Pure bred Red Angus heifer.
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 to retain and which to offer for sale.
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 is a healthy start for a calf. Not too hot. Not too cold. Good grass for lactating momma cows.
This timing also works well for our weaning program. May calves are weaned, at ten months of age, in late March of the following year. Again, calf health and forage are a priority.
Don and I attended a Green Hills Farm Project meeting, on April 8th, which was held in the loft of a barn that sits on a Century Farm. Our hosts, Nicholas and Melody, were seeking advice on grazing hair sheep and eventually moving into raising pastured poultry as well. This young, foreword thinking couple is hoping to carry on the tradition of keeping the farm viable and teach their children the benefits and responsibilities of farming stewardship.
The Green Hills Farm Project is a terrific resource for advice. Not limited to grazing, these folks can give you ideas and advice about: watering systems, solar energy systems, mineral mixes, fencing options, soil management, multi-species grazing, input reduction, permaculture, natural parasite control, A2 milk, making Kombucha tea….. For a $30 membership, you can attend any and all meetings which include farm walks to get a visual understanding of the groups focus. Earlier this year, we heard Jim Gerrish speak. Thirty dollars well spent. Come join us. https://www.facebook.com/GreenHillsFarmProject/
As a side note…. The barn loft is set up to accommodate square dances. How cool is that?
Don and I have started adding raw apple cider vinegar to the stock tanks. We have been reading about its usage to aid in digestion and to ward off face flies. In the beginning, we offered the apple cider vinegar as free choice in tubs. The cattle ignored it, and the vinegar attached flying insects; no flies though. This became a concern to me. As the cattle excreted body fluid, would these flying insects become an irritant to the livestock?
Our next try was to dilute the apple cider vinegar with water, still offering it free choice. The amount of flying insects attracted to the tub definitely decreased, however, the cattle still ignored it.
As stated above, our final trial was adding the apple cider vinegar directly to the water tanks. The cattle have no choice but to drink the vinegar. And they do. Face flies are fewer; some days more than others. My thought behind this is that each animal is not getting a correct amount of apple cider vinegar on a consistent basis. To get equal distribution of the vinegar throughout the tank, with the correct ratio of water to apple cider vinegar, is impractical.
Don and I will continue the use of raw apple cider vinegar, in conjunction with our custom salt mix, to combat flies and parasites. As for the flying insects that were attracted to the vinegar in tubs, they are not a problem for the cattle. If you have used apple cider vinegar in your own herd, or know a good source for quality vinegar in a powdered form, let us know. We would like to know your system and results.
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 an odd time to start having calves. Our reasoning… We wean our calves at ten months of age which usually occurs in March or April of the following year. The cows have taken their calves through the winter months, and the spring pastures are ready for some quality grazing.
I don’t like the sun to rise before I do. To have a clear view of the eastern morning horizon, before the sun peeks, is one of the many reasons I live in the country.
With the temperature in the single-digit range I stood outside this morning and, at first, it seemed as if all sound was frozen in the air. Then it came to me, the rustling sound of nature starting with the leaves of young oak trees. A flock of small birds flew overhead with no sound except for that made by their soft wings. A thought came to mind. Just how do they keep their exposed feet from freezing in the cold temperature with a northerly breeze? I’m guessing it has something to do with their intricate artery network.
It wasn’t even 6:00 am and my cup was already overflowing.
Don rendered lard a few days ago. Not in conjunction with our annual hog butchering, though. We were simply out of lard so Don pulled four bags of chunked-up fat from the freezer, allowed it to thaw, then cooked it down.
Over the years, our butchering process has been refined. No longer do we render all the lard at one time. Early on, we used a large cast iron kettle and an old crank-handled lard press. It was tricky to coordinate the right combination of fire temperature and liquid lard consistency before scorching occurred. At the exact right time, the lard had to be ladled out and packaged or the batch would turn brown and take on an off flavor. Now, while butchering, we cut the fat into one inch chunks and freeze them in one gallon quantities. Rendering can be done as needed on the stove top using a heavy, 12 quart pot.
As a side note, we still have the kettle and the press. Both are still in good working condition. The kettle, in fact, is used on occasion to pop up some kettle corn when friends visit.
This past August, Don tested for, and successfully received, a license to be an amateur radio operator. After speaking with other operators and doing some research on his own, he now has a simple receiving and transmitting system set up in our home. HAM radio has turned into an interesting hobby for Don. If you are in the area, give him a shout – KE0FPP.
Today, Don seasoned a cast iron pot given to us by my dad. After removing rust from the inside and outside of the pot, he washed it in hot, soapy water, thoroughly dried it, smeared it with lard, then baked it in the oven for one hour at 250 degrees and one half hour at 350 degrees. It is now ready to receive the fixings for beef stew.
We really like the versatility and durability of cast iron. The same skillet can be used to fry food, stir up a variety of soups, bake cakes and breads or make meal-in-one recipes.
