Busy Night

3 AM, 22 March 2015 -  Temp:  23*, wind: strong and cold

Well it has been an exciting night here.  On my usual 3 AM check I found a cow in labor.  I go back to the house and wait for about an hour as I know it will take her a while yet.  I went out later and she had made no progress.  I call Brett (son) to come help me get her into the big, red barn.  In the meantime I try to get her to stand up.  She couldn't stand - at least not for long.  Her back end is weak.  So, Brett brings the equipment down to the pole barn so we can pull the calf there.  I call Christopher (other son, owner of cow) to come out to the farm - and warn him that we might need the pickup and stock trailer.  Brett does an internal check of the cow.  Bad news, the calf is backwards (coming tail first, legs down). Call Mark (hubby) to come and help.  (I have a love/hate relationship with my cell phone currently it is love.)  Good news, just as Christopher shows up, Brett got the cow up and she walked!   The 'boys' got her up to the red barn and I carried the puller, etc. back up there.  All four humans gather in the barn.  The cow is in a small pen with a head gate to hold her in one spot.  Brett puts on fresh OB gloves (shoulder length) and goes in for another check and explains to us what he feels.  Oh no, the cow sits down (like a dog).   Christopher releases her from the head gate and she rolls onto her side.  This is not ideal for assisting with delivery.  After both Brett and Mark try to get the calf turned enough to get the legs back, they give up.  (Note, they are attempting to work inside of the cow while she is have contractions.)  Christopher takes his cow to the veterinarian in Minot (about 45 miles away).   We don't know if the vet will be able to pull the calf out or if she will have to do a c-section.  

It is now 5:30 AM.  Brett takes the 4-wheeler up to check cows again.   It has only been a little over an hour since I was up there to check them.   He comes back home to get me and our calf sled.   There is one new calf and another should be born when we get back up there.

Sure enough.  We now have two fresh calves and cows to get back to the red barn.  We leave the newest calf for last so mom has time to clean and get to know it.  Brett gets the calf into the sled (large version of the sleds kids have).  We bring the pair back to the barn.   Brett puts the calf into the calf warmer.   This is a special space with a heater in it.  We want to warm the calf up so it doesn't get sick or freeze it's ears off.

We go back up to get the other pair and bring them back to the barn.

It is now 6:40 AM.  We are chilled and wide awake.   It is common that we have to sit up for a while after being out at night.  So, now we watch a bit of TV, play on the computer or just curl up in a blanket - and wait for Christopher to get home with a report on his cow and calf.

7:40 AM - Christopher just returned home from the vet.  Sadly, the calf did not survive.

The rest of the day will consist of continuing to check cattle and trying to get a few minutes for a nap!

Sunny Saturday

I went for a walk on Saturday to enjoy the beautiful spring-like weather we were having.  I snapped a couple of photos to share with you.

All three dogs walked with me.  These two belong to Christopher & Paige.  They are named Odie (white one) and Eli.  This stick was so big it took both dogs to carry it I guess!  Our dog, Rufus, was a bit camera shy. 

 

The cattle are enjoying the nice day.  We are lucky to have this coulee to feed them in as it provides a lot of protection from the wind.

Week 52/52: Andy's finale

Well, this is the week I have been looking for!!  The last week of the Andy saga.  I never did find that little outfit that Mom sewed for Christopher.  I had hoped to have a photo of Christopher all grown up holding Andy and the matching outfit.  Oh well.  (Honestly, I did not look too hard for it either.)

What I did find was a photo of Christopher wearing the outfit while hanging out with some of his second cousins. 

Christopher is there in the front.  He was often seen sucking the two middle fingers of his right hand!

 

Just so you can see how much he's grown, this is Christopher today. 

 

Brett, Annette, Mark & Christopher 

(Members of NoDak Herefords)

 

As for Andy this week, he's going out as an angel - a snow angel that is!!

 

 

Thank you for following us in our 52 Week Photo Project.  I will see what next year brings as to whether I do something like this or not.

 

                                                             Annette & Andy

 

 

 

Week 35/52: Yellow Field Pea Harvest

The grain harvest has finally begun at NoDak Herefords.  With spring planting being late, so too is the harvest.  Brett is a farmer through and through.  He did a majority of the planting, all of the spraying and now is running the combine.  (Hmmm, reminds me of the story of Chicken Little!)   Don't worry, others on the farm have kept quite busy too.  Christopher seems to be a full time rancher.  There are always cattle to check and fences to repair.  He is running here and there all of the time!  Mark has been swathing canola.  I am the "go-fer"  which means I try to help any of the guys when they ask.

I did get a few photos to share with you.

Andy thinks he can drive the big combine.  Brett is not so sure!

 

Here is a view of the combine.  It is in a field of Yellow Field Peas.  The plants look just like the peas you can grow in a garden.  We wait for them to dry down.  When the peas are hard and dry enough it is time to combine.  The front part of this combine has a special type of header.  It is called a flex head.  A flex head is designed to skim across the ground and be flexible enough to (hopefully) go over any rocks and just "scoop up" the pea plants & pods.  All of this goes through the combine.  The seeds end up in the hopper (holding tank) and the rest gets spat out the back.  If we are lucky, our cattle will get to come into these fields this fall.  They will love to eat the seeds that got away!  Also any green plants that will be there.  This is called "after grazing".

 

 

Brett had filled the hopper on the combine with peas so it was time to dump them into the semi.  Once the semi gets full it will be taken to a storage building (grain bin) on our farm.  The peas will stay in storage until we decide it is time to sell them.  Marketing is vital to running a profitable farm and is quite time consuming.  It is one thing that we always need to improve on.  We hope the peas are 'food quality' which means you could end up eating peas raised at NoDak Herefords!

Andy's Week 32/52: Here a Chick ,There a Chick

No, Andy is NOT out looking for a girlfriend!!  Our son got himself some chicks.  Those of you who know me know my opinion about owning chickens!  After helping take care of hundreds of them while growing up, I don't care to ever own another one!  Lucky for me these are up at the feedlot (about 1/2 mile from the house).

They are kind of cute though.  These will grow up to lay eggs.  The 'kids' didn't order the meat variety birds because they claim they don't know how to butcher them.  I foresee lessons in their future as I have butchered many chickens.  Homegrown birds make the best eating.

 



Snack Time

Getting a drink

Andy checking out the chicks

Andy finally got the chance to go out to the barn to see them.  I don't think he was too sure about those noisy, stinky little peepers.  He stayed a safe distance away!

(Sorry about the dirty floor.  I know I should have waited until Christopher put down fresh newspapers (or coupons as was the case here!), but I was not going to wait around that long.)

Farm Centennial Celebration

WOW!!  What a weekend.  We were very busy but had so much fun.

We had grilled burgers and salads.

What's a party without the cake?

... and cake without ice cream?

Some of the visiting and story telling ...

Special guests from Hector, Minnesota

They are more photos of the day on our Farm Centennial FaceBook Page. 

Thank you to everyone who helped, attended and sent well wishes. 

Spring finally Sprung! (and Week 18: Andy)

I am happy to report that we finally have spring.  We thought we might have slept through it!  We had about 5 good days in the field and boy were we busy!  Mark got all of our peas planted.  This is our first year of raising field peas.  We have about 200 acres of them. 

Yellow Field Pea Seed

After we finished the peas, we started planting canola.  Mark & Brett have taken turns running the air seeder.  There is plenty else to do.  Brett has a sprayer that needs to be fixed and gotten ready so he has spent quite a bit of time doing that.  I shared a little about seeding last year.

Once we started planting canola, I got more involved in the spring planting season.  It is my job to pull Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) tanks to town to get them filled and return them to the field.  NH3 is used to add nitrogen to the soil. 

Andy waiting for the NH3 tank to be filled.

Christopher just finished breeding about 50 heifers using Artificial Insemination (AI).  He goes through about a three step process to get them all to cycle (come in heat) at the same time.  I helped him get the cattle in to work them but he had to do the inseminating.  I understand he wants to breed some of the cows too.  I don't think I've ever written about this so I should follow him around with a camera next time.  He will not like that! We artificially breed the heifers (female cows who have never had a calf) to better control the birth weight of their calves.  We AI our registered (purebred) Polled Hereford cows to help improve the genetics in our herd.

Our seeding came to a halt on Saturday due to fog and mist.  By Sunday morning we had a full fledged rain.  Since about 10:30 Sunday morning until this afternoon (Monday) we have had nearly three inches of rain.  It has been a beautiful rain for our pasture grasses.  We must now be patient for the soil to dry so we can finish seeding.

Calving 2013 (Part 1?)

We will pretend that I fulling intend on writing more about calving season and call this entry "Part One"!! 

I just don't think I have shared anything about calving this year.  It is basically the same every year, but still, it is our business so I should share something, right?

Today I was helping Brett with some of the chores so I snapped a few photos to share.

This little guy would "graze" inside of the bale feeder for a while then jump out to wander for a while and then go back in the bale feeder!  For a little while he even was chewing on the twine string that is hanging from the feeder.  It is fun to watch these young ones at play!  In a few months he will be quite big and we will have him for sale as a bull.  Maybe I will remember to post a photo when he is bigger and for sale - remember 0735A  (that is his number).

This guy entertained me for a while (it doesn't take much when one is running on little sleep!).  He kept grabbing his tail to chew on!  Calves have sharp teeth so I would have thought it might hurt, but perhaps it was more sucking than biting!  He should go find his mom to eat -  not his tail.

Here are two of the dogs that run around at NoDak Herefords.  Eli is the black one and Lori is the white one.  Eli belongs to Christopher and Paige but he spends most of his time at the ranch (especially during calving season because he gets so dirty & stinky!).  Lori is our White German Shepard.  She loves attention from anyone and everyone.  She has gone deaf in the past few months but still enjoys running around and playing - especially with Eli.

0520A was born just minutes before I snapped this photo.  This was the first time it had stood up so it was maybe 15 minutes old.  In this photo the calf is looking for mom's udder to get some of the very important first milk called colostrum.  Colostrum is vital in the newborn calf if it does not get any it likely will not survive.  Colostrum contains the antibodies the baby needs to grow "big and strong".

Well, that was a little bit about what happens on the ranch at calving time.  I don't take photos of the routine stuff - like putting bales in the bale feeder or feeding silage.  I suppose I should really do that sometime too.  If you ever have any questions about what we do here or something I have written about, feel free to ask and I will do my best to explain things to you.  Thank you for stopping by.  Be sure to leave a note so I know you were here.

Week 9/52: Andy & the blizzard

We have been warned about an incoming storm so had been doing things to prepare.  We tucked a young momma and her twin calves into the barn, put extra straw into the barns so there is a nice, comfy spot for the cattle to lay and tried to mentally prepare for trudging through deep, blowing snow.  (Okay, my guys did the first two things and I did the last!)

The storm didn't come quite as soon as expected but the weather folks were correct about the storm a-comin'.  By the time I went out to see if there were any new calves at 3 AM it was snowing and starting to blow.  When I went out again at 6, it was really blowing.  I had sent a text to Christopher and told him to stay home (he lives in our little nearby town).  He usually is out here at 5 or 6 AM to check cattle but today I asked that he stay put at least until daylight.  He & Paige came out later to tend to their horses and help with cattle chores.  The visibility actually kept getting worse.  Sometimes we can see quite a distance, but the ground drifting is terrible making the roads bad.  Plus, it is very hard to see the edges of the roads when everything is white and moving.  Brett had to help Christopher & Paige get "unstuck" a couple of times after they decided they had better get back home.  After Brett was back home, he said, "I watched for the fences to find the road."  He made sure he could see the fence in either ditch but even that was tricky sometimes.  Anyway, everybody got to their respective destinations safely.

Andy went to see the blizzard and didn't even get the screen door open when he found this.

Guess that is what happens then the wind is blowing straight at the door.  Lucky for us the inside door is tight!

I went to the other door and could hardly get the screen door open.  Here are a couple of photos from that door (I wasn't going out into this mess unless I had to). 



















 

The visibility in the yard isn't too bad right now.  Heck, we've had blizzards so bad that we couldn't see the barn. 

Rolling Feed

Our eldest son, Christopher, was able to purchase oats cleanout from a neighbor.  Cleanout (or Screenings as some call it) is the 'stuff' that is removed when we clean our grain to get most of the weed seeds, and other foreign matter, removed before planting.  The grain goes through a machine that shakes the seeds across various sized screens so, hopefully, only the pure seeds remains.  The rest is cleanout.    The oats cleanout that Christopher was able to purchase is great for feed to our cattle and those in the feedlot. 

Before we feed this we like to run it through a roller mill.  The roller mill cracks the grain making it more digestible for the animal.  We have also done this same process with corn and barley for the same reason.



The whole set up for rolling our feed

 We auger the cleanout (aka grain) from the bluish-grey building (grain bin). 

It goes into the roller mill. 

 

 

 There are two roller mills in my photo.  Yesterday the men tried the red one on legs.  Today, they are using the (formerly red) one that is hooked up to the tractor.  Both of the roller mills do the same job but it was decided that the one on the tractor was doing a better job of cracking the oats.  The one on legs runs with electricity.  The one on the tractor is run by the tractor's PTO (Power Take Off). 

 

Oats Cleanout

 Here is a fairly close photo of the Oats cleanout.  The long, narrow, oval shape is the oats seed.  There is also some straw (the dried stem of the grain plant) and other random seed.  This is what it looks like before it goes through the roller mill. 

 

 The top of this photo shows the grain going into the roller mill.  The bottom left hand corner is the rolled product getting augered away to the little white hopper bin (see top photo) for storage.  Just above the auger in the bottom corner is the rolled grain coming out of the roller mill. 

This is a closer look. Toward the upper right corner the rolled oats are coming out of the roller mill. The auger in the bottom left is taking it to the hopper bin.

 This is what the grain looks like after it goes through the roller mill. 

You can see how the grain is cracked open.  

Here is a photo of the tractor that makes the roller mill work.  Brett is sitting in the tractor making sure there are no problems.  Sometimes the top hopper (holding area) of the roller mill gets too full so he has to stop the grain from augering until there is room for more grain.  Yesterday he said he had to stop the auger every two seconds and wait for two minutes before there was room for more.  I guess it was better today!

 

Sharing with Farm Photo Friday

She who is not ready

Okay, so I live in North Dakota, I know it is winter AND I know it gets cold in a North Dakota winter.  But I have become a wimp!! 

The forecast on the morning of Wednesday, January 30, 2013

It is the time of year when we need to start checking our cattle more closely.  You see, it is calving time (or will be within the next week or so).  At this time of year we try to check the calving herd every four hours or so.  It is a little early for this yet, but the weather has taken a turn for the worse and sometimes those calves start dropping!  Christopher checked the heifers (cows who are expecting their first calf) around midnight.  He knew we were still awake so he called to ask if I would check between 2-3 because one of the heifers was acting odd.  "Sure," I told him and set the alarm. 

Well, you need to know that I have been quite spoiled these last couple of years.  Our sons are here full time so I don't need to go out to help with chores and repairs very often.  It has always been my job to check the cows in the middle of the night during calving season, but I just was not ready for it yet.  Because I haven't been going out to help with the outdoor side of our business, I have not gotten my nice warm boots out of their summer hibernation.  I've yet to purchase a nice warm pair of gloves for the season.  AND, I certainly had not prepared myself mentally for all of this!  Oh, and to top it all off, the weatherman reports that tonight is the coldest night we have had in two years.  GREAT and I am going out into this. 

I think most people are like me.  Getting up in the middle of the night, getting dressed and going out in minus 50 degree (F) wind chill is not your idea of a good time.  It is hard to wake up and focus ... until you open the door!!  WOW!  Talk about take your breath away.   (Now remember, I have not gathered my winter work gear.) 

Without my long johns, coveralls, warm boots and gloves, I am in for trouble.  I borrow someone's gloves since they lay by the door (the ribbing around the wrist is still damp from sweat).  I slip on my coat (without a working zipper for years) and snap it closed best it will do.  I put on my old sneakers  (remember, my warm boots are still hibernating and, lucky for me, there is hardly any snow) and stocking cap.  Off I go - first to the pickup to find the flashlight.  The pen of cattle that I need to check are in our yard so the dogs and I go walk around them to see if anything is calving.  (Oh the wind is COLD.)  We wander around each group of girls as they are snuggled in their little groups to keep warm.  (My legs are freezing.)  Wander. Wander (don't trip on frozen cowpies).  Good, everything looks okay.  We head back to the house.  (My legs and face are stinging from the cold.)  Into the house.  (I can't see a thing, dumb glasses fog up.)  Dogs are happy - so am I.  Now, do I go straight back to bed and snuggle my COLD body up to hubby to get warm (and risk waking him)?  Nope.  I need to find the charger to get that flashlight charged again.  Dang, where did I put that thing after last calving season?  Found it.  Need something to drink ... ahhh, a nice glass of chocolate milk.  Better write about this experience.  (Here I am.) 

Life on the ranch.  It is the best even if it is the coldest night in two years and I am not ready to go out into it at 2:30 AM.   Best place/job in the world.

Now, off to bed.

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas! 

our Christmas update:

     We have had a fairly uneventful 2012 and that is a good thing!

     Christopher & Brett are a part of our farming/ranching business.  Christopher has also added a feedlot to his business.  Brett would like to get into the farming enterprise, but has yet to find any land to rent.  It is nice to have them with us. 

     Christopher & Paige live in Donnybrook.  Paige works in Minot as Ward County Extension Agent focusing on the agriculture areas.  
     Brett lives with us, though he can’t wait to get rid of us.
     Annette’s parents are doing pretty well.  Dad turned 85 on the 18^th.  Mark & Annette along with a few other family members made some surprise visits to Arizona.
     Mark’s mom was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2011.  It was extremely hard on her knees.  She now has two new knees and we hope this will help her considerably. 
     That is about all for our year.  We look forward to hearing from you.

       Wishing you a healthy and wonderful 2013.

                             The Rockeman Family

Here is one of the treats that I made for Christmas goodies this year:

SWEDISH ALMOND-CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Note: This dough must be prepared in advance. Pasteurized eggs are recommended for food safety reasons. The Swedish cookies are also known as Choklad Biskvier. Our 2011 winner is from Beth Jones of Owatonna, Minn.

For cookies:
• 2 (7-oz.) tubes almond paste, cut into small pieces
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar

For filling:
• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 pasteurized egg yolks (see Note)
• 4 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

For chocolate coating:
• 10 to 12 oz. dark or bittersweet chocolate
• 2 to 4 tsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions
To prepare cookies: In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat almond paste and egg whites until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a small scoop, form dough into balls (or drop by heaping teaspoons) and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Moisten the flat bottom of a glass with water, dip into granulated sugar and carefully press prepared glass bottom into dough balls, flattening dough; repeat with remaining dough. Bake until lightly brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling: Line baking sheets with wax paper.
In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, egg yolks and cocoa powder, and mix until smooth (scraping down sides of bowl as necessary), about 2 minutes. Using a small knife, spread about 1 tablespoon filling on top of each cookie, making a rounded top. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To prepare chocolate coating: Break chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler over gently simmering water (or in a microwave oven), melt chocolate. Whisk in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or melted butter), adding more to reach desired consistency. Let mixture cool for a few minutes, then dip tops of cookies into chocolate mixture, holding onto almond base. Return cookies to prepared baking sheets and refrigerate until chocolate hardens, at least 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator and serve chilled.
SOURCE:  Star Tribune  28 Nov 2012



Wet Corn

A while back I wrote that we were chopping corn. It was piled into a huge pile and packed firmly with a tractor.  

This is what the corn plants look like after chopping.

 



This week Brett got a few days to combine some corn. 

Mark got to ride in the combine for a while too.

 

 

 

This is a photo of unloading corn from the combine into the truck.  There is chaff from the grain flying in the air so the picture looks "speckled"!  Also, you might notice that one snout on the combine header is angled up.  There are chains that run under each of the snouts and one had broken.  The guys lifted the snout to get at the chain so they could repair it.

The corn grain is a quite wet at about 24% moisture so we had to come up with a plan to store it until it is time to feed it to the cattle.  To safely store the corn grain in a bin we would like it to be at about 14%.  So, they piled it on the ground.  Today they started to run it through a roller mill.  This machine flattens each kernal of corn making it easier for the animals to digest the food value.  After it has run through the roller mill, they pile it again.  Then, because it is wet, they will pack that into a pile (much like the chopped corn).  They tell me that helps to preserve it better.

This is the pile of wet corn.  It does not slide real well so Mark (and later, Brett) had to shovel it toward the auger.  The grain auger on the right is the one they used to make the pile.  There is a small auger going from the pile into the roller mill.  Then the auger on the left takes the rolled corn from the roller mill to another pile.

 

This is a shot of the roller mill.  On the top you can see the corn coming in.  It then runs through the roller mill and comes out at the bottom.  There is an auger there to move the rolled corn to the next pile.

Basically the same photo as above, but it shows the pile of the rolled corn.

Corn before rolling

 

 





Corn after going through roller mill



 

 

 

Christopher came with the payloader (yes, it finally got fixed) and moved large scoops of grain toward the auger so Brett didn't have to do so much with his grain shovel.

 

 

 

Christopher moving some of the rolled corn.  He will eventually drive on the pile of rolled corn to pack it just like they did with the chopped corn.  He will pack it after they get all of the corn rolled.

 

Link to Fresh from the Farm's Farm Photo Friday

This & That update

WOW!!  It has been awhile and lots has been going on.  I suppose that is why it has been awhile!

Let's see, what have we done?   We have finished the small grain harvest, fixed the break-downs, chopped the corn for silage, patched breakdowns, hauled straw & hay, waited for parts ....  You get the idea.  It seems we have had a lot of machinery down time. 

The motor went out of the payloader.  There was an air leak on the semi causing the trailer wheels to lock up.  AND the hydraulics aren't working right on the John Deere tractor/loader.  There were a few days that all three of our hay hauling pieces of equipment were down at the same time.  Well, we are still waiting for the verdict on the payloader.  The semi is fixed.  We are using the tractor until it can get to the dealer's repair shop (this Monday).  The hay hauling project has slowed down tremendously.

We hire the corn chopping done.  There is a man out of Alberta, Canada we hire.  It is the type of job that would take us nearly two weeks to do by ourselves.  It also takes three to four people to do it as we need someone to run the chopper, someone to pack the corn pile and someone to drive truck.  (and a full time mechanic to try to keep things running)  It got to be more efficient for us to hire this custom crew.  They don't require anything from us (except the check!) and we can work on other projects.

Chopping corn & filling the truck on the go

     

Packing the pile

            

 Christopher is finally getting the last of the buildings from the old fertilizer plant.  He had a hard time finding anyone to haul the hopper bins.  Finally, after many calls from two men, they are getting this done.  There were seven hopper bins at the site.  Four for Christopher and three for a man from another town.  I wonder how long until this whole feed mixing plant is up and running on the feedlot?  It is getting late in the comfortable work season.  (a few snowflakes have fallen already)

 

I came upon this big Moose cow yesterday when I was taking tools out to the field for repairs.  A couple of days earlier I saw a young cow moose about 10 miles from here.

 



The cattle are ready to come home.  They are starting to sneak out of pastures looking for green grass.  Not much outside of the fence either as between the first part of June and now we have made had a total of half an inch of rain and most of that came a couple of days ago.  Things are quite dry here, but I don't think we have it as bad as many parts of our nation.

Joining up with a linky party:  Fresh from Farm: Farm Photo Friday