This has been an unbelievable autumn. The weather has been gorgeous and it’s made for a warm invitation to finish summer projects before winter sets in.
This year’s crops yielded really well. Our hay and corn silage supplies for winter are some of the best in recent memory. The timely rainfall this summer really played a critical role in keeping plants nourished and productive. Although summer started rather cool, July and August provided the necessary heat units to spur plant growth. Our cows came off of grass this fall looking plump and content. They weaned off strong, healthy calves that are really starting to settle in and grow well.
Last week we pregnancy-checked our cowherd and saw good results. Pregnancy-checking is critical to the survival of a cattle operation. Open (non-pregnant) cows lose money. They consume feed and have nothing to show for it.
Each cow is essentially a factory. I would argue they’re the greenest factory on the face of the planet. They take what is essentially useless matter to humans (grass) and turn it into a nutrient-rich protein (beef). Wouldn’t it be sweet if more of our factories were able to create a value-added product out of a self-renewing natural resource.
At any rate, an open cow costs the rancher money. Unfortunately, a few of our cows pregnancy-checked open. The open cows were removed from the herd while the remaining pregnant cows were treated to a harvested corn field. After harvesting the kernels of grain from the cobs, the remaining stalk and cob of the corn plant make for a delicious meal. Cows will eat and pick through the stalks until it’s all gone – they love it.
We also recently began infrastructure projects. Our goal is to build new fences and set the posts before the ground freezes. The warm temperatures have allowed us to make good progress. We most likely won’t completely finish until spring but we made further progress than we expected.
We have many blessings to count this fall. Our bins are full, our cattle healthy, and we’re prepared for winter. So thankful.
Andy Peterson graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a degree in Animal Science and Life Sciences Communication. His family owns Peterson's Limousin Farm, near Osceola, Wisconsin. He is a contributing editor to a national ranching publication, Working Ranch Magazine, and founded a blog covering the Limousin breed of cattle: LimousinLive.com. His last post for SGT was Autumn and introductions: a new voice for SGT.
