Commencement: A New Stage of Life

This past week, we hauled the heifers to the Palmer Pasture. After several dreary days of cattle sorting and hauling, it was nice to have the sunshine brighten up the scenic view. It seemed a good omen for these females who are beginning the next phase of their journey on the County Line.

These heifers will be mothers for the first time in 2018. But they started out life on our farm. They were born during our 2016 calving season.

 

At this time last year, they went with their mothers to summer pasture. In the fall of 2016, we brought the whole Class of 2016 back to the farm and weaned them from their mothers. We sorted out all the boys, who became feeder calves. At the same time, Randy selected 25 of the females to become part of our breeding stock. The veterinarian calfhood vaccinated them in November 2016. 

Their brothers and sisters went to the sale barn in March. Later in March, the heifers began another step toward motherhood.

In March, Randy mixed MGA into the feed given to the 25 heifers. MGA stands for melengestrol acetate, which suppresses the ovulation cycle for the heifers. For 14 days, Randy added the MGA to the grain in the feed truck and fed the equivalent of 1/2 a pound per head per day.

Then, in April, we gathered the heifers to run them through the working chute.  Randy gave each of them a shot of Lutalyse, so the heifers will come into estrus (or heat) at the same time.

He also gave each of the 25 heifers a shot of vaccine to prevent respiratory issues and diarrhea.

 

So why do we try to synchronize the heifers' cycles? We do it to shorten the calving season for the heifers, which saves labor at calving time. (Well, it saves some labor for the humans - not the mama cows.) Because heifers are first-time mamas, we check them frequently in case they are having trouble calving.

The heifer below was waiting for her turn in the chute.

April 2017

I spent a little time looking at photos of the 2016 calves. I'm not sure whether this is the same one, but it definitely has a similar eye patch.

March 2016

Maybe this one was trying to stay incognito so she wouldn't have to go to her OB-GYN appointment. I know that feeling.

But they all had their time going down the lane ...

... and into the chute.

The same day the Lutalyse shot was given, four bulls came a callin'. The bulls were chosen for the "job" because they are bulls whose offspring are expected to have lower birth weight, making it easier for the first-time mothers to deliver their calves. The newest bull, which we bought last month, also joined the party.

The four bulls stayed with the heifers for 10 days. Last week, the heifers and our newest bull arrived at the Palmer Pasture.

Some 283 days later, these females will become mamas for the first time. We will expect to get our first 80-pound bundles of joy next January 28 or so.

We also hauled the rest of the bulls to the different pastures with mature cows. Our cow herd should begin calving around February 7.

And the story will begin yet again. 

Work Conditions

The last few weeks included some long days of cattle round ups, sorting and hauling. This life on a farm doesn't include a regular paycheck, and that can sometimes be disconcerting, especially when commodity prices are low and agricultural policy is uncertain with a new president.

Every day, my Facebook feed and farm magazines talk about consumers who believe we farmers are doing them harm with modern production practices and new seed technologies.

But in the midst of all that, I need to open my eyes to the blessings I do have. We certainly have a beautiful backdrop for work. I am blessed to see God's creation as it comes alive each spring - even if the smell of those blooming trees may sometimes be masked with the aroma of manure mixed with mud. 

Such was the day we rounded up cattle at Peace Creek. For this round-up, we borrowed a 4-wheeler from a neighbor and used our two 4-wheelers, too.

Even getting a group of reluctant mothers and babies to cross the creek gave me an opportunity to enjoy a morning where I could hear the birds singing and enjoy the white clouds against a vivid blue spring sky.

We finally got them to cross the water and we worked them toward the road, where we would drive them to the corrals to sort the mamas and babies.

I didn't take any photos of the time on the road, where we also detoured into tempting green wheat and alfalfa fields. Trying to drive a 4-wheeler and take photos at the same time as chasing cattle led to the demise of a camera this winter, so I stuck it in my pocket. It stayed there while we sorted mamas from babies.

 

 

Then I couldn't resist snapping a photo or two (or more) of the cute little faces.

Their mothers weren't thrilled to be separated from their offspring. We don't need to watch protests on the evening news. They happen in our cattle lots! They don't realize that we are actually protecting their babies.

We haul the babies separately from the moms so that the babies don't get trampled in the cattle trailers.

 

The Ninnescah Pasture looks like a pretty ideal "vacation" spot to me. It seems like a picturesque place to spend the summer.

The babies were ready to jump from the trailer to begin a new adventure.

However, they had to wait in the holding pens until all the mothers were there so they could reunite.

I couldn't resist my annual photo of these three trees as we left the pasture for another load of mamas. I may not get a paycheck, but the fringe benefits are pretty great.

Dulce de Leche Bars: A Cinco de Mayo Treat

Here's a news flash: Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in Mexico. It's likely a day like pretty much any other Friday (or whatever day the 5th of May happens to fall upon in any given year.) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported five things we should know about Cinco de Mayo, among them, these:

• Cinco de Mayo isn’t all that popular in Mexico.
• May 5 is not Mexico’s independence day.
• Americans consume a crazy amount of avocados on Cinco de Mayo (81 million pounds).

Most of us in the good old U.S. of A. enjoy Tex-Mex fare on our dinner tables, so it's a good excuse to break out the tortilla chips and salsa and have Taco Tuesday on an alternative night. This Kansan of English and Scottish descent likes enchiladas and guacamole as much as the next person -- as long as they have been toned down in the spice department.

Here's another news flash: These Dulce de Leche Bars aren't Mexican either. But the caramel-y goodness between cookie layers has a Spanish name, so I guess that's as good a reason as any to share the recipe now.

The original recipe from Crazy for Crust was made in a 9- by 9-inch pan. It used only 1/2 cup of the Dulce de Leche, which is found in the same aisle as sweetened condensed milk. I decided to double the recipe, use a 10- by 15-inch pan and use the whole can of the dulce de leche. After cooling and cutting into bars, I put a bunch in the freezer, where they will likely make an appearance in suppers to the field. I needed to rebuild my freezer stash anyway.

If you're interested in trying these non-Mexican treats for Cinco de Mayo, you may also want to peruse other County Line tried-and-true non-authentic Mexican offerings. While this assortment of main dishes and desserts aren't authentic Mexican fare either, they are favorites here on our farm in the middle of Kansas. (See the links at the bottom of this post.)

Ole!

Dulce de Leche Bars

Adapted from Crazy for Crust

1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1 can Dulce de Leche (found in the same aisle as sweetened condensed milk - Nestle makes one version)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10- by 15-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Combine dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture until just combined.

Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread Dulce de Leche over the top, then sprinkle with remaining dough over the top, pressing down lightly. (It won't completely cover the caramel.)

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until the top looks done and is golden around the edges. It will be somewhat "jiggly" in the middle, but it will firm up. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

***

Here, as promised, are the links to some other Tex-Mex offerings, all of which are County Line approved!

Sopapilla Cheesecake 

Mexican Tortilla Casserole (great for potlucks)

Quick Crescent Taco Pie 

Chicken Enchiladas & Beef Enchiladas 

(These are two different links, but the photos are equally bad.)

 

Homemade Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper

Taco Burgers

Corn 2017: The Journey Begins

The corn seed in the middle of the photo was at the end of the row, where Randy turned. Most of the seeds end up underground, where they are supposed to be, but I still liked the photo.

God says, "Leave the miracle part to me. 

I've got the seed, the soil, the sunshine, the rain and the seasons.

I'm God, and all this miracles stuff is easy for me. 

I have reserved something very special for you 

and that is to plant the seed."

--Jim Rohn, Author & Motivational Speaker

Two weeks ago, Randy started planting corn. He finished the last field on Friday, right before we got 2.20 inches of rain over the weekend. 

 

On the day I took the photos, it was one of those times when the blue sky was dusted with cotton-candy wisps of clouds, which beautifully offset the brown earth.

I wasn't Randy's only audience. Our cows in a catty-corner pasture came to watch the proceedings. I'm always amused by cow's curiosity. Thankfully, they didn't get any closer to the action.

Last Friday, we were in the corn field again. At the field where he had first planted, the green corn sprouts lined up like soldiers down rows of brown earth.

It looks like a good stand.

This year, we planted 310 acres of corn, a little more than last year. I'm sure that seems like small potatoes - or small sprouts - to anybody who has circles of corn. Since we are an all dryland farm, wheat remains our primary crop.

Randy says these photos make the corn look bigger than it is. Yes, it does, but I liked it anyway.

However, corn was a primary crop in this area when it was settled. The 6th Biennial Report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture of 1888 reported that corn was the main crop for Stafford County, covering 48,030 acres. Oats were grown on 10,849 acres, while the winter wheat crop totaled 8,717 acres. Pasture ground was tallied at 13,446 acres. (Information taken from Stafford County History: 1870-1990.)

 

To give the corn a boost right from the start, Randy applies a nitrogen fertilizer to promote germination and early growth.

He also had the co-op spray a combination of herbicide and fertilizer. The herbicide will help control broadleaf weeds and some grasses, and the fertilizer was applied at the rate indicated by soil testing, so it varied from location to location.

 

Our planter was set at 18,800 corn seeds per acre. Each $200 bag has 80,000 seeds and plants 4.3 acres. By comparison, one bag of certified wheat seed costs $15 and plants about half an acre. A bag of milo seed costs $119 and plants 14 acres.

At another field, Randy did a little digging to uncover the seeds. They had sprouted, but they hadn't yet emerged through the soil. 

And now we'll leave the miracle part to God