While Spring is typically thought of as the season with new beginnings, to me, Fall also has several new beginnings to offer. A new wheat crop is planted, a new set of replacement heifers take their place in the cowherd, calves are weaned and cows are pregnancy checked. Additionally, a new school year, a new football season and (depending on the day or time of day) a wardrobe change.
Fall might be my favorite time of year, but it also seems to be one of the most hectic. I find myself bouncing from one task to another, and then back. I’m fortunate enough to have a full time job that I do primarily from my home office. That means, employee, farm hand, cook, mom and wife are all jumbled into everyday. Fall also seems to be the season of, “Hurry Up and Wait”.
Seeing a crop of any kind pop through the dirt is always exciting for an agriculturalist. For me, watching how much it changes day by day, never gets old. I’ve always enjoyed seeing a nice green field of wheat in the fall while most of the other foliage is turning brown and crunchy. The green wheat fields are typically about the only ‘fall color’ we get to enjoy in Northwest Oklahoma. Some years we wait on a rain to plant, then hurry to get the seed in the ground before things dry out. This year, we waited for a rain. And boy did we get rain! Then we had to wait for it to dry out enough to plant.
Loving the rows of green peeking through.
Each year we keep a group of yearling females that we call our replacement heifers. As in any business, managers get rid of, retire or sell things that aren’t efficient, cost effective or have just served their purpose. These replacement heifers are our fresh inventory so to speak. They replace the older cows that have produced several calf crops and have served their purpose in the cowherd. Typically, we raise our replacement heifers and in the fall is when we give them permanent numbers in our cowherd, meaning we identify them with a number and welcome into the cowherd. We tag them, brand them, then take them to their winter pasture and wait for them to calve in mid-January.
Last week we finished weaning calves. We will let them settle into their new normal without mom and watch for sickness for a week or so (that’s the waiting part). Then, in coming days, we’ll get those calves branded and ready to turn out on wheat pasture for the winter.
Pregnancy checking cows will be next on the list and that’s several full days with all hands on deck to keep things moving along smoothly.
Do you see a cycle yet? Hurry to do this, then wait for the right time to do that.
Among all the hurry up and wait, and bouncing from task to task in the process, I sometimes lose track of the big picture. Fortunately, I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Oklahoma Beef Quality Summit. This three-day event is funded by the Oklahoma Beef Checkoff and hosted by the Food and Agricultural Products Center on the Campus of Oklahoma State University (OSU).
The Summit offers participants the opportunity to see the causes and results of quality challenges facing the beef industry. Participants were primarily beef producers, but we also had a chef, a feedlot manager, a cattle buyer and four meat cutters for Winco Foods Supermarkets within the group. We had the opportunity to evaluate live cattle in an effort to predict quality and yield, then follow the cattle through the harvest and grading process. With the instruction and assistance of OSU Graduate Students, attendees actually fabricate a beef carcass into wholesale meat cuts. If you are an Oklahoma beef producer, the Beef Quality Summit (held each Fall) is well worth spending two half days and one full day away from the ranch.
Sometimes we have to lift our nose from the grindstone, (the hurry up and wait cycle) to see the big picture and learn about ways to improve our business and our end product through the daily practices on the ranch. Sometimes we have to lift our nose from the grindstone to build appreciation for those in other segments or our industry from chefs to food service and processors to packers. I’m here to tell you, carving a ribeye roll out is no easy task but I’m grateful for the experience that I had beyond the Red Gates.
Branding
That’s my dad branding replacement heifers. He does not give up the job of branding too easily. It’s important to him that the brand is perfectly placed.
Record Keeping
Brands and ear tags are our methods of identification. And there is no better record keeper than my mom, Debra. I come from a strong line of perfectionists (wink, wink).
Weaning Weights
As soon as we wean calves, we document the weight of each calf. This man, also known as my husband, runs a close second to my mom for meticulous record keeping. He’s a careful planner and record keeper.
Happy Hurry Up & Wait Season
A day or two after the big rain, we had a little family time at Kenny Farms near Woodward. If you’re in driving distance and have kids, go check it out!