states. Others will squeak by and still others will somehow make a lot of money from others' misfortune. Again, I will be trusting my "Heavenly Cow Boss" to help make the right decisions and to bring us through a difficult time. Whatever happens, I know He will be there to take care of us and bring us through better on the other side.
I contracted my cottoncake for the cows and calves yesterday. Let's just say that it's going to be VERY expensive. But you'd expect that. With the drought we expect less corn, beans, wheat, etc than were initially expected, driving the prices up.....Way up. Much of the yields will not be poor since a majority of farmers have some kind of irrigation here in the middle of the US. Dryland crops will be much less than projected early this spring. Because no one really projected that we were heading into a drought season. It's one of the "sh*t runs down hill" type things that has an effect on everyone.
Hay prices are absolutely through the roof. I've talked to several ranchers who have "wet meadows" they put up hay on. They are able to mow places they haven't been able to mow in many years because it is so dry. The hay isn't as good as it has been, but it's going to beat a snowbank.....if we get any. We hear folks are bringing in alfalfa hay from Canada for $400/ton. Let me put that in perspective just a bit for you. In a normal year, we feed roughly 10 ton A DAY. We are a pretty small operation compared to some. Fortunately for us, we have had a surplus the last few years and have added to our hay this year from our pivot of alfalfa. There's still a chance we might be able to get a fourth cutting which won't be a lot of hay, but it will be hay we didn't have before. Depending upon the winter conditions, we should have enough to get us through the winter.
It's definitely a learning time for many of us. We have had things so good the last few years that for the most part, it's been a "no-brainer" getting through each season. For me anyway, it's been a year of a lot more "putting the pencil to the paper" , so to speak. One good thing about us ranchers.......we spend a lot of time alone where we are able to do a lot of thinking.
But to me, the thing that is perhaps going to trip some of my fellow ranchers up (and I could be wrong about this....it's pretty much just speculation here) is what's going to happen next year. While our cows still look good now, I believe that is the benefit of the last few years of good grass and nice winters. I think a cow's system is actually a year behind what her body looks like. So it could be difficult to care for the cows this winter. I think, more than ever, nutrition will be key this year. And perhaps we'd be ahead to feed better than usual, to try getting our cows through this difficult time and have them ready for calving and breeding season NEXT YEAR.
Time will tell what the cattle industry holds for the next few years. I'm sorry to say this drought will probably put some producers out of business, like it did for cattle producers in the southern states. Others will squeak by and still others will somehow make a lot of money from others' misfortune. Again, I will be trusting my "Heavenly Cow Boss" to help make the right decisions and to bring us through a difficult time. Whatever happens, I know He will be there to take care of us and bring us through better on the other side.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Fighting Fire
It's still mighty dry in the Sandhills. And while we haven't had a lot of lightening in recent weeks that hasn't led to a little moisture, there is still a terrible threat of fires. The humidity is down to around 20 percent on a lot of days, so even a tiny spark (caused by a piece of haying equipment, a cigarette, a catalytic converter on a pickup, or anything else you can or can't imagine) could lead to a fire right now. All of us who live and love the Sandhills are walking on eggshells being so careful. But still, accidents happen. Just like yesterday.
I don't know for sure what caused the fire. Word was, a combine or other such equipment caused a spark, but no one seemed to know for sure. What was certain is there was a big ol' fire. And it was comin' at a high lope. The high winds were out of the southwest, then out of the southeast and sometimes straight out of the south. Some folks don't know that a fire can make it's own wind too. So not only did this fire have a lot of fuel to burn, it was taking on a life of it's own. And let me tell ya.....it was angry.
It all works like this......our local volunteer fire department will get a call for either a fire in our county or a mutual aid to another county. If it's like it was yesterday and the fire is burning pretty much out of control, the fire department will call ranchers on their list who are known to have "grass rigs" (sprayers set up on a smaller scale of the fire department's) to come help. Most of the time, if we see smoke, we are trying to find out where the fire is already and heading in the direction of it.
We got the call about the end of the first quarter of the Husker game.
Since we have been to quite a few fires already this year and it is never a pleasant thing to know folks are losing property, I can't say Matt or I was looking forward to going. But we go. We go because we know how it would be if it was us. We'd sure want folks to come help us if it was our grass on fire. My heart breaks every time we go to a fire and I see folks trying to move their cattle out of the way.......I have to fight awful hard to hold back tears. I am not holding them back now. When I think of how it would be for me to be afraid for my livelihood, what I work for and love, I can almost not bear it. I love the hills and the grass and I most certainly hate seeing anyone's property damaged.....but the cattle....they are my passion, I guess. And I assume they mean as much to others as they do to me. So it is especially hard to think of something happening to them.
I am guessing this fire was a good 30 miles from us. Now it might seem silly to drive all that way to a fire and leave your own backyard where something could happen, but especially on a day like yesterday, it was pretty obvious from the smoke billowing up in the air, that we could plainly see from our house, that they were in definite need of help.
Our grass rig is set up on my cake feeding pickup. The tank holds 200 gallons of water and can either be filled with a hose on the top, or we can suck up water out of a stock tank. At the bigger fires, there will be several "tankers" from the fire departments who are back a little bit from the fire but still close enough we can get to them, fill up and get back to the fire pretty quickly. Our fire department has blue lights flashing on the top of theirs, so if it's dark out, you can look for blue flashing lights and know where to go fill up. If we don't see a tanker close by, we look for a stock tank to fill out of. Generally if there are cattle in that pasture (or a year like this one) the windmill will be on and pumping and we can get water for our tank there.
Actually fighting the fire is kind of a case by case deal. But there are a few rules, if you will, that everyone needs to know. One big rule is to get in the black if you are in trouble. The black is where the fire has already burned. If it's already burned, it can't burn again so you can be safe there. Another rule most of us ranchers go by is to stay at the back of the fire. The fire departments are way better equipped to put out the big head fires. Those can get BIG! And ferocious. But on occasion, the ranchers are forced to the front if, for instance, the fire department isn't there yet, or there are just too many head fires going at once.
If a little bit of fire gets left going, it can cause a "finger" to come up the back side of the fire. That happens pretty often, especially if there aren't enough people fighting in the same spot. Ideally, on a bigger deal like yesterday, several rigs can follow each other, and each one puts out a little more fire, making sure it's completely out. Right on the edge of the fire there can be bits of grass or a soapweed or a cow chip left smoldering that can spark into the dry grass next to it and start the fire burning again. So even after the whole thing is out, we need to go around "mopping up" (usually the fire departments do this....thankfully) and just keep dousing the edges with water to make sure nothing gets away.
I will absolutely not drive on the fire line. For one reason, because I have a tendency to get a little shook at these deals. I am also short enough that I can barely see over the hood of the pickup and in some of the places we go, it would be pretty easy to drive off into a big hole or blowout. But the main reason is because I trust Matt to take care of me. And he is smart in scary situations. So I am on the back of the pickup, spraying water. I get bumps and bruises and have gotten pretty hot on a few occasions, but have never really been scared to be back there.....mostly because if I holler at Matt to get us out, he gets us out.
Yesterday was a little different than any fire I have been to before. The smoke was worse than anything I've ever been in. There were moments when Matt literally could not see the grill guard on the front of the pickup.....that's bad. Because you know if YOU can't see, no one else can either. We would have to pull out of the fire to a place where we could see, leaving the fire to keep burning. Then go back to the back and start again. We finally got a little different game plan on this fire, to go against the grain, so to speak and stay out of the majority of the smoke. It's not how it's usually done, but it worked.
We are most definitely looking forward to some snow cover this winter, although, I have to admit, it doesn't look too promising for that to happen. We will keep looking to the sky and praying for whatever moisture the Good Lord will send us.....and thanking Him for blessing us with no fires.....
I don't know for sure what caused the fire. Word was, a combine or other such equipment caused a spark, but no one seemed to know for sure. What was certain is there was a big ol' fire. And it was comin' at a high lope. The high winds were out of the southwest, then out of the southeast and sometimes straight out of the south. Some folks don't know that a fire can make it's own wind too. So not only did this fire have a lot of fuel to burn, it was taking on a life of it's own. And let me tell ya.....it was angry.
It all works like this......our local volunteer fire department will get a call for either a fire in our county or a mutual aid to another county. If it's like it was yesterday and the fire is burning pretty much out of control, the fire department will call ranchers on their list who are known to have "grass rigs" (sprayers set up on a smaller scale of the fire department's) to come help. Most of the time, if we see smoke, we are trying to find out where the fire is already and heading in the direction of it.
We got the call about the end of the first quarter of the Husker game.
Since we have been to quite a few fires already this year and it is never a pleasant thing to know folks are losing property, I can't say Matt or I was looking forward to going. But we go. We go because we know how it would be if it was us. We'd sure want folks to come help us if it was our grass on fire. My heart breaks every time we go to a fire and I see folks trying to move their cattle out of the way.......I have to fight awful hard to hold back tears. I am not holding them back now. When I think of how it would be for me to be afraid for my livelihood, what I work for and love, I can almost not bear it. I love the hills and the grass and I most certainly hate seeing anyone's property damaged.....but the cattle....they are my passion, I guess. And I assume they mean as much to others as they do to me. So it is especially hard to think of something happening to them.
I am guessing this fire was a good 30 miles from us. Now it might seem silly to drive all that way to a fire and leave your own backyard where something could happen, but especially on a day like yesterday, it was pretty obvious from the smoke billowing up in the air, that we could plainly see from our house, that they were in definite need of help.
Our grass rig is set up on my cake feeding pickup. The tank holds 200 gallons of water and can either be filled with a hose on the top, or we can suck up water out of a stock tank. At the bigger fires, there will be several "tankers" from the fire departments who are back a little bit from the fire but still close enough we can get to them, fill up and get back to the fire pretty quickly. Our fire department has blue lights flashing on the top of theirs, so if it's dark out, you can look for blue flashing lights and know where to go fill up. If we don't see a tanker close by, we look for a stock tank to fill out of. Generally if there are cattle in that pasture (or a year like this one) the windmill will be on and pumping and we can get water for our tank there.
Actually fighting the fire is kind of a case by case deal. But there are a few rules, if you will, that everyone needs to know. One big rule is to get in the black if you are in trouble. The black is where the fire has already burned. If it's already burned, it can't burn again so you can be safe there. Another rule most of us ranchers go by is to stay at the back of the fire. The fire departments are way better equipped to put out the big head fires. Those can get BIG! And ferocious. But on occasion, the ranchers are forced to the front if, for instance, the fire department isn't there yet, or there are just too many head fires going at once.
If a little bit of fire gets left going, it can cause a "finger" to come up the back side of the fire. That happens pretty often, especially if there aren't enough people fighting in the same spot. Ideally, on a bigger deal like yesterday, several rigs can follow each other, and each one puts out a little more fire, making sure it's completely out. Right on the edge of the fire there can be bits of grass or a soapweed or a cow chip left smoldering that can spark into the dry grass next to it and start the fire burning again. So even after the whole thing is out, we need to go around "mopping up" (usually the fire departments do this....thankfully) and just keep dousing the edges with water to make sure nothing gets away.
I will absolutely not drive on the fire line. For one reason, because I have a tendency to get a little shook at these deals. I am also short enough that I can barely see over the hood of the pickup and in some of the places we go, it would be pretty easy to drive off into a big hole or blowout. But the main reason is because I trust Matt to take care of me. And he is smart in scary situations. So I am on the back of the pickup, spraying water. I get bumps and bruises and have gotten pretty hot on a few occasions, but have never really been scared to be back there.....mostly because if I holler at Matt to get us out, he gets us out.
Yesterday was a little different than any fire I have been to before. The smoke was worse than anything I've ever been in. There were moments when Matt literally could not see the grill guard on the front of the pickup.....that's bad. Because you know if YOU can't see, no one else can either. We would have to pull out of the fire to a place where we could see, leaving the fire to keep burning. Then go back to the back and start again. We finally got a little different game plan on this fire, to go against the grain, so to speak and stay out of the majority of the smoke. It's not how it's usually done, but it worked.
We are most definitely looking forward to some snow cover this winter, although, I have to admit, it doesn't look too promising for that to happen. We will keep looking to the sky and praying for whatever moisture the Good Lord will send us.....and thanking Him for blessing us with no fires.....
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Scared
It's been a particularly dry, hot and windy summer here in the Sandhills. My beautiful green, lush pastures are mostly brown and dried. There have been prairie fires, mostly started by dry lightening, all around us. Folks are getting scared. Scared of more fires. Scared of a tough winter. Scared of not having enough range to get through the summer. Scared we'll have sick calves. Scared....scared....scared.
I have to admit, I've had quite a few moments when I've been pretty scared, too. I have felt great defeat. I have stopped out in the pastures, got down on my knees and wept.....and prayed....prayed for rain, prayed for strength, prayed for wisdom to know how to regroup and handle something I've never had to tackle before. I've admitted to God how scared I've been.
We've helped neighbors fight big prairie fires and we've seen what our neighbors to the north, up near the Valentine area are experiencing. We look to the skies and pray for rain and it seems like all we receive in return is a few sprinkles and more dry lightening strikes. The hot days and the dry hot winds make it easy to forget the days of winter.
Truth is, we are spoiled. Moisture has been so plentiful the last few years that we have forgotten what dry conditions are like. We have to remind ourselves that generations before us have experienced these things too......and most of all, we have to remind ourselves "this too shall pass."
I have been given comfort in knowing that I'm doing what the Good Lord put me on this earth to do. He wouldn't have put me back here in the Sandhills so long ago and put so many things in my favor if that weren't so. And so I live with the faith that He will give me what I need when I need it, to get me through this rough time. And while I have most definitely had moments when I have questioned why God would do this to us, when we are doing our best to do His will, I have to remind myself again of the truths I know from His word and not from what I see. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I remind myself of this, sometimes hourly.....Philippians 4:20 "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Psalms 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." And even if I DO fall, He is there to pick me up and give me something better....There are several others, but these are the main ones I try to hold on to.
Because I have faith in my God, I know, without a doubt we will overcome this rough time. He is bigger than a drought. He is bigger than a prairie fire. He is bigger than any problem I can face. And He has always brought me through tough times in better shape than before. So I know He will again.
I have to admit, I've had quite a few moments when I've been pretty scared, too. I have felt great defeat. I have stopped out in the pastures, got down on my knees and wept.....and prayed....prayed for rain, prayed for strength, prayed for wisdom to know how to regroup and handle something I've never had to tackle before. I've admitted to God how scared I've been.
We've helped neighbors fight big prairie fires and we've seen what our neighbors to the north, up near the Valentine area are experiencing. We look to the skies and pray for rain and it seems like all we receive in return is a few sprinkles and more dry lightening strikes. The hot days and the dry hot winds make it easy to forget the days of winter.
Truth is, we are spoiled. Moisture has been so plentiful the last few years that we have forgotten what dry conditions are like. We have to remind ourselves that generations before us have experienced these things too......and most of all, we have to remind ourselves "this too shall pass."
I have been given comfort in knowing that I'm doing what the Good Lord put me on this earth to do. He wouldn't have put me back here in the Sandhills so long ago and put so many things in my favor if that weren't so. And so I live with the faith that He will give me what I need when I need it, to get me through this rough time. And while I have most definitely had moments when I have questioned why God would do this to us, when we are doing our best to do His will, I have to remind myself again of the truths I know from His word and not from what I see. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I remind myself of this, sometimes hourly.....Philippians 4:20 "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Psalms 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." And even if I DO fall, He is there to pick me up and give me something better....There are several others, but these are the main ones I try to hold on to.
Because I have faith in my God, I know, without a doubt we will overcome this rough time. He is bigger than a drought. He is bigger than a prairie fire. He is bigger than any problem I can face. And He has always brought me through tough times in better shape than before. So I know He will again.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Trust
When we start working with a young horse, he doesn't always trust us at first. From the day he is dropped on the ground or he comes to your place, you are working on gaining his trust. We do that by never putting that horse in a situation where he gets hurt. He can be scared of something, he can question something and that's ok. It's ok to be scared. It's ok to question. We just have to show them that whatever that scary thing is, is really just something that looks scary but really isn't.
The first time I took my little Maggie mare through a deep puddle, she was scared. It didn't look like a good deal to her. The ground didn't feel right, I suppose. She tried to go to the right and then the left. She tried to go every direction she could to keep from going through that water. She was looking for the easy way out. But I just kept bringing her back to that place and encouraging her to go forward...I waited for her to find the right way. When she finally made a "try" in the right direction, I let her sit. I petted her and let her relax. I showed her that was the easy place. Then I asked her for a little more. Eventually, she got the idea that it would be ok and she walked, hesitantly, through the puddle. Now when I ask her to go through a puddle or cross water, she still doesn't just go blundering through it. She puts her head down, has a sniff and a look before she crosses...like any smart horse would.
Now the reason I'm telling you this is because I have been thinking a lot lately about lessons in trust that the Good Lord gives us. When we are new Christians, we are a lot like Maggie was when I was teaching her to cross that water. God puts us in situations to teach us trust. And it looks scary to us. We question it. The "ground doesn't feel right to us", so to speak. We go left and we go right. And He does just like I did with Maggie. He just keeps nudging us back to the middle where we are supposed to go. He's patient with us. And when we finally learn that we can cross that water and it will be ok, well, we gained a little trust. But probably next time, we'll still put our head down and have a look before we cross the water again.....like any smart horse would.
The thing is, we'd all like to have God just wave his hand and do a miracle all the time. Sometimes He does that. But sometimes, He puts us in situations that are tough, that we don't like one bit. I've put Maggie in those places too. And what happened when the day was over? If I did things right, she trusted me more. Why? Because everything turned out ok. And see, that's how God does with us. He puts us in those places we don't like because at the end of the day, we'll learn that we can trust Him more. What would we gain if He just waved His hand all the time and did a miracle? It's a much better learning experience for us if we have to go through something with Him, just like Maggie has had to with me. She knows she can trust me now. And because of all the "tests" the Good Lord has put me through, I've learned that I can trust Him. He will ALWAYS bring me through. He will always take care of me and make me better if I just trust Him. It's not always easy, mind you. I still try to go left and right sometimes. I still look for the easy way......and it is ALWAYS with Him. But He's patient with me. He waits on me. And I'm sure grateful that He does.
The first time I took my little Maggie mare through a deep puddle, she was scared. It didn't look like a good deal to her. The ground didn't feel right, I suppose. She tried to go to the right and then the left. She tried to go every direction she could to keep from going through that water. She was looking for the easy way out. But I just kept bringing her back to that place and encouraging her to go forward...I waited for her to find the right way. When she finally made a "try" in the right direction, I let her sit. I petted her and let her relax. I showed her that was the easy place. Then I asked her for a little more. Eventually, she got the idea that it would be ok and she walked, hesitantly, through the puddle. Now when I ask her to go through a puddle or cross water, she still doesn't just go blundering through it. She puts her head down, has a sniff and a look before she crosses...like any smart horse would.
Now the reason I'm telling you this is because I have been thinking a lot lately about lessons in trust that the Good Lord gives us. When we are new Christians, we are a lot like Maggie was when I was teaching her to cross that water. God puts us in situations to teach us trust. And it looks scary to us. We question it. The "ground doesn't feel right to us", so to speak. We go left and we go right. And He does just like I did with Maggie. He just keeps nudging us back to the middle where we are supposed to go. He's patient with us. And when we finally learn that we can cross that water and it will be ok, well, we gained a little trust. But probably next time, we'll still put our head down and have a look before we cross the water again.....like any smart horse would.
The thing is, we'd all like to have God just wave his hand and do a miracle all the time. Sometimes He does that. But sometimes, He puts us in situations that are tough, that we don't like one bit. I've put Maggie in those places too. And what happened when the day was over? If I did things right, she trusted me more. Why? Because everything turned out ok. And see, that's how God does with us. He puts us in those places we don't like because at the end of the day, we'll learn that we can trust Him more. What would we gain if He just waved His hand all the time and did a miracle? It's a much better learning experience for us if we have to go through something with Him, just like Maggie has had to with me. She knows she can trust me now. And because of all the "tests" the Good Lord has put me through, I've learned that I can trust Him. He will ALWAYS bring me through. He will always take care of me and make me better if I just trust Him. It's not always easy, mind you. I still try to go left and right sometimes. I still look for the easy way......and it is ALWAYS with Him. But He's patient with me. He waits on me. And I'm sure grateful that He does.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
It Has Been a Short Year
My how the time flies! Seems like just yesterday we were putting cows out to winter pasture and now here it is almost summer. We have been busy, but it has been an awfully good spring.
Weaning went so well and with so few sick calves, I guess that's why it seemed to go so fast. If you have lot's of trouble and bad weather, the hours pass like days, but when things go well, time passes quickly.
Winter brought us one big snow. We had 18 inches of light snow by the time that day was over. It seemed to be pretty much localized to our little part of the county. Further north or west, there were just a few inches of snow. Thankfully, the wind didn't blow too badly during the storm so the drifts weren't too bad. We had purchased a 4 wheel drive tractor a year ago and a big loader for it this year. That made things MUCH easier to get around so I didn't have to sit around stewing about the cows not getting fed. Several bunches were "snowed under", meaning they got in a hole and the snow got so deep around them they didn't think they could get out. For one bunch, Matt and I had to make a trail on foot for them to follow us out because it was on a side hill that would have been too dangerous to take the tractor. But within a day or two, the temperatures warmed up and the snow started melting. It left us with some good moisture for spring grass.
Calving started off on the wrong foot. The first ten days of calving out heifers, I pulled at least one everyday. The upside to that was the purchase of that great maternity pen I talked about. And then, after those ten days, I don't think I pulled or lost another calf. Out in the cows, there was less of the crazy things that can go wrong, the weather was VERY cooperative making things go well.
We had an unusually warm spring with nice rains instead of snow. The grass started to come on much earlier than usual, which allowed us to stop feeding hay to the cows much earlier than usual....saving us time and money! This also helped the cows pick up earlier than usual and made them start cycling earlier. All good things.
Branding day sort of snuck up on me, on account of how well things had been going. It just seemed like time went by so quickly that it didn't seem like it should be time to brand the calves. But brand them we did and I'd have to say we had as good of a crew to help as we have ever had.
There was a little glitch in my smooth spring when we started trying to get our water ready in our South summer pastures. A tornado had gone through several months before and I had not gotten down there to really look things over as soon as I should have. One windmill tower and motor was damaged extensively and required quite a lot of repair. A new well had to be put in another pasture and several tanks had to be set. (the new well and tanks weren't due to the tornado, just things that had been put off too long and couldn't be put off any longer).......and then we didn't get any wind to fill the tanks after we got everything fixed!!
Yesterday, we finally got the first bunch of pairs South. Everything traveled well and we had the perfect cool weather, albeit a bit damp for my taste, for cows and calves to travel. This morning, I'll go see if everything stayed where we put them and fix anything that didn't. Then it will be off to get another bunch ready to go the first of the week.
It won't be more than a couple of weeks and we'll be cutting our alfalfa for the first time. It will be much earlier than usual too. If we don't get hail or an early frost, we might get an extra cutting from it, which will be nice if we happen to have a bad winter next year.
Next year?? How is it that I'm already thinking of that?
Weaning went so well and with so few sick calves, I guess that's why it seemed to go so fast. If you have lot's of trouble and bad weather, the hours pass like days, but when things go well, time passes quickly.
Winter brought us one big snow. We had 18 inches of light snow by the time that day was over. It seemed to be pretty much localized to our little part of the county. Further north or west, there were just a few inches of snow. Thankfully, the wind didn't blow too badly during the storm so the drifts weren't too bad. We had purchased a 4 wheel drive tractor a year ago and a big loader for it this year. That made things MUCH easier to get around so I didn't have to sit around stewing about the cows not getting fed. Several bunches were "snowed under", meaning they got in a hole and the snow got so deep around them they didn't think they could get out. For one bunch, Matt and I had to make a trail on foot for them to follow us out because it was on a side hill that would have been too dangerous to take the tractor. But within a day or two, the temperatures warmed up and the snow started melting. It left us with some good moisture for spring grass.
Calving started off on the wrong foot. The first ten days of calving out heifers, I pulled at least one everyday. The upside to that was the purchase of that great maternity pen I talked about. And then, after those ten days, I don't think I pulled or lost another calf. Out in the cows, there was less of the crazy things that can go wrong, the weather was VERY cooperative making things go well.
We had an unusually warm spring with nice rains instead of snow. The grass started to come on much earlier than usual, which allowed us to stop feeding hay to the cows much earlier than usual....saving us time and money! This also helped the cows pick up earlier than usual and made them start cycling earlier. All good things.
Branding day sort of snuck up on me, on account of how well things had been going. It just seemed like time went by so quickly that it didn't seem like it should be time to brand the calves. But brand them we did and I'd have to say we had as good of a crew to help as we have ever had.
There was a little glitch in my smooth spring when we started trying to get our water ready in our South summer pastures. A tornado had gone through several months before and I had not gotten down there to really look things over as soon as I should have. One windmill tower and motor was damaged extensively and required quite a lot of repair. A new well had to be put in another pasture and several tanks had to be set. (the new well and tanks weren't due to the tornado, just things that had been put off too long and couldn't be put off any longer).......and then we didn't get any wind to fill the tanks after we got everything fixed!!
Yesterday, we finally got the first bunch of pairs South. Everything traveled well and we had the perfect cool weather, albeit a bit damp for my taste, for cows and calves to travel. This morning, I'll go see if everything stayed where we put them and fix anything that didn't. Then it will be off to get another bunch ready to go the first of the week.
It won't be more than a couple of weeks and we'll be cutting our alfalfa for the first time. It will be much earlier than usual too. If we don't get hail or an early frost, we might get an extra cutting from it, which will be nice if we happen to have a bad winter next year.
Next year?? How is it that I'm already thinking of that?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Geometry
Back in school, I was pretty good at math related subjects...algebra, business classes, those kinds of things were pretty easy for me. But geometry....I just couldn't get the hang of all those angles and triangles and all that stuff.
So it's pretty amazing to me how much I use angles in my day to day life. You see, herding or cutting or sorting a cow requires the use of angles. The older I get and the more I do it, the more I realize this to be true. Even if I'm on a young horse that doesn't really know yet how to do the cutting itself, if I get the right angle on a cow, I can do what I need to with her.
Using the correct angle becomes really important if you are using a 4 wheeler to sort a cow. You can't turn one of those things around very short at all. (well you can, but you have to turn the handlebars, gun the motor and spin the back end around. It's fun but isn't real productive if you are trying to be careful with a less than cooperative critter) It doesn't take a cow long to figure out she can out maneuver you when she doesn't want to cooperate. So I have to use my noggin a little and outsmart her with angles.
Case in point, yesterday morning when I was riding through one of the north bunches, a cow had gotten herself on the wrong side of the fence and had her calf. There wasn't a gate close by, so I put the fence down and tied it and thought I would just push her back over. Nope. She wasn't having it. Her calf was maybe four hours old and he was plenty cooperative. Momma, not so much. She was pretty sure she ought to whip me and every time I got very close to her, she kept on coming toward me. In a pretty serious mode. A cow can get a look in her eyes that tells you she means business. And trust me, this girl had it. When they do that, " shake their head and blow snot thing", while they're coming toward you in a hurry, it makes me nervous. I was wishin' for a horse about then.....a cow looks you right in the eye when you are on a 4 wheeler. And when she's acting like she wants to whip you.....that's not a good feeling. At. All. Of course, it isn't a very good feeling when a cow hits your horse either. But that's a story for another day.
So I need to not only use some creativity and quite a bit of cow sense here, I need to keep the correct angle on her. An angle so she doesn't escape or think she can, that will keep her moving in the direction I want her to go, without antagonizing her so she crawls over the 4 wheeler to get me and have me for breakfast. A person thinks you should just be able to get behind a cow and they'll go, but especially right after a cow has calved, most of the normal rules don't apply. I also need to take my time with this cow. Let her have plenty of space, but not too much.
It was slow....we covered an area of maybe 50 yards in about a half hour. Seriously. I think I just outlasted her. She got tired of me and went is what I think finally happened. But I had a lot of time to think about the angles I wanted to use with her......and during a period of time, the angle I wanted to use to retreat. But all's well that ends well. Whether or not it was my cow sense or my stubbornness that got the job done.
So it's pretty amazing to me how much I use angles in my day to day life. You see, herding or cutting or sorting a cow requires the use of angles. The older I get and the more I do it, the more I realize this to be true. Even if I'm on a young horse that doesn't really know yet how to do the cutting itself, if I get the right angle on a cow, I can do what I need to with her.
Using the correct angle becomes really important if you are using a 4 wheeler to sort a cow. You can't turn one of those things around very short at all. (well you can, but you have to turn the handlebars, gun the motor and spin the back end around. It's fun but isn't real productive if you are trying to be careful with a less than cooperative critter) It doesn't take a cow long to figure out she can out maneuver you when she doesn't want to cooperate. So I have to use my noggin a little and outsmart her with angles.
Case in point, yesterday morning when I was riding through one of the north bunches, a cow had gotten herself on the wrong side of the fence and had her calf. There wasn't a gate close by, so I put the fence down and tied it and thought I would just push her back over. Nope. She wasn't having it. Her calf was maybe four hours old and he was plenty cooperative. Momma, not so much. She was pretty sure she ought to whip me and every time I got very close to her, she kept on coming toward me. In a pretty serious mode. A cow can get a look in her eyes that tells you she means business. And trust me, this girl had it. When they do that, " shake their head and blow snot thing", while they're coming toward you in a hurry, it makes me nervous. I was wishin' for a horse about then.....a cow looks you right in the eye when you are on a 4 wheeler. And when she's acting like she wants to whip you.....that's not a good feeling. At. All. Of course, it isn't a very good feeling when a cow hits your horse either. But that's a story for another day.
So I need to not only use some creativity and quite a bit of cow sense here, I need to keep the correct angle on her. An angle so she doesn't escape or think she can, that will keep her moving in the direction I want her to go, without antagonizing her so she crawls over the 4 wheeler to get me and have me for breakfast. A person thinks you should just be able to get behind a cow and they'll go, but especially right after a cow has calved, most of the normal rules don't apply. I also need to take my time with this cow. Let her have plenty of space, but not too much.
It was slow....we covered an area of maybe 50 yards in about a half hour. Seriously. I think I just outlasted her. She got tired of me and went is what I think finally happened. But I had a lot of time to think about the angles I wanted to use with her......and during a period of time, the angle I wanted to use to retreat. But all's well that ends well. Whether or not it was my cow sense or my stubbornness that got the job done.
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