Wild And Windy

The wild and windy start of the week had us seeking shelter between chores around the farm. Mike had a day of driving to go to the Southern Willamette Valley for a load of one ton bags of our special grain that we feed. The morning was clear and warm but by 10am the rain had moved in and was really coming down. Mike was dodging high water and downed trees in places on this travels while I was home getting the morning chores completed before the rain so I could work in the comfort of the barn bundling firewood until the grain showed up.

The mixture of grain is grass seed screenings along with molasses that the cattle love and the mixture adheres to the grass-fed mandates for our critters.

Once Mike got home we were able to get the big bags hauled to the two barns by way of the front end loader tractor between showers even though the wind would whip us around as we were doing so. With everything safely tucked in we were able to get through the rest of the day dodging raindrops.

Not all the critters of our herd are fed the grain. It is reserved for the bulls in the bull pen and the animals in the show barn with an exception now and again when there is one of the main herd that needs extra supplements like the few days after delivering a new calf or nursing an injury. Even with that it seems like we go through those big bags quickly and then another trip is needed to stock up.

We have been using more grain than normal the last month because we have a load of critters scheduled to go to auction at end of the week and want to make sure that they are fit but not fat for the trip and sale. The grain has been a good addition for them and the lot of them are ready.

Auction yards locally have been slowly declining. Growing up I remember the Portland Stockyards as being the place to take animals and it was attended well for many, many years. Buyers and sellers lined up for the auctions but closed in the 1980’s. McMinnville Auction Yard, Lebanon and Eugene became our go-to spots but as those have also dwindled, so have our options. This year, Mike will be taking our load of cattle to Madras for their auction in hopes that the prices we get will be worth the long drive of a day of hauling.