Have you ever wondered what farmers and ranchers do in the winter?
Winter may not be as hectic and labor intensive as other seasons, but it is a time of office work. This is when we make big decisions about what to plant for the upcoming year and also when we budget and allocate expenses. In large business corporations, the Accounting Department helps crunch the numbers so the higher-ups can make informed decisions. On a farm the size of ours, we are our own Accounting Department and CFO rolled into one.
This time of year we are also something I like to think of as Livestock Resource Managers. That's a fancy way of saying...We Keep Our Cows Fed and Happy. We (ranchers) are managing the resources (hay and straw) of the livestock (cows). Normally, our herd grazes in pasture or stubble fields, but in the winter, they can't do that. They still gotta eat, so that means daily feeding chores. Yesterday I had the chance to help Jeff with Livestock Resource Management on a beautiful, sunny, 8-degree morning. I love being among the animals. Harvey and Abby "helped" too. Here's a few photos...
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Single digits and snow attracts large flocks of grouse. Can you see them roosting in the trees?
This is the sight that greeted us when we pulled into the yard yesterday. |
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| Abby, sitting pretty in the snow. |
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| When it's this cold, Harvey wears his hoodie. He still looks handsome. |
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| Jeff, driving tractor, unrolls the second hay bale for the cows. |
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| My favorite photo of the day. Cows munching away, beautiful light, Sweetgrass Hills in the background. Love it. |
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I think Abby and Harvey "help" only so they can have first chance to wrestle in freshly pitched straw!
They go nuts in this stuff! |
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| Feeding the bulls. |
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These are the heifers and 2nd-calvers.
They are already split from the herd in preparation for calving. |
