Gaucho calf processing

[kato]

It's not just for identifying poor cows that we tag early. That was just one example of how tagging helps. We consider the late cows who don't calve until they get to pasture to be the poor cows. They are the ones with the untagged calves, and we want to know who they are so they can be put on the elimination list. Sorry Gaucho, but this way of doing things has been working very well for a lot of years, and we're not about to change it.

Maybe our cattle are just too uniform. When it's time to go to pasture, our calves are like peas in a pod. There's no way on earth you would ever get the right pairs together to ship them to pasture unless they were tagged.

Sending mismatched pairs away to summer pasture sounds like pretty poor stockmanship to me.

[SADIE]

Kato---ditto----tagging the calf within 1 day of age to match the dam----Important here.

Blackjack---to give more information on Somnustar-ph. Label recommendations have a claim that can vaccinate within 24 hours of birth. I purchase 10 dose bottles and try to have about 8-10 calves that are strong enough (4-5 days old)--check the "ringed sac" for any loss or start of infection---give trivetrin if needed but somnustar and kick pairs out in new pasture area.

Allfarmer---My practice years were 1977-95 in Consort area. 1981-93 set up, built Border Vet Clinic in Provost with Brother & wife operating it till 1993.
Been ranching 200 miles east since 1996 and rarely go back. Funerals and occasional cheerful celebrations and possible the centennial this summer.

Situations like your uncle tried to stay clear of -----those were red-flag situations, avoided any starvation cases or animal mismanagement situations whenever we could.

[gaucho]

Kato here is an easy solution for late calvers.... sort the cows that have not calved at a certain date out and then you are already done with the cull.... and they are ready to load without having to do a sort in the fall... personally I don't care on the commercials if they are late, as long as they breed back since having a branded beef program requires a year round supply of cattle... yes I can agree if you have to load out pairs... what we do now is sort the cows that have to go a certain direction / pasture, lift the electric wire between the herd high enough and the calves will sort themselves for you... much more fun then listening to cows balling for hours while trying to match pairs. The other things is we now sort herds out for pastures in advance of calving so that there is no sorting needed for pasture groups... keep it simple and don't let traditions keep you stuck in paradigms.

[kato]

Actually it's the fences that keep us in paradigms. LOL Only so many places to put so many cows.

That's OK though. It's a system that's evolved to suit our setup, and it works for us... as long as the calves have tags. ;-)

I think there is no right and wrong in the cow business. Just what is right or wrong for any particular operation. If we had lots of pasture close to home, we'd likely do some things different, but we don't. It's cheaper to make the hay near the yard and save hauling on that, and to grow grazing corn near the yard, than it would be to have the cows at home and the feed farther away.

[grassfarmer]

I know you have got your reasons in your own
particular situation kato but in general terms why do
people need to make feed close to "the yard"? why
do cows need to be close to "the yard"? Cows have
legs and can go where the feed is and take their
manure with them as a bonus. Cows are healthier
and happier in my experience when they are not
corralled.
There are so many people trapped in paradigms
where everything is a big fight with nature - the
idea that cows need to live in a yard, protected from
winter while you haul feed and bedding to them.
Being near "the yard" usually encourages winter
calving and we get further trapped into a system
that requires heated calving barns and two hourly
checks around the clock. Higher production costs,
more weather risk and the chance to sell calves into
the lowest price period of the year.
What about August calving? no weather problems at
calving time, no need to be near a yard - ever.
There are lots and lots of ways to run cows but most
guys seem to follow the crowd rather than think of
"out of the box" options.

[kato]

For one thing, our home half section is cut in half by a railroad track. The south half contains a 40 acre pasture, the yard, and a 75 acre corn field which the cows graze from October to the end of January. They drink from the creek in the pasture until the end of January as well. Then they calf in the corrals, where there is already a good set of sheds and good big pens. They then go to the small pasture in April, where they are with the bulls until it's time to go to the summer pastures which are 12 and 50 miles away respectively. The north side of the tracks contains a remarkably productive alfalfa/brome crop. There is no water, there are no trees, and no shelter across the tracks. We cannot get a well over there, and there is no hydro.

Our system evolved to use the layout of our land to it's best advantage. Everyone should do the same and use what they've got in the way that it works for them. It will be different for everyone.

How would you re-arrange it?

[grassfarmer]

As I said in my post kato I wasn't criticizing your
system just saying in general I think producers
build their systems around yards and fighting
winter when in many cases there are probably other
options worth considering too.

[ALLFARMER]

Kato do you own the 50 mile away stuff? If you
do I would seriously consider selling it. For me
letting this go will give you 1) less commuting
time 2) much less travel costs...vehicle gas and
maintenance 3) closer land will allow farm
equipment to move back and forth much easier.
4) no more trucking & shrink 5) cash for other
land. Land closer would make it feasible to rotate
your herds...move the electric fence.

In my situation having a 1100acre block allows
me to hop on the quad and be at any spot on the
farm in under 10 minutes. The only trucking
costs I pay are at buying and selling time. My
meadow brome allows me to make hay or use for
pasture. 1 field of creeping red fescue for
extending grazing. Hay hauling takes minimal
fuel. Cattle and machinery are never far from my
watch.

I know it's not easy to put a block together but if
you can consolidate your land base the synergies
will keep money in your pockets on a daily basis.

[ALLFARMER]

Have a good look at the map could you trade the
50 mile stuff to someone who has land closer to
you?

[gaucho]

I call it "thinking outside the corral"

[kato]

We don't own the 50 mile stuff. A fellow custom grazes the cows for us. BSE left a lot of empty pastures in this province, so the rates are reasonable. It's a win win for us and for him.

Buying land in a block is not an option. It literally never comes up for sale around here. We're not interested in expanding any way. Getting too old for that. LOL