Raking with the new tractor and some cow pictures

Well, first cutting is done.  I ended up with 101 bales.  Quite a bit better than last years first cutting where I finished with only 40.  Now, on to everyone else's hay!

My brother and I mowed down 23 acres for my dad the day after I finished wrapping my first cutting.  I went out late Sunday night to start raking.  This was the first time I got to rake with my new tractor.  I haven't had this much fun raking since I was a kid raking for the first time!  It runs very nice and it is just a joy to operate.

I needed a break yesterday so I took a few minutes and went out to check on the cows.

Thunder met daisy and I shortly after getting in the pasture.  He is massive now!  I think the hump on his neck alone weighs more than I do.

I had a chance to get a couple of quick pics of my two of my favorite calves this year.  The first one is of Sally Shorthorns first girl to Thunder.  She is growing really really fast and is super cute.  I hope she keeps her reddish hue color she has right now.

Sally shorthorn with her daughter;  Shorthorn x (charolais/angus)

 Another of my favorites is Fifty's bull.  He is enormous.  I am stunned at how fast him and Sally's calf are growing.

Just to be sure I got a her best side Socks came around for another photo op before I left.  Awesome!

Here is a great comparison picture that I wanted to post to show the variance you can have in cattle sizes.  The left cow is Butterscotch, she is a charolais x hereford.  The center one is one of my first Angus cows and that is Chilli, she is also my smallest.  The one on the right is Beefcake.  I just got her from a coworker this spring.  She is a big momma!!!!   She is actually the only one in the herd that I think could take on thunder and maybe even win!  I have always thought Chilli was small but standing next to these two she looks like a midget.

Now, you may ask why I have a cow that is so small if my business is to raise and sell beef for meat.  Well, the reason is this.  I have some customer who want a smaller half, or a small whole steer.  If I were to sell them one of the steers from the other larger cows it would be way to for their needs.  So, I keep her and her sister Koyuki for the main reason that I want to have some smaller steers every year.  I am also happy to say that a smaller cow also eats much much less hay!  Beefcake will take in almost twice the amount of hay that Chilli will eat.  Furthermore, while Chilli is a small cow and her steers are smaller than the others they are still bigger than she is when finished out due to the genetics from Thunder.

Well, off to bed, long day tomorrow and an enormously busy few days coming down the line.  I will try to keep everyone updated but it will be tough here for a few more weeks till first cutting is done. Once it is all done for everyone then things get marginally easier in that department and a bunch of other stuff starts up!

Kenny