How great is this sunshine at this time of the year? It certainly makes you feel like we are headed in the right direction. I hope it stays cool enough to keep the barn yard frozen but warm enough we can take off some of our layers of clothing.
I have made it past the half-way mark of calving and am looking forward to getting closer to single digits left. I am not quite there. Most days I have been getting two and it has been quite enjoyable giving the cows and calves just enough time in the barn to dry off and then head back outside. The sunshine and fresh air are so good for them. My barn was a mess this morning with a couple big cows that calved yesterday so I took the time to clean up some calving pens. I think I had about 20+ loads of manure to wheelbarrow out. They don’t enjoy a messy pen so once things were cleaned up and dry straw put in, they were enjoying their barn time. I had a cow this morning that gave me a chuckle. She was standing off in the far corner of the barn yard. She wanted in last night but I didn’t think she was quite ready. I went and got her and she trekked to the barn quickly. She is an old-timer so I didn’t need to bring her in through my regular route, I just opened the main barn-yard gate and she came through. I went to open barn door but the rubber on the bottom was froze. She patiently waited while I went through the other door, turned on the lights and lifted the door up with a shovel. She could have been running down the road but she stood waiting for me to get things ready. She came in and calved about half an hour later.
On March 27, at the Sales Barn, we are hosting an information night on pre-vaccination. We will be joined by Dr. Stacey Angus and Dan Fergeson from the Beef Farmers of Ontario (he will join in via zoom). Across Canada there are many calf clubs promoting pre-vaccinated cattle and using a set out protocol that is designed by your veterinarian. Many people ask; does it bring more $? At times you see that. One of the things that I can say is following a vaccine program using Live Vaccines and actually cheaper than using Killed Vaccines. It may not be of interest to everyone but we would like to host an information session so you can ask questions and see if this would fit for your operation.
James has agreed to come back for one more year at the Sales Barn. We are looking for an Assistant Manager for him. We realize that Sales Barn Manager job is a bit intimidating so we think having someone work with James for a year is likely a wise way to fill the position. We don’t want James working so hard but he will be the main point of contact. If you are interested in the Assistant position please reach out to Murray McDonald.
If you haven’t been to Rainy River Meats lately, please take some time to go check out some of their new products. The new owners are making some changes and so far, all that I have tried have been excellent! We all know supporting local is where it is at!
