It did happen. The fall of 2013 came and the summer of 2013 is now history. That being said, the history of that summer is one to remember.
It was such a good one, rain and full water tanks, grass was green and tall, and did I mention that it did rain? There was hay making going on early to late and barns, sheds andhay yards are packed with tightly rolled bales for the winter’s feeding.
Sure enough, now we are beginning to be concerned about the amount and depth of snow we are gonna have and how to deal with it. All the persimmons appear to have spoon seeds, and even the Old Farmers Almanac predicts a wet one. I suppose it would be a boring life if we had to live in perfect weather.
Our fall calvers are almost done, babies are bucking and running and doing good. I have a few cows that are about to pop and should by the first of the month. Didn’t have any to miss this year, so a 100-percent crop is possible.
I try to be careful about saying that, the 100 percent deal, because it can cause raised eyebrows and smirks on faces around the round table. If I mention it, I am bound by good manners to state that most of the calf cropis due in the spring. Most of the fellers who profess to raising beef for a living know it is not easy to do it 100 percent, even in ideal years.
Calves are born with deformities and bad hearts, some are not as smart as others and some are poor doers. I have seen calves look like a hull even if the old cow is giving 40 pounds of milk a day. Scours can hit and, in an overnight period, you can lose a bunch of babies. I figure if we make a year without losses, we will pay for it the next year, and I am usually right.
One year we had a leased pasture and ran the steers on it. They did good, gained about 3.5 a day, and we were mighty excited about selling them. Went to gather them and all their pent up fury broke loose. I shook feed sacks and that buggered them and the race was on. That was the meanest and wildest bunch of cattle that I have ever seen. They ran from and then ran at us! I suspect we lost a few hundred pounds of steer weight and toughened up the beef so only super grinders would make it fi t for hamburgers at theGolden Arches!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, we just have to be thankful for the season of the 2013 summer. It was one of the best, and I am grateful to have been allowed to enjoy it. Maybe the winter will bring snow but no ice storms and we can deal with that pretty easy. Keep your powder dry and check your winter rubber boots for holes now before you need them!
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette author of this weekly column.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 10/02/2013