Oh Baby Face!

Baby face

You've got the cutest little baby face.

 

 

There ain't nobody can ever take your place

Baby face

My poor heart's jumping
You started something 

 

 

Baby face, I'm up in heaven 

when I'm in your fond embrace.

 

I didn't need a shove, 'cause I just fell in love
With your pretty baby face.

 

It's that time of the year. And we don't envy the job that Tye and Todd are going to have to accomplish in the next few days of sub-zero wind chills. It's calving season for our cow herd. The Polar Express is a rude "welcome to the world" for any babies born in the next few days. 

While we aren't involved in the day-to-day operations any longer, we do still own cows and calves. But we definitely remember the days of 'round-the-clock checks on mamas in the maternity ward. And we salute Tye and Todd - as well as other livestock stewards - who will be braving winter weather to care for their animals.

 

As I've mentioned before, Tye and Todd have liberal visitation policies when it comes to our visits to see the new babies. A bunch of them are already on the ground. Some arrived during the last storm and didn't seem particularly bothered by napping on snow-covered ground.  

Back in our active farming/ranching days, we always spread out straw. The Millers do, too. But that doesn't mean the mamas or babies take advantage of it.

 

 But some do!

 

 

The mamas also provide a ready "warm milk bar." That's sure to warm babies up quickly!

 

 

It's self-serve, all-you-can-eat.

 

Visiting the cattle also provides a ready genetics lesson. Some babies look an awful lot like their mothers. 

 

Others must resemble their dads. 

 But they are all pretty darn cute.

Shoutout to all those producers who'll be braving the extreme cold during the next few days. Be careful out there!

Every Month is Beef Month in Kansas

 

Maybe a cattle drive would be a fitting tribute to Kansas Beef Month. Never mind that the cattle drive actually happened at the end of April and not in May, which Gov. Laura Kelly has declared is officially Kansas Beef Month. Most any month is Beef Month in Kansas.

Kansas has nearly 44.8 million acres of agricultural ground. However, not all this land is suitable for growing crops. Some 22,000 Kansas farmers/ranchers use the 14 million acres of pasture and rangeland unsuitable for crops for cattle grazing and delivering high-quality protein to consumers through the meat case at grocery stores or sold directly to consumers.

According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture economic model, the beef industry has a direct output of more than $11 billion to the state’s economy, with the ranching and cattle feeding sectors employing nearly 20,000 Kansans and the meatpacking and prepared meat manufacturing industries employing 46,000. Additionally, Kansas ranks third nationally with 6.2 million cattle and calves on ranches and in feedyards. The most recent data shows the state also ranks third in total red meat production, with beef representing more than 6 billion pounds.

Our neighbor, Gary, had plenty of help on horseback as he moved cattle from a circle where they had been grazing on stalks back home to work them. He had told Randy that the "parade" would be passing by our house, so we were watching. Actually, we were listening to begin with. The cattle started their journey about a mile from our house. We could hear them bawling as they ambled closer toward us.

I'm sure it didn't seem like a quick process to those people actually involved, but the old-fashioned cattle drive passed by our house quickly. Our part in the cattle drive was mainly watching - though we did use a "Hey, hey, hey!" from our active cattle working days to keep the cattle moving down the road and out of our front lawn.

A trailer followed behind to transport any baby calves who couldn't keep up.  

That wasn't our only cattle activities this spring. While we retired from active farming in August 2022, we still own our mama cows. We provide the pasture, and Tye and his dad, Todd, do the daily care for the cows and calves for a percentage of the calves born each year. 

Randy helped the Millers gather cattle a couple of days and also helped work them. I guess when you're the retired one, you can sit down on the job on occasion.

Randy really did have jobs ...

including working the squeeze chute (which was more high-tech than ours was) ...

 ...and giving shots ...

 ... and applying the pour-on.

Though I was there mostly to take photos (at Randy's request), I did help write down eartag numbers. Nothing like doing something for old-time's sake, right?

That left Norva Lee free to keep the cows moving down the lane and getting other groups from the adjoining corrals.

And the number list helped Tye know which mama cow was coming up next. The Millers were artifically-inseminating the cows with help from John Fisher, an Artificial Breeding Services (ABI) AI technician. 

Todd had gone through the herd and determined which of five bulls they wanted to use for each cow. Tye would get the straw containing the appropriate semen ready for Todd or John to use in the AI process. 

The semen straws are stored in these liquid nitrogen canisters until it's time for use. Then, Tye would check ear tag numbers on the list and get the straws lined up accordingly.  

He put the appropriate straw into a warming unit, so it would be ready for inserting. 

 

 John's trailer has stalls for two cows at a time. So both Todd and John could be doing the AI process simultaneously.

Once the process was complete, the cow departed the AI shed and rejoined its corral mates. 

***

We didn't have to stick around 'til the cows came home this time - so to speak. We headed to the Wild West (aka Dodge City) for a dinner theater at the restored depot. 

 This was my belated anniversary present from Randy.

It didn't include beef on the menu. Instead, it was "airline chicken" to go with the play's military aircraft and pilot theme. That's chicken with a wing sticking up. (I only know that from Food Network.)

The play was pretty heavy, but we had a good time at the Depot Theater. 

I told Randy maybe we should go for a comedy or musical the next time.

Paparazzi Moments

With Taylor Swift's sudden interest in "football," security at certain football stadiums has had a corresponding uptick. A whole new breed of paparazzi is more interested in what's happening in a stadium suite than the action happening between the goal lines. 

Tye and Todd have to deal with their own influx of paparazzi these days. So far, security has not increased, and we are allowed to view and photograph the Class of 2024 with no impediments - as long as we shut the gates. 

While we aren't doing the day-to-day cattle chores any longer, we still own our mama cows. Tye and his dad, Todd, are the caretakers and calve out our mamas, along with their own herd. As I've said before, we are fortunate to have a liberal visitation policy in the neighborhood maternity ward. (Hopefully, they don't cringe every time they see our pickup.) We've already had "visiting hours" several times this winter.

Even though No. 2 doesn't have a yellow tag - so it's not our calf - I couldn't resist snapping its photo. Tye saw us out there and called to tell us to look for a calf with a white leg. It had already caught my eye - and the camera lens - before the phone call.

 

Mom looked me over rather sternly, but she was OK with the paparazzi moment, too. That spot on her forehead made it look like she was cocking her eyebrow at the unwanted attention for her baby.

I couldn't help but laugh at No. 956. From its perch on the wrong side of the electric fence, it looked like a defiant toddler with an attitude.

This one was at the salt block feeder. But there were no "lick-your-lips" moments, a photo I finally got during last calving season.

We noticed several calves with an RP on the tag. As Tye and Todd told Randy before, the initials indicate which bull was used for breeding the progeny. We couldn't resist another phone call to Tye, asking him if the RP stood for Royal Purple. 

Tye - who is as big a KU fan as we are K-State fans - assured us that no bull in their herd had anything to do with purple (our Wildcat colors).

I always like seeing the interaction between mothers and babies. 

During this Valentine's month, there's no shortage of love around - for bovines, too.

 

There might be some family resemblance among the mamas and babies.

 

This baby was receiving a little "spa" treatment in the shed.  

 It's definitely cuteness overload in the maternity ward.
 

I'm sure it won't be our last visit.