The end of October brought us some much-needed nice weather. We were able to finish harvest, but it took a lot of fiddling around, trying some here and then trying some there. Finally the crop dried to a moisture level that we could handle. We took every truck and trailer that would hold grain out […] Read more
Fall projects are off to a good start
The Eppich News: Good progress made with a major fencing job
Little improvement in early October weather
The Eppich News: Moving some cattle, and trying not to share too much barley with the geese
There was no combining the end of September. Instead we worked on fencing projects and started hauling some of our bales home. Sept. 28: We brought all of our Landis ditch bales home. It’s nice to have them at home instead of in a snow-filled ditch 20 miles away. Sept. 29: We skinned two of […] Read more
Harvest slowed by rain and snow
The Eppich News: Time needed to deal with horse injuries and fencing
We found ourselves madly swathing and combining at the end of August. The beginning of September brought a few light showers but we were able to keep trudging onward. We never got started very early thanks to the light showers and the heavy dew, but we were still able to put in some good days. […] Read more
Haying wrapped up, harvest begins
The Eppich News: Rain interruption provided opportunity to check cattle
August turned out to be a warm, dry, smoky month. While Gregory finished the swathing, I worked on baling. The fields were too rough to take Joseph along in the baler, so he had to spend most of the time with Grandma and Grandpa. In the end, all the scrambling looks like it’s going to […] Read more
Breeding season begins
With moisture to help the grass, cows and bulls head out to pasture
May turned out to be a warm month. We were lucky enough to get several rainstorms toward the end of May and beginning of June — very happy to get the much-needed moisture. On May 12 our last Bannerlane heifer calved. There was only one foot presented so we put her in the maternity pen […] Read more
Green grass, birthdays and branding
Calving is finished and cattle finally head out to pasture
This calving season has had its challenges for sure. The temperature rose drastically in the middle of April and caused a lot of runoff, leaving our home pasture very wet. We held the cows and calves in the corral for as long as we could because we don’t have any natural windbreak or protection in […] Read more
Is it spring yet?
Cold and wind creates challenges during March-to-May calving season
You never know what the weather is going to do. Gregory and I had decided that from mid-March to the beginning of May would be the best time for calving season. We didn’t want to calve during the coldest part of the winter with the green grass months away, but we also didn’t want to […] Read more
Proper bedding keeps calves warm and dry
Straw and windbreaks can help get calves through poor spring weather
This spring has been less than ideal for calving. In west-central Saskatchewan we’ve had record cold temperatures with wind and snow, and the wet weather is just around the corner. Calves born in these conditions often show the effects with frozen ears and feet — that’s if you can keep them alive in the first […] Read more
The bulls and the bees
The purchase of a heifer bull stirs excitement for next season
Sometimes opportunities come up and you just have to jump on them. We have been hauling our cows to pasture in a two-horse trailer, just waiting for an opportunity to purchase a bigger one. Then a friend showed Gregory an ad. The used trailer was in rough shape but the price was good, so Gregory loaded […] Read more
Ease new cattle into the herd
Give cows time and space to sort out pecking order
Cows can be very aggressive, especially when establishing a pecking order, so you need to watch how new and especially pregnant animals are integrated into an established herd. Two cows fighting can result in a cow losing the calf because of the direct hits to the belly by the other cow’s head; a cow slipping […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
