The first night I was away last week I couldn’t sleep, not just because I was leaving the farm at a busy time but the Toronto traffic kept me up. I decided to look in on the barn cameras and Debbie had a calf on my first night away.
Of course, it had to be at 3 a.m., but all was well. The next calf didn’t arrive until I was nearly back in Winnipeg on Thursday. It was a huge relief having the girls watch cows while I was away. I didn’t spend a bunch of time looking at cameras because I knew they had things under control and really what was I going to do about it being across the province.
I have 10 calves and my due date was Saturday, so things are moving along nicely. When we preg-checked last fall Dr. Stacey told me that she felt I was going to be “front heavy”—meaning lots of calves right off the hop.
I only had a couple hours of sleep last night as I had a cow taking some time to calve and once she was finished, I brought a heifer in that I ended up having to pull. She seemed to have the feet and head all trying to pop out together and there just wasn’t enough room. It went well and they are both doing well. Best part, she loves her new role as a momma cow.
My barn is full tonight, so I am hoping for a calmer night but that might not be the case as I will be out tripping around the frozen turds every couple of hours making sure all is safe.
As for the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) annual general meeting, it was great. There was some concern about the weather in the south on Wednesday, but it seems like everyone was able to make it in. This year they did offer a small percentage of virtual seats, but they were not all filled as most people would rather be there in person.
The new president is Jason Lablonde, a fellow Northerner. He and his family farm are near North Bay. The guest speakers were excellent and the voting system they are using is top-notch. The system is set up that you just vote on your phone. No more ballots and instant results. Katie Hay and Bennet Krahn attended their first BFO AGM and I think they enjoyed themselves.
My oldest niece Maddie was awarded with a plaque at her game in Wisconsin on Saturday for her 1000th college career save. She was also the first star at the game on Friday night and third star on Saturday. She had a great weekend and Shane and my mom were able to get to see her play. Marlee celebrated her senior night at the Muskie game on Sunday along with Blair and Shaina. It is hard to believe these girls are all grown up!
February is pretty much over, and our days are getting noticeably longer. March can bring us some miserable weather, but I am hoping for a nice month, and we will ease our way right into April. That’s not asking much!
