Sound of Silence

This week has been full of sounds that are very loud and don't really subside for several days.  You see we 'weaned'.  We brought all of our cows and calves, which is over 900 cows & calves, into our corrals.  That's a bunch of sound makers. :) We did this on Monday morning and were expecting a long night of hearing them bawl.  However, at 4:30am I was awake to an odd and unnerving sound when you are weaning.  SILENCE.  This was not a good sound on the first night of having the cows and calves apart.  Upon inspection in the early morning we found that a gate had the chain latch broke in the night and let everyone back together again.  The only sound that is worse than silence when you are weaning is the sound of a fence splintering.  We called our neighbor and friend to come back and help us out.  Each one of thought that we were in for a long day of bringing a few head to the corral at a time.  You see, cattle get suspicious when you bring them to the corral. They know something is up and usually it's unpleasant for them (although always in their best interest).  We were mounted pretty well - this isn't the time to be stressing a young colt.  My rancher hubby Cash decided to bait the cows with the caker pickup.  It has cake or cubed feed that is kinda like candy to a cow.  They followed the pickup better than any of us imagined and they all went into the corral on the first try.  :)  :)  :)  I can't tell you or express how thankful we were that it worked that way.  We truly feel it was an act of God's intervention.  :)  Anyway - that intervention continued as they resorted themselves, moms from babies rather easily.  We do it all horseback and work cattle between the horses with one person on the gate and one person horseback to block the occasional mistake. Once the cows realize we aren't trying to contain them and are letting them back into the lot, they start walking by rather calmly.  My rancher hubby and son made a few revisions to the gate that broke and by Thursday, this am we have the calves moved to another meadow where they are grazing quite contentedly.  By putting the cows in the lot and the calves back out on the meadows, they calm much easier and don't go off feed.  Most calves go back to the last place they saw mom and lay down to wait for her.  We also start the calves on a supplement feed long before we wean and that becomes like a surrogate mother to them after weaning.  They know that the feed is there and it's yummy so they go back to it when mom is no longer available.

These were the last holdouts that we hauled up to the new meadow this morning.  

We feed the cows hay in the lot while we wait for the calves to become content in the new meadow.  We will drive them to a new pasture in the morning and they will be glad to see the fresh grass.  (and yes it was raining this morning which is nice because we don't have dust to cause problems

for the calves.)

This day as I'm typing I'm realizing I'm hearing silence again.  But this time it's when I should be hearing it because the cows and calves are weaned and HAPPY!!!

Immunizations for Fall

When someone in ranching mentions fall cattle work, I wonder if people understand what that entails.  I got to thinking while I was sitting on my horse, (my second best place to think) about how 'natural' we try to keep our calves before they go into a feed yard.  Yes, we do give them shots to prevent certain infections that have devastated herds years ago.  I think it's a lot like giving your own child childhood immunizations.  The calves we raise are given 'childhood' immunizations when we brand them at about 4 - 6 weeks of age.  Because we don't want our kids to suffer from MMR, polio and other diseases we have vaccine to prevent those.  Same thing with calves - we are giving vaccine to prevent disease from making them sick.  During the fall these same calves get a booster shot.  We work very hard to help these calves get thru this process with as little stress as possible.  We've spent a week dragging hose and sprinklers all over our corrals and a VERY large lot to help control the dust. When we started I told my rancher hubby that the one lonely sprinkler against the size of the lot looked impossible - however with perseverance we succeeded.   Dust can cause calves to get sick, mostly lung trouble which would mean we would have to give them more vaccine which we work hard not to do.  As soon as we were done on Tuesday we moved them back out on our meadows so they could find their moms again.  

While these calves are on the ranch - they live natural with a little help from vaccine.  Not much different than what our boys grew up doing.  They got to enjoy living out in the country, camping, fishing and enjoying nature.  Our boys were healthy because we cared enough to give them childhood vaccinations.  We also care about our livestock and give them the same advantage of vaccine so they won't be sick either.  

Well - my thoughts for today - we're working more cattle tomorrow so I will probably have more thoughts since I'll be back on my horse  :)

Have a GREAT day!!!  

Summer's gone

Did ya miss me or just wonder where I went??  

Well - I'm back.... seems like I just stepped away but it's been most of the summer.  I decided that summer is just too busy and I'm too crazy or unorganized or something.  Anyway - we are just ramping up and getting ready for our fall season of doing cattle work.  Now that is a blog post in itself.... I'm much too excited to share about the Ag Chat Foundation Conference that I attended in Chicago, August 30th & 31st.  Let me start.....
     I have a story.... that's all it takes.  Tell others about the wonderful, full and sometimes stressful life of agriculture.  It doesn't matter what aspect of ag you are involved in - 'you have a story' - most people on this planet are jealous or envious of your being able to do what you do as a profession.  OR they don't understand the care and effort that we in agriculture take to bring them the best food, feed, fuel and fiber on the planet.  We in agriculture are passionate about what we do.  It isn't just a job or something we do to pay the bills, it's our love of the land and heritage that have us doing what we do.  We in agriculture are a shrinking industry down to 1.5% of the population.  We need to find new ways of being able to "tell our story" to as many as will listen or want to understand what we do.  hence the beginning of #AgChat on Twitter (every Tuesday at 6 - 8 pm MDT).  What had started as an avenue to bring consumers and producers closer together has turned in a Foundation with a committed board and a group of individuals passionate about helping others reach out to those consumers.  
     What did I gain from the conference....I found an entire group of ag producers that are as nerdy or geeky - (sorry all) - as I am!!  :)  perhaps that it's just that we love to play with new technology.  The other thing I noticed is that we love to talk.  Now this group not only can visit up a storm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0j2leftzmQ (Yep-that's me talking to Jeff Fowle, the guy in the hat) but we are also pretty quick with our fingers.  Hence the ability to tweet during sessions and have it all make good sense.  We were encouraged to not only open Facebook and Twitter accounts but get busy with your camcorder and create a vlog or a clip or something from your ag operation. I also found that these folks want us all to succeed, they will have our back and encourage each one of us every step or typeset along the way.  Each one of us as ag producers needs to find those folks who know nothing about the products we work hard to deliver to them in the best condition and safest condition we can.  
     Remember - 'I have a story' - it's the best place to start......

Just a quick note on how thankful I am to be a ranch wife.  Man, if most people could have seen the last couple weeks, they probably would have headed back to their cell service and DSL internet.  However, it has been a blessing to have two sons home and helping out.  How often do businesses have the opportunity it have enough work for an extra hand?!?  well.... that's probably not true, most businesses have plenty to do.  But the encouragement it brings to have your kids enjoy the work as much as I do, now that's a BLESSING!!

We had a skiff of snow this morning and the guys were on fresh three year old fillies.  It was nearly the colts first time out in the big wide open and with the chilly weather they were pretty fresh.

We also get to work in all kinds of weather.  This week has been rainy and cold.  Not a lot of 'fun' to be out in but that doesn't mean that stuff doesn't need to be done.  

Don't mind the date on the picture, it was taken on April 23rd.  This was me...

I know it's spring weather cuz this was just a couple days before... 

Now I gotta admit that the bottom pic looks to be much more comfortable weather and much more enjoyable to work in.  I was reading my copy of 'Our Daily Bread' last night and it was on how we long for spring.  Well, here we are smack dab in the middle of spring and thinking it's not very much 'fun', I long for the warm days, lots of sunshine and the lack of coats.  

"In longing for some future good, we forget that every day --regardless of the weather or our circumstances-- is a gift from God to be used for His glory."  According to Ron Ash "We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn.  Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where He needs us to be tomorrow."  

Never really think about being groomed for a purpose but I am sure that God has a plan so in that, I am also sure I am being groomed, prepared maybe.  "The challenge for each of us every day is to find something to rejoice about and some good to do --and then to do both!"  

Hearing but not LISTENING!!

     I got to thinking the other day about how we can listen but not hear, actually I read a post on how this person's dad had challenged them to 'live a while in their shoes'.  We've heard that often but don't take into consideration what good advice it is.  I was out with my son's dog 'Cap' and we were moving 'a', one horse to a another pasture.  Now had I looked at it like a dog might, what an inviting target  :)  I get to chase this cuz she's not watching :)  more smiles for the dog.  However, on my side of the shoes, all I saw was a horse going too fast toward a barbed wire fence and a dog that wasn't listening.  :( I knew he could hear me cuz he hadn't gotten that far away, also no wind blowing (just for the record).  When I did get his attention we had to have a little session on listening to the boss and responding to what he heard!!  The rest of the day Cap was all ears and listened & heard what I was telling him.  I didn't even have to raise my voice because he had tuned in to me and my requests.  He was listening and hearing and responding.  More smiles to the boss lady!!

     Then a couple days ago, I saw this same approach when we moved yearling heifers to a new pasture.  Rancher Hubby Cash was leading them with the tractor and hay bales and I was encouraging the stragglers horseback.  It was a nice day, a little windy (but that's normal for Nebraska) so it looked like I wouldn't have much to do.  Now we were headed across a field and they were pretty hungry, so they were following the tractor really well.  The tractor usually stops and grinds up the hay, and their walk is pretty short.  They were expecting the same today.  When we got to the edge of the field they suddenly found fresh grass, what a huge distraction.

Since the tractor hadn't stopped and ground their hay, they all started eating the grass they had found.  If your wondering where I'm going with this - keep listening, don't tune me out just yet!!  I wanted to tie this back to where our country is today.  In 2008, we were headed toward an election and there had been a couple new things mentioned but mostly America as a country was still on track.  However later that fall, we started to hear about what we could have and how bad things were.  As a country we got distracted from the main message, how to protect our country and help business grow.  

     Now back to our yearling heifers - by the time we had gotten over this first hill, they had decided that the tractor was not what they wanted to listen to.  Now they all could still hear the tractor, but they chose to walk toward what appeared to be a better option.  The grass they found at this windmill was some of the first green grass of spring.  Because it is so early and so fresh, it has very little nutrients in it.  There's no 'meat' in what they wanted to eat.  Notice that the majority of the herd have stopped and are eating grass.  This was a very short term gain for the heifers.  We couldn't leave them here because the grass wouldn't sustain them.  It couldn't last.  Think about what we heard as a country in 2008 - what we had wasn't good enough, our economy was suffering and we could be 'given' better.  Just what most of America wanted to hear.  Let's look at things in the short term, we want whatever the government can 'give' us no matter the cost to future generations.  These heifers could have stayed right here and ate this green grass .... but they would have been starved and wandering by mid day.  It took quite a bit of hazing on my part to get them to even consider following the tractor again.  

We did manage to get them to listen to the tractor again and get over the last two knolls, but it took quite a bit of pushing on my part, so much for an easy day!!  As I topped the last hill, Nobody was listening to anything (except maybe my horse -I had asked that he stand still!!)

This picture makes me think of Congress today.  Everyone is running, doing whatever they think is right, no one is listening to anyone.  Dems don't hear Republicans, Republicans don't hear Democrats.  NO ONE is listening to what their constituents at home are asking for.  Congress is on a runaway train toward national bankruptcy, granting whatever people want with no foresight into what it will cost our children.  We may, as a country, be getting a taste of 'green grass' but it is a short term craving, the long term cost is our children's and their children's future.  

     I was in DC early this month and was so discouraged at the lack of any one listening to any one else.  Because so little is based on agreeable terms for both parties, the balance has been broken and we are headed in the wrong direction, just like the heifers in the picture.  Back to my son's dog - because he was tuned in I didn't have to yell to be heard.  Today I attended my first Tea Party Express rally in North Platte, NE.  In my opinion, because congress and our president have lost the ability to listen to the people, 'we the people' are learning to 'yell' back at them.  The folks that attended this rally are not violent, militant, racist or extremists.  They are the people of America who are tired of not being heard.  When you're not heard you have a tendency to raise your voice and when that doesn't work - well....  YOU YELL!!!  I plan on using my vote in 2010 and encouraging others to holler with me.  

Sorry I got into politics... but it's a part of my life - I WANT TO BE HEARD!!!   r u listening.....

I was left home one weekend while my guys went snowmobiling.  Now I had commitments that I couldn't miss or I would have been along for the ride!!!  :)  Anyway, I got to thinking about how important water is to the ranchers way of life.  We not only need water for ourselves but nearly 800 animal units depend on us for their supply of water.  The only task given to me by the 'guys' was to keep the water open for all the cattle and horses.    I noticed the 'thepioneerwoman' has a post on breaking ice which was accurate for her location but mine is quite a bit different.  The Sand Hills of Nebraska actually lay on top of the largest underground water aquifer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Ogallala Aquifer.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer Our water is pumped out of the ground by windmills.  Now these are a bit different than the windmills we are seeing that are generating electricity.  Now ours aren't nearly as tall as an electricity windmill and the top part, the head, on our ranch is usually between 6 to 8 feet across. http://www.awwasc.com/

This was the first mill I checked that day and when I drove up I noticed that the ice was melted under the lead pipe.  (That's the pipe that the water runs into the tank by)  Water that comes out of the ground because it's insulated by the ground is warmer than the air temperature.  If we have a steady breeze or a full blown gale, our water in the tank has a portion of it that stays open.    Some ranches will even put a smaller tank inside the larger tank so they have a better chance of keeping the smaller tank open.  I've had another rancher comment that then the larger outside tank freezes up solid and is much harder to open back up.  It a preference thing.  When we break ice in a tank, we use an ice bar, not an ax.  Again, that's probably a preference thing.  It's a very heavy long metal stick with a wedge on the bottom of it.  We crack the ice with the bar and then pitch the ice out with a pitch fork.  It's also important to throw the ice far away from the tank so the cattle and horses don't have to step around it.  If you've noticed my verbiage of heavy and pitch, I hope you can gather that 'breaking ice' is a very physical thing we do.  When you multiply this by several mills, it's a pretty good workout.  This weekend I had really pretty good weather, nights weren't quite as cold and the wind blew most of the time and kept things open.

  Our water in the Sand Hills is vitally important to our business, just as it is to farmers who are irrigating and growing food for all of us in America.  Anytime we put in a post for a fence most anywhere on the ranch we hit the static water table.   I am acutely aware of caring for this precious resource.  We are extremely careful about what goes back into this resource,  After all, not only does it affect the animals we raise but it is also the water we drink.   Yes, there are a few in our industry who have abused this resource and its availability, but not in our neck of the woods (I guess I should say sand :)  ).  I took this last photo at our brood mare pasture - I really like it because of the broken mill in the background.  Not all mills on our place are in working condition.  This one sets in a bad spot that has a tendency to open up and blow, allowing the sand to sift.  We have since shut this mill off and not used it for about 15 years.  the pasture has started to heal but it will be a long process.  Just one of the many ways we work to maintain and protect the land we are blessed to steward.

Early Valentines Day Gift

Most girls think about Valentines Day and what might come it, the special somethings or someone who will brighten this holiday.  Mine came a little early this year.  :)  I had a pretty full day lined out, just normal household stuff which is pretty boring.  As Cash, my hubby , left the house he mentioned that this would be the last day I could try running the excavator!!!!!  YAYAYAYAYAAAAAA - man, all bets are off and I AM OUT OF THE HOUSE.  I mean it's a huge piece of equipment and has lots of gidgets, gadgets, and gizmos.  The fact that my wonderful man would even consider putting me behind the wheel--- well that's an amazing feat in and of itself.  (Wait there was no wheel of any kind!!!  Just levers and foot pedals!!)  As he traded places places with me in the cab, he starts telling what not push first.  :)  There are a few crazy things I could have done but maybe not on my first trip out.  As I sat trying to catch my breath and think, it was soooo much fun but what an awesome responsibility.  Don't hurt anything, anybody ect., watch for the dogs and your wonderful rancher taking pix!!  ;)  The pedals on the floor would run the track and move the entire machine.  Those I didn't start with because I was already to position.  However, each hand has a joystick - wow - it goes more than 4 ways each cuz there are in between spots.  So that's eight ways to think at the same time - did I happen to mention I'm blonde!!  :)  Well, after a few misses I kinda got the hang of it but went really slow.  I gave Cash a camera and he took a couple shots -

After I started and got the basics figured out, I was wishing I had a camera and a second set of hands and eyes because Cash started making hand signals at me as to what and how to dig -  "curl the bucket", "stretch the arm", "go deeper", "don't take the bank" - you can use your own imagination cuz it got pretty creative.
(Notice my faithful companions - Skip and Skotch.  Now needless to say they didn't sit here very long as that's exactly where the arm was swinging to dump the dirt.  Once I had to bang the bucket over them cuz they wouldn't move.  Eventually they moved farther down and did a better job at staying out of the way. )
     Back to the hand signals - if your a ranch wife you know these are a dreaded means of communication.  What you think he is saying by waving, squeezing, circling his hands and the gyrations of his arms may completely and totally not be what he is thinking with his mind!!!!  The one I can recognize the best is when he drops his arms in disgust and walks away - obviously I wasn't thinking the way he was waving  :)  Oh - the one I thought was funny was the hand signals meaning you are dropping the dirt too high from the bucket and splashing too much.  The dirt was full of water and would really splash mud all over the cab if the bucket was elevated when you rotated and dumped it.  Now I'm not the one who has the job of cleaning the cab - I did find the window washer and it was full of fluid so I could still see out.  :)
     Cash soon decided that I had things under control and left to work in a different area.  I spent about an hour and a half getting braver and more accurate with the bucket and arm.  I even mastered running the foot pedals and moving.  I had a dickens of a time remembering where the lever to lift the blade was - more hand signals!!  :)  However, it didn't take much more time than that and I was back to being the wife of a rancher.  As he walked up, he grinned and said he wanted some lunch and I was demoted back to my original job.  Man - I love that guy!!!!
  Never had any idea when I married him over 27 years ago that we'd have so much fun together.  Ya know the verse in the bible that says He'll "give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4) - never in a million years would I have known that running an excavator would be a desire but it was ....pretty cool that God maps all this stuff out before you're even thought of (Ps 139:16).  Till you hear from me again - next I think I'll introduce you to the horses  :)

Jecca