Saturday pictures, June 30, 2007

[Soapweed]

This bird thinks it is invisible

Trailing escapees back to the pasture where they left

A couple yearling heifers

Meandering along

Pausing for a cool one

Water you can almost eat

Mouthing away the moss

Horseback fencing kit

 

[joaker]

One of the reasons I come to this site is because I really enjoy the pictures all of you post. I'm from the midwest and farmed in the midwest, never in the west. I'm interested in few things. first; does the windmill have a valve or something the shuts the water off when the tank is full? and second what is your stocking rate out there?

 

[Soapweed]

I'm interested in a few things. first; does the windmill have a valve or something the shuts the water off when the tank is full? and second what is your stocking rate out there?

The windmills pump continuously and the tank runs over, unless the windmill is shut off by hand so that the wind cannot turn the wheel. The water overflowing from the tank just soaks right back into the ground, so it ends up being a continuous cycle. There might be a little water lost to evaporation, but that helps in humidifying the surrounding air. :wink: Even if a pasture doesn't have cattle in it, the wildlife appreciates the "oasis" effect. Also having full water tanks prevents the tanks from rusting, and it gives a supply of water to fire-fighters in case of a prairie fire.

The stocking rate varies in this country because there is a variety to the Sandhills. Some pastures are gently rolling, with thick grass. Some pastures are naturally sandy and soapweedy with steep catsteppy hills. Some of the Sandhills areas are blessed with natural sub-irrigated valleys that produce excellent hay. Our ranch has a mix of all of these types of terrain. Depending on the average-sized cow in individual herds, I would say that it takes between 25 and 30 acres to run a cow/calf unit for a year on our particular ranch.

 

[joaker]

Wow. around here we can probably do it with 3 good acres and grow corn on half of that during the summer and graze the stalks in the late fall through early spring. I was interested in that when I saw what Turner paid for that ranch in an earlier topic. Value wise it takes about the same amount of money to buy enough land to run one pair here or where your at. I thinks that interesting, but my wife and daughters think I'm strange so you can take that for what it's worth

 

[Jinglebob]

Wow. around here we can probably do it with 3 good acres and grow corn on half of that during the summer and graze the stalks in the late fall through early spring. I was interested in that when I saw what Turner paid for that ranch in an earlier topic. Value wise it takes about the same amount of money to buy enough land to run one pair here or where your at. I thinks that interesting, but my wife and daughters think I'm strange so you can take that for what it's worth

Not really meaning to butt in, but, I have a friend who runs cows in Northwestern Iowa. He tells about the same story as you do about the acres needed per pair, but he also wants out. He is tired of fighting the mud of spring. He can't wean off as heavy of calves as we in this 5 state area around here, even with creep feed. they tell that that is because the grass is too washy.

He has been looking for a ranch somewhere in this area, but so far he can't find one that will work for him. He tried to buy a neighboring ranch last winter, but it was at auction and went for more than he could afford. About the same price as the place Turner just bought in Nebraska.

I think he will get real tired of the dry years, but he's sick of mud.

The yearling cattle he sent to me this spring, didn't gain one pound while he had them at his place, because of the mud.

I guess I would rather live out here, but it is fun to head east and see all the crops that can be grown where they get more than 16 inches of moisture a year.

You guys raise better corn and beans, but we raise stronger grass.

 

[Tap]

Good photos Soapweed. Things still look pretty green down your way, but this heat will change that I bet.

Your escapee pictures brought to mind my own escapee this morning. I got done baling some hay mid-morning, and had the great news that we had a bull on the loose. So I loaded my horse and 5 portable panels in the trailer and went after him. He was on a gravel road heading in your direction. :wink: I pulled in the ditch and set the panels up as a wing from each side of the trailer, and one side was up next to the fence. The bull jumped right in, but I was skeptical he would as he is a bull we bought last year and had never been around horses much. I have loaded them that way several times, but always with a bull that had been handled horseback more than this one had been.

 

[Canadian_Cowgirl]

Great Pictures!!

Why does the water have so much algae? From the heat or what i dont think any of our stock tanks have algea floating on the top. And i think our cows are so picky they wouldnt drink it. But then again we only have one stock tank in the pasture, and the water comes out of the dug got wich is like 5 feet away, the rest of the cows drink out of the river, or the big sloughs. I like your first picture of the birdy!!

Katy