by Texas Homesteader
Recently we had an opportunity to get smartified by attending a seminar addressing cattle issues. We haven’t been in a ranch environment all our lives but we have been raising cattle for over a decade. We’ve attended many educational seminars over the years and find that we learn something valuable at every one. Each time we come back to the ranch with a new idea to improve our ranch operations.
by Texas Homesteader
We have several registered Hereford cows and we breed them using A.I. At a recent Noble Foundation seminar we attended, the presenters noted that A.I. typically results in a positive pregnancy only about 50% of the time, of course we already knew that.
Even with its reduced effectiveness It’s worth the effort for us, we’re a small homestead and would like to eliminate the expense of having a high-quality bull in our pastures yet we still want to maintain superior genetics in our herd. But the fact remains that this procedure will, in the best of circumstances, only yield a positive pregnancy about half the time. Repeat A.I. sessions are common and expected.
Storm clouds gathered recently and the weathermen were all cautioning about potential severe storms including 60-mph winds, hail, and even tornadoes. I’m terrified of tornadoes. I’m not sure why, maybe my childhood home was a hot-spot for tornadoes or something but for some reason I have a healthy heaping dose of fear of them. So the forecasts had me plenty worried.
One of our cows is due to deliver her calf next Monday. It’s always exciting when you’re expecting a calf but if you’re using the A.I. procedure you know the exact day that cow was bred and even the exact number of gestation days for that particular cow. For me it makes the waiting game all the more nail biting because I’ve known this blessed event is coming since just 28 days after her breeding.
Every day we make a round through the pastures, always including a thorough inspection of our girls and calves. Does everyone look good? Is everyone accounted for? Are all the calves bouncing & happy? Our herd is used to our presence and we’re allowed to come close to any of them without anyone becoming alarmed. If they’re laying down they don’t even bother getting up – to them I’m just one of the girls! Although it’s labor intensive to be in each cow’s physical presence so often, a gentle herd is worth all the work necessary to maintain it.
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by Texas Homesteader
Most of our family members live in suburban environments. Therefore they really enjoy coming to the ranch. And who wouldn’t – there’s so much to do here. And let’s be honest – we live in a BEAUTIFUL place! Our guests are welcome to drop a line in the pond and fish for catfish or stroll through the pastures enjoying the untarnished flavor of wild blackberries, plums or persimmons picked fresh from the vine or tree, and of course the spectacular view of the star-speckled nighttime sky simply can’t be beat!
One of the ways we like to entertain is by target-shooting clays with shotguns but I’m dismayed at the enormous amount of trash it generates. You can now buy biodegradable clays but apparently there are no options for purchasing more environmentally friendly ammunition. Although it could definitely be construed as bad hosting on my part, our guests know that after a round of clay shooting everyone sweeps through the immediate pasture to not only pick up the plastic shell ejected from the weapon but also the scattering of plastic trash that blankets the pasture afterward.
Thankfully my uncle graciously gifted a reloading kit to us and we are in the process of attempting to secure the proper components to reload our own shotgun shells using paper wads. Securing the fiber wads has still proven allusive and cost prohibitive, but we’re putting our money where our mouth is and doing the right thing for us and our property. We visited a small independently-owned ammunition shop recently inquiring about purchasing fiber wads. He didn’t carry them and asked why we were looking. When we told him of our experience and added that we didn’t want this trash in our pasture or being ingested by our cattle he replied “Humm.. I never even thought of that, no one has ever complained about that before”
In trying to eliminate our hosting faux pas of having our guests on litter patrol, we have contacted the three major U.S. ammunition manufacturers asking if they have other options such as biodegradable shot shell components. Federal responded that they do not offer biodegradable components at this time. Sadly neither Winchester nor Remington even bothered to respond to our query.
Am I the only one bothered by this? Am I being too “environmental” here in not wanting this non-recyclable plastic trash forever littering my pastures? I don’t think so, this plastic stuff never goes away! And I care about our land and our cattle too much to let this go.
~TxH~
…and Many More
Here in NE Texas wild hogs are a very expensive problem, rooting large holes that damage both grazing pastures as well as farm equipment. Yesterday as I was walking through one of our pastures I was dismayed to see lots of pasture damage. The damage is shocking & widespread.
These destructive wild-hog rototillers have rooted huge holes in various large swaths in our pasture. Some holes are over two-feet deep! I wrote about ways we attempt to Reduce Wild-Hog Populations on our Texas Homestead.
Do you struggle with hog damage on your place, and what is your most effective method of control?
~TxH~
~TxH~
Recently I submitted my chili recipe to Working Ranch Magazine as part of their Dinnerbell Recipe Contest. I was so thrilled when I got the phone call saying we won!
Working Ranch sent an apron to me and asked me to wear it in my kitchen and submit a photo for their article. They’re going to feature my Cowboy Beef & Bean Chili recipe in their March issue. How cool!
~TxH~
We were blessed with plenty of rain during the last couple of days, which makes our world just a little more beautiful today… ~TxH~
