Middleground Miniature Herefords

The Best Medicine....

2012-02-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

As you all know, I have been faced with some of life's harshest realities over the past 6 months. A life that was revealed to me and my children of lies and infidelity.

Of course the pain and grief over a loss that simply will not go away (unlike death, which slowly heals after burial...) is seemingly never ending. With my tears and great grief came the repeated declarations from friends and family that "you MUST get on some sort of medication to help with your depression!"

I assured them that I was not suffering from depression, but only from a broken heart; never the less, I finally gave in to the nagging and asked my physician if I should, indeed, be "on something?" (Medication Nation!!) Finally, she prescribed me some Zoloft and told me to begin taking it at half dose for the first week. I really did not want it, but decided maybe I should take "something", after all, "who wouldn't be depressed?" "Depressed" is not what I was, in no uncertain terms. I was heartbroken, pissed, disgusted, repulsed, completely blown away. Can you say "stupid?" well, I guess I was then; now its someone elses turn for stupid. Wiser now, my daughters and I will deal with issues of trust for a long time.

So I take a half dose of this medication, only to feel worse than ever afterwards.

I take the prescription bottle back to my doctor and tell her I don't really want it, nor do I feel I need it, as again I state, I am not "depressed" and believe in fixing a problem, not masking it with a prescription pill, as so many in America do these days. (Prescription drug abuse, especially among those who are involved in the medical professions, is a huge issue in our society today).

She then goes on to speak these magical words that probably very few physicians today speak...she told me:

"Diane, the best thing for you to do is to keep doing what you are doing, that is get outside every day as you do, take care of your cattle, get out in the sun and fresh air. Work with your hands and stay involved with the things that make you happy, which will keep you physically and mentally fit."

And she was absolutely one hundred percent right.

No medicine in the world will give you the satisfaction that one gets from the "fruits of ones labor". No anti depressant will take the place of a beautiful sunny morning, birds signing, a warm February breeze...the cattle running with glee, or dozing in the sun on the snow. The satisfaction of knowing the animals are well, calves are on the way, the wood is in before the rain comes, the gutters are all working, your house is in order. There is a satisfaction money cannot buy; no drug can offer, no tattoo can mask, no car can provide, the satisfaction of knowing that what you put your hand to is good, and that the results will be of benefit to yourself and others, that what you do with your time here on earth is decent and good; and will bring happiness and health to yourself and others. Tearing down, breaking apart families and homes for selfish desires, divorce, lies, drugs, all hurt people. Who will find true lasting happiness at anothers expense?

There is a reason the Amish have very little depression in their society...they are simply too busy taking care of things; their work, their families, their faith. True happiness, I believe, comes from serving others, not serving yourself. EMPATHY.

So my little foray into the Medication Nation halted on day one.

I think I WILL take my doctors advice, and "keep doing what your doing"

Because I know it is good, just, right and healthy. It benefits me and my children.

And that is GOOD MEDICINE for the heart body and soul.

"She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.."She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness..."

Prov. 31

Still, words of wisdom.

Thank you to all

2012-02-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who have watched my blog over the years, the stories and musings, sharing the triumphs and some of my deepest despairs.

Months have passed, late summer has passed into what was a beautiful but heartbreaking fall; winter rolled in gently, and gratefully is easing its way into hopefully an early spring....

It is an unfortunate fact that my blog, my livelihood, was being "monitored" by a certain someone who is a too-active participant in the demise of my marriage presently... some one who, and I quote .."was crying in the motel and dreaming of divorce and your children".

So as one can imagine, I have been very busy protecting my home, children and livestock from this gold-digging home-wrecker by remaining vague about the details of my present life. I certainly do and will continue to protect my children and the way I support them from any person so lacking in character, morals and quite frankly, intelligence.

Be that what it may, life will go on for us here on the farm. The pastures will green up, the barns will get cleaned out, the fences checked, the babies will come, and my children will continue to grow and mature into decent, moral and caring young women . They certainly have had the unfortunate opportunity to see firsthand what lying, cheating and adultery can and does do to a family, and they assure me that they have a great example of who and what they do not want in a husband and or a marriage. How very sad.

Like a hard pruning, I know this is for a greater good for my children and I. What has been revealed to me over the past months has been almost unbelievable; apparently the old saying holds true," once a cheater, always a cheater"... What goes around comes around.

With that I look forward to new beginnings. Faithfulness, joy in the small things that money cannot buy. A new calf, an Oriole building its nest; sunrises and clouds, sweeping storms. Laundry on the line, my girls growing into adulthood, laughter, swimming in the pool, maybe a horse or two. For all too soon they will leave the nest , a few more years they will be off to college, off to start their own lives, taking with them all the experiences of their childhood.

Peace love and joy.

I appreciate you all sticking with me through this.

Gratefully,

Diane

Prepare Your Work Outside

2012-02-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

...and make ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house. Prov. 24:27

Ever wonder what that means? To me, it means set your self up to provide for yourself and your family first (as in the days when agriculture and livestock were a sign of wealth), then build your comforts; house, etc. For without the income, who can have the rewards?

Registered Miniature Herefords For Sale

2011-10-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally made the decision to sell my cattle.

It is a fairly difficult one, as I have taken much pleasure from building this little herd over the years and delight in watching the hand of God with regards to the whole cycle of life that occurs on a farm...the seasons, the rhythm of the days, the babies...

I have been very blessed by the productivity and profitability of these animals.

It has simply come down to this.

My life has taken a huge turn of events of which I never saw coming.

I need to adjust my lifestyle (mostly the work load) in order to respond.

I will be putting up pictures and listing what is here.

I have 4 adult cattle, one with a heifer calf (polled) at her side.

I have a beautiful bred heifer (polled)

I herd sire (polled)

2 prospective polled herd sires (2011 weaned calves)

Winter will be knocking at the door here by Thanksgiving...

Please be able to prove you have decent housing for the animals and ample food water and time to look after them.

They are all very tame, although not all halter broke...I just never had the tune. They are all registered with the AHA and tattoo'd.

Pictures to follow.

Thank you!

I guess its time to buy that big screen TV and put my feet up by the gas fire, too.

Miniature Herefords and the Mid-Life Crisis

2011-09-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

What can I say? The title of this post pretty much sums up my current situation with the cattle at present. My husband, who many of you know does not like (i.e. HATES of late) the cattle, has hit 40 and has turned into another person.

Needless to say, this place is a bit big for one...I tend the cattle, together we take care (or did) of the rest; the pool in summer, cutting and splitting 15-20 face cord of wood for winter, plowing a 500' driveway and all that other good stuff. Its enough to keep both of us busy, and now its mine to keep busy with...as if the cattle in winter alone weren't enough!

So I'm really struggling with whether to sell everything with 4 legs and make my life easier (**sigh**) or hold on to a few, or what.

I don't have alot of females, but what I do have is good. Ive been culling hard over the past 6 years, and like what I've got. I've sold a new bull I had just purchased this spring, and am looking to sell a few more...everything here is really nice, and I've got polled finally!

As for the husband, I'm not sure what to do about him right now either, but since he is alot less work, I'll do nothing for now and let him go through his MLC...you know, the Harley, the tattoo, etc etc.

It is sad though, after building up something over the years, to be faced with making this kind of decision (the cows), well, and the husband, too. But from what I can tell, its pretty common....

Pardon my "french", but at this point, they both bring in an income, and they both give me alot of s**t. My husband wasn't fenced in....but when my cattle got out, they always came back.

Middleground Mini Herefords

2011-08-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Blissful with polled heifer calf Misty. This is her second calf.

Adult cattle with Hawkeye, up for morning hay and water. Miss Piggy, Babette, Hawkeye and Emerald.

Two fine polled yearlings, SSR Winchester (left) from StraightSide Ranch breeding. Sprite, a polled Hawkeye heifer.

We also have the two very nice polled bull calves both born late March 2011. They are weaned, registered. (see previous entry)

The entire herd may be up for sale.
Please check back for more details.

And about those due dates.....

2011-08-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, as far as my experience goes, being 4 years owning registered Holsteins and 6 years with the miniature Herefords; if you know when your animals are bred, and keep track of the breeding / due date, more often than not, if the calf comes earlier than the due date, it will be a heifer (don't ask me why...) and if the cow goes to the due date or beyond, chances are good it will be a bull. At least that has been my experience over the years.

Of course I have a breeding / due date calender taped up inside my kitchen cupboard next to the dinner plates, and most of my family calendar is my girls appointments, sport schedules and cow breeding dates (with repeat breeding dates penciled in so I don't forget to be extra vigilant to watch....). That being said, I usually (but not all the time...) know when and whats going to be happening here (for the most part.....)

So thats kind of an interesting observation I've made over the years I thought someone may find interesting...

I'd love to know if anyone else has had the same experience....

Polled Miniature Hereford bulls; Hawkeye prodigy for 2011

2011-08-21T14:23:00.001-07:00

Little Misty, born Sunday August 14. Polled heifer. Sire: Hawkeye

Onyx and Goliath...Half - brothers. Sire: Hawkeye . These young polled bulls are being offered for sale. They will make anyone top rate herd sires. Please contact me for additional information. They are halter broke and tie. Hand gentle and calm.

Onyx. Registered Miniature Hereford polled bull; excellent outcross bull @ 4 months / weaned.

Goliath, registered Miniature Hereford polled bull, out of herd matriarch Miss Piggy, also @4 months / weaned.

Meet the Newest and Last Miniature Hereford Calf of 2011

2011-08-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here is our newest and last calf for the season here on the farm; meet little Misty Storm...born on a Sunday, August14th,between 9 and 11 pm. It was a stormy day, with thundershowers; the next morning dawned foggy (hence then name....) It was dark when I went out after the 11 o'clock news to double check the gate to the barnyard where I had the mom-to-be for the night. As I walked out toward the barn I heard that all too familiar soft mooing from the cow; the flashlight beam found momma and a little white face, already up on its feet. I tried to get close enough to see if it was a heifer or bull, but momma wanted no part of that strange blue light walking toward her new baby...they seemed to be fine, so i left well enough alone until next morning, windows open in case any sounds of distress....

I must confess it was a bit like waiting for Christmas morning; waiting to see what I really got as a gift...dawn finally came and i was delighted to find a lovely little heifer up and about in the barnyard, mother close by her side.

This is another Hawkeye calf, and, as all the others, she is polled.

Blessed :)

Veterinarians

2011-08-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for our great veterinarians we have out here....I don't know how I would function without them. Although I rarely need them for the mini's, when I do need them, I can even request a specific vet (shown here, veterinarian Rob Wilson of the Perry Vet Service, Perry NY, with a final year vet student assisting) to come out to the farm. Rob has been my vet of choice since the first day he showed up at the farm...I was and continue to be so impressed by his gentle and patience manner in handling the cattle, and trust me, there has been a time or two when we had an impromptu mini rodeo here...!

If theres a question about a medicine, dosage, or anything, their very capable staff in the office relays the info to the right source and I get a phone call from the office staff or the vet himself.

I've had to deal with other folks from other locales and cannot believe the hassle and grief some of these folks have to deal with when getting vet work done.

When its time to ship out of state, the vet will call the office staff, ask what tests and blood work / shipping papers are required for that particular state, they do the research, the vet does the work and we are ready to ship within a week to ten days.I have never had to chase down paperwork or test results ...I guess I'm pretty spoiled!

Here the vet is giving the weaned calves their vaccinations... and might as well have 'em do the tattooing as well (I HATE doing that ...figure if they are here anyway.......) .

Another day with the miniature Herefords

2011-08-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

Early morning: up for water and hay.

Been enjoying the mornings and afternoons watering and feeding and taking pictures.

I am anticipating our last calf, due to be born here soon. Her due date is Aug. 20th, but looks to me like she may go earlier...and thats a good thing, as, from my experience, early usually means heifer...and I could sure use a heifer this year...(since its been a bull season so far )

Miniature Herefords, miniature everything...

2011-08-02T05:39:00.001-07:00

I just had to get a picture to post of our neighbor (the one we buy our hay from, etc) who so graciously offered to come over last night and help us finish cleaning out the barn and barnyard from (yes), last winter.

If you recall, it rained so much this spring we had to postpone the clean out (we started) because it was simply too wet to even drive on the fields...

Now that we've dried out, its time to finish the job.

So my neighbor came over with one of his "smaller" tractors to load what was left of the manure / bedding into our ground driven spreader (that we pull with our 4wheeler).

Needless to say, its obvious EVERYTHING is pretty miniature here....

Miniature Hereford

2011-07-29T18:54:00.001-07:00

Summer pasture.

Motherhood

2011-07-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

I just love this cow.
Everything about her.... her kind eyes, perfectly turned horns (natural, no weights) broad nose and huge bulk, flawless coat...no nonsense but sweet disposition and excellent mothering...
Miss Piggy (aka Kentucky Ranger) is queen of the barnyard and pastures.
I feel blessed to have this beautiful, gentle giant of a miniature Hereford gracing my property.

More Miniature Herefords...Peaceful days in fresh pasture

2011-07-27T18:25:00.001-07:00

Been enjoying a break from the heat and humidity of last week....a refreshing breeze is coming from the north, and its almost as if one can hear the grass, corn, cows, collectively breathe a sigh of relief. Here are some pictures from this morning as the cattle were grazing in the new pasture that was formerly an overgrown field of brush....

(this field had been mowed (brush hogged) about 45 days ago, and has been frost seeded over the years as well).

From top to bottom:

Herd on grass

Miss Piggy and bull calf Goliath @ 4 months

Onyx @ 4 months

Miniature Herefords on New Pasture!

2011-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Finally, the fence i began in summer 2009 has been completed! We had alot of rain last summer, so the pastures were in good shape all season; this year its a different story. My girls went to summer camp for a week, and I FINALLY had the uninterrupted time to work on completing the fence....getting the wire up, insulators, gates, etc, and doing it right, which takes time.

Best part by far is calling the cattle as I walked through the gate into the new pasture....they come running when I call them, regardless of where they are...they know something new (or food) is in the offing when I give the "holler". The trotting turned to full out running and bucking, stopping to SEE the fence, sniff, then more running and bucking as they explored a brand-new never before pasture field for the very first time

.I have to say, they didn't settle in to eating for about 15 minutes...

.Here are some pictures from the initial first few minutes.

A very satisfying morning!.

Miniature Herefords and NO SOLICITING..

2011-07-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

You know, this has been bugging me for quite a while now, so much so that I feel it must be addressed.It just burns me when certain people use this web_site to hawk their business "wares" .

I don't have the time to scroll through my e-mails sorting out legitimate inquiries and an ever-increasing amount of "spam".

Please folks, if you want to contact me about the cattle, or content of this web-site or blog, by all means feel free.

For those who cruise the Internet looking for web-sites with contacts, please, get a life, and STOP using other peoples hard work and shared interests as a jumping off point for your sales pitches...

Please; NO SOLICITING.

Thanks

Miniature Herefords: The Morning Feed

2011-07-23T04:50:00.000-07:00

A quiet morning, it has cooled off a bit. Animals in the barnyard for hay and water. There are cattle across from the barn also, not pictured.

Onyx and Goliath at the right of picture.

It is one of my favorite times of day.

Miniature Herefords, heat and drought

2011-07-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

So first , this spring, it simply would NOT STOP RAINING. It rained all through April I recall, and the fields remained super-saturated with standing water for weeks it seemed. Finally the fields began to dry out, and slowly the farmers got their corn and soybeans in, a good 6 weeks late.

Then, it STOPPED. Raining, that is. The last time it rained was June 22. Really. Which for here (Finger Lakes New York State) is a bit unusual......so, now we have drought. Which, for here, is also a bit unusual.

And it got hot -- REALLY hot. Upper 80's and yesterday marked Rochester's first "heatwave" of 2011, meaning 5 consecutive days with temperatures over 90. (rare here...) Yesterday hit 98 (and remember, we get that fabulous humidity with the heat, too) and winds up to 45 mph, so it felt like a blast furnace when one walked outside....which I did as little of as possible. A small town 40 miles south of us hit 101, another, 100....which again, is just darn hot ANYWHERE.

So of course, I'm concerned about my animals...I get up real early, run cool water into the tubs, feed hay, (the pastures are pretty much dormant, not much growing going on....) fly control....by 8 they are down for the day.

I thought I would document exactly what my cattle do on those hot days....they just find a shady spot, and sleep through the heat.....they seem to like the spot out back under some pine trees along my neighbors stockade fence...its breezy, shady and soft dirt. And there they will stay, until about 3 or 4pm, when they'll head back to the barnyard, check for water, get fed again, and begin their evening / night grazing.....

And sometimes the Cowbirds help with the fly control as well....the cows don't seem to mind at all....

First picture is our neighboring farm / farmland in the summer haze....you can see the wheat fields that have just been harvested. This farm (Neenan Farm, Lima NY) is where all our hay and straw comes from for our livestock. We are fortunate to have them as our neighbors; they are award winning area farmers and great stewards of the land; growing corn, wheat, oats, soybeans and hay. They also raise Holstein replacement heifers and Angus for the beef market.

Onxy, polled miniature Hereford bull calf for sale...

2011-07-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Onyx.

He is just short of 4 months old here. His color is darker than when he was born (his sire is a very rich deep burgandy...) and he looks to be balanced and thick (so far...).

Onxy's mother is a DLT Red Pride daughter. His sire is Hawkeye, whose bloodlines can be seen on his sale page link.

This bull would make anyone a fantastic outcross bull, and, he is FRIENDLY!!

Onxy will be available after weaning, and, will be halter trained...

Thats his buddy Goliath with him.

Miniature Hereford heifer and her dam

2011-07-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since last post, and I do apoligize to those who do check in to see what is up here on the farm!

Been moving cattle here and there, over and across the driveway; penning, sorting, vaccinating, etc etc.

Things have been pretty quiet, the two polled bull calves are growing beautifully, filling out, they both look to be superior herd sire prospects (I wouldnt keep them as bulls if they were not up to my standards....). Our vet even commented on how nice they looked...and (again) that the animals are a bit on the fat side....but since they get nothing but pasture all summer, I guess theres not much I can do to keep them from eating....

I have finally figured out my new camera, so hopefully I will have it with me when I go out to tend the animals and stop taking the pictures with my old BlackBerry.....(sorry...)!

I would like to post current pictures Hawkeyes offspring....3 so far, and one due next month.

I am more than pleased with the quality of his babies, and every one has been polled. They are friendly, frisky, well balanced and smaller than their dams! What more could one ask for?

Anyway, here are two pictures; the top picture is a fine heifer, Sprite, out of Hawkeye, at 15 months. The next picture is her dam .

Polled Miniature hereford bull calf for sale

2011-06-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Thought I would get this picture up asap.

Dam: Emerald; Sire: Hawkeye

Onyx was born March 20 2011, is approx. 10 weeks old here. Onyx is polled, and will be available after weaning this late summer / early fall.

More details will be posted on the sale page as soon as it gets updated.

Thanks for looking !

Miniature Hereford bull, Hawkeye. June 2011

2011-06-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just could not resist a beautiful day, the animals slick and getting fat on grass..

Here is Hawkeye, our current polled herd sire..

He is being offered for sale this fall...

If you look closely at the first picture, you can see his replacement in the background peering over from across the driveway; yearling polled bull SSR Winchester..

Please contact for details.

Newborn Calves, keeping watch, and the Miniature Hereford

2011-06-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

A neighbor of mine has a few miniature Herefords he bought recently. He has a nice set up a couple miles down the road where he kept a few head of traditional size beefers as well as the minis. This is the gentleman who bought our original herd sire, Mr. Bull.

As with all livestock owners, talk is usually about the weather, feed, cows, calves, fences, pastures, etc, and I was excited to hear his cows were due to calve soon.

I was very sad when I heard he had lost a young calf earlier this winter, part of a cow / calf pair he purchased to begin his herd with. Apparently the calf climbed into a feed manger and could not get out; after a very cold night, she did not survive despite his attempts at warming her when she was discovered the next morning. This gentleman has daily contact with his herd, (one has to drive right past his barnyard and barn en route to his house) so it must have happened after the feeding was done for the evening.

Today I learned his other heifer had calved, but the calf didn't make it. For some reason the calf did not get up to nurse quick enough; it did not get its first drink of colostrum (mothers first milk) till almost 24 hours...I didn't ask for the details, and felt awful for his loss.

As stated before, this fellow has daily contact with his herd, he sees them morning and evening, and in between if he's not at work. Still, he lost two calves. I mess with my animals at least twice daily, can see them for the most part from my windows with very few places they are hidden from view, and I too lost a calf that was born "out of sight" for a few hours.

It surprises me how often I hear folks talk of getting a few head to put on their "land" somewhere out of town, or somewhere they visit or vacation at once in a while....with not a soul around when they are at their real homes and jobs. Cattle are not mowing machines. One cannot just "drop them off" to fend for themselves (well, I suppose you can, if you don't mind injuries, missing breeding's or calves, loose animals, losses ,etc) just for the sake of "having" them. Any seasoned herdsman will agree; you have to tend to your stock. That does not mean dumping them off for the summer somewhere and "checking on them" on holiday weekends or, keeping one as a "mascot" (yes, really!!)...not unless you really don't care if you end up with less animals than when you started (which would be what point, exactly?)

Raising livestock should be treated as a business, your animals are an asset. You manage your assets for maximum return, and do what it takes to achieve that. And that, generally, means keeping an eye on things on a daily basis (I am speaking of farming out East...I know its a whole different ball game when it comes to ranching out West).

When I hang over a gate and stare at my animals ,(much to the chagrin of my family...) I am not daydreaming (well, most of the time I'm not unless its about a new barn with headlocks and concrete.....). I am taking care of my investment. Watching the way the animals move, eat, relate to one another. Are they up, down, ears normal, eyes clear, noses pink and damp? Are they chewing their cud, agitated? With the herd, or off on their own? Quiet or noisy and why? Its not work, it is insurance.....It is one reason it is hard (for me) to be away...gates closed, water tanks filled? Fencer working? No one here will be watching that closely, and for the most part everything will be fine....but I always wonder, and ask, "are the cows ok?"

There are times I help a newborn calf to its feet, or clean off its little snotty nose; help move it to a cleaner place so it does not skid on manure, or fall into a hot fence.... There are times that the calf, for whatever reason, cannot get to momma for that first critical drink of milk, which, ideally, should be within the hour of birth... On several occasions I have actually milked momma (remember, I had a dairy herd years ago) into a calf baby bottle and fed that calf colostrum, standing or not. It is that critical, I don't care how they get it in them initially!

It is good to be aware, be on watch, look after your livestock as much as you can. Especially here in the east, with the small size of the herds, the folks just starting out trying to build their herds; its very tough to loose even one cow or calf for whatever reason. And sometimes, even with the best care, you may. The best one can hope for is that you don't, but, if you do happen to suffer a loss, its a little easier knowing you were there, and did all you could. Sometimes nature just takes its course. Sometimes that calf will die in your lap while waiting for the vet to arrive....but at least you know you did all you could. Its frustrating; there have been a few times I've sat in the straw crying out of shear and utter frustration and exhaustion....but I knew, deep in my heart, I had done all I could possibly do.

".....Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds."

Proverbs 27:23

So much about cattle, the land, fences and salt blocks

2011-05-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

So much about small farms, hay, fencing and sheds. Calves being born, how we feed our stock, care for the pastures. First, let me please be clear on one thing, and perhaps some of you may have already picked up on this, but my husband absolutely hates the cattle being here. Yup, that is correct, and so does my oldest daughter. They make it quite clear on a regular basis (almost daily) how much they dislike the small "farm" I am making them "endure" here. As if their lives were a living hell because I have cattle on 22 acres.

After trying to figure out (for years now) what exactly bothers them so much about it (as I do 99% of all the work, keep my time with the animals minimal when everyone is home, and see that the animals can support themselves), I finally figured it out (I think).

They cannot understand what I (or others) "get" out of a close association with the land, livestock; the seasons, birth and death, the whole "circle of life". They simply do not see it. Therefore, they don't understand it, and if they don't get it, well, why should anyone possibly "want" it? (or "have it" for that matter....)

On more than several occasions I have been pushed so hard on this (the cattle) that I have seriously considered selling them all (then I will really be miserable), or moving them off the property (why....? I just built everything from nothing over the years, myself ).

I am a homebody. I have no problem with travel, like it alot, but arrangements must be made when one has livestock. Some people do not want to understand that, and see it as another reason to "get rid of the cows". I actually prefer to hire someone to come care for the animals when I do leave to visit family out of state, and just this past April learned my lesson on that (again...) as my husband "insisted" he would be happy to look after the animals while we were gone for 4 days. After the first evenings feeding, all hell broke loose, the weather turned windy rainy and raw, and hubby was out of his mind miserable (and let me know it) looking after the animals....of course, I could not wait to get home to survey the "damage" or "rants" as one could imagine. "Get rid of the cows" sounds like the family anthem at times here....its quite exhausting.

But, now I realize, after much thought, and even more research and reading about personality disorders (yes....) humans needing to bond to the land and physical labor; the satisfaction and mental benefits from farming; (fascinating study of depression in our tech age vs. depression in our society 100 years ago) the selfish needs of those who do not share your passions nor care if you get to fulfill yours...

I have come to the conclusion that farming is what I am. I derive great pleasure on a very deep level mentally from raising and caring for my little herd of miniature Herefords; designing and building things that serve a purpose or fill a need; digging in the dirt to set a post, or plant a tree that will provide shade or windbreak. Its not a tremendous amount of work, it doesn't cost alot, (well, they support themselves, and pay the taxes, usually, too). I would rather be out in the barn, or checking the fences, or building a feeder, or moving cattle, or walking through the pastures staring at the ground to see if the frost seeded clover has begun to sprout, than be stuck in the house. And my husband and oldest daughter know this. I think it drives them nuts.....But they don't understand; and I don't think they ever will, and quite honestly, at this point, I don't care.

I look out the front window as I wipe down the kitchen counters, I see the animals sleeping in the grass. They are healthy, content. Because they are, so also, am I.

Ok, so where did the post Miniature Herefords: fence, pasture, and education, go?

2011-05-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well this is weird....

Yesterday I wrote at length about a bunch of stuff pertaining to the farm, raising livestock, going to actual farm auctions, etc, and I even re-read it last evening ......strangly, the post is gone. Just not there. Where did it go I wonder?

Hmmmm.....

I need to get to the bottom of this before I spend another hour writing; just to be sure that the new post will not vanish again, like the last one, yesterday, did.

Meanwhile, any hints, ideas? anyone else have their blog post just "disappear?"

Miniature Herefords : fencing, pastures, and educating yourself

2011-05-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

Well it has finally stopped raining (for a bit at least) . We have had several days of sunshine, warm temperatures and light breezes!

It has done wonders for not only our mud, but dispositions as well! Even the cattle look happier.

This weekend will be spent cleaning out the barnyard, as during the winter we cannot get out onto the fields to spread manure (snow) or load up the small ground driven spreader for later (freezes solid....trust me I found that out the hard way last winter....), SO we have to pile it where we pitch it, essentially. Which makes for a rather large mound of poop and bedding by spring. Unsightly, yes, although the calves like to play "king of the hill" on the pile!

Anyway, we borrow a skid steer and spend the day cleaning the barnyard and bedded stalls.

Its kind of neat, when one thinks about it; we buy the clover seed from the neighbor farmer, and seed our pastures with it. Our cattle eat the pasture, and stay fat and healthy on it all summer long. Then, we buy the hay from the neighbor, and feed it all winter long. The straw we use for bedding is from the neighbor as well. The cattle live off the very high quality hay all winter, and we pile up the resulting "waste / fertilzer" till spring, when we then take it all back to the field to fertilize the pastures and clover seed..... and the cycle begins all over again.

I swear some folks like to make everything too complicated in life;(remember when you could just order a "cup of coffee"?) every now and then I get an email from someone new to small scale farming / ranching and livestock, and they are so full of questions, confused as to what to do about this that and the other thing....especially in more urban-suburban / rural areas, many well-educated and well intended individuals feel the need for countless books and instructors, classes and endless discussion about the finer points of raising livestock....which is all fine I suppose, but like many things in our lives presently, sometimes TOO much imformation can be paralizing.....I know it can be for me! Fact is, folks have been raising livestock since time began; it is a learn as you go occupation mostly.

Best thing to do is become a listener and a keen observer. Take that ride to real rural farming areas (you can write it off as a business expense). Observe how the farmers fence their animals, what they use for feeders, gates, lanes. Check out the barns, run in sheds, waterers, etc. Go on line and look for a real cattle auction and go to one (at the actual farm). Listen to the farmers talking, walk around, see how things are done, how things work (or dont work...!) Ask questions. Even if you have no interest in buying, a real cattle / farm /equipment auction is an education and alot of fun....(and no, most of the "real" farm auctions do not look like they could appear in a magazine....you know what I mean....)

We try and keep things simple here, our fences are mostly electric, nothing fancy but extremely effective (altho I would love split rail along the road out front!) Our barn / run in shed is simple, affordable, but very effective as well. The gates all swing to help move the cattle when and where we need them to go, and most of the time the cattle can be moved easily by just one person; from pasture to pasture, to the barn for the vet, across the driveway to the other pasture....no chasing, hollering, pitchforks, etc. Just a "come on" and I basically just get out of the way, hold open a gate and they know the routine.

Raising livestock should bring joy. It is a great stress reliever most of the time. Sure there will be times when the animals get loose (leave the gate unlatched anyone??) or its miserable outside and muddy cold raining ,windy, etc; There are animals that get ill on occassion, calves that no matter how hard you try will not make it.....but in the end, there should still be that deep sort of satisfaction, regardless, when you walk in the house after its all said and done. That is what keeps you going back out, day after day after day, to tend to your livestock....and to lean on the gate and watch the babies romp around, or the cattle running full out with tails in the air out of the sheer joy of being alive and well...

That is what

that is why

we do what we do

day in

day out

and love it.

Now if only our spouses would, could, understand.....

ALL MHBA MEMBERS......!!

2011-04-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I am a member of the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association. I am also a member of the American Hereford Association.

It has come to my attention that folks out there (breeders like myself) have information relating to our breed, miniatures in particular, that doesnt seem to get passed along to the proper channels for all interested parties to see.

Just a month or so ago, I had the opportunity to speak with a very good breeder who had some information about an upcoming miniature Hereford Show here in the east. I begged for the specific information to be sent to me via my web-site so I could pass it on the the MHBA and post it here as well. After a bit of a conversation, a few names being mentioned and alot of personal opinion, I never heard from the person again.

It is no surprise to hear people complain there is not enough information given for a specific area in the country from the MHBA...gee, if folks who have the information could PASS IT ALONG it would be a great help.....

Folks, an organization is only as good as its elected officals and members....if you have something that may be of interest, dates, shows, info, pictures, show results, etc, please pass it along. Especially if someone asks for that info.

To withhold information that ultimately helps promote the breed and breeders because you may not like a certain person, or care for their breeding plan, or whatever, hurts everyone and causes division and hard feelings.

It is a shame that some people cannot" see the cattle for the breeder..."

I guess that is human nature....

and just one of the reasons I prefer to deal wiuth animals over humans if I can help it. At least animals are somewhat predictable.

All elected officers.....please consider what you do to help promote the breed and inform the members. If you are someone with a leadership role, then lead. If you just like to see your name in print quarterly, write an article at least.

To those who are active and step up, we thank you.

Comments

2011-04-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who take the time to not only read my blog, but comment on it, please know I am reading your comments and appreciate them greatly.....I just cannot figure out (yet) how to answer the comments back. lol!

If anyone has any questions regarding raising livestock (smaller scale) or landscaping, please ask. I have a degree in Horticulture and Design, and have been involved with raising cattle (dairy and beef) for over 10 years, first as a small commercial dairy (and I do mean small, but big enough to have the milk truck stop every other day...) and currently with raising registered miniature Herefords here on 22 acres since 2005.

We started this farm literally from the ground up, with nothing but a house in the middle of overgrown fields. It all started with the overwhelming desire to be a good steward of the land I was fortunate to be blessed with, and, a post hole digger.....one hole at a time, then two, then six; 4x4 posts, crosspieces, etc, a small barn.... A digging bar and a pile of 150 plus locust posts brought up from Pa by friends, and a fenceline was begun, ten holes at a time.....wire pulled off a spool held with a piece or re-rod stuck in the ground, fence wire went up. 150' feet underground electric buried by hand from the house to the barn....

Easy, not really....gratifying......absolutely!

Picture: Daughter Jolene with our foundation cattle and new "barn", Deccemeber, 2005

Minature Hereford Bull and Mud

2011-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Just could not resist these pictures I got of Hawkeye as I turned into our driveway this evening....as if the barnyard and pastures werent muddy enough, Hawkeye decided a good old fashioned knees-to-the-dirt, rub-your-face-in-the-mud romp was in order to finish off his day!

The light was fading quickly, and I apologise for the poor picture quality (BlackBerry again....) but though they were pretty neat shots.

He is shown in his mostly rubbed off winter coat, with light touches of fine summer hair, complimented with fresh and dried mud with just a touch of manure, topped off with a light garnish of dried straw bedding. A fabulous clay - mud face mask completes the look for that "fresh out of the barnyard" springtime look!. A real head-turner for the ladies!

Hawkeye is our current herd sire and is the daddy to the two beautiful bull calves born recently. So far, all his offspring has been polled ( from our horned cows.)

If the first picture could have a caption it would have to be "Yeah so I'm dirty; is there a problem?"

Little Goliath

2011-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well here he is, bull number two. We named him Goliath because he looked so big when he was first born....but hes really not much bigger than Onyx who is just a week older.

We kept Goliath in the barn with his momma Miss Piggy (pictured on last blog entry) for a few days thinking the weather may straighten out before he went out into the world....as it was, it was still cool and a muddy mess, but sunny; we opened the gate and he promptly climbed to the very top of our very big manure / bedding pile...just like a little mountain goat.

I do expect him to grow into quite a bull. He is polled, a very deep burgandy color (with curls!!) and has pigment on both of his eyes. (his momma is full pigment).

For now him and Onyx are best buddies and will keep eachother company throughout the spring and summer. (when and IF spring and summer ever arrive in these parts.....)

Double blessings!

NEW BABY!

2011-03-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

ah yes, another baby for the farm, this time from the formidable queen herself, Miss Piggy, aka Kentucky Ranger (on her "birth certificate").

Miss Piggy was aptly named due to her amazing appetite and, due to her huge bulk, is able to claim most of any feed situation, even if it entails standing sideways across a feeder, blocking access to any and all who dare get near, just in case she cannot have enough to eat....which of course, is never the case. She is also a master at stockpiling hay, pushing as much as possible (for later) at one guarded end of the feeder, and helping herself to whatever else she can eat in the meanwhile.

Why do I go into such detail about a particular cows eating habits you may wonder? Does this woman have a life? you may ask?

Well......this is why........Miss Piggy had a very big miniature Hereford bull calf! I have read where the mothers nutrition level can and does affect the size and health of the calf, and let me tell you, they are right! This boy is big for a baby!

Now he will grow up to be a fine miniature Hereford bull, and as far as I can tell, he is polled as well as all the other Hawkeye offspring, but boy, what a big little dude he is! And Miss Piggy had him all by herself in the barn early this morning. Little Onyx, same sire, was tiny, a fine little calf for a first calf heifer, and no problem at all.

More on this later, along with some pictures as soon as he dries off and looks adorable - normal in a day or so. Until then, more hay for the mom, some TLC, and a really nice little bull - brother for Onyx to keep company with this summer!

Picture of Miss Piggy, summer pasture grass - fat.

More pictures of Onyx, polled miniature Hereford bull

2011-03-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

I could not resist posting these pictures of little Onyx taken today. Unfortunately they are off my BlackBerry, but of course, I did not have a camera handy while doing chores....you know how that goes....what is so amazing is how fast these little ones learn about stuff, as this picture shows Onyx already licking the mineral mix in the pan.... at just 8 days old.

A beautiful sunny, but cold, Sunday. Still snow on the ground....oh spring, where art thou??

Blessings.

Onyx: polled miniature Hereford bull calf

2011-03-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well here he is at one week old, hanging out by the hay wagon soaking up some sun. I could not believe my eyes when I saw him eating hay already.....!

His face is so silky and soft, his little nose pink without a spot, and the curls on top of his head remind me of a white Peony...

All clean and white and bright...show room condition I would say...at least for now!

This is Hawkeyes second calf, both have been polled. Onyx is a stocky little fella with nice proportions (for a week old!) and very friendly (his momma Emerald is "follow- you- around -the- pasture - rest -my -horn- on- your- leg - friendly" ....)

Its nice to have babies in the barnyard again!

Sometimes its just hard.......

2011-03-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

So we have this adorable little baby in a nice dry pen with her momma. Life is good. The next cow due to calve is Miss Piggy, due in another week or so. Tremendously rotund, plenty of winter fat and hair. Little Sprite, who will be a year old next month, is keeping her company. Unfortunately, they have also been kicked out of the barn / pen since baby was born, leaving them both to sleep out under the stars, which really isnt a major problem, except we now have cold icy rain mixed with snow and wind and temperatures dropping through the 20's......not good.

Poor little Sprite was shivering as she stood eating, and with the winds coming from the east, the barn did not afford any protection from the driving snow and cold winds....both were crusted with snow, icicles hung down their sides and off their bellies. They were clearly NOT HAPPY.

Nor was I.

At least a good hour later Miss Piggy was moved to the other side, where the four of them can figure out the barn sleeping arrangments....the barnyard was somewhat shoveled out and the gate removed from the pen...little Onxy shot out at a full run, never stumbling once, absolutely thrilled with the freedom of the barnyard paddock (even if it was covered in 6" of snow). His momma had quite a time keeping track of him as he zipped around and Sprite seemed very interested in a possible new playmate!

So some shoveling, some feeding, some cattle re-arranging, a minor repair to the pen divider, and lots and lots of dry straw bedding, everyone hopefully will be in and undercover on this cold and stormy night.

My family was not quite as understanding as I had hoped as dinner was later than usual and no one really seemed to interested in what was going on with the animals or the barn ....*sigh**

(

Miniature Herefords and daughters....

2011-03-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Onyx at 2 days old, not shy and welcoming any and all attention; here, from my daughter Jolene.

I would have to say he probably weighed about 40 lbs. at birth judging from his size (yeah i know.... I need to weigh them......!)

New baby!

2011-03-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here is Emerald and her brand-new baby bull calf Onyx!

he was born, unassisted, sometime during the night while we slept......

When I checked them last evening at 9:30 all was well; quiet, everyone bedded down in the barn for the night....by morning the others were out looking for breakfast; I went to the barn to find Emerald and her new baby all cleaned up, dried off and sleeping contentedly.

Onyx is polled.

Emerald is a nice, sweet and friendly first calf heifer,sired by DLT Red Pride. I am impressed that she calved unattended, and had cared for her first calf so well......

Thankful :)

Ah a warm day

2011-03-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

FINALLY a break in the weather! Bluebirds and Red-Winged Blackbirds are back, Robins calling to eachother and Canadian Geese flying day and night overhead in huge numbers.

Had yesterday off and spent the day cleaning up around the barn, fixing gates ands getting ready for another load of hay and straw. I didnt want to be inside, but did manage to set up my painting easel in the room next to the kitchen>

Lately I have been having visions of paint being applied to large canvases (when I close my eyes)

and am very excitied about an upcoming college project of a large, mixed media, totally abstract work that will be getting underway very soon. I find myself drawn to abstract painting and drawing recently; it just seems so freeing......

I have a very pregnant heifer I've been keeping close watch on lately; she looks like any day, and I noticed she was not with the others out in the pasture today, choosing to remain by herself near the barn....which is not her normal behavior, so out to the barn I go, will move the big gate into the barnyard so she can calve in comfort and clean and dry surroundings; its just too muddy out there, and I dont want to see a newborn stumbling about in the mud and slop. The others will have to tough it out for a few days and stay out of the barn.....I'm sure they'll be just fine.

Picture of Blue with her heifer calf Emerald, summer 2008; Emerald herself is now due any day ....!

Hangin' out with Hawkeye

2011-03-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Actually I'm in the process of bedding the barn (once more....) Hawkeye seems to enjoy coming into the barm and standing under the straw as its thrown into the pens....which of course is not at all helpful when trying to move and fluff the pile of straw. He doesnt seem too interested in moving, either.

I think what he really wants is a good back scratch....

Snow flakes again today.....hoping for warmer temperatures later in the week.
Am running out of straw bedding; need to call for more. ........

camo hat quite the fashion statement, I know, right.....? *!*

Ah.... just look at that grass....!

2011-02-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well we are still under snow here, last week consisted of 2 good snowstorms, one good wind storm, and now rain and ice.....

Came across these pictures of the cattle in their summer slicks, all fat and sassy on green grass.....seems so long ago....

Looking forward to spring, looking past mud season and sure hoping those Bluebirds I saw in the tree next to the barn are better weather forcasters than those Robins were 4 weeks ago...!

Here is a picture of handsome Hawkeye (after the M*A*S*H series in case you were wondering...) strolling through one of our pastures....
The other pictures are of the herd lounging around relaxing, not a care in the world...just the way I love to see my animals.

Dont forget March (around these parts) is time to frost seed your pastures.....get some clover seed (fixes nitrogen in the soil) and go take a walk through your pastures when the snow is just about gone and melting fast. Usually I do it late March; the melting snow and heaving of the soil surface as it thaws and freezes allows the seeds to seep down into and make contact with the soil, so when the days warm up they are all set to germinate! Just keep your animals off until the plants get established.....the clover will be good for at least two years but I like to seed a little bit each year.

Great excuse to get out and wander around the pastures.....

Shoulda known better......

2011-02-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Well it WAS a nice break.....for one day. By evening the wind had picked up, by nightfall it was blowing so hard I didnt even try to feed hay (I had fed heavy that morning when it was 55 degrees and still...) By midnight wind gusts of over 58 mph were recorded at the Rochester International Airport. The wind was blowing so hard our house was literally shuttering, as we sit quite high with two stories and a half mile of open field to our west, the house being the first thing the howling winds hit. Needless to say we all spent the night on various couches downstairs, and I spent the night watching the barn roof and listening for that eerie rumble from several years back that torn our entire barn roof off in one solid piece, tossing it 30 feet away in the barnyard as the cows stood inside.
By 5 am I could barely see the barn light it was snowing so hard (our barn is about 150' from our house) and still blowing hard.

The cattle stood in the shelter of the barn , covered with snow, waiting for the morning feeding. Luckily I had enough sense to fill the water tank completely the day before; it sat steaming in the frigid cold.

So, you know the old adage "make hay while the sun shines" and "don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today.." Boy, are those words to live by, especially here south of Rochester NY.

Today is sunny, still, but cold (10), but another storm is at our doorstep, and a winter storm watch has been issued for us tonight and tomorrow.

Time to clean up, bed down, feed heavy and bungie everything in sight....

...where the heck did those crazy robins go, anyway?

Picture at the feeder, morning, Feb.19, 2011

Snow, ice, wind and manure.....

2011-02-18T18:12:00.000-08:00

Not much new....we had a thaw here the past few days, temperatures getting in the mid 50's, which, after 10 degrees since forever, felt like summer!!
Of course all the snow and ice is melting FAST, which means alot of run off; water everywhere.....
The path the cattle made down through the pasture to the water is now a ridge of ice and turds that was compressed into ice by their daily walks to drink.
Quite honestly, it is a messy time of year, with piles of frozen manure everywhere, melting ice and manure, frozen hay and cattle who look as though their coats got trimmed with a weed-wacker...patches of bald skin, hair hanging in blobs...
They spend the nice days rubbing themselves on the trees and manure spreader parked in the yard....I guess anything to scratch off that ragged winter fur.

On another note I am excited to be looking for a new polled bull to add to our herd this year. Our bull Hawkeye will have babies on the ground starting in March, and after this breeding summer, will need to find a new home, as his daughters will be old enough to breed. Im enjoying the challenge of locating new bloodlines; and a challenge it will be, as there are few polled bulls of different bloodlines here in the eastern US. Right now I am considering some very nice polled animals from Washington state, which is REALLY far away......
If anyone reading this knows of a really nice polled bull out there either for sale or siring some calves this year, please let me know..

Enjoy this February thaw!

Picture of Miss Piggy and Mr. Bull on high ground from several years ago, late winter. I think it was the day after the barn roof was blown off....they look ever so slightly peeved...

Happy Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well here it is, another Groundhog Day here and (almost) gone.

We didnt get the worst of the huge storm that tore across the middle of the country; just some snow, a bit of sleet (I think) and now some wind to top things off....pretty typical February weather for central New York state.

So I hear Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, which I believe means he stayed out of his den for a bit....meaning spring is just around the corner, which is a good thing considering I happened to see about 6 Robins in a tree last week and my bull is about 20% rubbed off already....which IS early if you ask me.

But I am ready; getting tired of bedding the barn every night, stumbling over frozen turds hidden under the snow...dragging 200 feet of garden hose out of my basement to water the animals....and then dragging it BACK in when finished....

Here is a little poem I found online when doing some research (!) on Groundhog Day...thought it was kinda applicable to us farmer folks...

As the light grows longer
the cold grows stronger

If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight

If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again.

A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay

On Candlemas day if thorne hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop.

from an English poem;

Candlemas is another name for this holiday and stems from the Catholic church. There is ALOT of folklore and history and calender stuff that all gets tied in with Groundhog Day...really too much for me to write about here; originating in the 18th and 19th centuries as ancient European weather LORE; Pagan festivals and Celtic calenders, equinoxes and all sorts of things.....it began in this country as a Pennsylvania German custom...

So...lets all hope Phil is right, and spring IS just around the corner! Sure wouldnt guess by todays weather though!

May your barns be half full....

WOW

2011-01-26T12:48:00.001-08:00

I was killing some time the other evening and came across these awesome pictures of the early Herefords before they were breed to be todays long -legged, huge animals that are so common today. Not much air under those legs!

Just beautiful.
My goal here at Middleground Farm ...

Chores

2011-01-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

So it got down to eleven degrees below zero last night. All was calm, all was still (and bright as a matter of fact....moonlite!)

Anyway it was such a still and sunny day (although still cold; a balmy 18 degrees out at chore time!) I decided to take a few pictures....

First is the cows relaxing in the barnyard soaking up some rays. I have to admit it was rather nice to be out...the sun felt good and there wasnt a breeze.

At the bottom is a picture of the hay "barn" area ...we get our hay delivered from our neighbor who bales excellent hay in 800 lb. bales that are "slid" into the barn on 4 x 4 "runners laid across 2 x 6's on top of plastic and a gravel base. Since the variety of hay varies from bale to bale, I like to mix it up a bit and take hay from several bales at once to feed out. I will also mix in a little of the oat straw as well for roughage, especially if the hay is very "rich" such as second cutting alfalfa.

While the beasties are eating its up and over the gates to flig the poop (which is like flinging rocks in this weather) and bed down for the night. This is how the barn looks each day after being cleaned and bedded. Cozy.....

Last I will feed some more hay for the night and possibly the next morning, tarp the hay and we're done. If I have a few minutes I'll watch the cattle eat, look for babies rolling, and just give then a general look-over to be sure everone is happy and well. Which is the second picture from the top...

Hope your all staying warm!!

Cold

2011-01-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

OK, its really cold out. its already below zero and not 7pm yet. I think it will be 15 below by morning.

Not a whole lot changes on the farm during extreme cold or storms; just takes a bit longer to dress for chores, which need to be done whether I feel like it or not, no matter what the weather.

Extra socks, a fleece jacket, snow bibs, a heavy ski jacket, an old pair of LLBean felt lined snow boots;, a fleece collar for the face, an old ski cap, gloves. Forget wearing glasses...they steam up as soon as one walks out the door.

I try and fill the 150 gallon water tank on nice days, meaning anything above 10 I guess. I run the 200 feet of hose I keep coiled in the basement out over the driveway and lawn to the tank and turn on the water from inside the basement. The outdoor spigot is left open so it will work regardless of the temp. The tank will last about a week if Im lucky. The hose gets drained as its coiled up and dragged back into the basement till next time. A simple floating tank heater keeps the water from freezing.

Most days I just feed hay, clean out the barns, and put down fresh straw.... every day, actually. On real cold days I will walk down to the stream and break the ice so the other side can get their drinks. Feed more hay and I'm done. The animals are always kept dry and bedded, especially when its this cold! My neighbor once asked how I kept the cattle so clean.....(I just can't stand poopy livestock...)

So we wait for spring, and babies, and grass. I watch the unborn calves roll and push on their mothers sides as they stand to eat...it's real neat to see....once in a while they will roll and kick so hard the momma will stop and turn her head to look at her side as if to say "what was THAT?"

But for now its all white and cold and snow, a single path through the snow leads through a drift and down to the water hole....the animals stay a while and rub their coats on the trees down by the water. On sunny, still days, they will stand out in the field dozing in the sun, no matter what the temperature. Early morning will find them covered with frost from their body heat freezing to the ends of their coats.

Take shelter, keep warm and feed heavy .....spring is just around the corner

I hope....!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

2010-12-31T11:09:00.001-08:00

so excited!

2010-12-28T06:07:00.000-08:00

You know the best, very best part of having miniature Herefords, is the babies.

I did have all my animals pregnancy checked this past summer and fall, and apparently all 4 are "safe with calf". I have to say, also, that my vet is very good at approximating how long they have been pregnant! One cow he checked; said approximately 70 days pregnant....dont you know he was right almost to the day I saw her frolicking with the bull?! (actually, I was away on vacation...my dear husband sent me a grainy picture of the two of them together off his iPhone!)

Anyway I was doing some calender checking, due dates etc. and looking at how big Miss Piggy was looking....come to realize I have 2 cows due in early March!! Thats just 2 months away give or take!! Wow!!

That should be interesting, as March around here is usually mud season with a mix of rain, snow, wind and cold. But I know these guys are tough creatures, and you can bet they will be getting extra TLC and straw when the time comes for the little ones to be born.

Makes it all worth while :)

*Picture of Miss Piggy a week before she calved with Darby, summer 2010*

Apple Crisp Recipe

2010-12-27T05:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so its the dead of winter, not much new in the barnyard....(you know, bundle up, trudge out, feed hay, look at cows, check water, feed more hay, look at cows some more, climb over 2 gates multiple times to clean out barn and bed barn with straw, look at cows again, pet cows, push hay to cows, check light cord so cows don't pull lamp down into barn (no, not a heat lamp....!), look at cows again once more, clean up barn floor chaff, cover hay with tarp, park wheelbarrow (barrel?) on top, look at cows one more time...hey, gotta make getting all bundled up worth it...), go inside...) so I thought I would share some of my all time long time favorite EASY recipes (gosh its nice to be on break!) that my family loves!!

***Now these are easy recipes, not fussy (which I think makes them so good) and most are taken from my mothers old (1950's) Betty Crocker Cookbook (the one thats held together with duck tape and some of the pages are no longer in numeric order......). I cant remember her actually giving it to me when I left home at 21, but it did, and I will not part with it....it has the BEST SIMPLE recipes....I'm sorry, I don't have time to shop for strange funky use-one-time ingredients.... you all know; so many ingredients, one loses focus just reading the recipe (especially those of use with late-in-life ADHD ...!!) (Gee, isnt that what we used to call multi-tasking? Lol!)

**** Ok, here it is....this is the most requested dessert in my house, and what everyone (here) wants for Thanksgiving dessert. Pair it with vanilla ice cream warm from the oven...

**Any multi use or cooking apple will work, any size pan, I make mine in a rectangular Pyrex dish, great for those slightly beat up or dented apples rolling around in the bottom of the crisper drawer that are fine but nobody wants to eat (since they will be peeled and sliced anyway...)

**Make the topping, don't have to be super exact with the ingredients (the beauty of this recipe....)
AND make an extra batch for a baggie/freezer for another time....

**Place in greased pan approx. (Pyrex dish, pie pan, metal square pan, whatever you may have) 4-6 or more, peeled cored apples (about 1/2 the pan depth more or less)

(remember, were baking here, not designing rockets....!)

Topping:

2/3 to 3/4 packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup soft butter (yes, use the real stuff!!!!)

**cut the butter through the topping ingredients until combined but not pulverized....leave crumbly chunks...I use a pastry cutter but a fork and knife, whatever, will work to cut and combine.

Feel free to add raisins, cranberries, some nuts, etc into combined topping if you want (although my family loves it just plain...)

**put topping on top of sliced apples in pan

**place in oven (GREAT when your cooking dinner in the oven at the same time)
cook till apples are tender (test with fork should be soft but not applesauce!)

**Recipe says 375 degree oven for approx. 30-35 minutes until apples tender and top golden brown.

I just throw it in the oven alone or with dinner and take out when done....keep your family away from it long enough for it to cool a bit before serving ..... ice cream is the bomb!!!!(fabulous)

This tastes great cold as well (although I doubt it will be around long enough.....) and is fabulous for breakfast as well....(hey.....)

I love this because it is simple, easy and absolutely what an apple crisp should be and nothing else. You can mix varieties of apples too! And kids can make the topping (WARNING: topping may be too delicious for young children to actually make and not eat....proper adult supervision may be needed if "crisp" is to make it to "apple"!)

And sometimes simple is "simply the best"!

Enjoy!

Time to go out to the barn* and.....
*see above....

...let heaven and nature sing....

2010-12-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all...

2010-12-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

We at Middleground Farm would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy New Year!

We would like to take this time to say how truly blessed we feel being able to care for our family and home and little herd of cattle; we also would like to remind folks that it is our duty to look after those who may not be as fortunate as ourselves, and help them out any way that we can...

We know that when our "barns are full", we need to give to those who are in need...

"Honor the Lord from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine." Prov. 3: 9-10

May you find peace, happiness and prosperity this Christmas season and in the coming new year!

The Alu family
Diane, Tony, Alyssa and Jolene

....Launched Apparently

2010-12-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

Well, to continue the last post, looks as tho Sprite was "helped" over the fence to the other side, probably while eating next to the fence, didnt see someone coming who thought she needed to be "relocated" and then.....that woven wire fence was not the tightest, having taken the full brunt of the barn roof when it sheered off the barn and sailed through the air during a freak winter storm....
Anyway, being the laid back creatures that they are, it was a matter of a handful of hay, an open gate, and life was back to normal that day.. . A cattle panel made the repair for now, but oh how I need to re-do that barnyard fence!

Well now.....

2010-12-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

I guess little Sprite was not too happy about the barnyard setup now that Darby had left; this morning I went out to feed the animals, and looked to see little Sprite on the other side of the barnyard, standing next to her momma. (they had been seperated by a fence / cattle panel, etc). Just as if to say, "this works better for me, thanks!" Now it was dark out still, and from what I could see from the single light in the barn, everything appeared to be normal; no busted fences, pushed in panels or popped open gates.
I took a quick look around the other side of the barnyard, and all looked normal there as well.
So the mystery continues: how did she, exactly, end up on the other side of the barnyard?
I will have to look into things a bit when I get home this afternoon. Perhaps she jumped over the woven wire, or was "launched" by Miss Emerald? I have no idea, but she sure looked pretty smug about things when I saw her.....
Unfortunately, she had just been weaned not a month yet, and I am sure momma would have no problem taking back baby, so, she may be getting a return trip back today!
For now, though, I hope she enjoys her stay!

Last One Gone and Winter Sets In

2010-12-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Ah, the onset of real winter.

We haven't had snow to speak of until last night, really, which for is here in central New York state is a bit unusual...(we are out of reach from Buffalo's well known "lake effect" blizzards that can dump several feet of snow in one evening!). But winter blew in yesterday, just a few hours after our last animal left the farm for the year.

I have to admit, I kinda hated to see him go! Darby was a sweet gentle natured and so handsome a young bull, I definitely would have kept him myself if not for the fact that most of my females are related (closely). That and the fact that little Sprite and him paired up pretty much all the time, being the closest in age...
He went to his new home in eastern New York state, and I know he will have a very good life with his new owners as they start their own herd of registered miniature Herefords; I have to say they are off to a good start and cannot wait to see some of Darby's offspring in the coming years.

Its always nice, too, to see folks come to the farm with a nice clean safe trailer, obviously having the animals best interests in mind as far as safety and comfort is concerned...it was a cold day, and I was relieved to know he would be making his 6 hour journey in a rubber matted straw bedded closed trailer with hay and treats to munch on the way. I always get a bit nervous when it gets this late in the year....loading and trailering an animal to a new home is stressful enough, adding freezing temperatures doesn't help matters. But he arrived safe and sound, and I was relieved to hear he had settled in just fine after he arrived at his new home.

His momma Miss Piggy and Sprite both seemed a little lost the rest of the day, and the barnyard a bit emptier, but that is what we breed our animals for, to raise, to keep, or to sell.
Come spring there will be new babies cavorting through the pastures again, but Darby I will say, was one of my most favorite calves born here yet!

Pictured: Miss Piggy (with Cowbird on her face) and Darby as young calf; Darby's first winter.

This is what we like.......

2010-11-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

I was looking around online at miniature Hereford pictures...
I got a call from a man today asking me questions about the miniatures; how, what, why, etc.
I am constantly impressed by the interest in these animals, and, the reasons folks are interested in eventually obtaining them.
I hear so many reasons; used to have cattle, have an empty barn and miss having something in it, looking to stock a small farm or piece of land, retired, investment, grass-fed beef market, grandchildren, pet,looking for an easy to handle livestock....the reasons go on and on.
When I talk with folks who are actively seeking miniatures to buy, I always offer to help with finding reputable breeders who may have animals for sale. I am big on type; I don't believe someone should be breeding miniatures just for the sake of obtaining a tiny animal...ultimately, the miniature Hereford has to be a fine example of the beef animal is it intended to be. Many people come to our farm and after seeing the animals ask where the mini's are....our miniatures are so much like regular sized Herefords that folks do not realize they are minis until they stand next to them and see for themselves how small they really are. Which is just fine by me.
Check out the pictures of how the Herefords used to look, before they were bred to be huge....this is the animal I strive to breed here at our farm; thick, correct, BEEF in a smaller sized package.
Portion - controlled breeding I suppose!

A Girl and Her Cow

2010-11-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

2010-11-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Wanting to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving "season", as I think Thanksgiving is basically everyday, at least for those of us living in America.
I know I am thankful for everything God has provided for my family and myself: I will not even begin to list all that I am thankful for, but will say that a grateful spirit is a content spirit.

Farm news: had the vet here last Thursday...did the fall pregnancy checks that I have not been diligent in the past with; that and the fact that it is still difficult to confine my animals enough to have them pregnancy checked....which I will be working on this winter, as I have decided that I (and my ever-patient vet)and my beasties deserve a safe, stress-free way of being held in comfort and safety when the need arises.

I found a great manufacturer of comfort headlocks right in Pennsylvania called Zimmerman. If you Google "Zimmerman head-gates" you will find their site; they have all kinds of neat cattle handling stuff, including some of the newer style hay feeders that virtually eliminate waste with the hay suspended above a feeder floor that is accessed through headstalls....really cuts down on the waste. I would imagine this would pay for itself in hay savings alone!

Anyway, the vet confirmed 2 more animals pregnant (yeah!) due spring / early summer, but my lovely cow who gave me Sprite this last April was found to be open (still!!!) after 7 months, which is unacceptable to me (obviously not to her!) but on a good note she was checked, is perfectly fine and was in heat about 10 days earlier, so, if all goes well she is bred , or will repeat to be bred in December, which, may be the case after the time she had being haltered, tied and checked! Just a little stress there,(for both of us...) which I will expound upon next blog!

My thoughts on this late cycling / breeding back is this: (unscientific conclusion>>>) I let the calf stay with her all those 7 months; normally I will wean 5-6 months tops, no earlier than 4 months. The vet mentioned that sometimes the cow is too busy being a good mother and interested in her calf to breed back and cycle at the typical 60-90 days....I had one other cow do that, and it was the same thing...I was lazy, and let the calf stay with momma apparently way too long. So, next year , I will wean at 5 months, and that's it. And, with the new head-gates :), it should be no problem at all having everyone checked in a more "timely" manner!

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
May God bless you!

Herefords and Pastures

2010-08-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, first an apology to any and all who were looking for my how to build fence blogging I promised way back when snow was still covering the ground ! Life does have a way of moving way too quickly, and I confess, my spring and summer have moved pretty fast.
First the farm news. Lets see; we had a beautiful little heifer calf, Sprite, born in April. With much anticipation I looked forward to my second calf to be born in July. Unfortunately, the calf was found dead in the pasture, even though I had checked momma that very morning to see if she was close to calving. Within a 12 hour time span, she had calved, but apparently not quickly enough....thankfully the mother was OK, although I had the task of digging a hole back behind the fence and burying the little guy as momma wandered around, nose to the ground, calling for her baby that never took a breath...sad; I was pretty devastated as I pride myself in keeping close watch on my animals (at least twice a day) for goodness sake they are literally surrounding our house; out front, along side and out back. She happened to be on the side, with the firewood stacks hiding her; I never checked till evening and I'm not sure if I could have done anything to save the little guy, but beat myself up for it anyway for a couple days as it were.
That being said, my other two were pregnancy checked last month; one I expected to be just bred, but the other I was expecting a calf from this fall...turns out both are pregnant, but for NEXT spring instead!! Arrrrgh! Good and bad news. So no over crowding issues in the barn this winter! But I have to wonder what was so different to affect my breeding program when nothing had changed as far as pasture, hay, minerals, water, etc. Just cant figure, unless it was my new bull; but he did breed all the cattle eventually. Who knows, but looking forward to babies next spring for sure; and, I will have everyone pregnancy checked this fall as well.
So that's the farm news, and I still haven't gotten the back pasture wire up, but it has been mowed and tended to, so that's next, along with hanging two new gates. I must say we've had alot of rain this summer, and the pastures are in fine shape, so that's a good thing. One pasture I had worried about; I had grazed it hard late last fall, and was worried it was too short to winter over. Well I completely covered that pasture early spring with the barn and barnyard clean out manure and bedding, so much so one could not see the grass...it looked awful and I though "what did I do? they'll never graze through all that poop!" But spring came and rain; it was mowed hard as the grass began to grow, the manure got chopped up with the bedding, the rains came, the grass grew and grew and by June it was so lush I was amazed at the recovery!! So if you take care of your land and give it some rest and nutrients, it can come back; but I was a bit worried!

First miniature Hereford calf of 2010 - Little Sprite

2010-04-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well I just had to share this!
Its spring break for my two daughters this week, and they of course wanted to go somewhere for vacation...(anywhere but home, heaven forbid!!). Anyway, since the grandparents live at the Jersey shore (no, it really is not like the show, trust me...) that was where they wanted to go.

Well, here was the problem; I had a very pregnant heifer on my hands who was due the same time we would be gone. Not going to happen. Stay home on vacation to babysit a pregnant cow? My girls? Not going to happen! So, Sunday we drove 300 miles to NJ to meet the grandparents who then took them the additional 75 more miles to their house for the week, I had lunch, a nice visit, got back in the car and drove all the way BACK home, another 300 miles SO I COULD WAIT FOR THIS HEIFER TO HAVE HER CALF! Yes, 10 hours on the road to keep my girls happy (and my sanity...) and, being the crazy herdsman (woman...whatever..!.) that I (apparently) am, watch over my soon to be new mom.

She must have heard me, or knew I was gone but coming back, because don't you know the very next morning, Monday, I got up early to find my very pregnant heifer getting ready to calve. So at 6:30 am I settled into the pasture with my steaming mug of coffee to watch over the process, and, at 8:08 am Monday morning my very pregnant heifer gave birth to a lovely tiny little heifer calf!
Kinda made it all worth while.

And yes, my family still thinks I am just a little nuts I suppose, but they cannot deny the fact that when there is something that needs to be tended to with the livestock, I will do everything in my power to make sure it gets done, driving to Jersey and back if that's what it takes.

This is our bull Hawkeyes first calf. Weight at birth approx 25-30 lbs. She is also polled. Her momma is horned. Hawkeye is polled on both sides of his pedigree. He is available.

Small Farms and miniature cattle.

2010-03-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our polled (naturally hornless) young registered miniature Hereford herd sire. He will be 3 this coming fall. He is a frame 000 if not smaller and quite pleasant. We are pleased to be offering him for sale just in time for the 2010 breeding season.
Details (and offspring pictures) forthcoming on our sale page, or, please give us a shout if you are interested.
He will fit beautifully on any small farm!

Wheelbarrow Ready

2010-03-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well I know I should be preparing for my blogs on fencing, but its awful hard to do when the snow is still knee deep out in these parts, although shrinking daily. I promise I will get going on this, because soon it will be time to build fence once again , or, if you started last fall, finish the fence!
I could not help myself but to put up these recent pictures of one of (I think)the nicest calves we've ever had here at the farm, our little registered bull Darby. Hes about 7 months old here, and still sporting his thick ungroomed winter duds (coat). He is one of the thickest little guys I have seen anywhere, and will be smaller than his dam, but just as wide.
His momma is our herd matriarch Miss Piggy, who has a pretty interesting story behind her as far as her place in the original Largent Point of Rocks Ranch herd line-up. Needless to say, she is a pretty amazing cow who delivers some pretty amazing calves for us.
I have been considering keeping Darby here and buying some additional bloodlines just to breed him to, but he is still offered for sale at this time. Theres plenty of pictures of his Sire (Mr Bull) and his dam (Miss Piggy) on our web-site, and I can only imagine what he will grow into as far as a herd sire is concerned. Heck, I cant wait to see what he looks like under all that hair!! We had him dehorned last fall, and he has just a lovely face, just like his momma and dad. I think he is a perfect combination of Bull and Piggy, and if you are looking for something really nice for your miniature Hereford herd, he would fit that bill perfectly. I do expect to halter train him as well if someone would like to show him. As you can tell from the pictures, he is already "wheelbarrow trained"
Contact me if you are interested in Darby.
PS Our animals receive only grass and clover hay; no grain ever is given to "fatten em up".
Thanks!

Simple fencing 101

2010-02-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the most talked about subjects is fencing. What where how, what kind, how to, hire it or do it myself, smooth wire, high tensile, woven, barbed, tape, wood, you name it, its out there. And, if you are anything like me, the more choices there are, the more confused and uncertain about which one to pick you become. Talk about stress!
So I think I will start a small series on fencing, from start to finish.
Please stay tuned.......

Spring Rub-off

2010-02-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

Well, ok, so its really not spring, heck tomorrow is just Ground Hog Day! Let me just say, I have my own thoughts about Ground Hog Day, and, having lived in the mountains of north central Pennsylvania for some years (!), I honestly think that Ground Hog day was the idea of a bunch of laid-off workers hanging around a bar one cold and boring afternoon looking for something to do, which, oddly enough, involved a most unsuspecting groundhog, or, woodchuck, depending on where you are from. Anyway, most of us know that Groundhogs are smart enough to know not to venture out of their cozy dens in February (unlike us), and most of us realize that some guy in a tux and top hat yanking a pet woodchuck out of his cage once a year is no meteorologist by a long shot! But hey, half the time the animal is right, half the time wrong, so at least his reliability is about the same as most weather forecasters these days....(no offense to meteorologists intended!)

That being said, some of you here in the Northeast may have begun to see your animals hair falling off, out, and being rubbed off, in various places, such as the tops of the shoulders, necks and bellies. Now this is no cause for alarm, merely cause for conversation (for some I suppose).
Really, its an early sign of spring, just as the animals growing their winter coats, so it is when the sun begins to swing up a little higher each day in the sky, these guys have had it with that heavy scratchy itchy dull can't do a thing with it hair coat of theirs. So they rub, and they scratch. This is where having horns really helps on my cattle, because those horns can reach all those hard to scratch places. Posts, trees, feeders, equipment, you name it, they will start rubbing. And, they will look rangy, mangy and rough. The hair falls off in patches and creases, leaving bare skin with just a prickle of new hair beneath. Sometimes there is irritation, little red dots and such from the rubbing, and sometimes it may be bugs, too!
But, if its not red and irritated, terribly scaly or just gross, its probably just the annual spring rub-off.
If it drives you crazy, think how they feel. If the skin (hide) below is rough or awful looking, you can put some medicine on the skin to help sooth it if you like.
Lots of folks ask me what do I use for treating my animals, or what do I have on hand, just in case. So I took a picture you see here of what I keep handy at the house and quite frankly, don't seem to need much else when it comes to treating anything of a superficial nature on my livestock.
Here is what I like to have around: (from left to right)

Neem Seed Oil
Tree Tea Oil
Petrolium Jelly
Aloe
Bag Balm
Dr. Naylors Blu-Kote
Iodine

The oils you can get at any health food store, and are powerful antiseptic/antifungels. I will mix a few drops with the petroleum jelly and make a salve for wounds, but especially like to use it when we have an animal de-horned and the area needs protection and healing; it does a wonderful job of keeping flies off as well. Aloe Vera is a natural healing ointment as well and can be mixed in, too.
The Bag Balm is good for rough skin and, the Blu-Kote is an old favorite since my dairy days for just about everything. A small bottle seems to last forever (a little goes a long way) and its so handy to grab it and spray; it forms a moist protective covering that stays for a couple days so it doesn't wash or wear off quickly, just be careful not to get the spray on your hands, clothes, etc: as it will stain; trust me on this! It is also inexpensive, and can be found at any Agway or farm supply store. Its been around forever, so its got to be good!
Another thing I tell folks is that you can use some of the same stuff on your animals as you use for yourself; Neosporine type ointments, spray antiseptics, etc. If its safe for humans, its probably safe (topical, of course) for use on your cattle.
Iodine I keep for dipping navels,and is a good antiseptic too.
Now if the animals are just going crazy scratching and itching and not loosing a lot of hair, they may have lice. Before you freak out, let me tell you it is fairly common in livestock, and we got it in our small herd of dairy cows from time to time too. How or where, who knows? Our animals were and are a closed herd, kept clean and brushed, so who knows, but if you suspect that is the case, you may have to dust them along their backs with a lice powder you can get at the local farm supply as well. Just pick a nice day outside, get some rubber gloves and put a light coating all along their backs , necks,and tail head, being mindful to work it in through the hair coat to the skin. Try to be upwind (wearing a dust mask is a good idea) so any dust blows away from you, any feed, and water, as this is serious insecticide, but takes care of the problem after one or two applications. As much as I hate using any chemicals around my animals, I will if absolutely necessary for their comfort and well being. I've only had to dust my cows once in 5 years, when they first arrived, so it should be a rare if ever occurrence. But, good to know, just in case.
If in doubt, you can always ask your vet. Over the years of owning dairy, beef and a horse,(yes, and dogs, a cat, and chickens) I've come to realize that a lot of minor issues regarding animal health can be resolved using a few proven, selected products, a dose of common sense, and an observant eye. Spending time around your stock on a daily basis will help you know what is normal for your animals, and help you to identify when something isn't quite right. Of course there will be days you check the water, throw the hay and "is everyone one standing and eating?, good, I'm outta here", but watching and handling your animals when you can makes it easy to treat them when as well. Most cows love to be brushed, especially along the back where they can't reach, and will stand still for as long as you care to comb them. This is also a great way to give them a shot if you need to; just brush hard, slap with your fist (where you want to administer the shot)at the same time, and when they get used to that brushing and slapping (distraction) just have the needle in that same hand that's slapping and pop it in on one of the slaps....they usually don't have a clue. Works like a charm.
Enjoy these nice days....spring is still a ways off for us I'm afraid!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T04:56:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, from all of us at Middleground Farm.
May God bless you!

Winter is officially here.

2009-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ah winter....snow, wind, cold. Hoses drained and rolled up for the season, we, unfortunately, do not have water piped to our "barn" (yet) so winter water is always somewhat of a challenge. Options include but not limited to: unrolling hoses and filling tanks every other day, then draining hoses and putting away....time consuming and not fun....putting 35 gallon water tank on back of 4wheeler, filling at faucet (if its not frozen solid) and then delivering to water tanks and draining, (do two times). Another option (desperate) is to haul 5 gallon pails from basement, out through the garage across the (icy snowy, etc) driveway and dump into water tubs (probably about 200 feet more or less). tough on the arms and usually end up wearing some of the water down the legs or in the boots....

One of the things I love about the Hereford breed is their resourcefulness and their memory, they will go look for water, and generally seem to remember where it is, even if its completely buried under the snow and or ice. So, seeing how I really don't care to haul water by any means or play around with a hundred feet of hose in freezing temperatures, I opt to walk down to the water and break the ice twice a day instead. A spring fed pond drains through our property and provides clean running water in all but the driest summer months. I would rather take a walk and hack at the ice than fool with hauling water any day. But it is interesting to see just how little water they will find in the snow, and, how they will stand and suck that moisture up until they have their fill.

It is no surprise to me this breed was often the only ones left "standing" so to speak come spring after a hard winter out on the plains and prairies. You have to love their tenacity, intelligence, and will to survive.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings!

May you be blessed with family, friends, good health and prosperity in the coming new year!

Thank you to all those who have purchased livestock from us this year. We wish you all much success in the coming new year. May your cattle be fat, healthy, and productive!

The Alu family.

so what about these animals.....

2009-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

So what?
One thing about all our animals here at Middleground Farm is that they are used to being handled daily. Now I know it would be a lot easier to buy a big hay feeder, dump an 800 pound bale of hay in and forget it for a week or two; but that would not help me obtain one of the objectives of having good, registered miniature livestock, and that is the daily contact I feel is critical to raising the kind of stock that I desire, and, hopefully, others will as well.

Now that's not to say the babies are halter trained from birth and will lead sweetly onto a trailer.....but they are handled from the day they are born. They are used to human contact, human voices and hands; the daily routine of being fed, people moving in and around them, water tubs being filled, barns being cleaned and bedded. Come the dead of winter, they will follow me down through the snow covered pasture to the small ice covered stream and wait to drink while I break the ice with an ax (sometimes a sledge hammer!) The girls and I have played ring toss with the cows, throwing plastic bracelets at the cows horns, and trying to see how many Barbie dolls can "ride" a cow. Are we annoying or amusing to the animals? You may have to ask them yourselves.

My daughters were quite young when we got our miniature Herefords. They were never afraid of them. They were right there in the barn with the new born calves, the unconcerned momma cows right there with them. Even the bulls were of no great concern to them as we walked the pastures to seed or tend fence.

For those of you who have purchased stock from us, I think pictures say a thousand words.....I hope everyone who has bought animals from us enjoys them as much as we have!

The way we wean....

2009-11-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

I like to keep my calves with their dams a minimum of 4 months. I cant remember why the number 4 was the minimum, but I am sure I read it somewhere that calves should stay with their mothers at least that long before being weaned. I amazes me how early a calf will be seen imitating its mother by nibbling grass, eating hay and drinking out of the water tubs (our tubs are quite low to the ground).
We like to "fence-line wean", which is something I learned about after our first year of bawling calves and bellowing distraught mother cows frantically looking for their "lost" calves. We separated the calves from the mothers and made sure neither could see the other. What we got was about 3 days (and nights) of almost continual calling back and forth between the cows and their calves. It got to be nerve racking, and I vowed there must be another way than to stress everyone (calves, cows, myself, my family, my neighbors,..) out every fall.
With fence-line weaning, the calves are separated from the their mothers by a fence, preferably a sturdy woven wire or board fence. They can see each other, just not get to one another. They will pace some, sniff each other, but the mothers are noticeably calmer knowing that their "babies" are not "lost", just physically "unavailable" for the time. Of course there will be calling back and forth, the cows udder will get full with no calf to nurse, and the baby may want a drink and momma, but we have found that if the calves have plenty of high quality hay and fresh water, they don't seem to really miss the milk. And as long as momma can walk up to the fence, see, smell and hear her calf, that is usually all she needs to satisfy herself, knowing her calf is safe and not missing. Usually there are several calves weaned at once, so they keep each other company as well. If you are weaning just one calf, perhaps you can put her in with an agreeable heifer to keep company with. As long as they are not alone or isolated, they will be fine. Remember cattle are herd animals and hate being separated and alone. Just watch that keep your weaning calf doesn't attempt to make the compainon animal or calf it new "momma" by attempting to nurse. I haven't had this happen, but its just good to keep an eye out for.
I would have to say this way of weaning has reduced the stress level of everyone involved by at least half, and seems to accomplish weaning in about 3 days. Everyone benefits.
One more thing we try to do is pick a nice stretch of weather when we wean. The nicer the better, one less issue to be concerned with. And of course the babies have shelter and clean bedding as well.
This does not have to be an elaborate set up, just that it gets the job done.
Keep the babies away from their mommas for several months. They will not forget each other, but the urge to nurse should be well passed by then.
Funny how the cows and calves will recognize each other, even if they have been separated in different pastures for up to a year, they still will acknowledge their calves and siblings when they see, hear and smell them. I have 3 generations from one cow and they all travel and hang together still. Its pretty neat how they know.

Happy weaning!!

words not necessary

2009-10-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

The cattle have all been moved over to the barn side of the property, the water tanks moved, salt and minerals as well. Snow fence stands ready to be put up in the vacated pasture.
Its nice to "button things up"; it just seems right this time of year. There is a quiet satisfaction one feels when you can spend a day preparing for the upcoming winter. The cattle look great, most bred for calving next spring and summer. Mr. Bull went to his new home this week; he loaded just as calm as can be, and I was fortunate to be able to be there when he popped out of the trailer at his new home. I figured if he heard my voice as he stepped out into unknown territory it would provide some sense of the familiar, and, he may not be quite so agitated. As it was, he walked along the new fence while I talked to him until he spotted his new "girlfriends", then, just like children I suppose, he didn't need me anymore and off he went at a gleeful (yes, gleeful) trot to greet them!
As I watched Bull frolic and kick up his heels, stretch and pose for the ladies, I realized what a magnificent animal he really is....I know now I would have regretted it if I had sent him to the local auction (market). I know he is in a good home with a caring man to look after him, and, I could not be more pleased!
Take some time whenever you can to just "kill" a few hours doing whatever it is you like to do, "putter" I call it, and in my case today that's exactly what I did, cleaned up, moved cattle, put down some pasture seed, checked all the fences, sat on a bucket in the pasture and just looked at the animals (!); put things in order, walked with the dogs and took the camera....sometimes that's all I need. No clock, no phone (well, ok, my Blackberry was with me, but surprisingly quiet!).
Nice. Just ....nice.....

A fine October afternoon

2009-10-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bull , Amber and Darby

The best of days

2009-10-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

"No, I am not dead, just incredibly relaxed....."

Pleased to announce that Mr. Bull will be going to a new (approved) home this week on a lease agreement; the gentleman was so impressed with the quality of Bulls calves and his demeanor that he decided to bring him up to his farm until next spring.

Winding down for the season

2009-10-19T04:28:00.000-07:00

Well we all know it is just a matter of time, and the other morning was a subtle reminder that winter is not far away.
Now we get some pretty decent winters out here in central New York state, but luckily we are not in one of the so called "snow belts" or "lake effect " snow regions. Most of the real bad weather (you know, the stuff you hear about on the Weather Channel) seems to miss us, but we do get a good solid winter most years, and can get quite a bit of wind here as well...(enough to completely remove our barn roof in one piece!!)
I wanted to share these pictures of our autumn, as a reminder all of us that winter is just around the corner......time to take heed, gather in, button up and batten down.
Make sure you have your feed supply lined up so you wont be caught short late in the season, check your water supplies and tank heaters if you have them, stuff those cracks up in your barns, and have lots of dry bedding available for your stock.
If you have to deal with mud in your barnyards, now may be the best time to dig out the dirt, put down a load or two of cobbles or any large coarse rock, lay some landscape fabric or Geotextile over them and bring in a few loads of gravel to top it off. This will keep your animals out of the cold sloppy mud this winter and spring. We finally did this in our barnyard and lanes last fall and what a difference it has made! No more dirt and no more mud! Great for everybody; feet, hooves, and equipment. Just be sure to use a smaller size stone on the top that will not cut or hurt the soft parts of the animals feet!
More on this later.....

Additional information

2009-10-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Pictured above:
The very first "barn" awaits the arrival of our miniature Herefords from Texas, October 2005.

You know, I feel so strongly about my last blog, I started searching for the book I referred to , the one with all the illustrations of barns, sheds and shelters. I recalled the last time I had it in hand was when I was drawing up the plans for our barn, which is really nothing fancy. I was looking through the book, which was a reprint from the 1880's, and was amazed at what folks did with crude implements and the very basic of materials. The herds of cattle and sheep were considered a sign of wealth back then, not unlike our cars and trucks are today. Do you have a garage for your vehicle? Where do you park your vehicle? Are your animals "parked" as well as your car? Do you have a "garage" for your livestock? The car doesn't feel the cold, snow, mud or ice, but your animals will. The car or truck will continue to depreciate day after day; your livestock should not. How do you protect your investment? Are your animals the sign of wealth they should be, even today? Are you as proud of your stock as you are of your new car or truck?
For those of you interested, I found this book still available online. I just ordered another copy, since I have yet to find mine (I may have lent it to a friend...). LeeValley Tools has the book, and you can find the original online to look through if you like. The book is: "Barn Plans and Outbuildings", first published in 1881 by Orange Judd Co. It is considered a classic, and one look though it will convince anyone it is timeless.
Our livestock 's needs haven't changed much since 1881, and this publication proves it doesn't take a fortune to house any animal comfortably and economically.
Oh, and that little "barn" pictured above:....I built it myself.
Next blog: Getting ready for winter.

Thrive or survive: money vs. ethics

2009-10-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well here is a subject I cannot believe I have to touch upon, but,for those of you who read this blog on a fairly regular basis must know by now, I am pretty careful and conscientious about my livestock, and, animals in general. The way I see things, animals, like trees, are pretty dependent on what us humans determine is their lot in life. Stick a tree in a lousy spot, in a tiny hole and give it just enough water to survive, well, you get a poor tree, one that's going to just survive. Do the same thing with animals, give them just enough to tough it out and eeck out the very basics of survival, you get an animal that may survive, but will not thrive.
It still amazes me that there are people out there with the mindset that because an animal is of a certain breed or function, (beef, lets say) they are less deserving of the basic creature comforts that every living thing should be allowed. Every animal in the wild will seek shelter in a storm, be it a cave, woods, windbreak or hollow, every animal, no matter how basic it is, will seek out comfort, dry land and shelter when necessary. No animal in the wild will be covered with its own excrement, or stand for days in water, mud or its own manure. Without adequate rest and nourishment, no creature can survive very long under the constant stress and strain of having to fight the elements. To assume that any animal should do that, and, remain healthy and productive, is a fallacy.
When we as human beings domesticated livestock, it became our obligation to provide for them at least as well as they could provide for themselves if wild. To take an animal, give it no opportunity to seek shelter in a storm, or bed down somewhere safe, dry and out of the elements, is, in my eyes, criminal. If one researches old books and farm publications from the turn of the century, there are many pages and illustrations of shelters for the livestock that were out on the great plains of our nation. Simple but effective structures that offered shelter, safety and food for the herds of cattle and sheep that were kept far from any homestead. Most were simple structures built of logs and posts, covered with rough boards, earth or hay and straw, allowing the animals to find food and get out of the elements. Today, cattle out on the western plains range far and free from any man-made comforts, and, if one cares to examine the records, these same animals die by the thousands from exposure and starvation each winter. They are subject to a man induced unnatural environment where they and their offspring simply weaken and die. No animal in nature subjects itself to what us humans will subject them to, and I find that very disturbing.
Now I am not a tree-hugger, and understand that animals are here for a reason, but I also understand that it is our obligation as God given caretakers of these animals to provide for them in the best manner we possibly can. If you cannot provide for your creatures the very basic of accommodations, and that would be clean water, decent and adequate food, dry bedding, a barn or shed for them to get out of the elements and medical attention when needed, then you simply do not deserve to own them. Period.
Thrive or survive, no living creature should have to just survive. Money or ethics? I'll be adding on to my barn before I let any animal go to a buyer with no facilities to care for them properly. I know I will be able to sleep well at night, knowing my animals are safe and comfortable for the night as well.

"A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast..." Prov. 12:10

Sometimes its not just about the money.

Early morning

2009-10-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

Almost every day I get up before the sun comes up, and I get to see a new day begin. Here is some of the scenery as seen from our back 20. Our property is surrounded by some of the finest farmland in New York State. We buy our hay from our neighbors who are award winning farmers. They raise corn for feed and ethanol, hay, wheat and soybeans. They companion plant their crops with red clover, which they harvest not only for hay but for seed as well. We feed our cattle their hay, which we buy in 800# bales that are delivered and slid into our barn that was designed and built specifically for that purpose. The bales are stacked and then pushed in with a hay fork (on a tractor obviously) on 4 x 4 skids that are laid out on the barn floor. Works pretty slick, and I have to admit, not throwing around all those prickly little bales all winter is kinda nice, too! Just peel and feed! We buy the clover seed from them to frost seed our pastures, and the straw we buy from them is so fine our cattle prefer eating it to sleeping on it, although they do both.
We've had some round bales delivered one year, but they were hard to store and almost impossible to feed, and I just don't see the sense in putting hay up dry only to leave it out in the weather to deteriorate and mold. But the cows loved the big round bales,(novelty item....) as they managed to tip them over and began unrolling them like big rolls of toilet paper. After the bales finally stopped,(hit a tree or the neighbors stockade fence....) the cattle proceeded to thrash the hay around with their horns, obviously enjoying themselves immensely! What a mess! So, we feed in covered feeders and consequently have no waste. With the cost of good hay, who can afford to have any of it stomped into the mud?
Enjoy your mornings!

2009 Calves

2009-10-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

I was out this morning taking some pictures of the youngest calves while the light was still soft. I think these are the nicest calves we've had yet here.
I have also included a picture of our new polled bull (well, new to us this past summer) who doesn't like to pose for pictures very much, but at least you can see him as well.
The first picture is of Amber, our heifer calf out of Blue, who's picture speaks for itself. Lovely and refined. The second picture is of Darby's mother and sire, Miss Piggy and Mr. Bull. You can see the tremedous thickness on both his parents: I may just keep Darby for a sire myself if he is not sold. The third picture is of Darby himself, just a little over a month old, already claiming a pile of hay as his own (just like his momma...!)
The last picture is my camera shy, but very tame Hawkeye, our up and coming herd sire. He is keeping company with the younger crowd this season, and we cannot wait to see what his calves look like next spring!
Hope you've enjoyed these pictures as much as I've enjoyed sharing them!

The "look"

2009-09-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes our cattle give us "the look". I have been trying to interpret this "look" but to no avail. Its generally a sideways stiff look.....like, "I see you, do you see me??" Not menacing, not threatening, and usually when they are just standing around waiting for something to happen...
My children give me all sorts of grief (and 'looks')about my stopping the car in the driveway, opening the windows and talking to the cattle, our pastures flank each side of our long driveway. I especially enjoy watching the cow birds (yes, that's right) walking up and down the faces of the animals, picking flies off their noses and closed eyes, backs and heads. After the birds get their fill, the wasps start buzzing around the animals flanks and legs, but not to sting; they are actually picking flies off the cows as well and carrying them off!
Now I know most everyone must think I have no life after reading this, but I actually do, really; but it is just fascinating to me how all the animals and insects serve a purpose, and serve eachother as well.

Thunder

2009-09-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent picture of a lucky little boy who will be going to his new home shortly as a pet!

Sweet Sunny

2009-09-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

This cows name pretty much describes her disposition....Sunny!
She is my youngest daughters favorite cow, as you can see. Sunny is also one of my favorite cows, not only for her unique bloodlines and small size, but her fertility (breeds back every time) and ability to raise an outstanding calf every year. She knows her name as well, and will come when called. My daughter is not pleased that I have Sunny offered for sale, so I hope whoever purchases Sunny gives her a good home. She is bred back to our polled bull, Hawkeye, for a due date of May 8th 2010.

For all those who appreciate Hereford cattle

2009-09-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

I just love talking about the cattle business with others, primarily the registered miniature Hereford, which, as you all must know by now, is what I raise here on my very simple set-up I call a "farm".
Now when you come to visit, you will not find a custom barn built just for the cattle: no post and beam, no board and batten, just a simple three-sided run-in barn , painted a federal blue and sided in humble T-111. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, nothing impressive I suppose. There are no board fences, just simple woven wire and 3-strand electric on locust and cedar posts. You will not find expensive feeders, loading chutes, watering systems, no security cameras or monitoring devices for the cattle. No caretaker or hired hand keeps watch here. The pastures are frost seeded, dragged and mowed each year, the wire fences checked and tightened, repaired as needed. Every year some upgrade is added for the comfort and well-being of the cattle.
You see, what matters most of all, in any livestock operation, is ultimately, the livestock itself. By being able to identify closely with the stock you raise, one can figure out that the animals don't need impressive housing, fancy fencing and a gold-leaf farm sign. They don't care if you take out the manure with a brand new John Deere tractor or the 4-wheeler you use to mow the pastures with. The art of animal husbandry is 50% genetics, 25% providing the basic necessities, and 25% common sense. Anyone with a true concern for the well-being of animals can raise these miniature sized cattle, they are surprisingly simple to keep and care for. The return you get from having these cattle gracing your property is immeasurable, and certainly not solely monetary.

The four adult cattle pictured grazing are for sale as a group for those of you who may be interested in starting a herd of your own. They are the picture of health, quiet disposition, and would make anyone a fantastic starter herd or addition to an existing herd. Multiple animal discount most certainly applies. We are accepting deposits on 2008-2009 calves and bred heifers at this time as well. Please don't hesitate to contact us.
Thanks for visiting, check back for updates!

Instant Trellis

2009-08-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a great idea for an instant trellis that is actually used in England on large estate gardens. Chains and ropes make wonderful supports for vines, especially vines that twine, such as grape and Virginia Creeper. The chains are inexpensive to buy, cheap to install, can be clipped anywhere and hang with a graceful drape.
We had grape and Virginia Creeper vines growing under our deck, and they were always trailing and twining their way up the railing, the stairs, etc. So instead of fighting them, I got some medium weight chain and attached it to the house on one end, and the upright support of the deck on the other end. Then, I bought 3 shorter lengths of the same chain, and some clips to attach them, and hung the smaller pieces of chain down off the one hung horizontally over the deck, sort of like a chain curtain. The bottoms of the vertical chains didn't need to be attached to anything, as they hung down slightly past the deck framing, plenty close to where the vines could be brought up to get them started up the chains.
Since we needed a little privacy behind our deck bench, this severed as a soft, light-filtering curtain as the vines grew up the chains. Some vines we allowed to cross to the chain next to it, creating a slight , woven curtain of green. The morning light illuminated the living curtain from behind, giving the whole deck area not only the privacy we desired, but the lush freshness of a living, softly swaying privacy curtain of green.
Check out these pictures, and see if there is somewhere around your house you can turn those twining vines into shade or a privacy screen for you to enjoy.
The possibilities are endless, and a whole patio or deck could be shaded this way.
In England, they use ropes and chains as swag supports for climbing roses. Honeysuckle would work nicely as well. We went with what was growing naturally, and next year I may plant a lovely Clematis to join the "curtain club" of climbers.
The best thing about this is no lumber, no nails, screws, sawing. Just measure your distances, go to the hardware store, get some chain, clips, and you are good to go!
Just one little thing; make sure your chain is attached to something secure so your beautiful living trellis doesn't pull your siding off, or break a too light chain. My chain had a 220# load rating, so it should hold grape vine with ease.

Yes, they do eat pumpkins

2009-08-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

So we have this pile of composting manure out back behind the neighbors fence (I did say composting, which means no odor) and that is also where we buried the little calf that we lost this spring, and buried our pumpkins from last Halloween there as well. Of course everyone knows the best stuff grows when you don't pay any mind to what is going on; meaning, I have seen the best pumpkins growing out of waste piles in many a field.
So our pumpkins were incredible as you can imagine; huge leaves, long vines, and the beginnings of some pretty good sized pumpkins! This is where we also take our kitchen scraps to compost away through the winter. The pumpkins were coming along beautifully, and I was wondering if we may have too many for just our family alone.
Well, wonder no more! When I went to take the scraps to the pile, it looked a little barren as I approached. As I swung one leg and then the other over the single electric wire fence, I realized that the entire pumpkin "pile" was missing. Gone. Zip, zilch, nadda, MIA. Simply not there. Your kidding, right? No. All that was left was a few shriveled traces of vine, a couple of thick pumpkin top stems, a piece of forgotten yellowed pumpkin, a scattering of seeds. Bees had taken up in a hole in the center of the pile. My beautiful lush wild pile of pumpkins was gone forever!!!
Moral of this story: don't count your pumpkins before you actually get them out of the field. Apparently others had been eyeing them as well.
And here I was, wondering "what the heck are those cattle doing back there by the fence for so long?", and "gosh don't the animals look good for this time of year!"
Yes they do, yes,.. they do.

Beautiful baby bull

2009-08-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Little babys first day on earth.

Here they are....

2009-08-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, here they are. My very first and definitely the best mature miniature Hereford cows I own. I simply do not have the room (or help) to keep all these guys, so I have decided to part with my three foundation cows, along with the herd sire if anyone wants him as part of the package. I am willing to do a very good deal on these cattle, as stated before, there is simply no room in the barn. All the cows have had 3 calves so far, no health problems, no calving problems, and no personality issues. Each one is from a distinctly different bloodline, some which have almost vanished. These are the cattle I chose to start my herd with, and have never regretted the decision. Out of these animals I have had 8 healthy calves born, so they have more than paid for themselves. They have many more productive years ahead of them with proper care.
I would hope that who ever buys them takes really good care of them.
They are registered with the AHA, and would produce small, correct registered breeding or show / 4-H animals, or grass fed beef stock, or excellent cross-breeding stock with a smaller, more efficient frame size.
They each have a calf at their side, which may be included if desired. At least one of the them has been bred to our registered polled bull, and the other two are currently pastured with him as well.
This package could be
*** just 3 (bred) cows, or,
*** 3 (bred) cows with calves, or,
*** 3 cows with bull.
I would prefer to sell them together, as that way I can offer the best price. I really have no room for them this winter, otherwise I would not be selling them.
Please take a look, see if its time for you to take control over your investments and begin living with the security of owning and growing your own food as well.
Please contact me directly for more information.
These will be listed on the sale barn as soon as I get the info sent over to my web-site manager, and will have AHA pedigree links, etc included.
Thanks for looking !
585-314-6620

Latest News

2009-08-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. I have decided to place my beloved cattle up for sale as two separate packages for anyone looking to start their own herd of exceptional registered Texas miniature Herefords.
In tough economic times such as these, there is no better investment than livestock that reproduces yearly with minimal upkeep and produces a very basic human necessity; food.
It is difficult to be the sole caretaker for a herd of cattle, no matter how small they may be; but with my additional other obligations, choices have to be made.
So here for anyones consideration is what I have available, and I have packaged them by price and age groups. Please contact me directly if anyone is interested. Again, these are the pick of the herd; there are no cull cows here, and the oldest cow I own is just 5. All are grass fed, handled daily, no chemicals, hormones, etc.
Keep in mind, these are registered cattle, please, if you are not familiar with registered purebred cattle sales and pricing, I do encourage you to check out other web-sites and sales to compare pricing. The animals will be offered at very fair prices, but will not sell to simply "move them out."

3 cows, frames 000-0, two are 4, one is 5. All excellent mothers, all have had 3 beautiful calves each so far. Would be a great start at the best price. All hand tame. Can be combined with their 2009 summer calves at side. Could include our herd sire if interested if still available

5 young animals, consists of one 2 year old, the rest yearling 2008 heifers (3) of exceptional quality... I expect them to be frame 00-000 or smaller. They are with a fine registered polled bull presently who would go with them as a package.

Lots of pictures available , please contact me for pricing.....serious interested parties only, please.
I will continue to write the cattle corner as long as there are cattle in my world!!

Pictures

2009-07-31T14:22:00.001-07:00

That being said.....

2009-07-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

At the cross roads once again, looking this way and that way, not sure what direction to pursue. I am open to any offers if someone wants to start a real nice herd of mini's, as every one of these animals is a keeper, a foundation to build on. A nice mix of bloodlines, the culling has already been done. Maybe I will keep 2 or 3 heifers, maybe not. I tell myself I can always buy again....

Decisions to be made

2009-07-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was 18 I have been smitten with cows. I was never raised on a farm, and didn't grow up in farm country; quite the contrary, I grew up in the northern suburbs of New Jersey, not 50 miles from the Big Apple.
So what happened?
Back to the land is what happened, and I happened to have some friends who went right there, there being a small farm in north central Pennsylvania. Which didn't have cows, but was right next door to a farm that did. The rest, they say, is history.
I have always loved the outdoors, the changing seasons, the planting and the harvest, the ebb and flow of nature. The satisfaction of looking back after a days work and seeing the results, a new fence, a garden, a field freshly plowed or hay stacked high in the barn before a rain; witnessing a newborn calf struggle to its feet for the very first time.
That was quite a few years ago, but the feelings and connection and satisfaction has not changed over the years.
I owned a small herd of registered Holsteins, and ran my own small dairy. It was a simple set up, but profitable. I drank the milk fresh from the bulk tank, made butter and real buttermilk pancakes. The cows went out every day, every season. They had fresh quality feed, and clean dry bedding. They were well looked after, and in return gave me milk to sell and calves to add to the herd or sell as registered stock.
After 4 years my partner in the business decided he had had enough of milking and cows in general, and we auctioned our little herd off to the highest bidder. The money from the sale of the stock allowed me to pursue my painting, drawing and writing for several years.
Fast forward to 2005. A small run in barn is built, locusts posts pounded in, wire fence in place. A gooseneck trailer with Oklahoma tags pulls in after dark carrying 4 miniature Herefords from west Texas.

It seems that 4 years may well be the lifespan of my cattle endeavors, and history seems poised to repeat itself once again. I walk among my growing flock of registered miniature Herefords daily, thrilled with the quality of the first calves born and excited that next spring they would be calving, carefully tending them 365 days of the year, hauling hay and hauling water, fixing fence and building more..once again realizing this is my dream, and mine alone.

Mother and daughter

2009-07-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Blue and her new heifer calf. We would consider selling them together.
Please contact us if interested. Both registered with AHA.
We can also put together a nice starter package for anyone who may want to start their own herd of registered miniature Herefords.

Please keep in mind that with any registered livestock, initial cost is always higher than with grade stock. We encourage folks to check registered livestock sales and auction sale results!

Registered miniature Herefords

2009-07-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here is Emerald, a Red Pride daughter (Texas show bull). She is the tamest heifer we own and will stand to be scratched and brushed without being tied. She has very good conformation and would show beautifully. She will mature at 00-000 frame size. Registered with the AHA, she will be bred to our registered polled bull for a spring 2010 calf. $3800.00

Miniature Herefords on the farm

2009-07-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our cattle that we have available for sale.
With just so much room, we have to part with several every year.
Each one of these would make a great addition to any herd, or could be combined for a great starter herd! Remember, a registered animal is an investment for your future. Why settle for less?
Here is our cow "Blue". She just delivered a beautiful heifer calf this week. She is a frame 0, but her offspring are very small, and will mature in the 00-000 range. She is registered with the AHA. $2800.00

A well deserved thanks

2009-07-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

You know, sometimes we tend to forget dad. With all our pictures of calves and heifers and bulls, mommas and their babies, once in while you hear mention of the sire, or daddy to these beautiful little babies. Well, here's to you Mr. Bull. Thanks for all the gorgeous healthy friendly miniature babies you have help produce here on our very small humble farm. And thanks for making most of them heifers as well!!!
Because Mr. Bull has produced so many daughters for us (with full eye pigment I may add) we have to offer him for sale as his daughters are now breeding age. He would be a fine addition to any herd!

New miniature Hereford baby!

2009-07-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update....
Our cow "Blue" (named after Blue Mountain in Texas in case your wondering) had a lovely very cute heifer calf sometime last evening! This is the second time Blue has "surprised" us with having her calf, as she is a cow that shows no real outward signs that she is about to calve, no fretting, no huge udder, nothing. Just "here you are" and thats just fine! We named her Amber Sweetbay. Welcome to the world little one!

How big are they full grown?

2009-07-16T10:43:00.001-07:00

Probably the most frequently asked question , (after "how much?") is how big are they when full grown? Well, pictures say a thousand words, so here is a picture of myself with a 2 year old heifer "Babette" She is considered full grown, and although I have not measured her lately, I would say her frame score would be 000. She is roughly half the size of her mother, "Miss Piggy", which amazes me at how much the size of these animals can be reduced in just one generation with the right bull!

Mother and son July 2009

2009-07-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Landscape tip of the day (or week, or month....)

2009-07-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, enough gushing about the cattle, heres something for the homeowner who has a landscape (unlike myself....) around their home. Well, after designing all these fabulous estates and homes, the last thing (honestly) I feel like doing is coming home and, you guessed it, landscaping! I am partial to planting trees, however, and have planted well over 100 of them so far on our property since moving here 8 years ago, so, at least we have shade around our house now.
Which leads me off in another direction entirely than what I had planned on writing about....shade tree placement!!
Folks, get your shade trees planted asap when you buy your home if they are not already there!! Pines, conifers, evergreens are nice, and do serve a purpose, but most people waste their time with these because they are cheap to buy (when small) and easy to plant, but they do not do the job of summer air conditioning and allowing winter radiant heat like a decidious tree will.
Watch your sun patterns for a summer season, where is it hottest at what time of the day? This is where you will need to correctly place a deciduous shade tree. Late afternoons are the hottest, morning sun is usually welcome. Do you have an outdoor living area? Nothing will drive folks away from a patio or deck like the sweltering afternoon sun. Do you have shade there for afternoon entertaining? How about that hot afternoon sun beating on your house? The sun sure feels good in the winter, but it can be brutal in the summer. And folks, please don't stick your trees so far away from your house that the shade will never be cast where you will use it. Take a look at old farm houses and older homes, they have plenty of shade trees quite close to the houses, right where they will actually do some good. Know the mature spread of the tree you are planting, and plant it close to the house. ( Just close enough that the mature branches may someday possibly touch the house, maybe). Don't worry about it breaking up your foundation, etc, by that time (if it ever even happens) you will not be around to deal with it (well, its true!!)
One more thing, and its a pet peave for me: plant some shade where you park your car!! Nothing is worse than baking your car all summer long on a nice hot driveway! Give it some thought, and I dont mean some sticky sappy pine tree, or messy crabapple, a nice shade tree!
Got kids? A play area? First,and I see this all the time and it drives me crazy.... don't stick the swingset- playset in the back 40; kids want and need to be near the house and mom....nobody is gonna hoof it all the way to some forgotton back corner of the yard to play and bake! Near the house and in the shade of course (no shade? plant some!) Some trees will grow as fast as your children! (More on that later)
And now that you are inspired, or shamed , one more thing....please, dig the hole twice as big as the root ball, pull off as much burlap as you can, and plant at the same depth as it was balled or potted. See previous post on mulching. Trust me on this, take time now to do it right once...its no fun having to dig that hole a second time. That tree can never move, give it a nice comfy place to stretch out and thrive!
Enjoy the tree for as long as you live in the house, and know the next folks and their children will as well.

New Offerings to the Cattle Corner

2009-07-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

We have some new pictures of our little bull calf, as well as a fine registered miniature Hereford yearling heifer we are thinking of parting with. We have such a small operation here, which in some ways is very good, in that it enables us to fuss over each and every one of our animals, but at the same time requires us to sell several animals every year, whether we want to or not.
One of the most pleasant ways I know to spend a quiet summer morning is walking around the pasture with a cup of tea and the camera. The animals move slowly, eating, scratching or walking up to me to see if I have anything to offer them. They are so docile, I am sure my blood pressure must be at its lowest point when I am standing in the middle of the herd, just watching, giving a scratch....I almost think they are more therapy than anything else....of course, check back this winter when its below zero and the wind is howling and the water is frozen.....then we'll see who NEEDS therapy!! LOL!
Be that as it may, here are some pictures of our little boy who is a few weeks old; a fine Red Pride daughter who will be bred to our new polled bull, and of course our standing herd sire, who gave us all these lovely calves you see in many of our pictures. He looks better every day if I do say so myself! All our animals are available for sale, and if you see something here that interests you, please, do not hesitate to give me a shout!

Yearlings

2009-07-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

We could not be more pleased with our yearling heifers! Bull has done a wonderful job for us, giving us a heifer out of each one of our cows! Here are some of his offspring from last spring, enjoying a pleasant July afternoon.

Summer Cattle Corner

2009-07-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, summer, time for everything, except blogging!! Be that as it may, we have had a busy summer so far, expanding our pastures, pounding in posts (yes, by hand....) and watching the babies being born. We've had a lovely little bull calf born here recently, and cannot wait for his siblings to join him. The cows and bulls are all sleek and fat on the lush pasture we've been blessed with again this season; we've had enough rain and then some to keep things greening after a late start this spring. So far we've not had to feed hay, and with the new pasture we've added, won't have to until frost hopefully. The new pasture was frost seeded to red clover two seasons ago, and the deer have enjoyed it; now its time the cattle do as well!
Our cattle seem to be pretty carefree in the summer months, we water once a day, check the fencer, and check the animals at least once daily just to see that all is well, which, thankfully, all has been! Aside from keeping tabs on the pasture conditions, and moving the herd from old to new pasture, there's really not much else to do with these guys....except take pictures of them, dream of a bigger barn, better hay feeder, nicer fencing in the barnyard area.....
That reminds me, I had better get outside and put in some more posts....
Later!

Cattle Corner, May 21, 2009

2009-05-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well i know i havent posted for a while, please forgive, things get pretty busy this time of year on the farm. Our first calf heifer finally had her calf, and the outcome was not what I had anticipated. I suppose one could say we lost our first calf, but sine the calf died before it was really born, I'm not sure if we had much to do with that.
You see, our heifer went into labor, and 1 1/2 hours later all I could see was the two front hoofs, which is a little long. I felt around for the nose, it was there, and a tongue, and it was moving. Almost 2 hours and not much was happening, i began to get really concerned, so we called the vet. By now it was evening, but thankfully we were in a lit stall with clean bedding. The vet was dispatched, and low and behold, out came the head, calf gasping, but breathing! I cleaned off its face and began to rub the calf vigorously. We cancelled the vet call, hoping he hadnt left his house yet. The rest should have been rather easy, usually a few more pushes from mom and that calf should slide right out, but this one was not to be. She pushed and I pulled. The calf gasped. Push, pull, push pull, nothing moved! Call the vet again!. By now momma was pretty much exausted, laying on her side , eyes rolled back. The calf was stuck half in and half out,its umbilical cord still inside, and there wasnt a thing either of us could do about it. The calf continued to gasp, I continued to rub it down, "hang in there little one", but it wasnt meant to be , and the little calf died in my arms. No time to morn, my thoughs immediately went to my heifer, laying flat out, panting. Thankfully the vet arrived within 15-20 minutes of the second call, and he could not pull that calf out with chains, nor could he turn the calf inside the mother, as it was wedged tight by its hip bones. The cow was given a sedative to make her more comfortable (never skimp on these, they are extremely inexpensive cost wise) and the vet, after assessing the situation quickly, informed us since the calf was already dead, he was going to have to cut, or partly dismember it to get it out. I know this sounds gruesome, but the calf had passed, and momma was in perial at this point. I cradled mommas head in my arms and then left, letting the vet finish his task. My husbnd picked up the calf and placed it in the spreader for burial the next day. The vet had somehow got a fine cutting wire in around the calfs hip and sawed the calf apart at one hip. There was no blood; I did not study the carcass too long, as I did not want to know if it was a heifer or bull I had lost. (keep it as impersonal as I could, otherwise the tears would have started....).
The mother was given a shot of oxytocin to help her to clean, and an epidural as well to help her regain feeling of her legs that she had been laying on far too long. He explained the leg nerves can get damaged from the pressure of giving birth and laying on her side for the hour or so she had, and that she may not regain the full use of her legs at all.
She was sitting up (laying but upright) when he left, we gave her fresh water and hay, cleaned up a bit and left her for the night.
Morning came to find her standing , although shaky, and cleaned. She was eating and drinking. After 2 more days in the box stall, she was let out to join her compainions, quite stiff on the one leg, she has almost completely recovered after 2 weeks.
We are thankful. Thankful we did not loose the mother along with the calf. Thankful to the vet that came out from his house quickly to help, and knew just what to do. Thankful that our little heifer sustained no lasting internal or external damage, and lived to join the others to graze again on the lush spring pastures here on our farm. She will have a relaxing summer!
The baby, we buried it under the pine trees, and pitched our composting manure pile over top. We will plant in the pile soon.

We should have some beautiful pumpkins.