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Mid January 2012 photographs

Soapweed

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
16,264
Location
northern Nebraska Sandhills
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Sundogs
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Left side
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Right side
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Cold country
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The wind finally went down enough to feed.
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A sun cow dog
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Odd shaped sun
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Sun escaping
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While it was cold and stormy my son's built knives. This is Sparky's creation.
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The other side
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Kosmo Kid's kreation
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He did a pretty good job.
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Strawberry cupcake on the move
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Loading bred heifers
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The one who works while other freeze their fingers photographing.
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Counting them in
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One truck loaded
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Ready for the other one
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These are some nice gentle moderate sized heifers, bred to low birthweight Angus bulls. They weigh about 900 pounds now and will
mature to 1200 plus pounds. They should calve in a forty day period from February 20th to the end of March, and will sell Thursday,
January 17th (tomorrow) at Valentine Livestock Auction.
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A kid and a cat
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Birds of a feather
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The cat without the kid
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Cows eating expensive feed
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Cows by Wilson Lake
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Quite a bit of snow melted today.
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Steed with the feed
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They are enjoying life.
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You can call a cow to cake, but you can't make her eat it, too.
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Sunset over Goose Lake
 
Do you ever hook the second bale a little different if you are going a ways? I realize you have the horse to handle the load, but I was just wondering.
Wishing you a good sale tomorrow.
 
Haytrucker said:
Do you ever hook the second bale a little different if you are going a ways? I realize you have the horse to handle the load, but I was just wondering.
Wishing you a good sale tomorrow.

I like to load the first bale with the spinners a bit high. This keeps the bale from rotating and possibly falling apart. It's best to center the spinners on the second bale. If there is only a foot or so of hay between the spinners and the outside edge, the bale can bounce apart going in rough country. By centering the spinners, there is support equally all the way around.
 
Soapweed said:
Haytrucker said:
Do you ever hook the second bale a little different if you are going a ways? I realize you have the horse to handle the load, but I was just wondering.
Wishing you a good sale tomorrow.

I like to load the first bale with the spinners a bit high. This keeps the bale from rotating and possibly falling apart. It's best to center the spinners on the second bale. If there is only a foot or so of hay between the spinners and the outside edge, the bale can bounce apart going in rough country. By centering the spinners, there is support equally all the way around.

Other than fellow Sandhillers with short, slippery swamp hay, I'm likely one of few that know what you are describing.

If you only used netwrap. :wink: :P :lol:

Forgot to wish you good luck at the sale. Any idea what time they might sell? If I'm in I'll watch.
 
gcreekrch said:
Soapweed said:
Haytrucker said:
Do you ever hook the second bale a little different if you are going a ways? I realize you have the horse to handle the load, but I was just wondering.
Wishing you a good sale tomorrow.

I like to load the first bale with the spinners a bit high. This keeps the bale from rotating and possibly falling apart. It's best to center the spinners on the second bale. If there is only a foot or so of hay between the spinners and the outside edge, the bale can bounce apart going in rough country. By centering the spinners, there is support equally all the way around.

Other than fellow Sandhillers with short, slippery swamp hay, I'm likely one of few that know what you are describing.

If you only used netwrap. :wink: :P :lol:

We did use netwrap this summer, and amazingly enough, I like the stuff.
It is easier to get off the bales than twine. The big problem is finding enough room in the pickup cab to put it.
 
Soapweed said:
gcreekrch said:
Soapweed said:
I like to load the first bale with the spinners a bit high. This keeps the bale from rotating and possibly falling apart. It's best to center the spinners on the second bale. If there is only a foot or so of hay between the spinners and the outside edge, the bale can bounce apart going in rough country. By centering the spinners, there is support equally all the way around.

Other than fellow Sandhillers with short, slippery swamp hay, I'm likely one of few that know what you are describing.

If you only used netwrap. :wink: :P :lol:

We did use netwrap this summer, and amazingly enough, I like the stuff.
It is easier to get off the bales than twine. The big problem is finding enough room in the pickup cab to put it.

Crew cab or Super cab truck. Problem solved. Next question?? :wink: :lol:
 
I put a old protein tub in the back that I put used net wrap in. You can make a pretty tight ball if you want. Can't some times if there is still dirt or hay stuck on the stuff. But does take room from the bed of your pickup.

Not to highjack your post but I read a article today that John Deere was coming out with some new net wrap that would last 3-4 years longer and stay tighter on a bale than the old net. The only problem is you only get 30 bales out of a role instead of the 200 you can with the other wrap. But the hay that is wrapped with this new wrap will stay greener longer.
 
that meadow grass is like gold...been seeing ads that guys are wanting $235 /ton for that grass !! for that money, alfalfa looks CHEAP
 
I am familiar with loading bales the careful way, I only asked about the second one on account of the weight all hanging that foot or so higher. I have hauled straw the same as your picture, but alfafa usually had to be pinched a little high to load.
I'm not surprised you like netwrap, did you notice much difference in bales per hour when haying? I was always going to mount a piece of big pipe to the top of the headache rack to stuff removed net in, but if there is any frozen material, that wouldn't work very well.
 
Have you ever thought about using an old underbody tool box for the string/netwrap? You could stuff quite abit in there and it would mount out of the way. Just a thought. And Soap I would love to do what you do every day, instead of being a powerlineman, But I do like what I do and I have a bunch of meat goats so maybe I have it all. Just need more grandbabies, they are a kick.
 
Good luck Soap! I sure hate seeing all these good cows/heifers going to town. Hopefully someone wants them as bad as I know you want to keep them.
 
Nicky said:
Good luck at the sale. Those grandkids are sure cute!! Did you keep some heifers?

Thanks. We kept back some of the bigger heifers, and some of the smaller and less desirable heifers. The 142 head selling at the sale are fairly uniform, moderate, and should make someone some very nice cows on down the road. We also still have at home 23 head of April calvers, and 15 that supposedly won't calve until May. These later calvers are for sale private treaty.

tenbach79 said:
I put a old protein tub in the back that I put used net wrap in. You can make a pretty tight ball if you want. Can't some times if there is still dirt or hay stuck on the stuff. But does take room from the bed of your pickup.

Not to highjack your post but I read a article today that John Deere was coming out with some new net wrap that would last 3-4 years longer and stay tighter on a bale than the old net. The only problem is you only get 30 bales out of a role instead of the 200 you can with the other wrap. But the hay that is wrapped with this new wrap will stay greener longer.

For our purposes, I think I prefer the kind that is available now. If anything, I'd rather that a "solar-degradable" product was available that wouldn't last as long as what is currently available. We used two different kinds of netwrap last year. I like the lighter textured kind the best, as it unwraps off the bale better and takes up less room on the floor of the passenger side of the pickup.

Haytrucker said:
I am familiar with loading bales the careful way, I only asked about the second one on account of the weight all hanging that foot or so higher. I have hauled straw the same as your picture, but alfafa usually had to be pinched a little high to load.
I'm not surprised you like netwrap, did you notice much difference in bales per hour when haying? I was always going to mount a piece of big pipe to the top of the headache rack to stuff removed net in, but if there is any frozen material, that wouldn't work very well.

The netwrap makes baling go very much faster. The Kosmo Kid loves it, and I can't help but think a baler will last a whole lot longer by not having to make nearly as many revolutions. The fact that it is easier to take off the bales is "frosting on the cake." I don't think I'd like it if we were feeding with a processor. It would grind up and create clutter.

dooghi said:
Have you ever thought about using an old underbody tool box for the string/netwrap? You could stuff quite abit in there and it would mount out of the way. Just a thought. And Soap I would love to do what you do every day, instead of being a powerlineman, But I do like what I do and I have a bunch of meat goats so maybe I have it all. Just need more grandbabies, they are a kick.

Dooghi, thank you very much for your service as a power-lineman. The whole world is so very dependent on electricity, and the people that brave all kinds of weather to keep electricity running have my unmost admiration and appreciation. One thing about both of our occupations, being a lineman and ranching, we both get to breathe plenty of good fresh outdoor air. :wink:

BRG said:
Good luck Soap! I sure hate seeing all these good cows/heifers going to town. Hopefully someone wants them as bad as I know you want to keep them.

Thanks for the good wishes, BRG and Justin. They are nice heifers, and I hope they make the buyers some real nice cows. I've talked with nearly everyone who purchased our heifers last year, and they all seem happy with the results.
 
Great pictures! I hope those heifers do great for you at the sale! I sent my application in online for your bred heifer lay-away program..... :D
 
R A said:
Great pictures! I hope those heifers do great for you at the sale! I sent my application in online for your bred heifer lay-away program..... :D

I thought you'd be on your way to buy them in person. :wink:

Oh wait, you've got "people". :lol:
 
gcreekrch said:
R A said:
Great pictures! I hope those heifers do great for you at the sale! I sent my application in online for your bred heifer lay-away program..... :D

I thought you'd be on your way to buy them in person. :wink:

Oh wait, you've got "people". :lol:


:D Yep, ol' two cell phones in each hand up to my ears, three land lines on speaker phone, texting with my toes, RA here.... :D You can't run an operation like mine, gcreek, without having "people" all around the country buying cattle and cattle pots in every state ready to deploy.... :D :D :D

Someday, I might just be headed out there on a day like today.... :D
 
I had the same question about hauling second bale.

I am very fortunate in having winter pasture, feed as supplement and when it's cold. About 8 miles one way or 12 the other. On second bale, I put spinners in the dirt, back up tight against bale and squeeze.

Weight is lower, none is "hung", with 5' bales, sometimes you can open arms and bale don't fall, start back with arms and it does.

I'd hate to quit net wrap, the tieing speed alone is probably worth it, deer bother it less and it keeps better. But--neighbor went to it, said he used to have milk carton on tractor for twine, guess he could mount a 55 gallon barrel for wrap~~! especially with ice it can take up a lot of room. If it's nasty, i just cut it and unroll, pick up yesterdays, cows roll it around and it's way more compact.

Being cheap, i tried the 'bargain brands'---for my very well experienced 535, J.D. wrap is well worth the $$.
 

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