There, Then Gone

It was a busy day since the most of the shower activity looked like it was going to hold off for a few hours. We wanted to go toward the back of the big field and drop a couple of standing dead fir trees so that we could make a crib or two of firewood quickly in an effort to keep ahead of bundle demands.

Right after breakfast for the cows and calves in the nursery field, and the remaining cows of the main herd along with Francie calf in the outdoor feeders, we loaded up the tractor and Gator for the trek across the field, through the back gate and up near the spring at the edge of the forest.

We had been watching this area this last year. It appears that we may have the beginnings of a root rot issue because we are seeing a few trees looking sickly. It will be best for the forest to ‘weed out’ those trees that are dead standing or looking close to dying. The root rot can spread from tree to tree through the root systems causing a pocket of sick and dying trees. This area is also in need of a little thinning so getting the trees out now while they still have solid wood in them is not only good for the forest but good for our firewood supply.

After dropping and cutting up two trees and loading the Gator with the first load, we were heading to the barn with the bed filled and noticed pregnant heifer #20 under a big fir tree a little ways away from the rest of the main herd. She did not look like she was in distress or labor so we let her rest.

Once we had unloaded the Gator of wood and filled it with hay for the evening feeding, we realized that #20 was not with the rest of the main herd. We looked toward that back by the spring we were working during the afternoon, we drove down along the six acre field and looked across the river to see if she headed that way, we walked up the hill to the open meadow and did not find her.

It was beginning to get dark and Mike decided to try one more area, he drove the Gator to the far end of the property and found #20 there along the riparian area. She was tucked in to a deep thicket of snow berry bushes,  thimbleberry canes and buck brush. By her side was a good looking calf, she already had him cleaned off but it was too late in the day to try to move them to the correct side of the river so we gave her a big pile of hay and planned on attending to mother and baby in the daylight.

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