Weaners

As soon as I got home from Alaska, Amy and I vaccinated the calves and started the process of weaning them.  It's a process because my fences aren't what they should be, and each day a couple of calves unwean themselves by crawling through the fence to get back with their moms.  I'll keep the cows here near them for about a week.  By then the calves will have figured out how to eat the weaning ration and not be so desperate for milk and the cows, relieved of the requirement to produce prodigious quantities of milk, will be able to gain some weight and go into the fall and winter in good shape.

We'll put the cows on the Self's pasture, although I'll have to start feeding some hay and put out a liquid feeder.  Grass is getting sparse everywhere.  The calves will stay at the house and eat weaning ration and hay.  The commercial calves will be sold through Pacesetter Beef Alliance in mid-October.  We'll keep 2 or 3 Polled Hereford heifers for replacements and sell a few at the Cross Timbers Polled Hereford sale in March.  I continue to get calls for Polled Hereford bulls so I'll keep them and advertise in the paper.

Life is good.  Come on down and help us give booster shots.  There's always room for a pour-on moron.

The Most Dangerous Catch

OK, it wasn't all that dangerous but we saw their boat.  I took 10 days out of the Texas August heat to go fishing with Pete, Rex Reiley and Bob Gonzales in Alaska.  We fished 3 days for Halibut out of Homer, one day for shrimp out of Whittier and 3 days for Silver Salmon out of Seward.

Here's our best day's catch of halibut.  Pete has a great boat, is skilled in its use and got us into fish every day despite the bananas.  We also hired a charter for one day in Homer.

Here's one day's salmon catch in Seward.  We also saw whales, eagles, sharks and the occasional microbrewery and didn't need no stinking charter.

The four amigos and their boat.  You can see we had a variety of weather, but no 100 degree days. It was an excellent trip--great company, great experience.  If you ever feel like fishing in Alaska, call my brother Pete.