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Wildlife on Martin Family Ranch

6/25/2015

One of the benefits of our rotational grazing system is the wildlife habitat that it provides. One day earlier this spring, I was able to photograph a ring-neck pheasant and a gambel’s quail. We have seen more pheasants this year than ever before. I hear pheasant roosters crowing virtually every day and we have one rooster and hen pheasant, dubbed Philbert and Whilhelmina by my oldest daughter, that routinely frequent our backyard. I attribute at least part of the increase in numbers over the years to the prime habitat we provide in the course of producing excellent forage for our cattle. We always have some paddocks with 45 to 60 days of plant growth which provides good cover and lots of seeds.

We also see geese and ducks as well as a blue heron on our irrigation pond. Raccoons, opossums, and skunks also are around and I saw a coyote passing through just this morning at first light as I went out to check cows. I even saw a pair of otters in our irrigation pond for a few days last year before they decided to move on. We have several species of raptors and also buzzards that show up in the spring about calving time to feed on the cows’ afterbirth. We have songbirds like meadowlarks and it is a treat to see the barn swallows, which like to feed on insects that get flushed out of the grass when I’m haying. Our primary objective is to provide high quality forage to our cattle, but it is nice to see that we are providing excellent wildlife habitat at the same time.

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Two Months Old

6/3/2015

It is hard to believe that May has passed us by and that our #69 calf has grown so much in just one month. Between irrigation, hay, and all the other tasks on the farm as well as a five day trip to the east coast for a college graduation, it has been a busy month. Although irrigation season started a little late due to less water availability because of a minimal snowpack, we have gotten our pastures soaked up and growing fast again. We cut one hayfield in early May and another in late May and were able to get both in the barn without any rain damage. Our neighbor across the road, that we buy some additional hay from, was also able to get his hay up in good shape and stowed away in our barn. My only first cutting hay left to do is a field down the road that I put up on shares.

The cows and calves are doing well on the lush spring pastures. The calves are gaining about three pounds a day and are a quite uniform bunch as there is only a month and a half difference in age between the oldest and youngest (March 15 to April 30). I have made the decision to keep #69 as my next clean-up bull. This year I will breed all my cows and replacement heifers by artificial insemination (AI) starting today. I will have to check the cows for signs of estrus at least twice a day for the next 60 days and then AI, after about 12 hours, those cows that show signs of being in heat. I typically get about 80% of the cows bred during the first 21 day cycle, but will have to continue to watch the herd to catch those that don’t settle (don’t become pregnant) or weren’t caught in heat the first time. It is much more convenient to have a bull to turn in with the cow herd after the first cycle of breeding (21 days), and let him catch any of the remaining open (not bred) cows. It will be interesting, in two years, to see if #69 sires calves of the quality of his bloodlines. He looks like he will sire plenty of growth and muscle and hopefully his progeny will mimic those of his sire, Harland, in their ability to finish well on grass.

Wildlife on Martin Family Ranch

Two Months Old

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