From the Barns: Historic milestone

We took a little break from the basketball season to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bunch of gatherings of family and friends. Cow work gets sandwiched in where a little time and help allows. A little preg-checking and revac work on some calves has us poised to get some calves weaned and on feed as soon as it is practical.

The weatherman has been going nuts over the impending snow, wind and cold weather looming just ahead. My memory isn’t what it once was, but it seems that phenomenon is called winter and it happens every year about this time. There should not be any surprise. As long as there is some firewood stacked on the porch, I’m fine with some frozen mornings and a little snow limiting what projects my mind wants to achieve.

We’ve been clearing out some brush that has encroached in fencerows and around field edges in the afternoons when the livestock duties have been completed. We have been treating the cut stumps with Remedy mixed with diesel fuel, so we won’t be repeating the process in future years. With what farmland is bringing these days, making more of it from land we already own makes some sense and is a pleasant way to spend a little time with the boys playing with our big boy toys.

Nate finally got bid $2 for fat cattle this week after a year of flirting with that magical number. How long it lasts and how much higher it can go is anybody’s guess, but it’s a historical day to be in the beef business.

I don’t like it not getting light out until 7 o’clock in the morning. I read bunks first thing every day and I don’t want to be disturbed by any issues or the phone ringing while I’m focused on the cattle, but I also like to see the bunks without headlights and this later start time is not to my liking. I know each day is getting a little longer, but it can’t happen soon enough for me.