Time to bring the boys home

[Rydero]

The heat wave we had has really damaged the trees around here.. Fir trees, saskatoon bushes, cottonwoods, lots of stuff is half dead.. On the fir trees that's going to leave a long time scar I think

Hopefully the trees bounce back they take so long to grow, it's a shame when they die.

I'm through the tame hay and it went less than a bale an acre. I have a field along the highway and I've had non sarcastic comments about what a good crop I have - 200 bales less than last year on that field alone, lol. 250 acres of crops 8" high and heading out already isn't going to provide the 500 bales I'm short. The wild hay all froze out in May and is nothing anywhere upland at all. I'm headed to the swamps that saved me in the past - it's mower and rake county far from home but we do what we have to and I'm lucky to have the option many around me have none.. Hopefully when I write my country song about it I'm able to hit it big enough to buy some of the $175/bale hay people are selling for my cows to get through.

 

[Nesikep]

Hopefully the trees bounce back they take so long to grow, it's a shame when they die.

I'm through the tame hay and it went less than a bale an acre. I have a field along the highway and I've had non sarcastic comments about what a good crop I have - 200 bales less than last year on that field alone, lol. 250 acres of crops 8" high and heading out already isn't going to provide the 500 bales I'm short. The wild hay all froze out in May and is nothing anywhere upland at all. I'm headed to the swamps that saved me in the past - it's mower and rake county far from home but we do what we have to and I'm lucky to have the option many around me have none.. Hopefully when I write my country song about it I'm able to hit it big enough to buy some of the $175/bale hay people are selling for my cows to get through.

Hope you manage to scrounge the food for the critters!, I've seen some pictures of places and they look just barren.
There's feral horses (well, indian horses) to the south of me, we haven't had rain since we thawed out, those things are going to starve this winter

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I had to reduce my herd a lot last year because of our drought. Got a great/normal 1st cut. Been raining, a lot, since we did 1st cut. 2nd looks great...a bit soggy.

 

[Silver]

Yep. He's a good looking horse too. The way he carries his head shows he has a lot of sense. How is he bred? And you did raise him, right?

Yes, he was raised on the ranch, out of a stud I traded to my dad that went back to Heza Four Jets, Copy Regards and a mare we called War Mico, and I can't remember her breeding except for what's in her name.

 

[Silver]

Hopefully the trees bounce back they take so long to grow, it's a shame when they die.

I'm through the tame hay and it went less than a bale an acre. I have a field along the highway and I've had non sarcastic comments about what a good crop I have - 200 bales less than last year on that field alone, lol. 250 acres of crops 8" high and heading out already isn't going to provide the 500 bales I'm short. The wild hay all froze out in May and is nothing anywhere upland at all. I'm headed to the swamps that saved me in the past - it's mower and rake county far from home but we do what we have to and I'm lucky to have the option many around me have none.. Hopefully when I write my country song about it I'm able to hit it big enough to buy some of the $175/bale hay people are selling for my cows to get through.

I'll be poking around the swamps here too to get what I can. I don't have a lot of acres of it, but everything helps. My oats still have good colour but are heading out at knee high, and they didn't stool out this spring as good as I would have liked. Supposed to start raining here in the morning, hopefully that helps the oats (which are underseeded) and puts some life back in the pastures.
Do you have access to pellets where you are at?

 

[Rydero]

I'll be poking around the swamps here too to get what I can. I don't have a lot of acres of it, but everything helps. My oats still have good colour but are heading out at knee high, and they didn't stool out this spring as good as I would have liked. Supposed to start raining here in the morning, hopefully that helps the oats (which are underseeded) and puts some life back in the pastures.
Do you have access to pellets where you are at?

I don't have much swamp of my own but a friend who had cattle and went into grain and alfalfa seed lets me dig around in the bad years. Thought those days were past me when I bought more hay land but we've hit a new low.
Yes we can get pellets delivered pretty easily. I'm scared to know what they'll cost this year, grain being so high now there's about to be a huge demand and a disaster grain crop. Usually there's corn cracks, oat hulls and ddg's around as well. At work my boss has ordered a bunch of loads of ddg's already and the price is already going up. Protein's going to be an issue but for now I'm trying to see how much volume I can come up with to determine how many animals can stay.

 

[Rydero]

They mock us while we work. That's the windrow off an 18 foot header.
Grain with no leaves and nothing in the heads.

 

[Rydero]

A grain "crop"

Some of what I'm cutting to make bales. Notice I didn't say hay.

 

[Silver]

A grain "crop"
View attachment 5976
Some of what I'm cutting to make bales. Notice I didn't say hay. View attachment 5977

That's just awful. I'm speechless......

 

[Rydero]

This happened too.
I replaced them both (pretty rotten). Only good thing was the tire guy came right away and had me going by 2 pm the day after. That song's gonna be pretty sad and angry,

Maybe something like this.

 

[Silver]

Wow, that's quite a song.... On a happier note it appears as though you didn't have the expense of a wet change on those tires

 

[Nesikep]

 

[Rydero]

Got through a few not so great areas (made 50 bales or so) and onto a couple quarters that get quite wet most years. Pretty sure I can clear cut them now. I made 700 bales here a few years ago. There's less bulk this year but the previous cutting has made grass more prevalent. The fact nobody cut it last year is a bonus as well when you're just looking for bales.