Although it’s easy to tell when you have put in a hard day’s work in the summer hayfield by the amount of hay bales put up, the fruits of a hard summer’s labor are exhibited during the winter feeding season.  It is essential to put up high-quality feed for your cowherd to utilize during the winter. 

In a normal summer, we’ll put approximately 2,000 round bales and 6,000 square bales.  This summer’s production was lower than a typical year and was around 1,700 round bales and 5,900 square bales, which is approximately 1.5 tons/acre on our brome ground and almost 4 tons/acre on the alfalfa ground.

Every morning in the rain, snow, sleet, or sunshine from mid to late October until May 1st, Paul,

Go away and come back some other day…like in August! 

No one complains of too much rain in August, but there is such a thing as too much rain now while we’re trying to bale hay or for others trying to harvest their wheat.  Prior to last week, we had been pretty lucky.  The first week of June, there were several chances of rain, usually around 30% or so, but we wanted to get a lot hay baled that week.  And we did, approximately 100 acres give or take. 

Then, the second week of June, we cut several acres of hay with 30% chance of rain and it got rained on day after day.  Randall, Paul, & Nancy were able to bale all of it, around 130 bales or so this past weekend.  The quality of that hay deteriorated significantly, so it will be saved for the very cold, snowy days of winter.  

Not to the races that is, but into hay season at full swing.  We were able to get most all of the first cutting of alfalfa and the one and only cutting of triticale, a oat-like grass that is a cross between wheat and rye grass baled and put up the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. 

Whew…can you hear that?  Based upon the number of cattle trailers I saw coming and going the first weekend in May, I believe everyone in the cattle industry has sighed a huge sigh of relief. 

In addition to being Rock Hill Ranch’s bookkeeper, part picker-upper, part-time meal maker, and occasional spare hand, I am a Financial Analyst at Frontier Farm Credit in Manhattan, KS.  As we are young, beginning producers, our family relies on my off-farm income to maintain our standard of living.  I love my job because I am able to learn about all types of operations – cattle, crops, hogs, and poultry – and help agricultural operations grow and prosper through financing their credit needs.  This past week, I had the opportunity to represent Frontier Farm Credit at the Riley County Farm Bureau Kids Ag Day and spend a few hours talking with kids from the Manhattan, Ogden, Leonardville, Olsburg, and Randolph communities about careers in agriculture.

All Caught Up… For now! 

This past week, Randall, Paul, & Nancy worked the month-old spring calves.  Then they turned them and their mamas out to the upland brome until the native grass is tall and lush enough to support them.  Brome is a cool season grass that greens up earlier than the native grass, which is a warm-season grass.  With the past few cool days, it might be awhile before all of our pastures are ready for cattle, but we should still be able to turn around the first of May, which is our target turnout date, and earlier than last year.  In addition to burning, the month of April also includes miles and miles of walking fence to make sure all of the holes or broken wires are patched up and will hold all of the cattle in.  Randall and Paul were able to make it around all of the fence that needed walked except our rented pasture West of Alma and the newly rented one North of town – that will be part of next week’s to-do list!      

The Hills are Alive… With the sound of fire! 

The snap, crackle, pop of a bright-orange flame curling its way across hills, pastures, and waterways is music to the ears of many a producer during the month of April.  It sounds good because with each successful prescribed burn completed, the stewards of the land know they are controlling the spread of red cedar, dogwood, and buck brush.  These are all invasive plant species that reduce the amount of available grass that helps produce beef to help feed the world.