What improvements are you making?

Gather App
J+ Cattle said:
I'm curious about the potatoes, is there a local potato processing facility or something that has peelings or something that you can get free or really cheap?
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I wish it were that simple...I have a few friends that give me their old potatoes. Potatoes are relatively cheap and always start to go bad before you finish the bag. Old oranges, apples, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, pineapple skins, watermelon rine skins, even the entire chilled watermelon leftovers on a hot summer day all are cut up....cows love them as a treat and to cool down. Sometimes you can find potatoes getting past their due date at grocery stores and can buy them on the cheap. Lot of weight lot of energy-protein in potatoes...cheaper than cattle cubes. I feel guilty if i go out on the land to work without any treats... the cattle flow around me whining...they expect a treat if i'm there. I'm a softy for cattle.
 
Dave said:
For the rest of the day I am working on improving my attitude while sitting by the fire. I just got in from feeding the calves. It is 46 degrees, raining hard, with 20 mph wind, and gusts to 40. All those years on the coast I should be use to this kind of weather but instead I remember why I moved. I would take 15 degrees and snowing any day over this. Heck, 0 and calm would beat this. (I know some of the northern neighbors consider 0 and calm tee shirt weather) A cab tractor would be a nice improvement but that isn't in the cards any time soon.
We are working on that spring development on the east end. There is always fence repair to do. I have several piles of cottonwood trees that the beaver was nice enough to fall for me that need to be burned. I can do that now that we have some rain. I also need to plant some grass seed in a few bare spots in the fields. But I am retired so I am not supposed to have to do anything.......
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I need do that.... improve my attitude. Is that like an adult time out?! 😊 Let me know how you improve your attitude.
 
J+ Cattle said:
You know as well as I do that you don't have to plant ragweed to get a thick stand, we should all be profitable and have impressive weaning weights.
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But still, to maximize production you still need to soil test and fertilize accordingly …😉 wouldn’t hurt to pump water on it either. 😁
 
J+ Cattle said:
I'm curious about the potatoes, is there a local potato processing facility or something that has peelings or something that you can get free or really cheap?
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Some years a lot of potatoes get fed in the PNW. Some years they get so cheap that they just cost a little over the trucking cost. There are years when potatoes get so cheap that lots of them are left in the field. People feed them using a mixer which chops them up and mixes with hay.
Also there are big potato processing plants around here. In every case there will be large feedlots not too far from the potato plants. Not sure how it works but I think they pressure wash the peeling off. They end up with a slurry which is fed at the feedlots.
 
Thinking about adding a few hair sheep, have some odd patches that need kept clean and see how they do. Need to repair some fence and start some rotational grazing.
 
I'm thinking about getting a planner and writing down goals. 🤣🤡 Apparently I missed that lesson in school. I been seeing some extreme cool planners. I had no clue they made this planners so fancy.

https://passionplanner.com/products/2022-weekly-planner-elegant-marble
https://www.amplifyplanner.com/collections/january-march-2022
I normally just use my phone calendar for important dates and reminders. Yep guess I'm getting old when I have to set reminders on my phone.

Ya'll should see my alarms. 😆 I have crazy alarms!!! The one to remind me it's time to pick up my son from school.... I have 4 just in case I miss one. 😆🤣 It's the pre alarm the get ready alarm and the real alarm and you going to be late alarm 🤦🏽‍♀️ I have no clue why I get anxiety from that. Haha. 😂🤡😝
 
Chevy said:
I'm thinking about getting a planner and writing down goals. 🤣🤡 Apparently I missed that lesson in school. I been seeing some extreme cool planners. I had no clue they made this planners so fancy.

https://passionplanner.com/products/2022-weekly-planner-elegant-marble
https://www.amplifyplanner.com/collections/january-march-2022
I normally just use my phone calendar for important dates and reminders. Yep guess I'm getting old when I have to set reminders on my phone.

Ya'll should see my alarms. 😆 I have crazy alarms!!! The one to remind me it's time to pick up my son from school.... I have 4 just in case I miss one. 😆🤣 It's the pre alarm the get ready alarm and the real alarm and you going to be late alarm 🤦🏽‍♀️ I have no clue why I get anxiety from that. Haha. 😂🤡😝
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So do you have an alarm for when they're in the car you don't for get and leave them there?
 
D2Cat said:
So do you have an alarm for when they're in the car you don't for get and leave them there?
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Don't worry about that, there isn't a moment of silence.
I remember I have to pick my child up from school just don't always keep track of time if I'm busy.
My son's teacher was joking asking if she could take him home with her. I told her she bring him back. I'd bet he doesn't act the same at school as he does at home.
I had a parent teacher conference. I asked how my sons behavior was. The teacher gave me this weird look like it was strange I asked that. She told me he behaved very good. He sat in his seat and did everything he was told. He had some friends he played with and he talked to the students around him when they were allow. It puzzles me why the other school after we bought up about him being bullied, why they than said our son had behavior issues.

This isn't funny... I have a friend years ago she started dating this guy with kids. She would supposed to pick up the kids from school she always forget them. It's gets worse. She go to Walmart the kids would wander off somewhere, she would forget about them and leave. Lucky they were old enough it wasn't a big deal. They would call her and tell her, she forgot them. After a while she did step up and be a mom figure ish to his kids. Even to this day them kids love her and call her mom. If you knew their real mom her forget them wasn't nothing. She would cook for them, buy their school clothes, ect. As sad as it is I kind of see where if she never had kids than was responsible for some where she may forget a fee times. Most people wouldn't, but some people can't remember their own heads if it wasn't attached. 🤷🏽‍♀️
 
Lee VanRoss said:
When is the Miraco going in? They can be a game changer in extreme cold. An adequate number of cattle to keep the chamber
charged with warm water is essential. The water may not freeze but the valve might and the trouble comes when they drink enough
to lower the ball and let cold air into the chamber. Mine has a divider over it and I put in a hydrant beside the Miraco.
I can take a short hose and recharge the chamber with warmer water and the valve will free up. At -30 you may want to push the drain
plug back into the chamber and let the water out and then refill the chamber with water.
To me it is easier than jacking with a frozen valve. A lot more economical than a 1000 watt heat element!
Hope it works out for you /
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1029211648d_HDR.jpg

Got this one in, still need to shoot some anchors with the hilti. I LOVE Miraco waterers our oldest one is from the mid 90's. Had to give it a new float valve once (rubber seal failed), still going strong. I put a 20x20 slab under that one, back when concrete was reasonable.
But concrete has gone up to $187/yard here for some reason (what is sand more expensive now? Or maybe the water?) so I've had to use bags, 10x10 is all I can manage with bags.
I have a pressure reducing valve at the beginning of the water line in the shop, set to 20, because that well pump is set up at about 70psi and the float valves can have trouble closing against that.
 
J+ Cattle said:
I'm just curious what everyone is doing to make "improvements" in their operation. It could be anything; AI to a good bull, expand or build new working or storage facilities, building fences to rotation graze or upgrading your farming equipment, no-till instead of deep plowing....whatever makes your life easier, better or more profitable.
I know that we all have long lists of things that need to be done and sometimes we work only on the daily needs instead of the longer term improvements.

I'll start it off...

I'm reclaiming about 50 acres that is covered in scattered patches of thick brush and weeds everywhere but not much anything else, the cows were getting little benefit from it other than using it to hide a newborn calf in the brush. I put in a gate on that side of the creek a few years ago but recently had to widen the gate opening to get in there with a tractor and brush hog. I've done some spraying around the perimeter of thickets and I'm mowing down the dead brush. The brush in the middle of the thickets is much too big for a brush hog and will require more spraying to kill it out. Next spring I will spray as much of the area for weeds as I can, then spot spray the prickly pear cactus and yucca patches. Hopefully this will give the grass a fighting chance and take away some of the hiding places for wild hogs.

J+ Catt
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J+ Cattle said:
I'm just curious what everyone is doing to make "improvements" in their operation. It could be anything; AI to a good bull, expand or build new working or storage facilities, building fences to rotation graze or upgrading your farming equipment, no-till instead of deep plowing....whatever makes your life easier, better or more profitable.
I know that we all have long lists of things that need to be done and sometimes we work only on the daily needs instead of the longer term improvements.

I'll start it off...

I'm reclaiming about 50 acres that is covered in scattered patches of thick brush and weeds everywhere but not much anything else, the cows were getting little benefit from it other than using it to hide a newborn calf in the brush. I put in a gate on that side of the creek a few years ago but recently had to widen the gate opening to get in there with a tractor and brush hog. I've done some spraying around the perimeter of thickets and I'm mowing down the dead brush. The brush in the middle of the thickets is much too big for a brush hog and will require more spraying to kill it out. Next spring I will spray as much of the area for weeds as I can, then spot spray the prickly pear cactus and yucca patches. Hopefully this will give the grass a fighting chance and take away some of the hiding places for wild hogs.

J+ Cattle
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I am just a beginner I have six black Angus cows and six Akaushi. On my second season of Calves. Plan on building a herd to 25 to 30 polled Akaushi. Improving pasture grass, drilling new well, cross fencing.
Loving retirement.
 
That’s beautiful country, Dave.

When I think about how much I’ve spent on the place, sometimes it’s hard to digest.
Other times, I walk outside in my drawers with the dog and a cup of coffee, and watch the sunrise. Nobody laughs.

The closest thing we have on this earth, next to our children and spouse, is a piece of land and the memories it affords.
 

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