expensive business costs

60 miles from an implement dealer and the escalating price for parts plus labor create  expensive repair bills.  The hydraulic pump on the tractor (only 500 hours on the tractor) went out--so we weren't able to use the loader.  The repair bill was $5,000, but $1080 was to come get the tractor and then to return it.  The labor to replace the old one with the new one was $1900.  The trucker and the mechanics must make considerable salaries.  With cattle prices going down ranching is currently the wrong profession.  There has been other expensive repairs on this tractor in the past.

fraternal twins

Yes these are twins (obviously fraternal) 1 is red and 1 is black.  The ranch had a set of them last year the same way.  They were sired by an Akaushi bull (red) and out of an Angus cow black.  An article in the April 2018 National Geographic goes into skin color gradients and was an interesting read for me since I read it the same week that the twins were born last year.

baby sitting duty

Cows need a break from dealing with their babies so if they desire to graze in a different area of the pasture or go to the water tank or maybe just socialize with other cows of the herd they often will leave calves with 1 cow staying to look after them.  It is not unusual to see 1 cow with multiple calves and no other cows in site.  This probably keeps the calves from running off or it may protect them from predators such as coyotes. 

winter misery

The second blizzard in 2 weeks has hit the ranch.  Blake is doing good, but Kate, Arden and Tiger are tired of fighting the snow and need to rest.  Fortunately the cows haven't started calving so the herd is surviving well and are hoping for warmer weather when they are due to deliver in another 10 days.  The main problem being encountered is getting feed to the cattle when plowing through deep snow that has accumulated in drifts.  Also, the Niobrara is in flood stage so a much longer drive is needed to deliver feed to the cows on the other side of the river. After 2 nights at the ranch we hope the highway is open tomorrow so we can return to town.

yard invaders

4 new trees were planted in the house yard this past summer by Travis ( 2 apple and 2 spruce), The apple trees were fenced to protect them from deer.  However the spruce were left unprotected and this past week deer came into the yard and used them to rub their antlers.  1 tree is destroyed and the other has some damage (it is fenced now).  Maybe the damaged tree will become a spruce bush.

In with the new

This is our new 2019 F350 Ford getting to work soon after bringing it to the ranch after having the hydrabed installed.  We have been without a truck for 3 weeks since the 2010 F250 had to be retired (wore out).  During it's first week it has brought 4 pallets of livestock salt and 4 creep feeders to the ranch from Chadron.  Then pulled the feeders to pastures after they were loaded with feed.  Then it pulled 3 trailer loads of cattle to the Crawford livestock auction ( 20 head).  Unfortunately in 8 years it will be wore out as well.

road repair

A heavy rain (4" in a couple of hours) washed out some of our ranch roads last month.  The '67 farm truck that has serviced us for many years is in need of more costly repairs then the truck was worth, so an investment was made in a dump trailer.  Blake is laying gravel on the road down to the diversion dam on the Niobrara.  The trailer will be useful for hauling gravel around livestock tanks and for occasionally trucking feed from town to the ranch.