Just a short post for now.  Hubby had to run to town for parts and I am waiting on a semi load of feed.  When I say a semi load,  that is the big trucks with the long trailers you see going down down the highways. If I sound too simplistic and boring by explaining everything, it is because I know some of the people that read this blog do not understand anything about agriculture or my terminology.  That is part of my goal for this blog is to educate people about the beef industry, along with my adventures down life's path.
We sorted off another pen of cattle this morning.   We are going to sell 64 head on Sat.  The prices feedlots are paying for the weight cattle we are selling (actually all weights) are historically high.  I guess we are playing High Stakes Poker kids, since we also had to pay a lot more for these calves last fall. 
That is one of the jobs we do here.  We buy light calves in the fall, usually they have just been separated from the cow and were taken to the sale barn. This is called un-weaned.  These calves need a lot of watching to find any that may have an ear that is hanging low and they are not bright eyed and curious.  That usually means they are sick and need an  antibiotic shot. They get tender loving care to keep them healthy. I joke about this place being the  critical care unit.  We get a lot of very light weight calves and they come from a lot of different ranches.  It is a lot like sending your kids to day care when they are little and don't want to go.  They cry (stress) and catch a lot of colds due to all the germs from every other kid there.
We feed these calves until Feb. or March.  We feed them a low energy diet that is high in roughage (hay) and lower in grain so their body structure grows and not so much rapid muscle growth and fattening.  What we do is called Back Grounding . After feeding them for a few months we start selling them off in bunches that look similar to each other. Feedlots usually buy them. The feedlots put them on a high energy diet and the calves grow at a more rapid rate ( pounds per day) this is called Finishing Cattle.  Finishing because they will be ready for harvest after about 100 to 150 days. 

When Jim gets back from town, we get to sort those wild heifers that I have been talking about, work them (they will go through the tub, alley and chute for vaccinations, and poured with lice killer) !! :-)  I better check myself for a fever since I am excited to do that@@.  Truth be told, I have always gotten a little excited to get to handle the rank ones or watch others do it.  Come on, you can't tell me you don't go to the car races for just the races and not the wrecks too!!
I love technology, I can blog and listen to my sales too.  Right now I have Belle Fourche Livestock on via live video stream.  I would guess about 75% of the sale barns do that now.  I especially love this sale since I lived in Belle for many years.  My friends and family work at the barn (sale barn)  I can flip over from the blog when the auctioneer says "watch" ____ and see what is going on. Watch or Heads Up means LOOK OUT
Some times the cattle get excited in the ring.  The ring men, guys who work down in the sale ring to move the cattle around so the buyers get a better look, or pull one out of the herd because of a size or color difference, etc. Anyway, the ring men are behind protective barriers while the cattle are trying to get them so they can use their head to pin them down and push them around and stomp on the person.  Many people have been killed  by cattle doing this, or getting kicked.
I had to scurry up the fence 3 or 4 times to get away from mean steers  while chasing calves into the tub today so they could be retreated for lice and worms.  It is important to do this, as lice are always a problem with cattle if they aren't killed intermittently.
Well,  I need to get ready for the FUN?? @@
For now, thanks for stopping by.