Oldtimer
Well-known member
I've received several phone calls, e-mails, and PM's wondering why I disappeared for awhile from the cattle web sites..
Well I am alive and kicking But because of the flooding I just got back home on the 26th for the first time since the 6th of June...
On the 6th with the predicted heavy rains- a neighbor pulled my bulls and his thru the flooded road in a tall old Hale trailer behind his 4X4 tractor...I followed in my pickup with my ATV in the back... We had about 1/2 mile of road completely covered by water- and the last washout hole I hit on the flooded road, the water went over the hood....I decided I was not coming back thru until the water dropped--and set up camp at Grandpas old homestead house at the north place... Been riding herd on the cows/bulls and fixing washed out fence there ... And the old homestead doesn't have phone service or internet...
That night and the next day it rained 2-3" over the whole area-- and the Milk River reached alltime record highs (1.5 feet over the previous record)...We were lucky and the water never got to our house- but some neighbors totally lost their houses...But with all the rains the river has remained high- and Sunday was the first day the water went off the road--which is tore up pretty bad with some deep washouts to go thru and barely passable by 4 wheel drive...
Because of the daily rains/flooded corrals at both places/and creek flooding, we haven't branded yet- and about a month behind on everything...Much of the dryland wheat in the northern part of the country did not get seeded this year--including some of mine (north country wheat needs to be in by June 15 to have any chance of making a crop)... Hoping to get some late season crops to use as hay (oats,millet, sudan grass) seeded into the river bottom if it dries out...Whole year is a month behind- as the temp just hit 80 degrees here for the first time yesterday- and the spring flowers and lilacs are just blooming at the north place...
Its about 95 out now (which may help dry things out a little), so decided to try and post a few pics...One of my neighbors was able to set up portable corrals and brand yesterday- so maybe we can in the next week...
Even tho there will be a good crop of prairie hay, I think hay will be at a premium around here this year because so many fields were flooded out and totally ruined by the flooding on the Milk and Missouri drainages...
What a year--Winter from Hell went right into alltime flooding....We've been dealing with this flooding since the last week of March...So far this year we have had several inchs more rain in the first 6 months of the year than we normally get in a full year (almost 15 inches already in a country that averages 11 for the year).....
But their is Belly Deep Grass everywhere...
Grass in the creek bottom:
Trees and flowers in yard just now blooming:
Lots of washed out fence and water gaps on the creeks
Cows and mares enjoying the grass in the hills- even this shortgrass country can make grass when there is lots of moisture..
Bulls getting acquainted with the girls:
Cows and calves enjoying the grass and water- Whitney Creek Bannon 730T resting after his morning rounds: (the yellow tagged heifer in the back of the pic is the OCC Prestige 672P X Shoshone Felix daughter my son got from Taylor Orr at Whitney Creek Ranch..She is looking pretty shiney)
Bannon decided it was time to quit laying around and make his rounds- most the calves in these pics are sired by him:
Lazy Bar B Juanada Rito 06X-- I'm hoping he will become the replacement for the Bannon bred bull as the number 1 herdsire...
Lazy Bar B Old Gabe- always on the run checking for girlfriends...The yearlings have shed a little weight since being turned out...
Well I am alive and kicking But because of the flooding I just got back home on the 26th for the first time since the 6th of June...
On the 6th with the predicted heavy rains- a neighbor pulled my bulls and his thru the flooded road in a tall old Hale trailer behind his 4X4 tractor...I followed in my pickup with my ATV in the back... We had about 1/2 mile of road completely covered by water- and the last washout hole I hit on the flooded road, the water went over the hood....I decided I was not coming back thru until the water dropped--and set up camp at Grandpas old homestead house at the north place... Been riding herd on the cows/bulls and fixing washed out fence there ... And the old homestead doesn't have phone service or internet...
That night and the next day it rained 2-3" over the whole area-- and the Milk River reached alltime record highs (1.5 feet over the previous record)...We were lucky and the water never got to our house- but some neighbors totally lost their houses...But with all the rains the river has remained high- and Sunday was the first day the water went off the road--which is tore up pretty bad with some deep washouts to go thru and barely passable by 4 wheel drive...
Because of the daily rains/flooded corrals at both places/and creek flooding, we haven't branded yet- and about a month behind on everything...Much of the dryland wheat in the northern part of the country did not get seeded this year--including some of mine (north country wheat needs to be in by June 15 to have any chance of making a crop)... Hoping to get some late season crops to use as hay (oats,millet, sudan grass) seeded into the river bottom if it dries out...Whole year is a month behind- as the temp just hit 80 degrees here for the first time yesterday- and the spring flowers and lilacs are just blooming at the north place...
Its about 95 out now (which may help dry things out a little), so decided to try and post a few pics...One of my neighbors was able to set up portable corrals and brand yesterday- so maybe we can in the next week...
Even tho there will be a good crop of prairie hay, I think hay will be at a premium around here this year because so many fields were flooded out and totally ruined by the flooding on the Milk and Missouri drainages...
What a year--Winter from Hell went right into alltime flooding....We've been dealing with this flooding since the last week of March...So far this year we have had several inchs more rain in the first 6 months of the year than we normally get in a full year (almost 15 inches already in a country that averages 11 for the year).....
But their is Belly Deep Grass everywhere...
Grass in the creek bottom:
Trees and flowers in yard just now blooming:
Lots of washed out fence and water gaps on the creeks
Cows and mares enjoying the grass in the hills- even this shortgrass country can make grass when there is lots of moisture..
Bulls getting acquainted with the girls:
Cows and calves enjoying the grass and water- Whitney Creek Bannon 730T resting after his morning rounds: (the yellow tagged heifer in the back of the pic is the OCC Prestige 672P X Shoshone Felix daughter my son got from Taylor Orr at Whitney Creek Ranch..She is looking pretty shiney)
Bannon decided it was time to quit laying around and make his rounds- most the calves in these pics are sired by him:
Lazy Bar B Juanada Rito 06X-- I'm hoping he will become the replacement for the Bannon bred bull as the number 1 herdsire...
Lazy Bar B Old Gabe- always on the run checking for girlfriends...The yearlings have shed a little weight since being turned out...
