Weather: high 76 and low of 55. Sunny with clouds. The thunder rolled in around 2 but didn’t rain until 5-6pm. Cows got 16.6 ac split, bulls got 2.4 ac
Where: LS-14. Amy Seamon from Audubon arrives to begin 3 days of bird monitoring. Nighthawks return
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Weather: Quick heavy shower last night accompanied by spectacular lightning and pounding thunder. The day was damp, warm, and soft.
Where: Cows finally all move into front end of LS-13-14 in time for me to head north to the Matador and Glasgow for a TNC Board meeting. Lost one more calf. Good control meeting with most numbers in the black. Despite the setbacks with calving, to see the stockpile of grass growing, cows sleek and fat, and the positive financials, as I told our apprentice Tyler-for and eastern Montana rancher this may as close to heaven as one can get. And the nighthawks return. Weather: Warmer and no rain today again.
Where: Cows move into front end of LS-13-14 yet strung out all the way back to WG-8 with most in LS-12. Cows still strung out yet all out of WG-8 and WG-11 by late afternoon. Tyler does his best to fit this adaptive change to our grazing plan into the ‘MAIA boxes’. Three Upland Sandpiper seen west, south, and east of the Griffith turnoff. Weather: Perfect temperature and surprise, no rain today.
Where: Cows move into front end of LS-13-14 yet strung out all the way back to WG-8 with most in LS-12. Little by little more pairs move closer to LS-13-14. Letting everyone just move on their own. Trailed 9 new bulls from corrals to other bull group in WG-1. Moved bulls to next split. One more dead calf. I saw the ferruginous hawk again. Weather: Wet foggy morning turning warm and then late afternoon showers return.
Where: Cows still strung out in WG-7-8-11 but mostly in 11. Most of day monitoring the cows moving north to LS-12. Moved bulls. Weather: More evening showers with .20 of new moisture.
Where: Cows strung out in WG-7-8-11. Bulls in WG-1. Build a long thin paddock in WG-11 up to county road and LS-12. Destination LS-13-14. County road may be challenging with the young pairs. Doctored a scouring calf. Nice to treat a treatable disease. Weather: More evening showers with .30 of new moisture.
Where: Cows in WG-7 to WG-8. Bulls in WG-1. In the morning cow-yearling mob move into WG-8. Tomorrow we will float into WG-11. We are waiting in instructions to collect DNA samples on bulls and dead calves to test if dead calves link back to a single bull. Tyler and I are helping Dana in the garden. Eastern King bird is back. Weather: Cool moist pattern persists.
Where: Cows in WG-7. Bulls in WG-1. No move today and a bunch of yearlings headed backwards into WG-7. Received 4 red angus composite bulls from Dale Veseth. Preparing 58-acre strip through WG-8 as we plan to head to LS-13 and 14. Moisture bring quite a flush of flowers-plains paintbrush is exploding. June grass, smooth brome, needle and thread, and Sandburg bluegrass are moving into their boot stage. Weather: Storm brings mud and clearing skies. More late evening showers bring additional moisture about .10.
Where: Cows in WG-7. Bulls in WG-1. Cows move in late afternoon (35 acres). Zoom call with vets and consultants ends with looking more at genetics as a possible cause for calf deaths. Kendall Wojcik for ACES comes to ranch to start new focused soil project incorporating previous monitoring baseline work. While collecting soil biology samples we confirm the presence of black grass buds in the crested and intermediate grass in LS 13 and 14. This will trigger a change on our grazing plan by moving cows immediately to this area of infestation to harvest feed and retard future egg laying. Weather: Cooler and less smokey.
Where: Cows in WG-7. Bulls in WG-1. One cow move (30 acres). Bulls stay put. Bad day with new dead calves (3). We schedule zoom call with vets and Harley our feed supplement dealer to try and focus response. A 20% chance of moisture leads to a raucous evening thunderstorm dropping a little hail but mostly .5 inches of rain. |
Bill Milton
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