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Each year we plod along doing what we always do. Then, one day we look back and realize we learned something. Life is all about taking one more step and learning one new thing. Each new thing builds on the last thing, and then one day....maybe we will have a few things figured out. We don't claim to have this cattle thing figured out...but we have learned a few things along the way. 
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Three weeks ago, the boys went out to do evening chores and found a new heifer calf.   Raylee is happy and healthy...but she had one problem.  Raylee is not a bull...she just has an umbilical hernia. An umbilical hernia is caused when the blood vessels in the umbilical cord do not shrink as much as they should after birth. It really isn't a big deal, it just looks bad. We don't normally worry too much about hernia's, but Raylee's was larger than normal. Since there is a really good possibility that she will be in the show ring, we wanted to go ahead and get the hernia taken care of.  Since she is so young, the Dr. Rob wanted to use gas for the surgery, so we had to take her into the vet's office instead of having the surgery done here at home. I was the bad Mom because I made Isaac and Walker go to school instead of letting them ride along with Dad for Raylee's surgery. Some people may think it is weird for all of us to be so enthralled with cow surgeries, but you have to remember that Isaac was just seven years old when Dr. Rob had him help stitch up Missy after her C-section. It was a case of needing every set of hands to keep mamma and baby alive. No one had the choice to be grossed out...we all just had to jump in and do what needed done. Ever since then, the boys have been all too curious to see anything the vet does. We sent Daniel to the vet's office with orders to take lots of pictures. Raylee was the star of the vet's office. Everyone was in love with her and was more than happy to get to be a part of her surgery.  The vet tech's started by clipping the hair around the hernia.  Then it was Dr. Rob's turn to fix the hernia.  He made an incision, tucked everything back into place and then stitched her back up.  All fixed!  Raylee was still a little groggy...but all better and ready to go home. I love the tongue! Raylee is back home and doing well. She has to stay in the barn until we take the stitches out in two weeks. Her belly is still swollen, but it will go down as it continues to heal. You might also like... The B.E.S.T. season is over... And it feels like it just began. When we headed to Lima the day after Thanksgiving, we faced a daunting few months. Little did we know that the next few months would hold a family death, a job change and a winter full of sickness. Life can be crazy...but even more so when you have to cram your normal life into your non-show weekends. But...for some reason, this year felt like the quickest season yet. Maybe it is because we are just another year older...and they say the older you get, the faster time flies.  We started the season with 4 cows...but mostly because we couldn't decide which ones to show. Three of these cows finished out the season, and one made her way back home. Some cows are destined for the show ring and some are just meant to be mamma cows and build the herd back home. Just because a cow isn't show stock, doesn't mean that she won't throw an amazing show calf. Some of our ugliest cows throw our most amazing babies. Fina just wasn't cut out for the show string. Fina is keeping some of our foundation blood lines alive as we have to make some difficult decisions about the future of her dam.  River did finish out the season...just with another family. River went to live with a family that is new to the stock show life. This family is striving to raise their kids with the values and work ethic that they see in so many of the older kids on the show circuit. They see the difference in these stock show kids and want that for their family. River found a family that spoils her rotten. They even figured out she likes gummy bears...but just the red ones.  That left us with Ribbon and Jewel for Isaac and Walker to show. It was Isaac's turn for first pick of the heifers and he chose to show Ribbon. Walker was back and forth, but he decided on Jewel. It is kinda ironic, because the first heifer that Walker ever showed was Rachel. Walker and Rachel did not get along. Rachel is CRAZY! Rachel is Jewel's mom. Every year we have the fear that Rachel's crazy will rub off on her calf. Fortunately, Jewel is a little doll baby and she and Walker got along wonderfully.  Even with our very indecisive start, we figured out pretty quickly that Ribbon was going to hold her own for the season. We were a little surprised, but mostly relieved. We have a pretty tight knit group of Miniature Hereford breeders in the area. While you never know who or what is going to show up at a show, we had some sneak peaks. We heard rumors of breeders that had sold calves that were supposed to show in the B.E.S.T. and we even watched some online auctions where we knew some of the other bidders. We knew there were going to be good animals this year.  For several years we bought our show heifers. Some years, we just didn't have enough heifers. Other years, we had specific cows in mind that we wanted to add to our breeding program. This year...it was all about us. We had enough heifers to choose from here on the farm, and we had some very specific reasons why we wanted to wait to buy off the farm. It makes us very proud to show the animals we have bred and raised...but it can also be very scary. Will our cows make the cut? Is our breeding program on the right track? Are we completely out of our league? After that first show, there is always a huge sigh of relief. While there has to be a winner and a loser, it is always nice to figure out where you stand.  This season also brought some big struggles for us. The show season is difficult on the cows. There is a lot of stress on their systems in a short amount of time. We really do ask a lot of them. This year we battled gut issues almost from the start. We did everything we could think of and talked to everyone who would listen. The vet ran every test imaginable and the only answer we got didn't really tell us anything. No one had an answer. We changed feed, water, mineral, hay, vitamins, supplements, medicines....everything. One week the cows would look great and two days later they had horrible diarrhea...but they weren't sick...all the tests came back negative. A week later they would be fine. Another week later and they were sunk in, with dull, burnt hair. Sometimes they would eat and sometimes they wouldn't. Nothing seemed to help. Some shows, we questioned if we should even go. But, we trudged through. While other people found their groove and the cows were improving with every show, we felt like we were going backward.  The final show of the season was a pretty good summary of the struggles we faced. We placed first...and last. The judge has to judge on that day in that ring. Two days before, Jewel had placed second in her class. It was one of her good days. Then, she fell apart again. She deserved to place last. We have had gut struggles before...just never this bad. Before, the answer was fresh green grass. I can't say we are sad this season is over. We know these cows desperately need time at home out on good clean pasture. The barn needs aired out and disinfected. We still don't know what the problem is...and it is driving us crazy...but we are going to fix it. Ribbon and Jewel still have a lot of showing ahead of them and we certainly don't want to repeat the struggles of this winter. Now, if we can just get the snow to go away and the grass to grow.  Through all the struggles, Isaac and Ribbon did come out in first place for the season. Isaac did a good job from start to finish. He picked a good calf out of the field and he worked tirelessly throughout the season. He cared for Ribbon each and every day and kept a close eye on her condition throughout this year of struggles. He has a special calmness and patience about him that makes it all look easy and effortless. But, behind the scenes, we see the determination and hours of work that make it all happen. You might also like... The coveted moment in the show ring is when the judge turns towards you, tips his hat and shakes your hand. The moment that crowns a champion. A simple gesture, a moment in time…a world of unspoken words. A handshake is a greeting, a farewell, an expression of congratulations, a condolence, the beginning of negotiations, the sealing of a deal, a first and a final impression.  Yet, so many people miss the gravity and importance of this unspoken moment. A good handshake speaks volumes about a person, and a not-so-good handshake can end a moment before it even begins.
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AuthorHello! I am Heather... the city girl turned mom to manure loving country boys. My husband and I both grew up in the city, but spent weekends visiting grandparents in the country. We are first generation farmers who learn best by almost always doing things the hard way. I hope you enjoy following along with our adventures down on the farm. Archives
January 2025
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