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!