Tag: drought

JUNE QUARTERLY ROUNDUP

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Drought, Calves, and Family Fun

DROUGHT

Dry grass crunches under toes and hooves. This is normal for the end of August; not so much for the end of April. May brought a little spring snow storm or two, but nothing measureable for moisture. In our neck of the woods–and many others as well–we have been managing drought for the past couple of years. It hasn’t been overwhelming, but it’s been noticeable. Now, it’s beyond noticeable. The west is dry. We had less than 2 inches of snow all winter long.

What do you do when everything is this dry? You plan for severe drought, while being optimistic of future weather. For us, this meant selling off more of the ranch cows to adjust our carrying capacity. Prices are decent right now, so it’s a good time to cull deep. We peeled off a few of the “older” ones, although they weren’t that old. We sold some of the late calvers. A couple cows lost their calves–so they got a ride to the sale as well. It feels good to be pared down to adjust for less water.

However, we rain did surprise us this week, so that is a blessing. Perhaps more will come.

CALVING

Calving season was pretty concise this year. The herd has been AI’d (artificial inseminated, not intelligence!) the last few years and it does bring a tighter calving window. We were done calving by the end of May, which was nice since our target due date was May 1st. It’s always fun to see the babies running around.

Calving season always reminds me that life keeps going. Even when things are tough, natural rhythms, God-given life cycles, still happen. The seasons arrive. Life keeps moving and it’s a gift to be a part of it. Every day we have breath in our lungs is a gift.

FAMILY FUN

This spring has been a whirlwind for our family! Our middle daughter moved to Texas and we were able to make a trip down to see her. We even took a day or two to drive south and see the beach. I love the feeling of sand between my toes and the ocean always reminds me of the vastness of this beautiful earth.

Our son came home over spring break and we were able to spend time with him. (I didn’t take pictures then! Oops!)

Then at the beginning of May, we made a trip to see our daughter’s white coat ceremony. She has one year left of clinical rotations before she is officially a DVM! This is something she’s wanted since she was 8 years old, so it’s a joy to see it coming a little closer to fruition.

UP NEXT…

Summer is always full of irrigation, cattle moves, fencing, and the like–but hopefully we’ll squeeze in some time to kayak the river! Happy almost Summer!

MARCH QUARTERLY ROUNDUP

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WINTER BLUES–NOT!

Usually, winter is a tough time for me–short daylight hours, cold days and colder nights, but this winter hasn’t been, well, winter. Our southern family members in Tennessee received more snow this winter than Montana did, and they may have had colder temps for much of the winter, too! Highly unprecedented. We need moisture in Montana–and across the entire West and into the Midwest. However, the warmer temps and lack of constant snow has been nice.

The wind however…up to 90 miles per hour on some days! It blew a building down on the ranch, but it did need to come down.

Here we are, fixing to head into spring, and it’s felt like spring already. I don’t remember this ever happening before. Maybe spring will bring snow? Time will tell! Rain would be okay, too. Anything to keep the entire west from being consumed by fire.

WINTER PASTURE

The warm temps mean that are ground hasn’t frozen, which is another anomaly we’ve never experienced. Our winter pasture needs to be frozen in order to use it because its a little swampy-like otherwise. My cowboy has been working to keep the cows moving on fresh land, but without the ability to adequately use that pasture, it has made for some complications. Considering the impending drought, my cowboy has spent time on grazing plans and possibilities, planning for the ranch cattle’s best upcoming forage with the reduced pasture possibilities. It’s quite likely we won’t be able to graze several pastures this spring or summer due to lack of moisture. Dryland, native grasses need care anyway, but the lack of precipitation will definitely impact cattle rotations.

EMPTY NESTING

We’ve always enjoyed dates however we could get them. When the kids were little, we made trips to the dump because that was the only place they didn’t want to go! Ha! Local trash pickup isn’t an option on most ranches, so we made regular trips to the dump to dispose of trash.

Cattle supplementation is arguably a wonderful date. I especially enjoyed a recent trip to put salt and mineral out because it was near the swan ponds. Trumpeter Swans floating and flying nearby makes for an graceful excursion! Even the cows were at peace…

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

While the horses are definitely more up Billy’s alley, I do enjoy them. With the strange weather, they’ve been in the corral more, so I bought them a ball so they could horse around. Here’s a picture of Bannack checking it out. They’ve been carrying grain pans around and playing with them, so I figured a ball would be perfect. They did not agree. They checked it out and then promptly left the scene. How rude!

LOOKING AHEAD

Our calving is set to start in May, so we’ll likely be getting some babies by the end of April. It won’t be long now! Soon the irrigation will begin and the summer fun will start. It’s busier in the summer, but I enjoy the weather and the activity!

What are you looking forward to? What has happened in your corral these past couple of months? I’d love to hear from you!

Until then, bless you!