Rain and Moonbeam
Star, Moonbeam, Rain, Wizard with 7 & 2-11 in the background.
Rain is the beautiful all red calf on the right, her bother is the red and white calf on the left. Moonbeam spent three weeks on mom helping her recover from a broken hip with hope she could return to the milking unit once she recovered. Rain is a smart calf. She had been here a less then 3 days and she come to her name. The twins was born May 31, 2010, they are Guernsey. Rain is what is called a free-martin heifer in that her twin was a male.
These two tasted so very good and the clients called for more as good, young fully grass feed beef offers higher levels of many nutrients then the feedlot grain finished beef we often see in the stores. We will from time to time have beef available. We currently plan on selling our beef by the half, but would consider ground beef orders by the pound or mixed cut box sales if we get any orders near the time we have finished cattle ready to be butcher. We are looking to expand our cattle operation. We are finding them practical. Dan had raised cattle and dairy cattle in his youth, taken dairy and cattle courses in college. Robin had only worked on farms with a few cattle as a side venture for the farm. Her mother had a cattle herd when she married her father before changing over to nearly 100% to sheep when Robin was about 4 back in 1963. I can remember sitting on the benches at the unheated Corvallis Oregon Auction Yard which were held on a Friday when it was up and running and mom telling me not to move because she did not want to be surprised by a purchase she did not want. Zero movement was allowed. She would send me out for a warm drink, if I behaved, staying still during the sale. We went there for what seems weeks in a row. I can remember loading sheep late, late at night after dad got home from his job on another farm into the trucks for our farm. Robin's family nearly always had a head or two cattle for beef on their farm yet Robin's chores was aimed more towards the sheep and small livestock. Robin has had something of a learning curve with cattle. Thank goodness to the years Dan put into raising beef and dairy cattle on his family's farm, 4-H, FFA, livestock judging, and agricultural college courses.
 QT and Irish Dexter heifer
Our lives have livestock go in and out of it. Take QT our Irish Dexter heifer. Loved her but how many times can we go fix the fences she up rooted or bring her back from the neighbors as she jumped over the fences to be with their steers. She went to a good rancher family who were building up their own Dexter herd with better fences and less fussy neighbors as each time QT jumped the fence it scared the neighbor lady so to be good neighbors some times you fuss with the livestock you have and what you should to keep for the sake of the neighborhood even though we live in open range area. Life is not always far even though we would like it to be more fair in our own eyes than what seems far to others. Hey a body can dream. One day we will find a polled Dexter and then we will try again or the neighbors could move and give us their place. It could happen.
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I am king of the food dish!!!!
Training is not always dress your best or look your best times no matter what your style.
I have barn envy. I would love a barn of size, stature and substance alas a new big barn is way down our list even below the covered working pen area we so need to keep herding lessons available year round. Therefore on drives to here and there we will stop and stare at barns, speaking out loud our dreams for our barns sooner rather than later we say to each other but knowing it is only a wish on the big life wish list.
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QT was really easy to keep feed wise plus she really did not tear up the wet ground more slow draining clay than loam or sandy ground we experience around here in the winter. She was only about 3 and a half feet tall at 2 years old nearly full grown. No foot rot problems, she was light enough not to sink into her knees but still a nice built meat carcass cow. She was an in your pocket cow which we could turn our back to as she never was aggressive with her horns even though she could have been.
So now we have two cows we can saw wow we raise cattle cause it just is not as impressive to say we raise a cow. Cami is such a funny girl. She has most of the time one speed very slow move at my speed not yours. You talk to her she moos back but now we have created a mess cause if we do not talk to her she moos until we do. She was really missing QT started jumping into that neighbor's field eating hay with the neighbor's steers in their barn. We now have a steer of her own to keep her happy and to provide feed for us once he gets some size on him. Pictures to follow as Roan is a pretty thing for a Holstein steer. Red and white his hide will grace our floor or wall one day I hope. I know you are to name your livestock things like T-bone and ham Sammy, but alas in the late winter early spring when you are hauling load after load of hay to the feed bunk in the dark while it is raining still again after it rained all day for the last 20 days in the row, you say hey guy, you are not that cute any more plus I am tired of slipping in the mud, landing on by rear in the wet mud to bring you food to eat, lets us switch this up.