It was a great week at the Emo Agricultural Research Station with Claire and Nick!
Working with summer students every year keeps me young; at least at heart.
We are ready to plant but, of course, we have a tractor breakdown. Funny thing, the tractor was put away last fall working, sat all winter, and then we pull it out to go and there is a problem.
Yes, we have two brand new John Deeres but we need to use our older, smaller tractor for planting.
The John Deere crew was hoping it might be ready to go on Monday. We are crossing our fingers since it is looking like rain could be moving in.
We certainly won’t be finished seeding but we could get a few of our more important trials in the ground. I honestly can say I think this is the nicest conditions we’ve had for spring tillage and fertilizing, and here I am waiting on a tractor.
These is a great example of stress on the farm.
Speaking of stress! On Saturday morning, I went out and did my chores and returned to enjoy my coffee before the crazy day we had planned started. It was the booster vaccine day, sorting cattle into three groups, moving the yearlings in for breeding, and getting the bulls out!
I only have small herd compared to many but it is a big enough job for me and my unpaid farm hands. Keeping the right cows with the right calves takes some work and having a good bull plan to be sure you are not putting daughters with sires takes some organizing–but all manageable.
I made a detailed plan on Excel late Friday night and we had our two breeding pens ready. We started the task by 9:30 a.m. I had my mom and vet cousin, along with her six-year-old daughter, Charlie.
“Roxee” seemed to take the day off but either way, it was girl power!
Because of the situation from the first go around with vaccinating and losing a calf, we were trying to pay closer attention. The only ones receiving a vaccine this time around were calves and yearlings. Of course, the first group that was penned behind us we were not able to see so much.
We stopped a few times and went out to move some cattle around, and we found another beautiful heifer in anaphylactic shock. We quickly found the antidote and injected her. At one point she seemed to be coming around but we lost her.
I killed a perfectly healthy heifer.
We then stopped everything and checked everything over with a fine-tooth comb. We found two others that we were suspicious of, although we might have been just nervous, but we pulled them and treated them and held them for a couple of hours.
I was mad and sad. We work hard to have healthy animals and we were doing the right thing! I now have a young cow that is devastated and it isn’t good for her to be open for a whole year.
I keep very detailed records of my medicine use and I have been using these products since 2008. There was not correlation between cows or sires.
I already have called the drug company and they are going over things with my vet. Either way, this is not fun. It also made for a very long day (we didn’t finish until after 5 p.m. and then there still were a few hours of moving feed around).
I was so worked up about it all that I stayed up until all hours of the night cleaning closets.
I honestly can say that I thought the first time I had this happen was my “once in a lifetime” thing, but having two isn’t sitting well with me.
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How about this weather? It is simply beautiful.
I hope everyone is outside enjoying it because it just doesn’t last long enough.
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Just a reminder–get in touch with me if you are interested in red pine or white spruce seedlings. There are 20 in a bundle for $5 and they should be in by next week!
Text or call me at 275-9706.
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