corn silage 2020

On October 6, corn was chopped for silage. The silage will be fed to our cows over the winter months.

A sample of silage was collected and sent to Dairyland Laboratories for analysis. The test will provide nutritional value of the feed. It is important to know the quality of the corn silage we are feeding our cows in order to meet their nutritional requirements.  

Two 100' bags were filled with corn silage for 2020. That is 200 tons of feed. Along with the silage, hay and cornstalks will also be fed to our cows.

Our cows will enjoy the corn silage this winter!

Friday on the Farm

Two fields were prepared for seeding ground for hay. We use a mixture of alfalfa, red clover, and brome with oats. We seed at a rate of 12 pounds of alfalfa, 4 pounds of red clover, 5 pounds of brome, and 2 bushel of oats per acre. The fields were drilled on April 8 and 9. Favorable weather conditions have been perfect for growth.    

boho bag

Inspiration from Texas...

After seeing so many gorgeous bags on my road trips to Texas, they all inspired me to create my own boho style bag. I have always loved the boho style. It must be my wandering free spirit 💜 And, I love having something unique!

 

I found an antique, leather mail bag. And, I just had to buy it... perfect for my boho bag! It is such a gorgeous old bag. I absolutely love antique and vintage 💜

It was so much fun personalizing. To it, I added a beautiful fox tail I bought waiting to find the perfect bag. Eeek! They look great together! Needing a little bling, I attached a lavender beaded necklace I already had. A vintage silk scarf added more color and texture. The ivory and taupe scarf with a polka dot pattern add a soft touch to the leather bag. Then to complete the boho style of my antique bag, I attached an old brass number tag from our cattle farm. It adds something very special to always carry with me. I found a shop on Etsy that made custom canvas straps. So, I can also use my mail bag a crossbody bag.

I think it looks fantastic! I am truly in love how my boho bag turned out. Ugh. It makes my heart smile 💜

 

2019 corn silage

 

Preparing for winter, corn was chopped and bagged this fall. The silage will be used to feed our cows throughout the winter. Along with the corn silage, the cows will also be fed hay and cornstalks.  

 

 

Two 150' bags were filled with corn silage. That is 300 tons of cow chow. Hay is in short supply this year due to a frigid winter, wet spring, and dry summer. And, we are anticipating another rough winter. We chopped and bagged double the amount of corn we normally do to ensure we have the quality and quantity of feed we need for our cows.

 

A sample of the corn silage was collected and sent off to Dairyland Laboratories for feed analysis. As cattlemen, we like to know the quality of the feed to meet the nutritional requirements of our cows.

Friday on the Farm

Cornstalks were baled. Just in time! These bales of cornstalks will be used as bedding throughout the winter months. Cornstalks keep our cows and calves dry and warm during cold and snowy weather. Over 80 bales were rolled up. And, we have already started using cornstalks due to the weather.

farm calendars

Detailed record keeping and organization is vital to our Shorthorn cattle farm...

On our farm, we keep in depth records on our cows and calves. Farm calendars help us remain organized and track important dates we need to make note. Through this, we are able to better our farm management.

I use a few calendars each for different purposes...
..  A smaller monthly calendar is just for the cow herds. It notes... when cows calve during spring and fall calving (the calendar is included in our kit during calving season), when we vaccinate the herds of cows, calves, and bulls with our health program in the summer, the date bulls are turned out with the cow herds for breeding season, when embryos are implanted in recipient cows, when calves are weaned, if a feeder calf is sick and needs treatment, and  when we vaccinate and pregnancy check cows in the winter.

..  A small wall calendar will hang in the corn crib feed room. It will track when corn is rolled as feed for calves, when we take delivery of pelleted protein, feed additives and mineral, and when antibiotics are used in feed if it is needed.  

..  A large desk calendar sits on my desk of the farm office. This calendar is the my main calendar.  In addition to tracking the cattle herds, and feed records, we note weather conditions, when we cut and bale hay, along with the amount of hay harvested, and is also my personal calendar.

I found a few cute calendars at Target. [ I absolutely love Target! ] It is always nice when calendars are super cute. So, I am ready for 2018 on the farm!

Friday on the Farm

It was a gorgeous sunset. As I was feeding cattle, I enjoyed the beauty of the sun setting behind the barn and feed shed. I stood in amazement. The sky was a watercolor with shades of purple and orange. Peaceful.

 

[ agriculture photos @ monicastevens.photoshelter.com ] 

the farm office

the farm office is the heart of the cattle farm...

  

On our Shorthorn cattle farm, it is very important to have a nice office that is purposeful and well organized. I love to be and need to be organized. Since I often work long hours at times throughout the year in my farm office, I also want a space I love. If I have an office I adore and enjoy working in, I will be much more productive. And, I do love working in my office! I think it's pretty cute...  

 

functional  +  funky

 

black saddle chair
black painted captain chair

laptop & wireless printer

iPad

telephone

desk calendar

sea grass basket [ calendar, patterned binder, portfolios, and Vigortone manual ]

b&w print magazine holder [ natural paper file folders labeled with a black Sharpie ]

clear lamp with burlap shade

2 barn board shelves

clock

sea grass basket [ black binders and a clipboard for cattle records ]
clear + turquoise tote [ calving records ]

black tray [ additional cattle records ]
purple sticky notes

patterned notepads
mini clipboard + notepad

binder clips in an antique Atlas jar

Sharpies [ in my favorite colors...lilac, purple, turquoise, magenta, orange & lime ]

In three desk drawers...
drawer #1    paperclips, business cards, notepads, rubber stamps, and ink

drawer #2    3 hole punch, pens, scissors, washi tape, and string

drawer #3    printer paper, printer ink, file folders, and legal pads

Rustic...the style I have always loved. My favorite colors to use in decorating are black and brown. Then, I add pops of color throughout... purple, yellow, or turquoise. The wall of my office is painted black. And, I absolutely LOVE it! It coordinates well with the two barn board shelves above the desk! The black wall creates a warm and cozy space for my farm office.

A clear lamp with a burlap shade sits on my desk. It adds a warm light as I work. A desk calendar with ultra-fine Sharpies keep track of everything important on the farm. A sea grass basket and b&w print magazine holder are in close reach of working at my desk... while being organized and cute. The wall clock hangs just above the desk. It can easily be seen to help keep me on task.

Onto the backs of black buttons, I glued tacks. The tacks were then pressed into the baskets. So simple and cute! They add an adorable touch to the sea grass baskets. One of these sea grass baskets holds black binders of cattle records. This basket allows quick access to records off a barn board shelf while looking rustic chic.
 

 

I had two extra wood chairs and decided to paint them black. They were sanded for a rustic look. It is perfect for an extra seating at the side of my desk!

 

To add a little of my style to my office

. soy candle

. wax warmer [ linen scented ]

. edition of Feeds and Feeding textbook

. turquoise antique Ball jars - Grandma Stevens

. antique feed scale - Grandpa Stevens
. primitive sheep figurine

. farm photos
. rope knot [ purchased @ Bishop Hill ]
 

feeds and feeding - one of my favorites

 

rope knot from bishop hill

Hanging above my desk is this cute rope knot from Bishop Hill! I love it in my office!

 

 

 

My favorite farm photo is a b&w print of my dad as a little boy bottle feeding his lamb. It is so cute! I will always cherish it. The framed photo goes well with the antique scale of my grandpa Stevens.

capture life

capture life...perfect for this agriculture photographer! I found this adorable wood sign at Barn Owl Primitives! It is on a barn board shelf beside a antique turquoise Ball jar.

my favorite mug from magnolia market

 I adore this mug! It was a from my visit to Magnolia Market in Waco, TX! 

the feed shed

The converted corn crib has been so incredibly useful to us as a feed shed on the farm...

 

protein

We are able to store protein, vitamins, and mineral. Other feed such as cotton seed hulls, oats, linseed meal, soybean meal, and square bales of hay are also stored in the feed shed. It is great having so much storage for feed, mineral, and supplies all in one location. It is perfect!

cotton seed hulls

 

cotton seed hulls

linseed meal

I am able to formulate rations, weigh, and mix feed for calves in the feed shed. Since I work off the farm as a meat inspector, I can prepare feed ahead of use. This efficiently utilizes time.

 

 An antique feed scale that my Grandpa Stevens used was moved over to the 'new' feed shed. I love it! The protein pellets for the feeder calves is weighed on this antique scale. It works so well! I also have a small hanging scale to weigh feed additives or small feed rations for calves.

Vigortone products

 

In 2016, I became a Vigortone dealer. I am able to keep mineral and feeders in stock now that there is more feed storage on the farm! With a big, sliding door, it is easy to take delivery of feed and mineral. And, clients are able to pick up orders with ease.  

The feed shed is also a nice place to store feed related supplies such as...buckets, feed pans, pallets, brooms, and silage hooks.

At an auction, I bought an old slate chalkboard. So cool! It will be useful for keeping track of mineral, feed rations, and feeding instructions. In the future... I plan on adding interior and exterior lighting to the feed shed to better see at night while working. Plus, I would like to add some shelving or a work bench. My hope is to add a refrigerator to store cattle vaccinations.

 

converting the corn crib

 

In 2012, my dad started renovating the corn crib on the farm where I live. The corn crib was sided, new sliding doors were built, and windows were installed in 2013. There are sliding doors for the alley on the north and south side of the corn crib. And, there is also a sliding door on the north west corner of the corn crib. Two walk-in doors are located for access into the east and west.

 

It is so nice to have the corn crib preserved. The corn crib was the first building project completed when my grandpa and grandma purchased the farm when they moved to rural Altona in 1957.  I have so many great farm memories in that corn crib...unloading barge wagons and filling the crib with ear corn, and sliding down the ears as we were grinding corn out of it for cattle feed.

 

cleaned corn crib

I finally made time to clean out the corn crib and organize the space. We repurposed it to be used for feed and fence. The west side of the corn crib holds feed supplies, and the east side of the crib stores fence supplies. It works very well! The converted corn crib has been such a blessing on the farm!

Vigortone

Mineral is important in the roles of health, nutrition, and reproduction. We need to meet the requirements for cattle and supplement their diets with mineral. A good mineral program should be developed for cow herds throughout the year.

 
We have been using Vigortone mineral on our farm since 2000. The mineral works well for us in meeting the requirements of our cows. So, we think very highly of the products from Vigortone. 
 

 
In April 2016, I became a farmer dealer of Vigortone. This is a pretty exciting opportunity! Now, I am able to provide quality mineral to others with livestock. As a dealer, I receive a discount on purchasing mineral and earn an additional income from mineral I sell. It works out very well!
 

 

 
Vigortone has a wide range of mineral to offer. I stock beef cattle mineral for the seasons and store it in our feed shed. Customers can then pick up product at my location. If a product contains CTC, it requires a VFD from a veterinarian. 

We use different mineral for our cows throughout the year. Our mineral program includes...
    3V5S    January - March 
    MC Cattle Breeder CTC-CG-IGR    April - August
    3V5S CTC-IGR    September
    3V5S    October- December
Vigortone MC Cattle  Breeder CTC-CG-IGR is a chelated mineral that we use during the breeding season. It also includes CinnaGar that is consists of garlic and cinnamon extracts. CinnaGar products have shown to improve rumen efficiency.  
 

 
Mineral feeders are also available to purchase! These feeders hold up to three bags ( 150 pounds ) of mineral. The Vigortone Dura-Bull mineral feeder protects the mineral and keeps it dry from rain or snow. Our cows are fed mineral free-choice using these feeders.

 

Cows, calves, and bulls are able to utilize the mineral feeder. The rubber top is pliable for ease of use. 

 
 I can be contacted at mjstevensfeed@gmail.com! And, I am on Twitter @ MJStevensFeed. Be sure to follow me!

fall forage for grazing: week 10

It is now week 10!

A herd of cows is now grazing a field of turnips, rye, and oats in the harvest corn field. I was really excited to cows open the pasture gate for the herd to graze. So the cows were ready to graze the lush field, we set out high magnesium blocks for the herds.

 

 

fall forage for grazing: week 8

It is week 8! And, I am checking in from the field...

The turnips, rye, and oats have quickly grown since the corn has been harvested.

The herd of cows on the farm where I live will be turned out to graze on the turnips, rye, and oats next week. I am excited to see them graze!

Friday on the Farm

turnips, rye, and oats in corn residue

This afternoon, we started harvesting corn in one of the two fields seeded with turnips, rye, and oats. While riding in the Gleaner with my dad, it was so neat viewing the seeding from the combine cab. It was so pretty...emerald green growth among the dried corn field! Corn residue covered the ground with the turnips, rye, and oats were peaking through towards the sun. After riding along in the combine, I continued to haul corn to the grain bin to unload. Cows in the pasture watched as the combine rolled through the field...it is time for them to graze.   

fall forage for grazing: week 5

It is week 5! Here is the report from the field...

 

 
Dad and I scouted the fields of turnips, rye and oats this morning. We are both very pleased.
 

 
We are saving two corn fields to harvest last that were seeded to allow for further growth of the turnips, rye, and oats.