Proud of my dad

This past weekend, on one of our frequent phone calls to and from the farm, my dad and I were discussing our upcoming breeding season. He had called last week to let me know that Pete (our Genex genetics provider) would be stopping by, and wondering if we had selected our sires for the upcoming breeding season.

It's pretty early for us to select a sire for the next breeding season, mainly because we haven't seen what last year's studs are doing (read: no calves on the ground out of those sires). But, my dad and I are learning from our mistakes. 2009 was just a year of chaos - for both the farm and family. I remember getting ready to board a flight to Scotland for our honeymoon and trying to get ahold of Pete to deliver semen so I'd have something to breed cows to when I returned. We don't want to relive that experience (and stress) again.

So, my dad, Eric and myself put our heads together and narrowed the semen possibilities. We decided to go with Messmer Packer, and got 30 units on him. You see, when we first started AI-ing we bred to multiple sire groups. But when you only breed 30 cows AI/year, there's not a whole lot of progeny to get a sample on each bull. Thus, we're going to use one or two sires to get a good number of progeny (calves). We're pretty excited because we'll have Packer calves born this year (2010), and next year.

But I'm not only proud of my dad because he's got the semen ordered (and in the tank) by February (and we breed in May), but because he's going to take an AI class. For the past 10 years, I've been the only one trained on our farm to AI. That's great when you're a college kid and you live close to home around May to breed heifers and cows, but it's not convenient when you live 370 miles away in another state. So, dad's going to get trained. We'll be able to shoulder the load of breeding cows together (and maybe a local 4-H gal will learn, too). Either way, our operation will be better because of it.

Baby #2 has arrived

Just got an email from mom this morning entitled "Calf Update." We must trade at least 100 "Calf Updates" throughout February and March. Why? Because we are so excited about each new arrival (and ok, because I keep an Excel spreadsheet of data that I cross-reference with dad's calving book).

Remember our last bundle of joy was born Feb. 6? Well - they're keeping it in the family! Baby #2 is related! 0806 (Angel) gave birth first... and while we haven't decided a name for her calf, our 4-Her would like to call her Harmony. Well, Angel's mother - 27N (Heaven) - gave birth last night to a healthy, bucky little boy! We're excited about this new bundle of joy because his father is an AI stud - Messmer Packer - and we just ordered 30 more units of Packer to breed our cows this spring.

Mom tucked in her email a note about how it is supposed to be -8 tonight at the farm. Brrr! I hope the new babies that are coming into the world won't have to face that cold temp. I expect lots of calves to start rolling in now.

Say Cheese!!

My dad, Jack, tried to take pictures of the new mama and her baby. Here's his handiwork!

Looks cold, doesn't it??

Ah, ain't she sweet!

First calf of the season!

Good morning all! I come bearing good news - we started our calving season yesterday. This is cause for excitement every year because we wait with anticipation to see the arrival of the new crop of artificial insemination (AI) calves. This year, we weren't disappointed (will publish photos of the new bundle of joy when possible).

We start calving our heifers 1 full breeding cycle (3 weeks) before the cowherd, so it was one of the new-moms who had a baby. And the day couldn't have been nicer. Saturday morning, Feb. 7, 2010, the temperatures were 34 degrees (quite nice for February in Northern MN). The mama was 0806, better known as Angel, and she had a little heifer calf. The cow has a beautiful udder. I'm excited because this is a continuation of the line of Don Burt cattle (I was given 0806's mother, 27N, as a bred heifer for handling the Don Burt cattle sale). It always reminds me of Uncle Don.

Let me know if you have any names for our new cherub! Grandmother's name: Heaven; Mother's name: Angel...

Reflecting on 2009

There have been many reasons to cheer in 2009, but we're also happy to see it go. Here are a few re-caps for our avid fans:

• We found some amazing successes with our 4-H youth show program - having three of our young ladies exhibit cattle at the MN State Fair 4-H weekend. One lucky lady - her last eligible year of 4-H - was named Reserve Champion Red Angus Cow-Calf Pair and Reserve Champion Senior Showman for the Cow-Calf division. What an honorable success.
• Alaina and Eric were married May 1, 2009 and now live in Brookings, SD.
• Jack retired from his day job, teaching science at Hill City High School.
• Jason was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma February 6, 2009 and BEAT it!
• All of the kids were home for Christmas 2009.
• Jack became president of the Itasca County Farm Service Board.
• Mary completed her remodeling project and has an expanded quilt room!
• We only had 3 open cows at the end of the 2009 breeding season.

Showstring successes!

Whew - it's been just over a month since we've began our 2009 show season - and we've had our share of victories and defeats! Here's a quick re-cap of what our hardworking 4-H kids have been up to. First, let's meet our crew.

Marcy McNichols - is our resident "senior" 4-Her. She will be a sophomore at North Dakota State University in the Fall majoring Agricultural Business. When she's not showing cattle, Marcy enjoys shooting sports, and shootin' the breeze. This summer she and her family traveled to Germany to visit a foreign exchange student they hosted.

Courtney Johnson - will be a senior at Hill City High School in the fall. Newest to the showteam, Courtney is a happy-go-lucky young lady who has diverse interests in small animals, health and journalism. Last year she was a one-woman-show for the school newspaper and yearbook!

Emily Rassmussen - known for her dual-skills in horsemanship and cattle, Emily is exhibiting her very own steer in addition to breeding females this year. While there's much to learn about raising and showing steers, Emily's feels proud to have "one of her own" on the string. In the fall, Emily will be a Junior at Grand Rapids High School.

Hannah Rassmussen - here's our cowgirl in training. Though not officially leasing 4-H projects yet, she competed in her first show at the Aitkin County 4-H Fun Show. Hannah is a bright, inquisitive 10 year old who has unrivaled success with her pony. When she's 12, she'd like to become an official member of the showteam.

July 11, 2009 - Aitkin County 4-H Fun Show, Aitkin, MN
Showmanship successes were the highlight of this one-day event! Hannah, in her first show, earned champion Junior Showman with her big, easy going heifer. Cortney, Emily and Marcy were all called back for the Senior Showmanship contest, and Marcy was named champion (her first such honor!). The animals were all well behave, except Double D - Emily's steer - was a bit freaked out.

In the classes, we did well, also. 0811 placed second, followed by 0806 and 0819 in a class of 6. 0846 won her class, but didn't earn any additional honors. The steer placed 4th out of 8 in the unfinished steer contest.

July 13-16 - Red River Valley Fair, West Fargo, ND
This event comprises three different shows: Regional Red Angus Show, Open Red Angus Show and Mel Kirkide Youth Show - which is great to get a different perspective on what your cattle can do. We were on both extremes - near the bottom and at the top throughout the event. What was most memorable though was the fun Alaina and the girls had - especially on Wednesday night when Jack and Becky joined the fun for go-kart racing!

July 31-Aug. 2 - North St. Louis County Fair, Chisholm, MN
Jack and the girls brought a full trailer load to the county fair. A neighboring county, we've brought cattle here for 20 years and feels like a second home. With 4 heifers, 3 cow-calf pairs and 1 steer, it was a tight fit to get to the event. But once, hay and straw was provided for all exhibitors. Through pouring rain, the team showed quite well, sweeping nearly every competition. Champion Female was #12 and her calf; Champion Bull was #117's bull calf. The steer won it's class of 3, also. You'll note the yearling heifer class was jumbled as 0819 is coming on strong, placing: 0811, 0819, 0846 and 0806.

We've got a 2.5 week break before the Itasca County Fair - our hometown crowd and extravaganza!

Sold!

Do you remember that song from John Michael Montgomery called "Sold!" Sometimes I like to break out with it in song, as I do today. Here's the chorus, in case you forgot:

And I said 'hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign.
I'll do anything to make you mine oh mine.
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call.
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine,
Man, I gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! on the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, I know
She's got ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-bye!

Anyways, that has absolutely nothing to do with this post - except to report that 3 of the 6 yearling bulls in our 2009 private treaty sale offering have been sold (or that 3 are still for sale). Cross 0815, 0821 and 0826 off of your list, as they SOLD!

But don't fret, that still leaves 0809, 0810 and 0827 to be had!

2009 Private Treaty Bull Sale

We're pleased to showcase our 2009 Private Treaty Bulls for sale. Below you will find a few photographs on each bull, a link to their extended pedigree/EPDs from the Red Angus Association of America website and our comments on each.

These six yearling bulls represent the best of our 2008 calf crop in maternal cow power and strong sires (both industry-recognized AI sires and our natural herd bulls). Don't hesitate to contact us if you see something you like!

SHO GRANITE PC 0809

His name is Granite because he’s a solid, AI-sired bull. He and his mother were named Champion Red Angus cow-calf pair at the MN State Fair 4-H show. He’s got good frame and will put a thick topline on the calves he sires. Granite is one of the most complete bulls in the 2009 lineup, with good weaning and growth numbers.

This year's bulls all have a nice set of nuts. All bulls sell after passing a breeding soundness examination by our herd health veterinarian. That way, you know you'll have a capable breeding bull when you turn him out to pasture.

View 0809's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here.


SHO JACKPINE MAX 0810
Jackpine’s are known to stand above the others, and this bull is no exception. He may be out of the ugliest cow in the herd, but she’s always raised a belt-busting calf. He bears a resemblance unlike his mother, with a teddy bear look and disposition to match. A very balanced bull that carries his depth with plenty of gut. And a nice smooth shoulder/front-end (see below)!

View 0810's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO TABASCO PC 0815

Meet Tabasco named such as he’s bound to spice things up. Standing on good substance of bone, Tabasco has a gentle disposition and plenty of length. His mother is a young super-producer from Sonstegard Cattle Co. Check out his smooth front-end—easy calving! A maternal half-brother was the first bull to sell in 2008. View 0815's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO HOSS ML 0821

Here’s a bull that packs a punch! The guys took one look at him and agreed—he’s a steer making bull if they’ve ever seen one. Shorter framed, with a powerful, stout front end, he’s out of a cow with loads of milk. With a big wide top to him, he’ll add power. And, he’s got a good disposition, too! Do you like that, Hoss?

View 0821's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO SHOCKER PO 0826

Looking to add some excitement to your herd? Shocker has the giddy-up and go! He is one of the most athletic bulls in the battery. With a small head, good depth and an attractive hip to him, he will sire deep-sided, standout calves. Jack thinks this is the best bull in the offering. (Caution - he's a little frisky).

View 0826's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO STOPPER ML 0827

Stopper is a lighter colored bull that is worth a second look. With a heifer-head, smooth shoulder, frame and plenty of length to him—he’ll shape up to be a calving-ease king. His mother is an easy-keeping forage monger with a good tight udder; a model of efficiency! Stop and take a look at this youngster.

View 0827's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!

Calving success

I just checked in with Gary Jacobson to see how the bred heifer (Lot #8) he purchased from the MN Great Northern Sale doing. This is what Gary had to say:

She calved Feb. 11, 78-lb. heifer calf. Nice udder and nice disposition. Have 179 calves on the ground since 1/20/09. So far great luck!!!

That's good news from the north! We're glad to see a customer happy with one of our females. At our farm, we're just preparing for the big round of AI calves. So far, we have 6 on the ground, and 21 are expected to come any day now. Luckily, even though you may AI your herd on the same day, it doesn't mean they will calve all on the same day. Cattle have their own natural calving distribution. I suspect it will be a busy weekend at Shady Oaks Farm.

Great Northern Consignment Success

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get back to our site and update! My apologies! The 2008 Minnesota Great Northern Sale went very well for us. Lot #8 was purchased by Gary Jacobson, Jacobson Red Angus of Hitterdal, MN. Gary has a keen eye for those dark-cherry red heifers and was quick to snatch her up. Lot #9 sold to Robert Cyr from Hillman, MN, whom we originally purchased her mother from. Bob told us he should have never let her mama go! We're glad he was able to buy-back a daughter from her.

Thanks to all of our supporters!

2008 MN Great Northern Sale consignments

We have two bred heifers consigned to the MN Great Northern Sale (Saturday, Nov. 29, noon, click here to download sale catalog). Here's a snapshot I took of them in the pasture last Sunday - Lot #9 is on the left and Lot #8 is on the right (we refer to them as Raquel and Scout). Please feel free to leave a comment or a question if you'd like more info!

Lot #8 - Scout - bred heifer

Here is Scout, who sells as Lot #8 on Saturday Nov. 29. She was shown by a first-time 4-Her Courtney Johnson this year and was part of our showstring. However, she didn't always lead the glamorous life.

Scout first stood out to us when she was just a calf. One of the youngest in our 2007 calf crop, she put up big gains on pasture without a bite of grain. I credit much of that to her mother, a 1997 MN Great Northern sale purchase consigned by the Clarence Caraway Family. Scout is a spitting image of her mother - dark cherry red, fancy, but still a deep bodied capacious brood cow. This bred heifer will follow in her mother's footsteps (who was still productive in our herd at age 11).

Lot #8 is AI-bred to Laramie and expected to calve on 2/11/2009. We hope she finds a good home to raise her calf in. Check out her extended pedigree and latest EPDs by clicking here. Here's a parting shot of Scout after I did the roughed-up clip job - you can see how fancy she is. By the way, she placed first in her class of April heifers at the MN State Fair this year.

Lot #9 - Raquel - bred heifer

This heifer has a soft spot in my heart. Not only is she a big, deep-bodied female packed with cow power, but she also has the sweetest disposition. While we were selecting replacement heifers last year, my best friend (a true city gal) Becky Deutsch was assisting us. Raquel mosied right up to Becky in her hot-pink coveralls and sniffed her. It was as if Raquel had "marked" Deutsch as her own. This summer, Becky showed her first heifer, Raquel.

I could go on and on about the great qualities of Raquel. But here's the basics (the rest I will let you see for yourself). She's AI-bred to Laramie to calve on 2/11/2009. Her mother, a 2000 MN Great Northern Sale purchase from Cyr's Red Angus, never misses. In fact, her 2006-born heifer was selected for the 2007 MN Great Northern sale and sold for $2,000. She's got a 2008-born maternal sister in the replacement heifer pen waiting to be a great one.

There's a reason why this cowline always stands out. You can't go wrong with an easy-fleshing maternal matron. Check out Lot 9's pedigree and latest numers here. In this case, seeing is believing.
Above, here's Lot #9 mother (notice the resemblance) - 8 years old. I took this photo last Sunday in the pasture. She's this chunky without a bite of grain since she was a heifer. Take a look at her rear profile (below).Here's the 2006-born heifer out of this cow (we call her #12) that sold in the 2007 MN Great Northern Sale for $2,000.

Lastly, here's the 2008-born calf from #12. She's going to be just like her big sisters.
Interested? I would be.

Heifer Development & Health

You may be wondering a little bit about how we've developed these bred heifers. Here's the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

As calves, these ladies grew up alongside their mamas in the pasture. Our calves don't receive creep unless they are selected to be part of the showstring - of which these girls were not a part of. In fact, they had to earn their own keep on mother's milk and grass. Moreover, these two heifers were sired by our herd bull and had to standout from the AI-sired calves born a month earlier.

Our philosophy on developing calves is this: We don't push them. Jack explains, "It's a gradual process. Once they're weaned they're not put on a hot ration, but slowly developed from weaning to yearling. Then we back-off."

Lot #8 weaned at 495 lbs. (actual); Lot #9 weaned at 555 lbs. (actual). They had a 108 (563 lbs. adjusted) and 112 (582 lbs. adjusted) weaning weight ratios, respectively. We gain test all of our bulls and heifers, weighing them monthly. On 3/31/2008, Lot #8 weighed 824 lbs. (actual) and Lot #9 weight 875 lbs. (actual) Incidentally - these were our two heaviest yearling weights in the 2008 heifer replacement pen.

In April, we focus on two things: getting heifers bred and letting 4-Hers pick the heifer they would like to lease. We use MGA and target to breed heifers the first week of May, an entire cycle before our cowherd. These girls both bred first-time to AI.

Courtney Johnson also looked through the entire pen of replacement heifers and selected Lot #8 as her first 4-H heifer to lease. She did a great job of halter breaking the female and showing it throughout the summer. Alaina halter-broke Lot #9 for her friend Becky Deutsch to show - which was easy because this heifer is a gentle giant.

These two heifers were shown at two county fairs, a state fair and two regional livestock shows. All this means is that they were kept in a 30-acre lot of grass pasture, fed grain from the months of June-August and lead around the pen being worked with by each of our family and 4-Hers. I would call this the "spoiled" life. That lifestyle came to and abrupt end after Labor Day, when the show season was over and all of our replacement heifers moved to pasture.

When I came home in November to see how the heifers were doing were doing, I was surprised at fleshy they were, despite not having any more resources offered them. Jack weighed the heifers on 11/20/2008 and they were heavier than I expected. Lot #8 weighed in at 1,327 lbs. and Lot #9 weighed in at 1,342 lbs. I expected these are the deepest-bodied, easiest fleshing heifers we've ever brought to the MN Great Northern sale.

Those of you who've seen us show cattle know that we don't push "fat" cattle. By no means have these gals been pushed. Oh - and rest assured health wise. We have voluntarily whole-herd tested our herd for bovine tuberculosis (TB) for the past two years. These females will sell tested TB-free within 30 days and have had their pregnancy status verified. We've also poured them for internal/external parasites, both as weaned calves and bred heifers; and they've been bangs vaccinated. If you have any other question about how they've been developed, or specific health questions, I invite you to contact our herd health vet, Bethany (Lovaas) Funnell at the University of Minnesota (her contact info is here).

Advertising

I have designed a few one-page fliers regarding our 2008 MN Great Northern Sale bred heifer selections. Just a little background on the MN Great Northern Sale.

Begun in 1995 (or was it '96...? It's hard to remember, I was only 14-15 years old), the sale represents the "cream of the crop" of Minnesota Red Angus breeders. Each August, a selection committee travels to each operation and hand-picks the best from each herd. Now, we all know "best" is in the eye of the beholder, but I truly feel that the females selected this year (from our operation) will work for all types of cattlemen.
This flier mailed to a list of folks my dad and I brainstormed together. It includes Red Angus breeders and friends that might help drive interest in the sale. Our goal is to entice two or three cattle producers to vie for these lovely ladies.

Lot # 8 - I hope this one makes you smile. One of my favorite "reads," aside from the FP foreign policy blog and the Pioneer Woman's daily musings, is the Fargo-Farm Forum's Green Sheet "Want Ads." Just ask my good friends Marian and Melvin Kallas - it's the first thing I grab when I visit their house to share with them the humorous (and not so humorous) males seeking females on the Dakota plains. That's what inspired this ad.

Lot #9 - This ad was inspired by my mom. She might not know it, but I'm pretty thankful for what she does on our ranch - which is largely overlooked day-to-day. Plus, Lot #9's mom, (referred to as #12) has just done a superb job of raising calves at our place. What better time of year to be thankful for our mothers than at Thanksgiving. I don't know too many other folks who would get up at 5 a.m. to make sure all the fixins' are made for the noon meal.

Wedding Announcement

There's a small snippet of information you need to know about why the 2008 MN Great Northern Sale is so important to me.

You see, it all began with the man above - Eric. Eric asked for my hand in marriage on April 5, 2008. For once, I was speechless, and after a few stunned moments I finally came to and said yes. We had just spent a gorgeous Saturday morning exploring the South Saint Paul Stockyards and the Cathedral of St. Paul. At the time we were walking around a favorite lake of mine, Lake Nokomis, where I was training for a half marathon.

To bring this full circle, Eric and I are in the throes of wedding planning. And with any planning, comes much budgeting. To assist us in this endeavor, my father told me in secret that he hopes he can contribute to my wedding fun whatever these two bred heifers can bring. He told me, "These heifers are important to us. It's something you and I have built together, and will continue to do together."

Though I'm not sure my mom has fully supported this idea (she runs the books at the farm), it means so much to me that my father would do this. So, if nothing else, a bid will support Eric and I as we look forward to our wedding day - May 1, 2009.