so excited to wear my american shorthorn association cap :)

my bull calf, dirt road anthem, born this spring

A Cattleman

a shorthorn cow is licking her newborn heifer calf

A healthy, vigorous calf is what being a cattleman is all about. My family is extremely dedicated to caring for our Shorthorn cattle herds. Since 1943, the care for our cattle has been a tradition. As a third generation cattleman, I am proud of my family's tradition. The care for our cow herds' health and nutrition is shown in our healthy calves. We have been truly blessed this calving season with amazing calves. 

Fall 2012

Due to the extremely hot and dry weather conditions this past summer, we weaned calves a month early. Normally in the middle of September, we decided to wean calves in the middle of August. We chose to wean calves early to save pastures for grazing, maintain body condition, and maintain pregnancies. Despite the heat and lack of forage, I was pleasantly surprised with weaning weights. On average, steers and heifers weighed 40-60 pounds less than previous years. I was relieved and fairly pleased, considering. Since weaning, calves have been healthy and growing very quickly. I am very happy with the quality of calves this year.

 

With the warm, fall weather, we built fence. It is one of my favorite jobs on the farm! We use hedge posts, steel posts, four strands of barbed wire, and electrify one strand of high tensile for pasture fence. More fence is yet to be built. We showed calves to a family looking for a steer to show this summer. And, I was very pleased with the steer calf they chose. I wish them the best of luck! I decided to keep two bull calves to raise as breeding bulls to sell. I have never raised bulls, so it has been a good learning experience. Halter breaking the bulls to lead was very easy. We selected 12 replacement heifers to retain in the herd. I am extremely happy with the quality of heifers. Our veterinarian calfhood vaccinated our replacement heifers. The feeder calves were also revaccinated as part of their health program. We pregnancy checked and vaccinated cows with a pre-calving health program we developed with our veterinarian. I was so nervous about pregnancy checking our cows this fall in fear of low conception rates and the 2013 calving season being stretched out much longer due to the breeding conditions this past summer. If that was the issue, it would take a few years to get cows back on schedule. Ugh. I hoped for the best and was very pleased with herd averages of 98% conception. I am looking forward to calving season!

Another Successful Year

Calves have been weaned and vaccinated with their first round of shots since September 17th. With warm and dry weather we had after weaning, there was no need to run any calves through the chute to treat for coughs, temperatures or runny noses. Weaning weights this fall were average for both steers and heifers at each herd. This was expected with the hot, dry summer we had. It is amazing how quickly the calves are growing. Looks like I will be halter breaking heifers very soon!

Since the crops were harvested, the cows grazed on corn stalks in the fall. What a pretty sight, especially with a gorgeous fall sunset in the background! November 26th and 27th, we pregnancy checked and vaccinated our cattle herds with our pre-calving health program. We were very pleased that our cattle had a conception rate of 98.5% and were due to calves in March and April. Our calves received their second round of vaccinations on December 17th. My dad and I went through the selection process of choosing replacement heifers. Each year we retain 12-14 head of heifers or about 20% of our herd. This year, we chose 12 head of heifers. They received their calfhood vaccination from our vet, Dr Baird. We put in a new numbered tag to identify our heifers. I recorded data to prepare for registering our heifers for pedigrees with the American Shorthorn Association.

Feels Like Fall

Leaves changing color from green to gold or crimson; geese migrating south; combines rolling through the fields; wearing Carhartts; the smell of corn drying and newly weaned calves bawling are sign of fall in Illinois. Fall is a nice transition from summer to winter. The rural landscape during the fall is a beautiful sight to me. From the tractor cab, I enjoy seeing the lights of tractors and combines surrounding me as we work in the fields at night. I love fall...the energy, enthusiasm, long hours and hard work. Fall brings a sense of pride and accomplishment, as it is the reward for a season of hard work.

Fall in Love with Fall

I have no favorite season, as I am fond of them all. In fact with each change of season, I find different aspects to love and appreciate. There are so many reasons to adore fall. On weekends, I love waking up to brisk, sunny fall mornings. Crisp mornings transform into beautiful, warm afternoons. Fall colors are absolutely magnificent with hues ranging in read, orange, yellow and purple. These colors are an amazing contrast to the bright blue sky. It is incredible the colors that nature creates. The sound of the breeze blowing through the trees and leaves gently floating to the ground is peaceful. The fuzzy caterpillars are a funny sight as they inch their way along. As a young girl, I loved finding different colors of caterpillars. Fall has a simple beauty in its sights and sounds. Take time to appreciate the beauty of fall.

Lightning Bugs

Once I figured out that lightning bugs wouldn't 'zap' me, I fell in love with them as a young girl. During summer nights in the country, I loved running around in the yard barefoot chasing and catching lightning bugs. That is one of my favorite memories I have growing up on the farm. Hopefully it will be a memory and pastime that I will share with my three nieces each summer.

To this day, I am still fond of them lighting up the summer sky. In the evening, I enjoy sitting outside on my porch relaxing and taking in their beauty. The glow from the lighting bugs in contrast to the darkening sky truly is a beautiful sight in the country. Lightning bugs look so peaceful as they float through the air twinkling as the sun is setting. The almost look like stars...only a little closer to us. Summer seems to be the perfect time to sit back and enjoy the simple things in life.