Category: The Ranch

I've noticed that it is finally started getting dry enough to think about farming. Now I don't particularly enjoy farming but I can do it. If you couldn't tell from my post titled <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/sarpysam/archives/000279.html">oil</a>, I spent the weekend performing maintenance on tractors so I could start farming. Got the maintenance done no problem, except…

The drought has been going on for about 7 years now in this area and I am getting sick of it. Continually worrying about the moisture, cattle, grass and the future of farming gets to a person after a while. Well I see the NOAA has come out with its <a href="http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/season_drought.gif">new drought outlook</a> and…

I hate engine motor oil. I hate all oil incluging diesel fuel oil, hydraulic oil, gear oil and grease. Give me good, clean, natural cow manure any day.<br />n<br />n<b>A human being must have occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world. Dorothy L. Sayers </b>

Yesterday while feeding I noted a cow had foot rot. So I decided we needed to go back and get her in to doctor her. The hired man and I got our horses and rode out to the <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/cows.jpg" onclick="window.open('http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/cows.jpg','popup','width=881,height=381,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">cows</a> to find the cow that needed doctored. The cows have really been…

I seen <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/03/07/build/local/55-windpix.inc">these pictures</a> in the Billings Gazette this morning and my first thought was Dust Bowl Days. Now by no means do I remember this, I am not that old by any stretch of the imagination, but I have heard stories from my Grandpa about it and I really don't want to see…

Been there, done that, and as much as I don't like wishing bad luck on someone else, I'm sure glad it ain't where I'm at. <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/03/03/build/state/30-badwinter.inc">Up to their eyeballs: Ranchers struggle through a brutal winter</a>. The winter of 1996-1997 was like talked about in this article around here. The funny thing was that you…

Well I see the cows have started to calve. I seen a brand new baby on the feed ground this morning. It was about time for them to start calving, they were starting to show really heavy. I let the cows calve on their own with little or no supervision by me. If it is…

Here we go again, when it rains it pours. Thursday night it rained most of the night and really made things a soaking mess. It is February you know, rain is not normal at this time of year. Then on Friday it got really warm and finally started melting the bulk of our snow. We…

Had a new one tonight. The first set of twins I have ever seen on my heifers. In fact it is only the second set of live twins I have ever had. The other one was on a cow quite a few years ago. I have neighbors that have quite a few twins and even…

I jinxed myself. I stated the other night that <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/sarpysam/archives/000201.html">calving heifers was going well</a>. So what happened yesterday morning. A heifer has a monster, breech calf that I am unable to do anything with. Most of the time I can handle a breech calf but this monster was just too big. Luckily it froze…