A Land of Plenty this year

[Anonymous]

Earlier in the week my 12 year old granddaughter Leinie went out with me about 5AM and moved some of the cows from a pasture of plenty- to a pasture of even more belly deep creek bottom grass... Much of this creek is sub irrigated so if I can get the cows in there- the grass continues growing...Usually I can allow cows to go back and forth with an underpass on the highway--But have been unable to because of the flooding on the creek... I need to DNA some heifers- so wanted to get them closer to a corral too...

Getting some lined out in the right direction

Picked up some new ones at a water hole that usually isn't a water hole...

After about a mile and half trail- the cows reached a land of plenty

WCR Mary 845U never saw this much grass before at Taylors or my place...

 

[NUFFIELD]

Those are fantastic photos, I love the big open countryside.
You guys would really feel hemed in here in Ireland with our hedges and small farms .average size 150 acres .
If i had a ranch like that I would think i had died and gone to heaven

 

[I Luv Herfrds]

Looking good OT.
Hows the clean up going over? Is Ft Pecks overflow still going?

Nuffield OT's area got over their average rainfall for the year in just a matter of a few months. They are living in good grass this year. Normally that is a very arid area.
Betting his cows are going nuts.

 

[Mike]

Those are fantastic photos, I love the big open countryside.
You guys would really feel hemed in here in Ireland with our hedges and small farms .average size 150 acres .
If i had a ranch like that I would think i had died and gone to heaven

How about sharing some pictures of your country?

 

[andybob]

Can't go wrong with all that grass OT, are you putting up hay, or can you stockpile winter foggage in your area?

 

[George]

Those are fantastic photos, I love the big open countryside.
You guys would really feel hemed in here in Ireland with our hedges and small farms .average size 150 acres .
If i had a ranch like that I would think i had died and gone to heaven

I'll bet with smaller acerages you take care of your ground. My son bought 80 acres that was devided into 4 fields with fence rows about 150' wide as the farmer just planted less each year as the trees grew out into the fields. He planted 42 acres according to the monitor the first year. After a little work with an excavator and bull dozer he now plants 78 acres.

Many of the farms we rent are about as bad when we first get them. We get long term contracts and go in and make show places of them - - - Many of the land lords don't charge us for the extra acerage the first few years in gratitude for the extra work we do. We get calls from people all the time wanting to rent ground to us and if we have the capacity and do not have a relationship to the person currently renting the ground we will take it on. If the current tennant is a friend of ours we will try to work with them and show them how much extra money they can make by maintaining the place as if they owned it.

Most of the landlords had cattle decades ago but have not had cattle in several decades but the land is still devided into many small fields by old falling down fences and trees - - - it is much more productive to farm one or two large fields and that allows us to do drainage work as well and we can take a farm that has had modest yields and get high yields and good profit quickly.

 

[Anonymous]

Looking good OT.
Hows the clean up going over? Is Ft Pecks overflow still going?

Nuffield OT's area got over their average rainfall for the year in just a matter of a few months. They are living in good grass this year. Normally that is a very arid area.
Betting his cows are going nuts.

Yep-- lots of years the cows spend their time hunting for a good spear of grass!! And would kill for grass that high :wink:

But "shortgrass country" can perform when it gets the moisture...

An oldtime cowboy named Tony Garci was an acquaintance/tutor of my Dads when Dad was just a young fella-- and he told Dad that when he came north with the first cattle herd to our creek- the grass was much like this...Tony was a shortlegged fellow and always rode a tall horse- but said the heads of the grass was above the stirrups.... This year is about the best I've seen...

Chris--I think the lake is still spilling- but at lower amounts as they are getting ahead of the Missouri runoff...

Andy- we will probably start cutting tomorrow on the river bottom... There is a nice little hayfield next to the pasture in the picture that looks good too- and should produce better than it ever has...

 

[NUFFIELD]

Those are fantastic photos, I love the big open countryside.
You guys would really feel hemed in here in Ireland with our hedges and small farms .average size 150 acres .
If i had a ranch like that I would think i had died and gone to heaven

I'll bet with smaller acerages you take care of your ground. My son bought 80 acres that was devided into 4 fields with fence rows about 150' wide as the farmer just planted less each year as the trees grew out into the fields. He planted 42 acres according to the monitor the first year. After a little work with an excavator and bull dozer he now plants 78 acres.

Many of the farms we rent are about as bad when we first get them. We get long term contracts and go in and make show places of them - - - Many of the land lords don't charge us for the extra acerage the first few years in gratitude for the extra work we do. We get calls from people all the time wanting to rent ground to us and if we have the capacity and do not have a relationship to the person currently renting the ground we will take it on. If the current tennant is a friend of ours we will try to work with them and show them how much extra money they can make by maintaining the place as if they owned it.

Most of the landlords had cattle decades ago but have not had cattle in several decades but the land is still devided into many small fields by old falling down fences and trees - - - it is much more productive to farm one or two large fields and that allows us to do drainage work as well and we can take a farm that has had modest yields and get high yields and good profit quickly.

well most of our hedges nowadays are protected by law. we cant remove them unless we replant, also rectricted when we trim them .some area only every second year and always sept to feb.
Costs us $2000 a year for trimming, cant afford to have them growing over fields.
Luckily i removed a lot before these rules came in

 

[George]

Can you trim them back a little each year untill they are gone?? We had to get permission to take the fence rows out - - - The powers that be decided one field had a 1 acre "wetland" that cannot be disturbed but when I ask them to come to the property as I could not find a wetland they got very upset.

Somebody years ago put in writing there was a wetland and weather we can find it or not I must leave 1 acre undisturbed! I had to file an official request so they would send someone out to mark it off. When the man got there he could not find one either so he went about 1/2 way west on the south line and decided it was there - - - I think he put it there to be as inconvient as possible to me!

One of the dumbest rules we have here is if we clear the banks of a "waterway" ( I prounance it ditch ) you must leave the stumps for 3 years then you can remove the stumps - - - - I have ask what the reasoning is for this as I disturb much more dirt digging out the stumps as I would if I could just push them over 45 degees and then lift the root ball out.

But I follow the rules like a good little boy!

 

[NUFFIELD]

Can you trim them back a little each year untill they are gone?? We had to get permission to take the fence rows out - - - The powers that be decided one field had a 1 acre "wetland" that cannot be disturbed but when I ask them to come to the property as I could not find a wetland they got very upset.

Somebody years ago put in writing there was a wetland and weather we can find it or not I must leave 1 acre undisturbed! I had to file an official request so they would send someone out to mark it off. When the man got there he could not find one either so he went about 1/2 way west on the south line and decided it was there - - - I think he put it there to be as inconvient as possible to me!

One of the dumbest rules we have here is if we clear the banks of a "waterway" ( I prounance it ditch ) you must leave the stumps for 3 years then you can remove the stumps - - - - I have ask what the reasoning is for this as I disturb much more dirt digging out the stumps as I would if I could just push them over 45 degees and then lift the root ball out.

But I follow the rules like a good little boy!

Well you would follow the rules here too. They would cut off our supsidy if caught messing . Its all to help the enviorment