Sidey Angus Farm Diary - November 1997

November 05 - Back at the corn

We had a good bit of snow the past few days. I guess that I should say that the flakes were large and made it seem like a lot. It was warmer at ground level and nothing stuck. You just got very wet standing out in it like I was. Following up on our saga of a collapsed grain bin drying floor, our bin supply dealership was able to spend all day Saturday getting our front bin stiration unit installed and we spent all night in the rain unloading grain from the collapsed rear bin into wagons and then reloading it into the front drying bin. We have spent Monday through today tearing up the back bin drying floor to remove the 200-300 bu of corn that was forced under the floor when it gave out. We were unable to get a grain-vac so we had to remove it with feed scoops into buckets. The space is to tight for shovels or the buckets themselves to scoop into. I got to stand out in the snow to carry the buckets of corn from the bin to dump into the wagons. My dad got to get down on his knees to scoop and my uncle got to ferry the buckets across the bin support beams. We have decided to replace the back bin stiration unit and entire drying floor while we have it stripped down. We can hold off another year on purchasing a new pickup to make sure this doesn't happen again.

We started back into shelling corn today. We are into our St. Marys river bottom field. The corn is not as good as other fields because it had been under water several times in the Spring. It still is not bad, considering what it went through. About 95-100 bu/acre (13.55 - 14.26 hectoliter/hectare)

November 08 - Running smoother

We had a good run at the corn these past several days. It is really yielding very well. It is amazing how a great crop can make you forget about your problems! It doesn't matter whether the crop is on the stalk or on the hoof. I know that all I have to do when I feel down is to walk out in the pastures and stand with my replacement heifers. It sure does the trick!

We have had some nice warmer days. It is in the 50s F ( 10-12 C) and could get into the upper 50s tomorrow. I should have Miami Valley Sale catalogs available early next week. They were mailed out to most Ohio, Eastern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky Angus breeders yesterday. I also hope to get to spend some time working on the site. I have some plans to make certain pages like the calf and cow pages look better and work a little faster. All I need is the time to redo them.

November 12 - Visitor

Deb Abbott from the Ohio Cattleman Magazine was here today researching for an article on the Internet and opportunities for cattlemen to develop markets and use the Internet to benefit the industry. I even got my picture taken.

It is COLD! It was 22ºF ( -5.5º C) this morning when I fed the heifers. Deb said that there was snow at the Cattlemen office near Plain City, which is about an hour and a half East of here, near Columbus. There is no snow here but it is in the forecast for the next few days.

I recieved my box of Miami Valley Angus Sale Catalogs by UPS yesterday and have been sending them out to breeders who request one. Most Ohio, Eastern Indiana and Northern KY breeders will be receiveing thiers soon.

In walking the pastures, I am happy with the VDAR New Trend 315 daughters that I have in production and the replacement daughters that I am getting ready to breed. The nicest thing is the first calves out of our older 315 females have been the best of their respective sire groups. The big noise lately has been about the scrotal EPDs and it was nice to not have to worry about that with 315 having Scrotal EPDs almost 100 times greater than some bulls that are considered positive for the trait. You can probably figure out that I recommend him, especially with Traveler and Tonto daughters and No, I don't own an interest in him. I just like him.

November 18 - NAILE

I got back from the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) late last evening. Since I was a delegate to the Annual Meeting of the American Angus Association I will give a report here in the diary.

Election results: New President: Lawrason Sayre; New Vice- President: Bill Borror of Tehama Ranch.

Board members: Keith Artzen, Leroy Baldwin, Henry Bergfeld, Abbie Nelson, and Minnie Lou Bradley. Jarold Callahan was not elected as six were running for 5 seats. The Association is in superb shape financially. Every figure was up a large percentage. We had a great group of board members making policy and probably the most professional support personnel any organization could desire to make things happen. I know it's their job to take care of us the breeders/members, but they all go a little more than above the call of duty...

Big Angus Female show, about 200 head of females... Paul Hill of Bidwell was judge. He looked sharp in his new purple shirt and matching tie. He told me he never had one that color before. I told him that I was happy that there was a new photo of his new sire, Saugahatchee 3000C showing him from the side. that bull is really throwing some sharp looking calves.

Grand Champion Heifer was VAR Blackcap Lady 6110 sired by VAR Gateway 4101 out of Blackcap Lady 384 GDAR calved on 1/09/96 and exhibited by Vintage Angus of Modesto, CA.

Reserve Grand Champion was Womacks Primrose Lucy 147 sired by Leachman Saugahatchee 3000C out of Sister Sara and calved 1/21/97, exhibited by Womack Angus of Pembroke, KY.

I missed the Junior Show on Sunday, but was given the report that the Grand Champion heifer was Circle A Western Lady 6105, sired by Circle A Western Hauler 4018 and exhibited by my friend, Edith Luli's daughter, Jennifer Luli from Suffield, Ohio

The bull show was this morning but I had to deliver five heifers and that was just a little more important right now so I left after the Annual meeting. Bill Wilson was recovering from a cold and hoarse voice that was also affecting everyone who had just arrived back from the World Angus Forum in Australia, Henry Bergfeld, Dick Spader, and several others were among that group.

Its still in the 20ºs F (-5.5º C). We still have about 5-6 inch (13.97 cm) of snow on the ground here. I did not see any snow for the 100 miles (200 km)that started just 30 miles South of here until about Verona, KY. There was some snow on the ground from there until about Ballardsville, KY which is fairly near Louisville.

November 19 - New AI bull

I am probably only going to try one new young sire this year, He is called GDAR Dutch 5226, a VDAR Lucy's Boy grandson out of GDAR Forever Lady 27B, who is out of Forever Lady 719 (full sister to 711). His sire is GDAR Investment 397 who is out of Blackbird lady cow family at Gartner Denowh Angus Ranch. The reports on the first set of calves out of him were super, recording a 114 weaning ratio. I will be putting a page up for him in the reference sires with EPDs and info in the next week.

November 25 - Fall breeding

We started our Fall breeding this morning. My two year old TC Foundation out of my Prompter by Independence Sapphire cow, was in very good heat and was bred to VDAR New Trend 315 for a next September calving.

Yesterday we preg checked the last of our recipients and ended up five for five on all grade 2 embryos. I was very happy. One was an EXT out of my Poderosa daughter of Windac Pride 4114 that we lost two years ago and I am hoping for a heifer to replace her. We also started eight head on the Select/Sync system to get ready to breed in about ten days. This system devised by Select Sires uses a shot of GnRh on day one and then a shot of Lutalyse on day seven. This increases both the rate of synchronized heats and the pregnancy rates dramatically. It has worked well for us in the past. Most of those we synched this time were potential embryo recipients and we gave them dosages of Vital-E to boost their reproductive efficiency to receive the embryos. The recipients that I mentioned earlier were all prepared using this method this past Summer.

November 27 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all are having plenty of Roast Beef to eat.

We had a nice Sleep Easy heifer out of a good New Trend 315 by Basin Rainmaker DS 380U cow, yesterday morning. Really stout calf with a lot of energy from the time she hit the ground in the pasture. She was up and running around until we could get down to the pasture to tag and weigh her.

Went to Eaton, Ohio yesterday to set-up the sale ring and gates for the cow pens in gettting ready for the Miami Valley Angus Show & Sale this coming Saturday. It helps when you get a good group of people there to carry things and get the work done. We still have to setup the show ring tomorrow and arrange the bleachers and hang some more decorations. I will be glad when Saturday evening comes.

November 30 - Decent MVAA sale

We had a decent Miami Valley Angus Association Show & Sale yesterday at Eaton, OH. Several of my cow customers had good days in both the show ring and later in the sale. Deger Angus of Lebanon had the Champion heifer with a daughter of Saugahatchee and a popular class winner with a EXT 473 daughter of a cow that they purchased from us last year. Top Selling animal was Booth Hill Kiata Cheyenne, a bred heifer that brought $3,200 for Kiata Farms & Booth Hill farms of Hamilton, OH. The top Angus steer was a son of GDAR-SVF Chief from Kinsinger Farms of Cambridge City, IN at $1,300. Larger framed cows really took a hit as the Southwest part of Ohio has been suffering a drought this Summer and Fall putting grass and hay at a premium. The Medium sized cows did well and nothing makes buyers reconsider cow efficiency and size better than short feed supplies.