It’s herd bull turn-in time. To control our calving season, the herd bull runs with the cows from August until the first calf is born the following year in May. We are strict about calving from mid-May to no later than mid-July. So far, this plan has worked well. We … Continue reading
Category Archives: Herd Management
Surprise opportunity
From 2010 to May of 2017, our calf crop has been a large majority of bull calves. That was certainly good for us. May 2018, however, gave us a 100% heifer calves. I’m calling this a surprise opportunity. Over the coming months, Don and I will be deciding which heifers … Continue reading
Breeding Season
Breeding season has begun. The bulls have been turned in with the cows, and they are taking their job seriously. The season will end in mid October. That may seem like a tight window of opportunity, however it works for us and our stock. I believe that calving in May … Continue reading
Calving Season
June eighth marked the beginning of our calving season with a bull. He is a handsome fella and eighty-three pounds of spunk. Before the mamma cow had completely shed the afterbirth, this calf had already nursed and was prancing around with his tail cocked. To some, June might seem like … Continue reading
This, I can side with.
On my February 4th entry, I commented on an article about genetically modifying bulls to create an endless supply of semen from “superior” sires. This same article also specifically reasoned that heat tolerant bulls could be modified to make them more fertile. Basically, young, healthy bulls would be sterilized then … Continue reading
Are cattlemen even asking for this?
I don’t know where to begin on expressing my thoughts about the article I just read. An animal scientist, here in the United State, is conducting stem cell research in an effort to make the supply of bull semen inexhaustible. The basic idea is to serialize young, healthy bulls and … Continue reading
Unspoken encouragement
Durning pregnancy checks last week, Dr. V. commented on the good body condition of the girls. He knows our stock is exclusively grass-fed, and his next comment was about the longevity of grass-fed operations compared to the longevity and profitability of high input grain-fed operations. Dr. V.’s compliment on the … Continue reading
Large frames and feeding grain.
“Are you looking for a bull?” My mind thought “no” as my voice said, “Tell me about him.” I was killing some time at a purebred association’s sanctioned auction and ranchers were standing by to answer questions about their consignments. “How much does he weigh”, I asked. The response was … Continue reading
Just an observation.
I read few ranching and farming trade publications. Actually, read might be a little strong of a word. Skim is probably a better description. My interest in their articles is passing because they don’t often apply to our small operation. For the last two months however, I’ve noticed a change … Continue reading
…this heifer is no exception
One of our purchased heifers calved today. Her herd is in a large area which we haven’t divided into lots yet. This is unfortunate because cows are excellent at placing their new calves where they are sure to not be found and this heifer is no exception. The grass in … Continue reading