Changes Happen.

JCS Sophia Margaretha (Sophie)

It’s been a typical winter and spring: busy. The calving season went well. Three calves born unassisted; always a good thing. I have had two calves born dead. I might have been able to save one of those if I had been prepared to. The other was lost and almost took the mother but she recovered and went on to breed and deliver again. The saddest thing that.

Calving is always a tense time for me. I watch the ladies closely and have dedicated a well-fenced pasture near the house as a calving pen. It is planted with ryegrass and can supply a lot of rich forage for the lactating mothers. I don’t hover over the girls but keep close tabs and usually find a new calf within a couple of hours of its birth.

Fifty-five days after delivery the girls are ready to re-breed and so begins the breeding season. The herd gets divided among the bulls to accommodate my breeding goals and to avoid any serious inbreeding. Its a fun time for the boys of course. I leave the calves with their mother at this time and to attend to their forage needs with small amounts of hay to balance the cool-season grasses, making sure their minerals and water are fresh.

The period between the birth and the weaning is the most fun. Watching young calves at the peak of their exuberance and inquisitiveness is a real treat. Next comes training. Break them to the halter, get them used to my presence, being handled, and to trust me. I consider this to be the best part of raising a calf because it is the most intimate. I’m there every day, vary often to start and then just three or four times a day. There is feeding, training, washing, grooming; often each in a day. Gaining the trust of these animals and have that trust become the basis of your relationship for as long as they live is just a joy to experience.

All this takes time and I consider it quality time. But other things I love take time too and I don’t want to shortchange those either. So I have made a decision to make a change regarding the direction of my cattle experience. I am going to give up the cow-calf breeding model and move towards grazing management instead. This will open the spring season for other things that need to be done at that time of year; gardening, woodworking, etc.

But I love cattle and want to stay active with them so I’ll focus on grazing for others. Probably contract-grazing rather than leasing so I can still be hands-on with the animals. We’ll see. I will try harder to keep up these notes for those few who might find them worthwhile.

I have been penning articles for publishing on my Facebook page. If you have seen those you know that they are designed to help prospective Miniature Hereford owners be better prepared for the experience so that some of my own mistakes can be avoided and their experience be that much enhanced. I will be copying those articles into an organized format on the “Resources” page of my website so they be more easily be accessed and explored. As usual, I hope that those with questions will share them. I’ll let you know how it goes on all fronts.

Miniature Hereford Start-up Questions I

Starting Out! Why cattle?

There is no rationale for one type of livestock over another other than the differing space and tools each requires. It really just depends on our own personal tastes and goals. Goats can be fun too. Whichever we choose, we should become a knowledgeable owner. These animals are depending on us.

Why Miniature Herefords?

Smaller cattle have less impact on the land and facilities and the physical demands on our aging body. This is because Miniature Herefords (and the Hereford breed in particular) have an easy going temperament not found in most cattle, even the ubiquitous Black Angus. Coupled with their smaller size, this makes them perfect for folks new to cattle. Plus, they're just so darned pretty!

Where are the best resources for learning about caring for Miniature Herefords?

Whatever is true in the care and upkeep of larger market cattle, is true for Miniature Herefords. They are the same animal, only smaller. Handling, health issues, nutrition requirements, mating, and calving, are all the same. Any differences will due to their specific breed. Consequently, State Agricultural Extension publications are expert  and relevant resources for us. (Links to some of their publications can be found here http://www.jcsminihereford.com/resources .)

Since Ag Extension functions to promote profitable agricultural production, their goal is tied to the economics of cattle husbandry and marketing. Some of the economics may not always be as relevant to us as Miniature Hereford owners. And, some techniques may not be as applicable to raising non-market (pet and breeder-market) cattle on small properties.   

The very best resource for information on raising Miniature Herefords specifically, is the Miniature Hereford Community. I am indebted to many people who spent a lot of time acting as mentors to my education. Here are the two things you should do early-on if you want to shorten your learning curve.

1. Join the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association. (Go see their website.)

Find other members near you. Visit their website if they have one or give them a phone call. Ask if you can come for a visit. Tell them you are new and trying to learn more about the whole thing. Since they likely sell some of their stock from time-to-time, they will be more than  happy to have you visit. Repeat as many times as you can.

2. Go to Miniature Herefords Shows! The people you meet and the things you will learn will be very important to you. Plus you will meet some of the nicest people in the world.

Starting a new phase today.

Today marks my foray into social media. I was forced into it …competition of course. But I have decided that rather than duplicate every other Miniature Hereford Facebook page out there, I would use this opportunity to share my love of Miniature Herefords and encourage others want to have the same experience. Thinking of getting a Miniature Hereford? Don't know much (or northing) about raising cattle? My Facebook page and this Blog are designed for you.

This effort is for those 40-, 50-, or 60-something persons nearing or in retirement that have, or has plans, to move to a rural property and is considering raising cattle, specifically perhaps Miniature Herefords. I am designing the site for a level of background experience and knowledge of cattle that matches what mine was when I started...none.

I want to offer encouragement and insights from my experience to those considering becoming Miniature Herefords owners and make the experience a little easier and a little less confusing. For those of us not raised in a livestock culture there is a lot of catching-up to do. I found that most questions about cattle are only discovered by doing it. Can it be done? Sure!

I do not claim that anything I relate is the only or best way to do something. Everyone who raises Miniature Herefords for any length of time will have developed management and handling practices that work for them. I invite questions, insights and observations from others.

I am in East-Central Texas so the soils and climate here are what I know. Readers from dissimilar conditions will have to be careful to make adjustments to my notes to suit their situation. I'll try to make note of these situations.

Got questions? Let’s hear them.

Video - video - video

As a breeder, its important that I market my animals effectively. Classifieds are important but they have severe limitations. The old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true but but a single photo image (while important) still has significant limitations compared to video. A video can show movement and movement is a function of structure. Video can communicate a little about disposition, at least in the context it is filmed. The size of an animal can also be better discerned when people are in the scene.

You may have noticed that videos are beginning to show up more frequently. I recently made a concerted effort to learn how to use my video editor. I had purchased a copy of Movavi Video Editor Plus. A lifetime license is only $60. It has some powerful features and I’m finding that the software is very easy to use.

The Movavi editor has great tools like pan-and-zoom, slow-motion, cropping, multiple tracks for audio, a good library of stock images, and non-copyrighted music makes it easy to enhance the video in ways that add depth and interest to the viewing experience. I found that music adds immensely to the viewing experience and it is very easy to do.

As a marketing tool, the video must convey some specific information that may not be visible or recognized by the viewer. Or, a scene requires some explanation to be more effective. This is where text and audio become important.

Since background noises are usually uncontrollable and annoying, adding text-frames at key points can add understanding and clarity to the scene. Or, you can do your own voice-over which allows greater descriptive power without frames full of text and does not disrupt the flow of the video.

Voice-over turns out to be ridiculously easy and it took my 16 year old grandson to show me how. I bought a lapel microphone that is specially designed for smartphones. It was about $20. I record directly to my phone while watching the video. I can start and stop as many times as needed. Then I download the audio file(s) from my phone to the desktop of my computer. I then change the mp4 format to an mp3. (This may be different on your editor or phone.) I then just drag the audio file from my desktop directly to the opened video in the Movavi editor. Once inserted, I can trim pieces, move segments around as needed or delete pieces or the whole thing and redo it.

So, you will see more video. Feel free to let me know what you think or what doesn’t work. I hope you like them and find them a much better resource for you to decide if an on-site visit to get a close look at the animal would be worthwhile.

A Good Bull Prospect?

This is Bucky. He was born on January 3rd, 2019. When he was three months old he and his mother Susie spent six weeks on exhibit at the Houston Livestock Show as part of the AgVenture display. All went well, they were a hit. Here is Bucky today.

I was not sure about him at first but as he grew, his confirmation began to become clearer. He has a straight-ahead alignment on his front feet and a wide set to his rear. His gait is straight and long. From the side he appears to have a wide, deep body. I still don’t consider myself very good at discerning good confirmation but I fell better about Bucky.

To illustrate, I though Sonny (See previous post) was the one to watch at first. His body still looks god but as a bull, I don’t think he has the right traits to breed good stock. So… last Tuesday, Sonny became a steer. It appears he will keep his small stature. He is in training now and doing well. Hs is friendly and I think he’ll make a very nice pet animal that will respond well to people.

So Bucky will likely go on. His disposition is good. He is responding to the halter well and his lead training is coming along nicely. I hope to get him in a couple of smaller shows this summer and fall, see how he does, and go from there. If he develops as I think he will I plan to put him for sale.

His video is on the sale page.

Catching Up and Expanding

Sonny born Jan 3rd. Pictures taken Jan 20 (left) and Mar 12th (right). Bull material I think.

It’s been a while since the last post but I have got some stuff in preparation to get posted soon. I have spent some time upgrading the webpage by expanding the informational function of the site as well as format. There are a lot of websites for minis out there and many of them are quite good. I’ll try not to duplicate much that is commonly shared by many sites and instead focus on more of the ‘general cattle husbandry’ aspect of raising cattle.

Much of the vast wealth of information out there about cattle is focused on commercial cattle production with a necessary emphasis on various economic models. These are very important if you are trying to make a living with cattle. But this where the “Miniature Hereford culture” splits from traditional cattle economics. Most mini raisers (I think) are not in it for the money as much as the experience of doing it. Many are retired or semi-retired and have their income form other sources. There are breeders out there operating at a scale that creates a viable income to support a growing family but by-and-large, most (many?), like me, will probably never break even, although I am trying to.

This difference in goals means that a lot of the information out there about cattle is not completely relevant to us. But sometimes it’s not easy to know what is relevant or not relevant if you’re new to cattle raising. I’ll try to point out some of these issues so that new raisers don’t get caught in decision-making circles trying to manage a herd of six with information designed for a herd of hundreds destined for the feedlots.

Click on the blog title and a comment box will appear below. If you have some comments, please share them. Thanks.

What to do with bull calves?

My sale page has offered three bull calves for sale for about a month. Due to some problems with the classified ads at the Miniature Hereford Association website, I was delayed in getting an ad placed as soon as I had hoped. That site does generate traffic but it takes a bit of time. Well, weaning time is here, and the castrate/don't castrate decision time is here as well...and no interest in the calves has surfaced. That's not a surprise. Boys are just too plentiful and most small herd (and property) owners just can't afford the space.

My recent herd reduction has provided enough cushion in grass production to allow me to carry three, probably no more than four steers, for an additional 18 - 20 months. So I have decided to keep the calves and raise them as grass-fed beef. Doing so will allow me to at least double, almost triple the price I was asking for them. (see the minis for sale page)

Awareness of the health benefits of grass-fed beef has become fairly wide-spread. This is easily seen in the prices found in the major grocery stores; a grass-fed ribeye in our area can set you back $15 per pound and up. Tapping into this market by raising grass-fed beef could be a valid option for a small rancher with a small herd of minis. And miniature Herefords are particularly suited to doing so. Here's why:

• Minis are docile, easy breeding animals,
• Their daily need for grass is less than typical large-frame cattle of today,
• The smaller carcass yields smaller cuts, well-suited to smaller portions for an increasingly health-conscious public,
• Pasture grown without routine antibiotics and no hormones appeals to many beef buyers,
• Minis are typically grown on small properties by owners who have raised the animals in an environment and attention to care that many feel is lacking in feed-lot cattle.

A week ago I delivered three steers aged 27-28 months old to the meat processor. They are all sold as halves at least, perhaps a couple of quarters. I am selling to family and friends for $4.50 per pound of the hanging carcass weight. After all is said and done the price per pound to the customers will be about $7.18 per pound. That is a low price because these are grass-fed animals, free of any antibiotics and hormones, born and raised here by me. They have the first pick of the best grass I have at any time of year.

I researched a lot of other ranches online that sell grass-fed beef. The lowest price I found was $3.50 per pound of carcass weight. The highest I found was (I think) a little over $10.00 per pound. Most were in the $5.50 to $8.00 range. Even at this $4.50/ lb carcass price, I will receive about $2500 per animal. I don't know my net right now because I don't usually keep those kinds of records. Still, it's better than giving calves away for ridiculously low prices. The price will vary with owner, animal quality, location, and marketing ability.

I don't mean to make it sound too easy. Raising grass-fed beef does require resources and management that needs to be considered. I'll address these issues as I have  and am encountering them. I'll start with a simplistic breakdown that looks at gross sales return as soon as I figure out how to insert a spreadsheet into this website. Later I'll delve into the cost of keeping a steer for two years.

My Smaller Herd

Nice! I can now get my whole breeding herd in one photo. One little girl could not resist coming to say hello.

Her name is Mira. I sold her mother, Elvira in February. I kept Mira because her mother had a really good confirmation and developed into a great cow. I want to keep those genes in the herd. I only sold Elvira because of the need to reduce the herd. Elvira is 12 years old. I did not ask much for her and she should have a few years of calving left yet. Mira will be one-year old on July 21st. I'll breed her next April. She's looking pretty good.

Spring is Busy, as usual.

April was a whirlwind. The cows and heifers I sold in February and March needed breeding. Since not everyone would go with the same bull I have to set up a separate pasture for each breeding group (3). Plus, the heifers had to wait until they were 15 months of age and some cows had breeding delayed because of their recent calving. So... it was mess getting it organized. Most are done now. I only have one heifer that finishes this month. I also have one heifer I am breeding for a friend that is nearly ready to go home.

The herd will soon be at six cows, two yearling heifers, tow heifer calves, three bull calves, three bulls, and three steers. One of the bulls and all of the bull calves are for sale. The three steers will be sold for beef soon.

Typically, no sooner than the calving season settles down, the focus turns to pasture growth, rain, fertilization, rain, weed control, rain, etc, etc. I have not done a soil test this year. They usually come out the same each time; need more nitrogen. I'll use last years sample report instead. However, I was able to get 1-ton per acre of lime applied in January. That should help a lot although I should get another ton in late summer if the money holds out. We'll see.

If you have not recently limed your pastures it's something you need to look into. The ph on my soil was generally in the 5.7-6.5 range. I live on the north side of a limestone gravel road. The southeast summer winds move the dust right onto the pasture, at least some of it. But the last soil sample had a ph of 4.9 show up in more than one spot. This means that a significant portion of the fertilized will not be accessed by the grasses. Wasted money. Don't neglect your soil's ph!

Also, it seems that every year or so, a new weed appears. This is one of those years. Buttercup (Ranunculus species).

It starts like this...

and then spreads...

and then forms dense mats.

The herbicide Cimarron Max will kill it in the spring but I may have missed my best window. I have used this herbicide to take bahiagrass out of my pastures and it works great for that. It does not require a herbicide applicators license in Texas which is good. However, it will also take out clovers. It has a residual pre-emergent effect that I was told will dissipate in about 90 days. This late in spring that buttercup has probably already seeded next years crop (its an annual) so I may just wait and get it next year.

I prefer not to spray the pastures if I can help it. I allow most weeds their place unless they get to out-of-control. Mowing at the right time can reduce the level of infestation on some weeds. But buttercup looks like a real potential problem. Unfortunately cattle don't like it. Naturally; if they liked it, it would probably be toxic. Shouldn't gripe too much I guess.

A few years ago I purchased a 55 gallon boom sprayer for a tractor 3-point hitch. It ran about $1100 but I really like it. Having a small property, some of my paddocks are not suited for large commercial sprayers. Plus, my weed problem may be isolated to one small patch but still too big for a hand sprayer.

I'll post some more later on my pasture improvements for the summer. Perhaps even haying some.

Good grazing all.

Time for a Reevaluation

It has been a very learning cattle year. A bunch of things went wrong while some other did not go right. But, the learning has been good. I have been able to identify the breakdowns and develop some new directions that I am excited about.

I have 25 grazable acres on 40 total property acres. I felt that 12 breeding cows would be sustainable if I practiced a management-intensive pasture rotation system. I started with four cows. Eventually I got to 8 cows. Artificial Insemination (AI) was my method of getting my cows bred. (It has been recommended that unless you have a minimum of 10 cows, AI is more prudent that keeping a bull on-site. More on that later.) AI turned out to be problematic so one year a friend lent me a bull for a couple of months. Wow! Eight calves! Liked that! So, I bought a bull to go along with one I was raising on-site. Next year - six calves, four of them heifers. The year after - I breed two of my earlier heifer calves and they end up calving.

Now:

• 10 cows
• 2 second year heifers
• 2 first year heifers
• 4 heifer calves
• 3 bull calves
• 3 breeding bulls
• 3 two-year old steers (for beef sales)

Twenty-seven head on 25 acres. Even though that figure includes calves and yearlings that don't eat as much, they have an impact.

I have Tifton 85 Bermudagrass pastures. This hybrid is highly palatable, fast growing, and drought resistant. Still, having the right amount of forage at the right time this past year was an iffy thing. Even productive grasses need management, and I have found that Tifton has special needs. I also did not plan for the problems associated with segregating animals based on their breeding, calving, lactating, and weight-gaining needs. This made the allocation of grazable forage a real pain. In order to fill the gaps I had to supplement with hay and feed.

In addition to my land resource not performing as well as I want or think it can, I am over-extended physically. I enjoy gardening and woodworking but have little time for that. Halter-training seven calves will keep you busy. And it's just me. You can understand why I gave up showing Miniature Herefords.

My solution:

• reduce my breeding cows to six animals
• sell all the animals as soon after weaning as possible
• sell one bull, keep two

In addition, I plan to:

• revamp my vegetation management practices to improve forage utilization (timely shredding post-grazing and selective haying)
• improve soil productivity through increased liming and fertilization (started this)
• establish cool-season forage pasture for late winter-early spring grazing (started this)
• set aside pastures for the stock-piling of summer forage for early winter grazing

So far (March, 2018), I have sold three of my cows, three heifers, and one calf. One bull has been posted for sale and my three bull calves will be posted soon. I think this will allow me greater flexibility to manage my grasses and meet the needs of my herd as they change through the year. Based on a herd of eight full-grown cattle (6 cows and two bulls) I will have a base stocking rate of 3 acres per AU. The transient portion of the herd is estimated to be 6 calves; all to be sold except perhaps for promising replacement heifers or steers for beef, and two bulls.

As usual, you start with a plan and then see whjat happens when mother nature shares her ideas. I think I will have lots to write about as this unfolds. Here goes.

(I have set this blog to allow comments for anyone who wants to share some insights or has questions. You will need to click on the title of the post to see the comments box.)

Winter almost over. Heifers are sold. Breeding has started.

Winter almost gone. Can't wait. Most of February has been drearily cloudy and wet. The pastures are completely soaked and squishy. My barnyard is a sea of mud. Just want to see some sunshine soon. At least some ryegrass has come up so I can put most of the herd on some grass and cut back on the hay.

I thought I could have my two heifers sold by the end of last December but it dragged on through the winter. Rose finally went early this month as part of a package of five females and one calf. Trixie just sold yesterday. At the end, four buyers inquired about Trixie with a week of each other. Two from southeast Texas; one from Minnesota, and one from California. Trixie is going to one of the Texans.

I have breeding in progress now so the herd is divided among my three bulls. The youngest will get his first chance at breeding this year and then I'll put him up for sale. He is a good looking guy but is too closely related to one of the other bulls. I don't need three bulls but I may offer fall breeding to people who don't keep a bull. We'll see.

I usually carry a camera with me when I'm in the pasture with the cattle. I was lucky enough to be in the right place when Elvira went into standing heat. My bull, Tucker had been close by her side for a few days and was ready when she was. Here are some pictures.

(I have set this blog to allow comments so anyone who wants to share some insights. You will need to click on the title of the post to see the comments box.)

Calving Season is Closed, Thankfully

It wasn't long after my last post that calving season came to a fairly abrupt end. On January 12, 14, and 18, my remaining pregnant ladies each delivered. Gender ended up one heifer and three bulls. All are healthy and each was delivered unassisted. I was able to catch one at the right time and supervise. Since I had three heifers born in July and early August, the total for the 12-month period is four girls and three boys. I'm happy with that.

Not long after my last post in which I mentioned that I have realized I need to reduce my herd, I got a call from a gentleman I met at my local feed store. We chatted for about five minuets, and he made a note of my name and phone number. That was almost a year ago. Long story shortened, he and his wife wanted to start a herd for their small property and purchased three cows and two heifers. One of the cows is one of my ladies that gave me the heifer in January and she'll take her along. I'll be breeding them before they leave.

This leaves me with six females ready to breed and two 6-month old heifers for possible replacements, perhaps for sale. This reduction will reduce my stocking rate significantly. I think this will give me a bigger cushion for low-rain months and allow some baling of the excess if it arrives. We'll see.

Also, I received a few calls on the sale heifers I have posted in the classifides on the Miniature Hereford Breeder Association website asking for videos. I just posted my first in the ad today. Still a learning curve involved but its not as hard as I thought. I purchased a film editing software called Movavi. It was only $40 (on sale) and is considered a beginner, basic level program. It is that. Simple, quick and quite intuitive. As a first effort I used a clip I shot one afternoon while placing hay for the new mothers. While they were eating their calves decided on a group-play. Here it is.

An Overdue Update

2017 was busy, especially late summer and fall. I really tried to get a jump on the cool-season ryegrass crop this year; disced, seeded, and harrowed by the end of September of last year. But then...no more rain! A very dry fall and winter has resulted in very weak germination. I'll fertilize at the end of this month and hopefully get some early green grazing for my lactating cows. We'll see.

I had three calves born in late July (2) and early August (1); all girls. I have kept them on their mothers in the pasture and have just brought them down with the herd for winter feeding and protection from severe cold/wet conditions.

I also brought down four cows that were nearing their calving dates. One of them delivered on January 2 (a girl) and the other three are due really soon. I keep this group separate from the rest of the cows and closer to the house so I can monitor and feed easier. And I have two first-year heifers that are due in early March.

With the new calf (Dawn), that gives me six heifers, two of which can be bred this coming April. I also have three steers that will be sold for meat in late spring this year. I think I have too many animals for the type of operation I can effectively manage the way I want.

I originally thought that on my 25 acres I could support 10, perhaps 12 (the number I have now) breeding cows. In terms of yearly calf crop using AI breeding, that would probably be about right given my luck with that process. However, since I now have two bulls my calving rate has overwhelmed me.

I have decided to reduce my breeding herd to about 8 cows and will be selling most if not all the heifers after they are weaned. I may also be offering one or two of my cows. I will not be halter training the newest calves so my asking prices will be reduced. I'll determine those soon. I will post pictures soon as well. Check back in a few days.

Thanks

Jim

Time Takes a Toll

Well, Fall was a rush! So many things needed be decided and acted upon. I was only able to sell one of our 2016 calf arrivals but he turned out to be a winner for the new owner. The mid-summer rains were a welcome aberration that carried both good and not-so-good ramifications. I had much more grass than I could use and the pastures got taller than I could manage. More on tghis later since there were some really god lesson learned.

Training and selling show animals proved to be more than this one old guy could handle. Maybe one or two would have been OK but seven were a real trial. I like training since it allows me to create animals that are tamed, easy to handle, and fun to be around. But the time it takes to do this well is significant and onerous if your the only one doing it.

It might be easier if I were raising my animals in a penned area where I have access to new calves early-on and on a daily basis. However, I prefer to have my calves raised on the pastures, surrounded by a herd, amid grass and sun.

I have decided to re-focus my ranch plan towards gourmet grass-fed beef. I have always had some beef sales but they were incidental to raising animals for show. (Something I'm not suited for or good at anyway it turns out.) This change had prompted a vast change in animal nutrition and management as well as pasture soil management and nutrient capability. Of course the marketing aspect will be challenging as well.

My first class of animals for harvest are turning one year old this Spring. It will be another year before I have a product that will gauge the progress of my efforts. I'll be posting some thoughts about what these changes entail and the problems I encounter in subsequent posts.

Happy New Year

About Training

Training is a fun part of owning a Mini because this is where you enjoy close contact on a regular basis with your calf. It is my favorite part of raising calves. Training is also a LOT of work!

Training may be undertaken to show an animal in which case the training regimen is the most demanding. Training may involve only enough to allow you to easily and safely halter an animal; still requiring a lot of attention but not as crucial as for a show ring.

There are a lot of training video and other resources on training cattle. I won't go into detail on this post but will address some training techniques in individual posts later. (I have set this blog to allow comments so anyone who wants to share some insights.) 

I was not able to properly train the calves I wanted to show in Waco this past month. First of all, my facility it too uncomfortable during hot weather. I had to limit my training hours to the early morning and this was not enough to train three calves. I also had some recurring back problems show up in force and limited my time even more. So...no Waco show.

Training is a time consuming activity. Most people active in showing will train in the morning and the afternoon, not including the sometimes daily or twice daily washing. If it is a family activity, the load can be shared. In my case, the grand-kids live too far away and are not into showing calves. In good weather, I could probably have achieved my goals this year, but not this year.

Bottom line: Consider the time and resources you are willing to devote to training a calf before buying your animal.

Visit other Mini owners to see their facilities and get their input on what you'll need and get their insights into training. If you want calf but don't feel you can devote the time to training, you may buy an animal already trained or consider paying someone to train the animal you purchased. The learning process for Miniature Herefords or any animal is always a long-term endeavor. It will be most enjoyable if you match your goals with your capabilities.

September Update

August and early September have seen very uncharacteristic rains for our part of the state. Not complaining mind you, but it has affected training quite a bit. Early mornings are about the only time available that is not overly-sweltering in the humidity. Mid-days are brutal and my barn does not have enough room for decent training. But, we do what we can when the weather allows.

As the little bulls have developed, their unique characteristics have come forth as well as their physical development. I have updated some of the individual animal pages with more info so please check those out. Roscoe's page in particularly interesting. He is sold and his new owners have been kind enough to send some progress photos.

I'll be having the vet out late this month to palpate the cows. Anyone not pregnant will be placed back with a bull for fall breeding. Hopefully the weather moderates soon so breeding can be successful.

The pastures are greening well with ample rain but some damage from the fall army worms is evident. Oh well, is part the nature of things. Thankfully, the Tifton 85 in my pastures is not quite as vulnerable as is the coastal and common varieties.

The Heart of Texas Fair begins in early October and I will be showing (6th - 8th) two of the bulls and one of my heifers. I am showing Handsome Jack and Disco Joe in the bull class and Allie in the heifer. Allie is not for sale but I want to see how see how she judges. I may not be able to show Joe since he is in the same ring as Jack. If I can't find someone to help me, I'll just have to scratch him. At least he'll get some training and exposure; perhaps sold at the show.

Training has begun.

On June 26 I started weaning the oldest calves. Fast Eddie and Handsome Jack are the oldest bulls and Allie, a heifer I am keeping were all born within a week of each other. Today was their second washing and it went really well. The first wash was pretty tense but over the past week their stress level has declined noticeably.

Their daily routine starts about 7:00 am. Overnight they are allowed to be off-halter and allowed to graze the barnyard. They get haltered and tied before being allowed to eat and afterward allowed to lay down a while. About 9:00 or 10:00 I will take each to water and then tie them standing followed by a brushing all over to get them used to the handling and touching. After brushing I'll spend 15-20 minuets each in lead-training to get them to walk without resisting. This will get expanded as we go along.

After training, I may leave them tied for another hour or so. They will then be allowed to be off-halter in their pen so they can get free-choice hay and access to water as needed. The heat is pretty bad now so I have a fan going constantly. About 6:00 of 7:00 I will halter and tie them for their evening feeding and a light brushing. They are then individually led out of the pen into the barnyard, taken off-halter and allowed to romp.

I use range cubes as treats and as encouragement/reward for desired responses during training. It is a sure form of addiction. I'd love it if my cattle responded to my commands and directions because they want to please me or just because they like me. But, that won't happen. The best way to get any semblance of obedience is to become the source of the things they want, either feed or grass. I found early on that pushing cattle only works if they are going where you want them to anyway. It is far easier to lead cattle with food or the promise of a fresh pasture and cubes work great. I'm too old for playing rodeo.

I never thought I'd do this.

I never thought blogging was in my future but here I am. I guess it was only a matter of time. So...here's the goal: I enjoy sharing experiences that have enriched my life in the hopes that they will be of some use to others. I also feel I am repaying a debt to the countless thousands of people who have shared and are sharing their gifts of insights on the internet. They have been important to me in so many ways. My many thanks go out to them; names unknown but sincerely appreciated.

My insights will be from experience and education and are by no means definitive or complete. But I will offer what I have found and hope that it helps in your own decision-making. I also encourage questions and comments, especially those that can add to the discussion.

My first post will be coming soon. It will be about very basic information about the "cattle business" that I needed early-on but did not find until later.