Farm & Ranch
AG Elsewhere : Montana
Photo & Description by Jean Stimpson
ICE, ICE…CHOP!
“Our temperature today as I write this is 10 degrees Fahrenheit,” said Montana rancher’s wife, Jean Stimpson in early February. Depicting the picture she said, “The creek freezes over and we have to chop ice for the cows to water. Besides feeding hay everyday when the temps drop into the single digits, we also feed straw before it gets dark. It gives them warm bedding to lay on and a little something to munch on.” Stimpson added, “It’s interesting to watch the cows when it gets really cold, they group-up and mill around each other, working their way from the middle to the outside as the ones in the middle warm up and move to the outside to allow those to push to the middle so they can warm up.” As March arrives, temperatures can get up into the 30s and 40s, which then causes the ice on the creek to start breaking up. However, Stimpson said that can cause other problems, like when trying to cross the creek or ice jams, causing flooding. Stimpson concluded saying, “March is when we start calving this year, hoping for not-so-cold of weather. We love calving season and the promise of spring!”
To read more pick up a copy of the March 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Spring has sprung and hopefully the rains will continue where our country will heal from the previous droughts and our grasses will thrive. We are especially hopeful for the Panhandle of Texas where our neighbors and friends have been dealt a deadly blow to homes, ranges, livestock, and people. Keep them in your prayers as they will not be able to return to normal for many years if at all. Having lost their ability to benefit from this great cattle market is a double whammy for all of them.
Now is the time of year when we need to take care of business as it relates to our new calves that have been hitting the ground this spring. First and foremost is vaccinating for Blackleg followed by deworming with a white wormer and the IBR complex. Blackleg is a soil-born disease and with pastures extremely short this spring our calves have been grazing the green grass as soon as it shows itself, making them even more vulnerable to picking contaminates from the soil.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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