Archive for March, 2008
By Charlene Hamm
Over the years we have enjoyed many family gatherings that included the do you remember when stories. My parents had sold the farm and moved south before I was born, so life on their farm was always a topic of conversation, mainly in the later years of my mother’s life. It is funny you can be in your forties before you ever knew your own mother had a milking flock of sheep.
Now, I never knew you milked sheep but apparently, it makes great cheese. Sheep is one livestock we have never had except for three days a few years ago. One of our granddaughters decided she liked to ride sheep at rodeo’s hoping to stay on for the 8 seconds. She made it 3 seconds. She was so excited that she asked PaPa for some sheep to practice on for her birthday. Like most grandfathers, off to the sale barn he went to purchase the largest, woolliest sheep he could find. And yes, she would not ride them. Our oldest granddaughter wanted to but her legs were too long. Here entered our youngest granddaughter and on that sheep she got, holding on for dear life. Off on a wild ride only to have the sheep turn and jump into the livestock trailer. She never let go and if she had been at the rodeo, would have made the 8 seconds. The next day she got up with her entire face swollen. What a way to find out you are allergic to unprocessed wool! Papa loaded the sheep up and back to the sale barn they went.
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March 31 2008 | Article | No Comments »
By Chase Wendorff
The cattle industry is evolving, more than ever before, toward marketing cattle based on carcass merit. Evidence of this trend is seen with the ever-increasing number of packing plants adopting value-based marketing. The traditional method in North America of selling cattle based on live weight is rapidly changing to where payment and premiums are made based on carcass weight and quality. Due to high input costs, we are no longer able to compete on the international trade market for commodity beef; therefore it is in our best interest to produce the high quality beef demanded by our consumers. This change has resulted in the adoption of technology to evaluate live animal carcasses. Ultrasound enables producers to know the carcass merit of their cattle and subsequently, assist them in developing an elite herd where progeny can be marketed for top dollar.
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March 30 2008 | Article | No Comments »
By Mike Workman
Most of us are familiar with outdoor misting, and have felt the relief a good misting system can bring when warmer temperatures arrive. But what about animals or livestock? Horses, cows, and chickens are just a few of the animals that have a very low tolerance for heat stress, and are at risk of health problems if left in adverse conditions. Fortunately, the concept of misting has made its way to the barnyard as well. Horse owners, farmers, and the like are depending more and more upon animal cooling misting systems to provide their animals with much needed relief.
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March 29 2008 | Article | No Comments »
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