Making Hay While The Sun Shines............Or New Ranch Pics

[Ranchy]

For the first time in about 3 weeks, we have sunshine and no rain here.........so we got busy and branded a bunch of the calves that Papa (FIL) and Al have been taking care of........being the good mom/4-H leader that I am, I took pics for Al's record book, and have decided I'll let ya'll have a peek too!


Sign to the place where we branded

Getting ready to come through the gate onto the highway

Crossing the highway

Most are across the road and through the other gate

Getting the straggler headed the right direction.......again.........

Separating the cows from the calves, or cutting the cows off. They have some really decent corrals to work in, something you don't always see.

Progress is being made

Al tries to head one off and turn it back

Hubby on Alex, and Papa on Badger (who is Peachy's baby's daddy)

Tom, the boss, giving out jobs for the branding........Hubby and Papa are both about 6', I think they said Tom is 6'6"........I know he makes em all look a little squatty........lol

And the first one comes into the chute

A couple of the horses down there.......the sorrel is just a 2 year old colt, and a little flighty.....

Al, pushing the calves up to the chute

The one we were waiting for.........the last one to brand

It's all over, but the shouting

After they turned the calves back with their mamas, they hauled them to another pasture. I got to bring Papa up to get his pickup and trailer, so just came on to the house, since I was almost here anyway........No more good photo ops today, and it's starting to cloud up again, sounds like we're in for another week + of this wet stuff........

 

[Faster horses]

I wish we could compain about rain, ranchy. No such luck. Your pastures look so nice and green and the cows and horses are slick and shiney.

You brand in a regular squeeze chute? When were those calves born?

Thanks!

 

[HAY MAKER]

You sure look like you have gotten some good rains,plenty green around,kinda unusual for Western New mexico ?
Thanks for sharing your day,good looking cattle and looks like yall had plenty help...........good luck

 

[ranchwife]

Ranchy---good-looking crew, good-looking cattle and good-looking GREEN pastures!! Looks as though you all really needed all that moisture you have been getting!! Thanks for sharing the pix with all!!

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Neat pictures and it is pretty and green there.

You mentioned taking pictures for Al's 4H record book. I'm just curious, we do record books too, but the photo's for the most part hafta be pictures of the projects, animals etc that Lil Lilly does. What part of the record book are you using the pictures for? Do you use them as a method demonstration? or what?

 

[Ranchy]

FH, the stock are all in great shape! I was plumb pleased at how well the cattle all looked, and we see the horses all the time, so don't really think about it, but they look pretty darned good, too!
I'd never been to a branding where they did things like they did yesterday.........they never cut a bull calf :shock: or dehorned any of them :shock: ...............just put them in the chute, tagged them (I think they must have been insect repellant tags, cause I never saw a number or letter on one of them :???: ), gave them a dose of blackleg vaccine, slapped a brand on them, and turned them out......... :? The chute worked pretty well for the bigger calves, I guess they were ones that were born shortly after they branded last time, or missed. The first one, a black baldy bull, was pretty near as big as some of the yearling heifers down there. However, the smaller calves were pretty much lost in there.......even with the chute squeezed as tight as they could get it, they still kinda flopped around. And their heads were much too small for the headgate.....so those were kinda hard to catch up with from time to time. But it's what they had to work with, and the way Tom wanted it done, so............

HAY MAKER, we have gotten some excellent rains. Usually this part of NM is pretty green, back when Hubby and I first moved back here after we got married, it was nothing unusual to have grass up to a horse's belly. Then we went through a dry cycle, which lasted about 10 or 11 years...I know Al was just a young kid not even in school yet, when it started. I'm hoping that we're kinda starting to swing back to the normal rainfall. One of our neighbors said that they've gotten right at 14" of rain since 7-22. I don't know if we've gotten that much here, I quit even trying to keep track when we got up around 8"..............but we've really had some good rains! And yep, we needed em............it's wonderful to look at pics I took the beginning of summer, and then see what's out there now. It looks so much better now! :nod:

ranchwife, anytime. Sharing pics is one of the things I enjoy most in life! :nod: :lol:

Lilly, Al is taking his SD Cowboy project for the third year, now. So, the pics will go with that portion of his record book. I think this year, he's got 4 SD projects, they really are the best of the best, because you can concentrate on what you want to do, learn, have, etc. And, they are pretty much tieing in together........he's doing the cowboy project under Horse, but the Range Management goes right along with it........same as the Vet Science. His fourth SD project is his Swine Breeding project. In addition to the SD projects, he's also doing/done the Cattle Breeding, Market Swine, the first two Vet Sciences, and Meals Outdoors (which we thought was going to be like Dutch oven cooking, and stuff like that). It isn't, but he's had some fun with that project, too.......:nod: The kid turned out one tasty yummy Pineapple Upside Down Cake the other day, one of the things he's got to take to the fair to complete his project. I bought enough ingredients that he can practice twice, and have one to take and enter. One down, one to go, then the final cake.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Do they sell their cakes? Here they do if it places in the top 4 overall, Jr and senior divisions. so there's 8 that make the sale total. LOL then you hafta make another one for the sale.

SD ? Only thing I can fit that is South Dakota and I know that aint right. When you say SD Senior Division? Funny how different areas of the country have totally different things the kids can do in 4H. Either that or no one in this area does any thing like what Al's doin. I"m always interested in new and different projects for the kids to look into doing.

 

[Ranchy]

Lilly, I'm sorry............I just figure everyone knows what I'm talkin about, since I do....... In this case, SD is Self Determined......the member decides what they want to do, what they want to learn, etc. and make a project for themselves. I really think it's a great learning experience, and Al has always enjoyed that more than the "regular" projects. Here, you have to be a Senior member to do a SD project, and have to have completed the previous projects. Other than that, you're pretty much on your own.
I forgot that he's got a Shooting Sports SD project this year, too, since he completed it in December....... :roll: He wanted to go elk hunting, get his elk, and he did!
The cake (a 2" square) will come back home, or get tossed. They uncover them, and then the flies and assorted other yucky things, can get on them........so I wouldn't want to try to eat it. I wish they would let them sell them, but the 4-H part of the Fair Barn is so small that there's only room for a sample of the cooking/baking stuff. They even have them limited on the size posters they can enter. Wish we had more room, but till then, we'll have to do things their way. :roll: :?
The only special recognition these guys get with their high point entries, is they get to send it to the State Fair, which would also mean baking another cake. :roll: :lol: :lol:

 

[Mrs.Greg]

Thanks for sharing Ranchy...love looking at others pictures :nod:

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Thank you for explaining that to me. I was soooo lost. (which aint all that unusual ) But that sounds real interesting. I think we do have somethings sorta in that line. Like if the kid wants to learn about veterinarian stuff. But we haven't ever gotten that far that the kids pick those things. They are more interested in the animals, and art projects it seems.

Ours bake cake, pie, whatever, and cut one piece for tasting, and the other is sold right after the judging. Then the kids get premium money. Not alot. The 8 that get top places then make another cake pie or whatever and it's sold at the Big auction. I think Lil Lilly got $42.00 or somethjin like that for her cake and pie she baked this year. When I say premium money, they put a price tag on the item, and the public is welcome to come in and buy.
Be nice to sell somethin at the Big auction tho. Last year a plate of divinity (12 squares) sold for $1100.00 :shock: But then again, sometimes I think that is so unfair to someone that raised an animal and worked 6 mo with it, feedin it etc. and only sell for $600 or so when they aren't in the top of their classes.

 

[Ranchy]

I do, too, Mrs. Greg........it's always so interesting to see how others do things, and where they live...

Lilly, don't worry about it, I know a time or two I've been completely lost on here (like EPDs.......I have no idea what they are :roll: ) but just too chicken to say so....... :lol: I'm just glad that you aren't as big a clucker as I am! :nod: