From the Barns: Cow whisperer

Calving has been progressing nicely with a few exceptions in the heifer pasture. Linda checks the heifers twice a day and calls for help if one is not progressing. It seems we have one “easy calver” that’s not so easy. The craziest part of having to help the occasional heifer has been how easy they have been to get in the corral. All but one has just walked up and through the gates to be caught. I, of course, claim the credit and the self-proclaimed title of cow whisperer, but in reality, am just as amazed as everyone else that has witnessed this phenomenon. It just doesn’t make any sense.

All the acres I had planned to seed this spring have been converted back to corn and beans since planting got so late. The chopped wheat harvest is complete and we are applying manure as fast as the rainy weather will allow. We will plant corn in behind the wheat in the next few days. The wheat harvest was timed just about right as we have cleaned up virtually all the corn silage piles and yet need lots of forage to get us through until fall.

The new beginnings of spring are not just reserved for crops and livestock. My ranching niece, Kristen, and her husband, Paul, out in Wyoming have a new baby girl, Karmin, and here on our spread Brett and Shannon just showed up with their new baby girl, Cora, to make our spring a complete success. If you couple these new arrivals with the recently completed, very successful track-and-field season, as well a great planting and calving season, it doesn’t get much better that that. Unless, of course, you think sleep is a necessary part of life. I feel it’s a major inconvenience that should be taken in small doses.

Ian has claimed the hay-mowing job as his own, but our old hay head was plumb worn out. I found a great head for sale in Colorado, so Riley, Jett and I made a road trip with the semi out to get it. Our manure pumping pal, Matt, needed some equipment dropped at a job site he had in “rural” Kansas, so we volunteered.

A very rare rainy day in Kansas preceded our visit and made some long-lasting memories for my grandsons as we unloaded the equipment in the middle of the night. All said we saw some sights, got our head and made it back home in just over 36 hours. Being somewhat hard of hearing may be an asset when traveling with two 13-year-olds in an 8-by-8 tin box.

We have some important elections coming up. Study the candidates and exercise the rights afforded us by our ancestors.