Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Now that calving is finished until fall, and my father-in-law is back to feeding, my time at the farm has been less lately. The guys are working on hay, but I only get to drive the tractors in case on emergencies, or when one of the kids want a tractor ride. I've been missing those cows!  

Last weekend though, we did something I'm still not sure about. I have 2 favorite cows on the farm: T57 and X40.  Big T is the boss cow. She's also nosey. Whenever we're working, it doesn't take long for Big T to show up at the nearest fence to see what's going on.  X40 is lovable.  And according to numbers published by the Angus Association, she's one of the top 10 cows in the entire country. We've gotten a lot of calls from interested buyers lately. I, however, will not consider selling her.  So last weekend we loaded "Foe-tee" (I often pronounce her number like a gangster) and took her to a facility near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. This place is basically like a fertility clinic for cows.  The vet will flush embryos from her and either freeze them and send them back home with us or put them into recipient cows that will come back to the farm and deliver an X40 calf. In fact, that's how we got X40 herself. We bought half interest in her mother and she came to us via a recip cow along with 2 sisters.  But, that means 40 has to stay in Kentucky for a few weeks. 

Today was the first day I was at the farm since she left, and I have to admit I missed her.  I'm ready to load back up and go get her, and although I'm sure she's being well cared for, I'm quite anxious for the day when she can come back home.  I don't like my cow babies being away from the farm. I'm afraid I might be an over-protective parent of a human child someday....

Early Riser

Anyone who knows me knows I do not enjoy getting up early. I hate my alarm clock. I'm a much more pleasant person when I can wake up on my own. This week, I have been put into the position of being an early riser. My father-in-law typically takes care of the day to day cow feeding.  Unfortunately he had knee surgery this past week and is on crutches. Since I pass the farm every day, it's only logical that I take over the morning feedings on my way to work. And you know what that means...getting up early. 

The first day was definitely the worst. One of our mamas that delivered twins rejected one of them, leaving us with a bottle calf. She's little and can wriggle under fences. And she does. Frequently. Thursday morning she decided it would be a good day to go into an adjoining pasture and play with her twin.  And she wasn't interested in eating. Thursday night she won a pen in the barn. She didn't like it but it made my Friday morning easier. 

While I fully expected to feel like getting up early to go feed was a mild form of torture, I've found I am actually enjoying it. Don't get me wrong, I won't be disappointed when my father-in-law is back in action but for now spending 20 minutes with the cattle in the morning is a peaceful way to begin the day. 

Shoulder Deep

As many of you know, most of our calves are bred through artificial insemination. But my brother-in-law also tries his hand at embryo transferring as well.  That's when a cow is bred and the embryos are harvested, cleaned, and frozen. We could send cows to a business in Iowa called Transova to do it for us, put the embryos in a recipient cow and ship them back, but that process is EXPENSIVE. We've done it before and got my love X40, but for a farm the size of ours it really isn't cost effective. 

So, last week my brother-in -law was attempting to put one of the embryos he harvested last year into a cow. Don't worry, she got a healthy dose of Lidocaine. I was told it would be a good time if I wanted to experience being shoulder deep in...well, you know where. So I gloved up, and I did it!  It was weird. There are several photos where I'm making interesting faces but those won't be posted. It was strange but it was interesting. I think I'd do it again. 

Friday morning the ENTIRE herd got out of their pens and mixed up. It took us over 2 hours to resort and get everything put back. They broke fences.  The pooped in the yard.  They fought. But worst of all, the destroyed my napping spot.

They're lucky I love them!

Still Learning

I was reminded this weekend that I'm still learning. One of the things that bugs my husband the most about my working on the farm is that I get attached to the cows. I can't help it. It's like tempting me with McDonald's Coke and peanut butter cups...irresistible. I tend to make pets out of them and forget that we're a business with limited acres and limited funding. Unfortunately, sometimes, cows have to be sold. While I know it's necessary in my head, I don't think selling my loves is something I'll ever learn to accept without a tear or two.  

Such was the case this weekend. Two of our cows and their calves went to auction. One of the cows was one I was attached to. The city girl in me found it very difficult, even though I knew she was going to another farm rather than...well, you know.  I was not looking forward to the auction Friday night. I said I wouldn't go. There might have been tears. I vowed to never set foot on the farm again.  But in the end, I sucked it up and went. I said goodbye to my cow and was thankful both the cows went to the same farm with one of the babies. The other calf is going to a farm where she'll show on the Jr. Angus tour so she'll be treated like a princess. All's well that ends well. 

On a happier note, I learned how to prep a cow for Artificial Insimination patching. Basically I just got to cut some fur. About 3/4 of our calves are born via Artificial Insimination. When we start the process, we put a patch on their tail heads, and when they come into heat, we are alerted on the office computer. 12 hours later, the cow is bred.  This process is a bit tedious, and while I've been present for at least 90% of the breeding a for the past 6 or 7 years, my role is mostly shuffling cows. My brother-in-law gets the honors of being almost shoulder deep in a cow hind-end.  There has been talk, however, of my learning how to A.I.  I'll post pics if I give this a try.  For now I'm good just knowing how the process works!  

I'll leave you with a photo of my show heifer love, Sweet T. She got to wear her pretty halter for the first time. She didn't seem too happy :)

The Start

Recently, I've gotten a lot of feedback on my farm-related Facebook posts. It's been a lot of fun for me to know how many people read about the idiot things I manage to do and laugh along with me.  I thought it might be a good time to start blogging again to share my adventures.

While growing up I liked to think of myself as a country girl, but my weekends following my grandpa around his farm as a kid wasn't enough to earn that title. I most definitely grew up a city girl.  As a high schooler I announced that I was going to marry a farmer. It wasn't really a decision. It was something I just knew. I'm fairly certain my parents thought I was crazy.  It took awhile but a matchmaking scheme by my grandma turned into a relationship with a Diesel engine worker/cattle farmer.

From pretty early in our relationship, my husband wanted me involved with the cattle. I still remember my first cattle working experience. The cows were much bigger up close than on the opposite side of a fence. Every single one was black. How was I supposed to tell them apart without distinguishing white marks?  Some weren't overly friendly. It was muddy. I had to borrow rubber boots from my dad. I didn't want to look foolish, but I was totally out of my element.  And I was the only girl.

My husband was a patient teacher, and I learned my way around the farm. Pink equipment started to appear.  My dad bought me my own pair of boots.  I slowly learned the ins and outs of working cattle.   I began to get to know a few of the friendlier cows and experienced the excitement of staying up until the wee hours of the morning waiting on new calves to make their appearance.  I've experienced the gruesome and the heartbreaking.   It's taken 7 years but I think I can consider myself a farm girl now.

I've done A LOT of things I never dreamed I'd do, even as I was dreaming of marrying a farmer.  I wash cows on a regular basis.  I learned how to rake hay. I fell face-first off the tractor. I've stuck my fingers up a cows nose, pitch-forked afterbirth, stacked square bales, have pet cows, and literally gotten stuck in the mud.  And I love every minute of it.  Around our farm, there's never a dull moment and I'm always learning something new.