|
Very warm and growing grass even with the light soil moisture. We moved main mob into a new paddock SG6-first split about 23 acres. Cows starting to pick up calving. Next daily split for 2’s. Some Vesper sparrows are back. Fed cows the last time for the season. Lomatium foeniculaceum blooming in SW corner of SG3.
0 Comments
In a warm stretch taxing available moisture. Mob moved into 3rd and last split in SG1. Daily move for 2’s.
Continued warm. Second split for mob in SG1. Daily move for 2’s. Coyote found feeding on a dead calf. Not likely a kill, yet we up our observation.
Clear and much warmer. We moved heifers once-pretty confident we are done calving with the 2’s. Cows moved into first 2 split in SG1. Natalie and I visited with Travis about building spreadsheets for the yearling and H2 enterprises. I had a useful visit with NRCS engineers on finalizing pipeline plan. Musineon divericatum, low prostrate yellow early flowering perennial in the carrot family, is particularly abundant this spring.
Overcast and warming. We moved heifers (small 3 to 4 acre splits), but didn’t move the main mob as it was a feed day. Unfortunately, as we were almost done with grazing SG2, and as we didn’t close off SG3, when they came to water they drifted and grazed almost all the way to the east end of SG3. We drew them back with hay, yet we need to remind ourselves to close off last paddock, when we are out of fresh feed in the current paddock.
Maybe 1/4 moisture received over night. Some light off and on rain during day. We moved heifers once and cows 2 times. Maybe 4 new calves with main mob. Six heifers calved this afternoon and evening and we had to pull 2-very close to done. Jamie Wallis and her partner Mike came to visit. While at the reservoir we saw herons, egrets, piles of eared grebes, nesting geese, and sandhill cranes-very cool. Water running through the reservoir drain out pipe. Over 30 mourning doves in the corral lot.
Light snow over the night. Continue daily splits. Heifers still getting I bale alfalfa hay every day (8# day) and cows getting 4 bales every other day. With advancing spring grass growing we hope to end the hay supplement season. Natalie and I trailed 7 new bulls up to little Switzerland to join the old bulls. Walking back to headquarters we found some new yellow cups (Fritillaria pudicans), yet surprise, surprise we found one Pasque flower (Anemone patens), the first ever for the ranch.
Wake to new snow. Continue daily moves for both groups.
Mild turning colder and windy as some weather heads our way. We moved cows to 30 acre paddock. Goal is to move twice a day but not enough time today. Moved (drifted) Heifer pairs into NSG7. Found 2 dead calves in heifers-not sure the cause. We will be observing more closely tomorrow.
Warming and clear skies. Natalie made two splits with the cows in SG2. Heifers getting close to being done as we are 25 days since the first calf was born. Dana had a wonderful walk to the reservoir and saw gobs of wildlife from bobcats to cranes and a variety of ducks and eared grebes. Since the snow it has been freezing every night which is compromising what little growth potential we now have with the available moisture.
|
Bill Milton
|
| Milton Ranch LLC | Daily Ranch Journal |
RSS Feed
Proudly powered by Weebly