Weaning Time

Fall is fast approaching which means several things: 1) cooler weather 2) the leaves will begin changing colors 3) Labor Day weekend with my family 4) the calves will be coming home from summer grass.

In every young animals life there comes a time when it must be separated from it’s mother and begin life on it’s own.  For our baby calves, that “time” is at about 8 months of age.  This may seem harsh and even sad if you are unfamiliar with livestock production.  These calves are fully capable of being on their own: they no longer need their mothers milk and they rely on forages and grain as their source of nutrition.  Eight months seems like a relatively short period of time, but not when you compare it to the life cycle of a cow.  These heifer calves will have hit puberty and be able to conceive a calf by the time they are 12-15 months of age (on average).  The gestation of a cow is about 9 months so most heifers have their first calf when they are 2 years old.  On the flip side, bull calves (the boys) are able to breed a female at a year old. Castrated male calves are either fed on forages, grain in a feedlot, or a combination of the two until they reach a mature weight and are ready for harvest.

I am excited about going home this weekend because I will have an opportunity to see all the calves and spend time with my family.  That is one of the neat things about families involved in the cattle industry in general, it is a family affair!

Scraping the pens!

Hey y’all! Hope everyone is enjoying the nice summer weather! The days aren’t too terribly hot here yet; however, I know it’s coming! This morning we are scraping pens on the JRJ Ranch.  During the winter season we have to feed a lot of hay since snow is on the ground a large percentage of the time and the cattle aren’t able to graze. As a result, a lot a hay wastage accumulates with manure from the cows and the pens must be scraped come late spring/summer.  By scraping the pens,grass is able to come back up in those places where it might have died before. 

The pen scrapings are very helpful to farmers.  Since the scrapings are composed mostly of manure, it is a great natural fertilizer for crops.  The manure is scooped up with a big tractor and placed in a spreader truck that they use to haul it to the fields and spread over the crop. 

Scraping pens is only one of the steps a rancher takes to help take care of and preserve the environment that we have been blessed with.  To check out other steps that are taken and visit ranches from around the United States on a virtual tour go to http://explorebeef.org.

NATIONAL HAMBURGER DAY!

Hello all!!  Hope everyone is enjoying the warm summer weather and has had a chance to get out in the sun!  Today is national hamburger day and with Memorial Day weekend celebrations its a great opportunity to fire up the grill!!

Here is a recipe that you might give a whirl, I thought it sounded delicious! I know my family will be having hamburgers tonight and steak this weekend. Have a fun and safe weekend!

Total recipe time: 30 minutes Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1. 1 pound ground round
2. 1/4 cup prepared thick-and-chunky salsa
3. 4 frozen cream cheese or Cheddar cheese-stuffed jalapeno peppers
4. 1/4 cup prepared salsa con queso
5. 1/4 cup chopped fresh plum tomato
6. 2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives
7. Prepared thick-and-chunky salsa

Instructions

1. Combine ground beef and 1/4 cup salsa in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into four thin patties. Place one stuffed pepper in center of each patty; wrap beef around pepper to enclose, sealing seams and forming ball. Flatten balls into patties about 4 to 5 inches across and 1 inch thick.
2. Place patties on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 15 to 16 minutes, until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160°F, turning occasionally.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon salsa con queso evenly over top of each burger. Sprinkle evenly with tomato and olives. Serve with salsa, as desired.