Kids' Cattle

Udder Problems

2011-12-23T16:00:00.000-06:00

#42 had her calf 3 days ago. The heifer wouldn't suck on the back teets. So those quarters became engorged making it even harder for the calf to suck. We brought her up to a chute, put canulas in the teets to drain them. We collected some milk in baggies to freeze. The barn cats got an unexpected treat too. After the udders drained for awhile, we moved the pair into a barn stall. The cow ate some oats while we helped the calf discover two more spicketts. Hopefully she will find them on her own from now on. Cow and calf will remain in the barn 'til the heifer becomes a competent sucker.

Working with the hiefers for NAILE

2011-11-08T09:11:00.000-06:00

Kids are work with the heifers, setting them up and walking them. Leaving for Louisville this week.

Getting Ready for NAILE

2011-11-07T10:33:00.000-06:00

North American International Livestock Exhibition

Theo Drives the Combine

2011-10-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

State Fair Thru a Fisheye

2011-08-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

These pictures and videos were taken with a fisheye lens at our state fair. Theo won Champion Percentage Simmental Cow/calf with Milkshake and Rocky Road. Z's bull, Master Chief, was division champion. We have friends who have the Belgian draft horses in the video. They showed at the Colesium. Nice weather at the fair but glad to be home after 5 days.

County Fair Video

2011-08-01T16:59:00.000-05:00

The kids are showing their heifers and steers at the county fair. Bella won Champion Heifer and Champion Simmental Steer. Then they had the steer auction.

Champion at the County Fair

2011-07-30T10:39:00.001-05:00

Bella won Champion 4H Heifer and Champion Simmental Heifer in the Jr & Open Show at the Menard County Fair. She also won champion Simmental steer in the 4H. We did'n't show the steers in the open because they were so hot. Theo won Reserve Champion Heifer with HP. And Z won champion bull with Master Chief. I forgot my camera so I am waiting on pictures from some friends. We will be moving into the State Fair next week.

Bull Before the Fair

2011-07-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

Z is clipping his bull's, Master Chief, hair to cool him off and to look better at the show.

Winning at the Regional Cattle Show

2011-07-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

North Central Regional Simmental Junior Show Kids took their three heifers to the cattle show. Bella won Res.Champion % Bred & Owned and 5th over all with Elvira. And 3rd Overall purebred Bred & Owned with Tempest. Theo won his class with HP.

First Cattle Show of Summer

2011-06-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Z is showing Miss Red. Bella is showing Tempest. Theo has HP then Cleopatra. They all did surprising well. Kids and cattle. Heavy rain all afternoon.

Farm Kids & Tractors

2011-05-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

Z is hauling cattle manure that has piled up over the winter onto a corn stalk field before it is planted to soy beans. Using a John Deere loader tractor and a CaseIH on the spreader.

Wordless Wednesday: Sugar the Cow

2011-05-11T08:02:00.001-05:00

Shoulda Been a Dairy Cow

2011-04-15T08:06:00.001-05:00

We are draining Buttercup's udder with canulas. She is producing too much milk for her calf to drink. She won't let the calf nurse on the back teats because they are swollen and sore. Every morning we'll do this 'til the calf takes over.

Farm Kid Collection

2011-04-08T07:11:00.001-05:00

Various short videos of typical activities on a cattle farm. artificial insemination, leading heifers, trimming bulls, moving cattle, three kids and a cute dog

Running of the Cows

2011-03-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

This week we let some cows and calves out of their winter lot into a section of pasture. They were a little excited. Dad is running a harrow behind the little loader tractor. It breaks up the manure piles & dead grass clumps. Set to rock music. Yeah, baby!

Showing at the Beef Expo

2011-03-11T10:20:00.000-06:00

Z is showing his bull, Spartacus, in the parade before the sale. Bella is showing her Feb. heifer, Tempest.

Bull Sale at Beef Expo

2011-03-04T13:25:00.001-06:00

We took a couple of bulls to the Beef Expo. Theo's bull, John Connor, was a mature bull, ready to work. He was jumpy in the set up area. But in the sale ring he calmed down and chewed his cud. Go figure. The buyers were a nice couple that live not too far away.

Want to hear something neat

2011-02-24T05:40:00.007-06:00

Shhhhh. Listen. But don't get too close.

Let's just say our cows are tame.
Why does a cow chew her cud. The hay cows eat is hard to digest. They regurgitate it to break it down more by chewing it again.

4-H Steer Weigh-in

2011-02-18T04:23:00.001-06:00

We took 4 calves to the steer weigh-in at the fairgrounds. Last year we had one steer get too big too early to take him to the 4h show. So this year we have a back-up steer. Here they are getting weighed, tatooed, and tagged.

Leading Heifers

2011-02-11T10:13:00.000-06:00

After the heifers are broke to lead, we walk them at least a little everyday to keep them used to being led. This prepares them for being shown at fairs and cattle shows. Once they are leading easily they are calmer animals.

Snow Fort by the Cow Lot

2011-02-04T05:28:00.001-06:00

After Dad pushed the snow into a bunch of piles, by the cow lot, Z and I dug a whole for a fort.

Grass fed beef: not what you think

2011-02-02T08:47:00.001-06:00

Don't agree with everything Dr.Capper says but the important points are: Grass fed beef 1. takes almost twice as long to finish 2. thus consuming more resources 3. no nutritional advantage. Well done, Mr. Stossel
Click on Picture to go to video or here.

Miss Red Gets Her Nails Done

2011-01-28T08:16:00.000-06:00

Show heifers get their hooves trimmed a couple of times during their careers. This helps them to walk and stand correctly. For the show ring, they need to look the best they can. This also corrects their hooves for when they are older in the pasture.

Big Bucket Bulls

2011-01-24T15:30:00.000-06:00

Theo is feeding the bulls and cows their breakfast of corn, oats, and protein. They get this twice a day besides hay. For growing cattle a balanced ration of grain, hay, protein, and trace minerals is optimal.

From Calving Pen to Lot

2011-01-06T04:33:00.005-06:00

Stalk Bales & Hay Bales

2011-01-03T11:11:00.000-06:00

Newborn Calf Video

2010-12-27T14:34:00.003-06:00

First calf heifers are a crap shoot on how they will take to the new calf. This cow wasn't too bad but didn't like the idea. We had to draw milk from her and bottle feed the bull calf to get him started. She eventually took to the calf. Both are doing well.

Cattle Water in Blizzard

2010-12-13T09:26:00.003-06:00

weh
We have a energy free cattle water in one of our pastures. It gets its heat from the deep in the ground. When it is really cold, like this weekend, we check on it to see if we need to push the floats or unthaw anything. So far it has been doing pretty good. The next morning Theo did have to break the ice around the floats so the cows could drink.

Tacy at the Vet

2010-12-07T11:20:00.002-06:00

Tacy aborted twin calves last Thursday. Her due date was next month. The boys buried the calves. But Tacy didn't seem to feel very good. So we took her to the vet. Dr. J said she didn't have a temperature but did have an infection. He gave her some medicine. She is doing fine now.

Christmas Kids and Cattle Card

2010-12-03T13:24:00.005-06:00

2nd Video of NAILE Cattle Show

2010-11-19T04:48:00.002-06:00

NAILE 2010 Louiville KY

2010-11-17T12:48:00.000-06:00

2010-01-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

This is were put are new born babies in, we have seven new born calves. Four bulls and three heifers, we have one more cow to have a calf in January.

Snow Cows

2010-01-07T15:42:00.001-06:00

Theo and I are walking Betsy and Tacy to the lot from the barn. They are going to have calves soon. We put them in stalls in the barn at night so they don't have their calve out in the cold. They are a week late for having their calves. The vet is coming to draw blood to test a few bulls we are going to sell next month. We'll have him check on Betsy and Tacy too. We already have three calves on the ground. They are all bulls. We hope we don't have any more bulls,because we show heifer calves.

Nothing says Hap-Happy New Year like...

2010-01-01T14:13:00.000-06:00

the smell of old manure.

The lean-to on the barn needed cleaning out since let's see, spring? This is the second time we used our new(used) manure spreader. The excitement was lost because of the single digit wind chills and the fact that it was dark. But dad was set on finishing hauling it all out. The frozen chunks in front were taken out to the field and just piled up. Heifers really liked not having to climb over frozen manure to get in the lean-to. We put in a lot of fresh straw so we can start all over again. While we were finishing up Ellyon had her calf, yes another bull, so 2010 starts like 2009 ended with the bulls definitely in charge with numerical superiority, hope the girls catch up. We also put in round bales and moved cows, bulls, steers, and heifers around. Started the new year one day early. by Dad and Mom

2009-12-20T15:53:00.001-06:00

It snowed today. My brothers Dad and me fixed the steers cattle shed. Then we cleaned out all the crap out of the cows and calves shed. Then we put bales of straw out for the cows in the corn stalks.

Getting Colder

2009-12-10T08:07:00.001-06:00

It is getting colder every day, but to night it got 10 degrees with high winds. So we put straw in for the cows. 15 minutes after we had put the two round bales of straw in, most of the cows had lain down.

Training the weaned Calves

2009-12-01T15:56:00.000-06:00

This is how we train the weaned calves. This is the 5th day we tied the weaned calves up.

2009-11-26T09:56:00.000-06:00

Weaning the calves was better then last time. Last time we had weaned the calves and they had mooed till they were hoarse. Today we moved the cows to the corn stalks. The cows were very happy to be out in the the corn stalks with all their pales.

By the sign of the moon

2009-11-20T05:27:00.001-06:00

We had been asked a couple of times before if we wean our calves by the sign of the moon. No we did not. We weaned when it fit our schedule. Even though we had heard about weaning by the moon, we never tried it. Well the last time we weaned this summer, the cows and calves relentlessly bawled. So we said next time we would use the sign of the moon date. The date for Nov. started the 19. So we will see how these 5 calves do. The following is how the Farmer's Almanac explains it:

According to Farmers' Almanac tradition, when the moon is in the appropriate phase and place in the zodiac, it's widely believed that activities will be more fruitful or lead to improved results.

No Louisville

2009-11-18T10:11:00.001-06:00

We are starting to get ready for the cows and calves be weaned. It has rained a lot so we can't get into the fields, because it rained more then 3 inches. We couldn't go to Louisville because we were in the field. Dad was sad we couldn't go to the show in Louisville, but maybe we can go next year.

2009-11-09T18:42:00.000-06:00

We put more hay bales in for the cattle and put corn in the bin. We work with our calves. We brushed the cattle and walked the cattle. The new calves will soon be ready to be showed. We might show at the Beef Expo, if the weather is nice and not as cold as last year.

Hedge tree ready for holidays (WW)

2009-11-04T08:30:00.004-06:00

Lean-to comes in handy in very wet weather

2009-11-01T19:38:00.003-06:00

Pictured above are the three cattle we are planning to take to the North American Livestock Show in two weeks. WE had 3 plus inches of rain Thursday/Friday. Boy, did the new lean-to we put on the barn come in handy for them. A place to be out of the rain, dry and not wet under their feet. We had close to 7 inches of rain in the month of October. WE have been feeding them in there and tying them up under the roof. Sure does make it easier on us also.
Final thoughts, this week we also starting to move/ship some of Terry Steinhour's cattle. Feeder cattle and finished cattle went to Congerville sale barn and we sent about half the cows/calves/bulls to a friend/fellow shorthorn breeder of Terry's. Hopefully this week he will come and get the rest of them. WE need to take one bull to Congerville this week on Tuesday night. Lifetime building a purebred herd and we will move them to someone else in a few days. Next up, getting his crops out of the fields. Lots of neighbors will help with that.

Three Cows

2009-10-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

We took Bubbles, Fiona, and Genevieve to the vet yesterday to be preg checked. Dr. J said they were all three pregnant. We will be selling them in Dec. to go to another herd. Bubbles and Fiona were two of the first calves we showed 5 years ago.

2009-10-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

We have let the cattle out on the corn stalks. The cattle love it a lot! We put the cattle in the corn stalks so the pasture can grow back. The cattle eat the kernels and the grass along the fence.

Loss of a friend

2009-10-12T17:31:00.000-05:00

We lost a close friend last Wednesday night. Terry Steinhour a friend and neighbor died in a farming accident last Wednesday. He was hauling bales on a road and his tractor tipped over on him. He was very good to us. Pictured with him is Isabella and Louise. Terry called us a year ago last August after the state fair to say that we should go to Bob Dwyer's Foundation female sale and buy some of the Daines' cattle from Alberta Canada that were for sale there. We did and though Lousie did not "come in to her own" until late this last summer, my how she has come on. Terry though never thought she would be anything but great when she would be done. Boy, was he right, our hoof trimmer who sees thousands of good show cattle thinks she is "big time".

This is just one example how Terry has helped us and the kids. I still remember our first year showing at the State Fair and how Terry helped us that Sunday morning. He just showed up to help. I can still see him leading Tacy back from the show ring with Isabella who had just gotten third in a big class and walking on air I might add, with me following with the brushes,etc. He also helped us pick out Pitty Pat who won alot and is a great cow. He always encouraged the kids.

He was long time superintendent of the Logan County Beef Show, him and I served on a school board together, him already serving and he came over and asked me to run. I said I would never run for school board, but how could you tell him no. He was the Menard County Farm Bureau president, I was Logan's president. He was eleven years older than me and was a good mentor and friend. We farmed next to each other at mutiple places. I always thought in the back of my mind I would out live him, but I was ill prepared for what has happened.

Thanks Terry for all you did, we will miss you so. Just got back from the cemtery, we buried him today.

Valentine had her calf

2009-10-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

This is Valentine's new baby boy. The baby's name is Bane. If you have notice Bane's ear is bent foward. It is because it was like that in the womb. Bella

Hinge on a barn door (WW)

2009-10-07T07:14:00.000-05:00

What do cows do best?

2009-10-05T09:17:00.002-05:00

Have more cows. Valentine is one of three cows due to calve anytime. It has been awhile since we had newborns. So we are looking forward to it. As soon as the next weather front comes through, we should have some baby calf pictures to post.

Hades and Stargazer

2009-10-02T08:32:00.002-05:00

Hades and Stargazer are two bulls that we raised. We decided they were good enough to keep as bulls. This turned out to be a good decision. In Feb. we will be selling them at the Beef Expo.

End of hay season

2009-09-30T09:19:00.003-05:00

Means putting things away. Remember the video of putting the straw up in the hay loft. The conveyor needed to be put away. It is stored in the center of the loft between the hay and the straw.

Pay not attention to Bella's camo shirt and plaid shorts. She really is a very normal girl.

Adding light to an old barn

2009-09-28T10:50:00.003-05:00

Before we started showing cattle, our barn had two lights in it. One in the hallway. The other in the lean-to. It was dark. Dad added lights in the calving stalls on the north side of the hallway. And now we have lights on the south side where the show calves eat.

You can see where we had painted the wood one winter. It did lighten it up some. But when we brushed or worked on the calves we needed more light, especially in winter.

There are three stalls that feed two calves each. So Dad put two lights per stall. We also added plug-in florescent lights (3) on the back wall.

It is nice to be able to see. And it appears that we need to paint again.

Good-bye, Velma.

2009-09-25T08:15:00.002-05:00

Velma has failed to calve twice now. So we are taking her to the sale barn.

Two spring calves are going also. They are ones we won't be showing next year. We don't have pasture to feed them out. Someone at the sale will buy them and put them in their herd.

Dad is registering us for the North American show in Nov. We will not be done harvesting corn by then. So it will be strange leaving in the middle of harvest.

Time for Wordless Wednesday (WW)

2009-09-23T09:58:00.002-05:00

Death of a Barn

2009-09-21T08:35:00.003-05:00

Every week somewhere in the U.S. a barn dies. They give shelter, store feed and bedding to all species of domestic and pestilent animals. Barns represent all that is good and wholesome in America. But time marches on. Deterioration overwhelms the cost of improvements. So another barn meets its demise.

As Promised...

2009-09-18T10:16:00.003-05:00

Here are the pictures of the kids baling hay. We only did about 4-5 rack loads. Dad says the hay is in "cherry" condition.

Don't be fooled. Dad road the rack most of the time while Z drove. Also it was only 75 degrees out. But now the boys are praying the round baler keeps working. So they don't have to go back out.

Baling hay...

2009-09-16T08:04:00.004-05:00

this week. I will take some pictures to post on Friday. This will be our last cutting for this year.
This picture was taken by one of our farms. Dad was mowing. We went to pick him up to eat supper at the Boar's Nest. The sunset just happen to be worth taking a picture of.

Newest addition to the herd

2009-09-11T09:31:00.003-05:00

We bought Eclipse at a cattle sale last weekend. She was just about the only one we were looking at to buy. She is a Dec. calf. So that limits her to the shows that will have classes for her to show. She is very gentle and tamer than the other heifers that have been her all their lives.

Their own little space

2009-09-09T10:23:00.004-05:00

One of our steers had an accident in the creep feeder. We removed the bars on the front of the feeder and placed it into a creep/corral area that dad helped us build.

It measures 16'x14'. There is plenty of room for the young heifers and steers to gather and eat some creep feed.

The little guys can have a place to get away from their pushy and demanding mothers.

Photo contest entry: Saphire

2009-09-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

Hot Blue

entry for photo contest at ACowboysWife

Bella places second

2009-09-07T11:54:00.003-05:00

at the livestock judging contest this weekend in the senior division (12 and older). There were about 40 kids in this division. This is the highest she has placed at a contest. We are very proud of her.

Livestock Judging

2009-09-04T09:34:00.003-05:00

We are going to a judging contest tomorrow. These contests really help us to tell a good animal from a bad. It can be tough sometimes. What someone else sees in an animal might be different for another person. It takes a lot of practice. Luckily there is only cattle at this contest. Sheep and pigs are hard for us to judge because we aren't around them as much.

We just read the results from the state 4-h livestock judging contest that was in June. Our 4h took three junior teams and finished 7th, 8th, and 12th out of 38 teams. This was amazing since some of the members had not competed before.

You can try a little judging yourself. Click the graphic at the top and there are lessons at the bottom of the page.

Field Trip

2009-09-02T04:00:00.000-05:00

Heading out to the Farm Progress Show today. With this cool weather and no one even thinking of getting in the fields, the crowds should be tremendous. There isn't much livestock equipment on display. Though Blackhawk Comm. College has horse back riding and roping which are fun. The best part is taking the day off of school.

What steers are made for...

2009-08-31T12:34:00.002-05:00

Dad just returned from the locker with a side of beef. This should make shopping and meal planning slightly easier. People ask how we can eat our steers? Don't you become attached to them? Yes, but we know that they serve a purpose. They are raised to become meat. We take care of them the best we can while they are on our farm. Then they fulfill their purpose to provide for us nutritionally. It is very simple and basic.

Upclose shot

2009-08-28T05:35:00.000-05:00

of a proud dad. He even thought of having Z and Bella wear the same shirt. Duchess and her calf are now weaned and in separate lots. We are thinking about keeping the bull calf intact to sell semen when he is old enough. This all depends on a few things. So we will see how it goes. We did have lots of compliments on him. And he did win reserve in his division in the open show.

Bella wins with Louise

2009-08-26T08:36:00.006-05:00

Correction made: Louise won reserve inher division at the state fair. A division is made up of the winners of 9 classes. Then the division winners go into the champion drive. We were very happy with how Louise showed. Earlier in the year, she didn't look that great. But she sure has changed.

She is the one if you remember with the stubborn streak.

Champion Aged Cow/Calf Pair

2009-08-24T10:52:00.002-05:00

Land of Lincoln Champion Cow/Calf pair in the Open show

Grand Champion Aged Performance Cow/Calf pair in the junior show. In the junior show the judge looks at performance records of the cow for placings.

Not to brag or anything, but...

2009-08-19T09:53:00.002-05:00

Here is what we won at the State Fair this year. We are extremely happy with how well the cattle showed. And that the judges liked them. Underneath the ribbons is the Governer's Punch bowl that Z won with Dutchess and her calf. He also won Land of Lincoln Champion Cow/calf in the open. Will add more pictures soon. We are off to look at some heifers for next show season.

Bella wins big too!

2009-08-15T10:10:00.003-05:00

Bella won Reserve Division Champion Jan-April Percentage Simmental Heifer with Louise. She beat two nationally ranked heifers. Z won his class with his bull calf and was reserve calf division champion. Theo won his class with Padmay. Pictures to come soon. We are all very tired today. Tomorrow will be our last show day. It starts early in the morning.

Z wins a silver bowl!!

2009-08-13T21:58:00.003-05:00

Z won Grand Champion Overall Aged Cow/Calf with Duchess and her bull calf in the State 4-H. It is very exciting to win this. Dad about cried. Bella showed the cow and Z the calf. They did a very good job. The cow and calf behaved well. We will have pictures up as soon as we can. When kids win grand champion in the state fair they get a silver punch bowl and plate. It is quite an honor. We had lots of "Congratulations" on the way back to the barn. We even had people come to our stalls and wanted to buy the calf to show next year. Very fun.

Tomorrow Z will show two heifers in the Jr. Simmental show and the same bull as above in the percentage Simmental open show. Bella and Theo will show in the percentage open show. Bella has one heifer in the Maine Anjou open show. Pretty busy day.

State Fair

2009-08-10T11:48:00.001-05:00

We'll be at the state fair for a week. Will post when possible.

Louise has her moments

2009-08-07T07:36:00.003-05:00

Sometimes Louise has a mind of her own and doesn't want to go for a walk. Hopefully she will get over it and lead better for Bella at the state fair. I am sure Bella will figure something out.

Queen Amidala

2009-08-05T16:51:00.005-05:00

Z will be showing Queenie at the state fair. She is a veteran to the state fair. Here they are showing last year. They both have grown quite a bit since then. Z 4.5 inches and Queenie about 800 pounds. We think she looks nice. Wish them luck next week.

Our 3G Network *

2009-08-03T05:45:00.000-05:00

State fair is just around the corner. So many things to do to be ready. We still have to decide if we are going to take Alabama. Dad says "yes". Bella says "no". Dad has payed for her entry. So he'll probably win that one. Greg will be here Fri. to trim hair. All this week we will be practicing and working with the heifers and bulls. Z is showing a cow calf pair. It should be pretty interesting.
*Title explanation: For those who don't know our last name starts with a G.

Putting up straw video

2009-07-27T05:40:00.000-05:00

Many people who have baled hay as a kid and are now working in town or the city have a romanticized memory of how fun it was. We were even told by a friend that every red-blooded American boy should bale hay once in their lives. (This may solve the entitlement problem we have in the U.S. even among grain farmers.) These fond memories likely stem from the nature of bucking bales. It's hot, sweaty, sticky, itchy, dirty, heavy work. Yet it is simple, basic, and pure work. Nothing technical about it unless the baler breaks down. Plus you work as a team and everybody has a job. There is always someone new who has yet to learn how to use a hook. They get the usual hazing. Everyone has a baling hay story.

But there are less cattle farms lately. Fewer farm kids know how to buck bales. It is harder to find kids who want to do the work. So large round bales and large square bales have replaced the small ones, since only one person is needed to run a tractor to mow,rake, bale, and stack. We still put up straw and hay bales for our cows. The kids complain about "it's hot","I'm tired", "Slow down, Dad". One day they will talk about when they were young baling hay. And tell their kids how good they got it.

It'll make a man outa ya! (WW)

2009-07-22T05:23:00.000-05:00

It was Bella's Day!

2009-07-20T09:04:00.003-05:00

Bella had a great day showing at the Menard County fair. She won Grand Champion Heifer in the 4-H with Louise. Then won reserve champion Simmental heifer in the open show. Bella won the 4-H showmanship and was in the top 4 in the junior show. Her bull, Stargazer, won champion Simmental bull in the open show.

Bella showed her steer, Rhett, and won champion Simmental steer in 4-H. In open they won reserve champion Simmental steer.

Z won champion cow/calf over all in 4-h and open. With Queenie, he won reserve champion over all in 4-H show. With his bull, he won champion all other breeds in the open.

Theo won his class with Victoria in the 4-h and open. He had tough competition from his brother and sister.
Good job guys!

We'll be

2009-07-17T06:30:00.002-05:00

at the fair all day and tomorrow. Here are some pictures of last year's fair:

First place goes to
Animal Sale
Showmanship

Fair Time

2009-07-15T07:13:00.004-05:00

Another picture of some round bales loaded on a flatbed trailer. Greg came over and trimmed the show heifers and Bella's bull, Stargazer. We'll put a picture up of him after he's all gussied up. The heifers have all changed. The ones we thought were okay are really looking good. And one we thought was pretty nice, we are thinking of leaving home. The steers are large to say the least. Seriously ready for market.

This morning we are taking in our other 4H projects. Z is taking corn. Bella photography. And Theo some birds' nests for Wildlife. When we get back we will work with the calves some more. Dad is going to trim the cow/calf pair that Z will be showing and the steers. It rained 2" last night so we won't be baling straw.

Junior Simmental National Classic Results

2009-07-14T11:39:00.003-05:00

The Simmental Assoc. finally posted the results from the Junior National Classic that was in Indiana. Many visitors have been directed to our blog searching for the results. So we are posting them for you.

Results
Bella and Theo must not have done so well. But this was their first time. So next year they should do much better. Many of our friends from our state did do well and were in the top 20 often. Great job, guys. We had a good time anyway.

Big Round Bales

2009-07-13T09:09:00.004-05:00

All day Saturday, Mom and Dad moved these round bales from the field and lined them up by the pastures. There are 110 here. Theo is running on top of them. We need about 90 more to get us through the winter to have enough feed for the cows. We will be baling up wheat straw this week in round and square bales.

4-H show in one week

2009-07-11T06:44:00.002-05:00

We have our 4-H show in one week. So it is time to break a few more calves (bulls) that we decided to show. They are doing pretty well. But we will need to keep working with them. They have changed the beef show again this year. Everything will be shown on Saturday. The 4-h kids will show at 8am. Then the junior/open will show after that. This means it will be about 5 or 6:pm before the whole thing is done. Hopefully it will be decent weather.

Day trip

2009-07-08T08:04:00.004-05:00

A couple of pictures of our day trip to see a friend's heifers. Couldn't decide which ones we could agree on. So will likely have to go back to look again. Today Dad and the boys are taking the show heifers to get thier hooves trimmed. Mom stays home to keep an eye on the bulls/steers we weaned yesterday. They are pretty noisy. One bull escaped and found his momma but had to be returned to the pen.

A Little Funny

2009-07-07T12:28:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th, everyone!

2009-07-04T05:55:00.000-05:00

photo by stuckincustoms

Jr Simmental National Classic

2009-07-03T05:32:00.000-05:00

We returned from the national classic Wed. but it is just finishing up today. We couldn't go the full time because we had farming to do. The wheat was ready to cut and hay needed to be baled. This is the picture of the show ring with some of the kids getting ready for the judging contest.

Here Bella is about to judge a pen of calves. Everyone starts out with their back to the ring.

Theo is looking over another pen of cattle. Besides judging they did public speaking, sales pitch, and cattleman's quiz.

Just a friendly reminder (WW)

2009-07-01T05:19:00.000-05:00

Simmental Jr. Nationals

2009-06-29T05:42:00.000-05:00

Heading out to Jr. nationals this weekend. Bella and Theo will be going for three days. Z is going to be at fishing camp. This will be our first time to attend nationals. We won't be taking any cattle. But Mom signed us up for other activities such as sales talk, judging, and presentation. Everyone tells us it's a lot of fun. So we will see for ourselves. Next year maybe we'll go for the whole week and take a few calves.

Nose ring and tatoo

2009-06-27T08:16:00.003-05:00

Are okay if you are talking about bulls. Stargazer is one of our spring bulls that will remain a bull. We plan on showing him this year. He is one of the best bulls we have raised so far. Most Simmental breeders like the blaze on the face. So he's got it all.

The boys earned their MBA's

2009-06-25T14:05:00.008-05:00

Z and Theo earned their Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) yesterday at the graduation and commencement.
MBA is a program put on by the beef checkoff. They took 6 courses with homework and quizzes done online. Their final was performing a mock interview. Now Z and Theo are to go out and talk about beef. They are to tell their story about how they raise their cattle. It shouldn't be too hard. They do this all the time now. Who knows how far they'll go with their degrees from the Beef University. They didn't have to go into debt either. Good job, guys.

One Hot Show

2009-06-23T09:51:00.004-05:00

Here are the results of the county fair show this past weekend. There were a bunch of Simmentals at the fair. The classes were large. The March class that Bella won her second place had about 18 calves in it. Z showed really well also. He has really improved this year in his showing. The weather was miserably hot and humid. But we think it was a successful show for us.

Goin' Showin'

2009-06-19T10:36:00.006-05:00

We are off to a county fair show this weekend. Today we are loading the "stuff". Nothing about cattle showing is light.In the back of the truck we have a show chute, fans, mats, side gates, straw, buckets, chairs, pitch forks, shovel, wheel barrow, and chain bucket.

In the cattle trailer, we put the ramps, show box, generator, fans, blowers, dolly, another show box, and up in the nose is feed, and hay. These are the usual things we take to shows. Tomorrow we will get up around 4:30 am to feed the calves before loading and taking off. Hopefully we will not forget anything.

Betsy grazing

2009-06-17T08:46:00.005-05:00

A very calming sound. Isn't it?

Tough Simmental Show

2009-06-15T06:29:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was the Jr. Simmental Preview Show. Simmental cattle from all over the state were brought in for the juniors to show and prepare for the nationals and summer shows. We had a second and a couple of thirds. Theo is in the middle showing Victoria in this purebred May class.

Z is showing Queenie in the showmanship class. She behaved very well for him. She hasn't been shown since the state fair last August. Below Bella is showing Louise in the percentage March class. She is Canadian born calf. Louise needs a little more work. She kept wanting to go out the door when Bella walked her by.

Calf Playground

2009-06-10T07:30:00.002-05:00

We piled up the straw and corn stalks that we had put down this past winter for the cows to lay in. It turned out to be a large pile of $%#@. We are not able to haul it out right now.

The calves think it is their play ground. They run, climb, and push each other around just like on a real kids' playground.

Do you think they will miss it when it's gone?

Getting ready

2009-06-08T08:14:00.003-05:00

We have the Jr. Simmental preview show this weekend. To get ready we will get health papers, trim hair, walk the calves, practice setting them up, ect. Our last show was the first of April. So we are excited to show again. The calves are looking good. Hopefully we will be able to place high with them.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T07:07:00.004-05:00

It's a struggle

2009-06-01T12:30:00.005-05:00

Farming much of the time is a struggle. Number one on any farmer's list is WEATHER. We just finished corn planting today which is extremely late. With rain every week for three months, we had to work hard to get it done. So much is out of our hands. Bella is struggling with Mandy. The cattle are a different kind of struggle. Most things that go right or wrong can point directly to management. The things that go wrong are more noticable than when things go right. When things go right, situations seem normal. The cattle are where they are supposed to be. They are healthy and behave well. Life is good. Let's just focus on those times when things go right. And try to notice them more.

Another video of our planter

2009-05-27T09:07:00.003-05:00

We had more rain Monday and Tuesday. So planting is delayed yet again. It is very discouraging. We are praying that we have as little re-plant as possible. June 5 is our cut off date for corn. Then any field left to plant will go to soy beans.