The Significance of a Name

After spending a lot of tim e at cattle shows and sales over the past few weeks, I have realized that the name of a farm or an animal has a lot of significance. When certain names come up in conversation with people in the cattle industry, wether it be a farm name like Upstream Ranch or a breeder like Matt Lautner or a bull like Monopoly, people always know who or what you're talking about. 

For some people, showing and raising cattle is their life. All they do is work with cattle. These are the people that have put time and money into making a statement with a particulate name. The name of a farm or a bull is something that you want people to remember. You want it to stick in their minds. It is a marketing tactic that is used by many people. The name Monopoly for a bull for instance is one that everyone in the cattle industry knows. Its easy to remember and has a significance to a childhood game played by many people. It is truly unforgettable. 

So as I think about what I name my cattle, I try to pick names that will be memorable to people. In this way, I can create a base for a good market for my farm and be able to get people to talk about it. 

Feeding The World

http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-future-farmers-of-america-future-farmers-of-america-work-to-end-hunger-in-central-indiana-haiti-20121024,0,2300770.column

The Future Farmers of America is an American (FFA) youth organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education. Over the years, they have been working to feed the world with American crops and livestock. This past week, they have focused on feeding local citizens in central Indiana and Haiti. At the National FFA Convention in Indiana, student FFA members worked to package food that would be sent to these countries. Over 500,000 meals were to be distributed to those in central Indiana and Haiti.

The importance of being a farmer here in the United States can be noticed in this article. As crop and livestock farmers, there is a consumed product made from the work that they do. This not only feeds the farmers family, but people throughout America and the whole world. Without farmers, a lot of people in the world would go starving everyday. But with their hard work and organizations like FFA, small and/or larger portions of the world can be fed. 

Hands On

For me, being hands on in my field of being a steer jock is simply something I do all the time. It is my life. Last weekend, I had to give shots, put in ear tags, weigh, and castrate all the calves on our farm. In farm lingo, this is called calf processing. This hands on experience is nothing to take lightly. 

All the calves need something special. It could be a heath concern, to be made a steer, a new tag, or a special shot. But all calves need to be thoroughly inspected. It is not an easy task. Giving shots and putting in tags even need to be put in a particular spot and done correctly to avoid future issues. 

During processing, there is almost always a problem. A calf has a sore and needs it to be cleaned and to have shots. Or one gets lose and needs to be run through the chute again. Even sometimes, the calf might go into shock or have a reaction to the shots or stress of being in the chute. There needs to be a lot of attention on the aftermath and health of the calf while in and out of the chute. 

I enjoy being hands on with the calve and doing processing since I know that what needs to get done gets done and it is done correctly. I also get to see the calves and pick what ones I want to keep to show, what ones I'm gonna sell, and what ones we'll keep as feeders. 

Being hands on and learning is so much easier than reading it from a book. From a book, you only would know how things would go in a perfect situation, but during processing, there are all sorts of scenarios that can happen that one needs to be aware of. It is also so much easier to see something be done and learn from it since one will know exactly what they need to do. 

My 365 Day Job

Ever since I've lived on a farm, everyday is a day of work for me. Early mornings and late nights have been no new news to me. Getting up at the break of dawn almost every day of my life to feed calves is a joy to me. I wouldn't trade seeing the beautiful faces of my cows every morning for anything. 

Even though working with calves is a lot of hard work, it is definitely what makes me the most happy. Rinsing all my show calves, feeding them, working their hair, blow drying them, and then clipping them everyday, twice a day is a tedious task, but it is my life. It is what I do. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

From the day the babies on my farm are born, to the day that they go to the sale barn or the slaughter house, I give them some sort of attention. Whether it be a simple look to make sure that everything is okay, to a wash, a dry, a clip, and a feeding twice a day, every cow, calf, bull, steer, and heifer gets some attention. This is a timely and laborious task, but it is something that needs to be done in order for the farm to be healthy and running smoothly. 

Controversy

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/04/what-the-explaining-exactly-how-the-beef-recall-became-a-hot-political-issue/

Controversy in the cattle industry? Yes it is possible. And this particular one affects everyone who has any interaction with beef cattle; more specifically, what they produce. 

E. Coli had been an issue around the world for around 30 years, and continues to be an issue today. E. coli is a bacteria that lives in the stomachs of humans and cattle. It is potentially harmless, unless certain types of E. coli enter ones systems. These types can make one very sick and could eventually kill ones kidneys. One can simply be infected by E. coli by eating beef that has the bacteria in it or drinking water that has been infected with bovine feces. 

In this article, a plant in Canada had an e. coli infection in it's beef in September. The plant had to recall all of the meat that they knew was infected with the bacteria and all that went through the plant after since it was in the machines being used. They then had to disinfect all their equipment and sterilize everything. 

The real controversy is that the plant did not report the infection right away. U.S. and Canadian packing plants are also complaining about over inspection and inspection too often since it slows down production. But, these inspections need to happen since the E. coli bacteria can cause sickness and death. As one can see, it is the difference between making money and losing money because of being sued. 

Cattle Sales

This past weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at some cattle sales. Cattle sales, or livestock auctions, are really just something else. These sales are the beginning of a showing season and the main social attractions to those in the cattle industry. There are bargains, sales, politics, and simple friendships that are made at these events. 

Cattle sales bring forth a plethora of politics for the industry. From bidding wars to behind the backdrop sales, there is always controversy about who bought what and who should have bought what at particular prices and so on. Most people walk away from an auction happy, but there are many that have smoke steaming out their ears. 

My favorite part about cattle sales is getting to see all my friends and many of my mentors. We all simply get to look at who is buying what and talk about cattle for a day. We analyze every lot being sold and pick what ones we might buy that day or what we would put on our dream list. It is simply a wonderful social event where some people strike it rich or come out empty handed. 

Beef Cattle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onITAppbWyE

I watched this documentary to try and find some opinions about what to feed cattle. Right away, the farmer talks about what he puts into his feed. He uses a nutritionist to evaluate what his cattle need. The nutritionist, like any good nutritionist, has told him that he needs to gives his cattle a lot of protein in order to build muscles and bones used for carrying a fetus during pregnancy or for providing meat to the country. The farmer was also told to use plenty of grains, grasses, and forages needed to give the cattle nutrition for growing and maintaing and healthy body in his feed. 

Personally, I would agree with what the nutritionist is saying. Would I use a nutritionist? No. Why? They are costly and they are often unnecessary for the amount of cattle that I plan to be dealing with. They are used mostly for very large dairy farms and feeder calf lots. In regards to what he is feeding them, proteins are key. Cattle need to have the muscle to help them do their  jobs as either a feeder going to become meat, or a cow being used to produce calves.

The other part about the video is about cattle management and how one must be careful about checking each calf to make sure that they are healthy and gaining weight. One must also make sure that all calves are properly being fed and watered.

On my farm, I am very particular about each calf on my property. They are treated like royalty. It is rare to have an unhealthy calf on my lot. I know that they best way to do well in the cattle business is to have a healthy herd and good management. 

5 am Chores

Call me crazy, but getting up at 5am to feed my cattle is one of my favorite things to do. Yes its earlier than many of you have ever gotten up and sometimes can be the time that a few of you go to bed, but I wouldn't trade those early mornings for anything. Getting up at the crack of dawn and getting to see the sunrise as your cattle come running with joy at you because they know you are about to feed them, is probably one of the most humbling experiences in the world. These creatures are so dependent on me for food and for care that they come running, yes cows can run, at the wee hours of the morning just for some grain. It's amazing. Often times, my cattle with nudge me with their noses in the hopes that I have some food on me. What a blessing.