Only thing left at the house is Lily (the dog), Kitty (inside cat), Robin (outside cat), and eight chickens, one of which is named Chaser and the rest are so similar they can’t be differentiated from each other (isn’t that what people say about black cattle?). Up early this morning. Must finally be catching back up on my sleep after… Read more »
Calves sell by the pound. More pounds at weaning means more income. Higher income, the more the business can grow. Sound logic, right? Maybe in some other business, but not in cattle. I mean, it does make sense…sort of. A 600-pound calf will sell for more than a 400- or 500-pound calf, right? Let’s just say yes, simply because of… Read more »
Jangles, a cow maker bull with added bonus of super tenderness. I received an email from a friend, he forwards me stuff from a forum that he thinks I may find of interest. This particular email was talking about a producer that had elephants–1800-2000 lb cows–and how he was trying to reduce the size of his cows. He’d bought a… Read more »
Ask 20 people and you will get 20 different answers–as long as they don’t all raise the same breed or you aren’t attending a breed association meeting. The truth is, the question is incomplete. To fully get the real and best answer–which still has other factors, so there really is no “correct” answer–the question should be “What is the best… Read more »
Mondays always seem to snowball me. I think I have everything scheduled and perfect and then WHAM, everything falls apart and by the end of the day I don’t know what I got done and I’m completely exhausted. Honestly, if it weren’t for date stamps on pictures and videos, I would be mostly lost as to what I did. Well,… Read more »
June 14, 2016 VBS, irrigate, clean house (yes!). That was when Jer sent me a private message on Facebook with this picture. Cutting the cake (a barn) at our wedding reception (in a barn, dirt floor). June 14, 2008. Oh, how sweet. He’s thinking of our wedding. He’s never sent me something like this before. Phone rings. It’s Jeramie. Me:… Read more »
Power in his slightly younger years. He is a great cow-maker bull. Picture taken Nov 15, 2009. “Balance traits,” they say. I say, “Bull!” Balancing traits means that you try to go in the middle, you give up something to get something else. Why? How does that improve your operation? You breed for balance, you breed for average, and why… Read more »
Jer went and irrigated then started getting ready to haul a pair and Mr. P to Fox’s. Nick finished stacking the 1st cutting bales that had been brought back to the house. In the meantime, Charlie and Marion were busy collecting bugs. Jer loaded 804 and her calf and Mr. Perfect to haul them to Fox’s. I snapped a… Read more »
June 9, 2016 Started the day with the norm: irrigation. Finished up on Gayle’s, it won’t need water for another week or so. Have to let it dry out a bit. There is such thing as too much water. The last pipe to irrigate on Gayle’s doesn’t have much control or finesse to it: Water bubbles out of the bottom… Read more »
Irrigating has helped me drop like 25 or 30 pounds just this Spring. There is a ridiculous amount of walking involved, and shovel work. Nothing gets you in shape like hiking up and down a field, shoveling for 30 minutes, and don’t forget the aerobics in between. Up, down, up down, close gate, stand up, adjust gate, stand up. Step… Read more »
