Welcome to our Channel. Follow along as we pursue our passions for everything farming and outdoors. It all started with a small backyard garden and a few chickens on a quarter acre neighborhood lot. From there we moved to 28 acres that we quickly outgrew when we started with larger livestock. We purchased a larger tract of land with some help and have all sorts of projects to keep us busy. Our main enterprise at the moment is our herd of Cattle that we love. Please enjoy as we share our journey. Ben, Jackie, Marie, Levi and David.
Baby calves are awesome, except when they hit the awkward “teenage” year. They react in a very unpredictable manner and they are big enough to damage fences, equipment, or me, lol. Once they are a couple years old their behavior becomes much more predictable
I love finding a fresh cluster of wild mushrooms. It is definitely one of those things that scares most. I don’t know if I can name a single friend of mine that picks and eats them. Thanks and take care.
@@stringerbridgefarm3201 Fresh from the forest is so yummy, it sure pays to be educated, enjoy your oysters, yum yum, I dont know anyone either, seems I always take others harvesting in the man planted pine forests.
30 months seems to be the sweet spot for us on grass fed and finished. We rotate and give alfalfa hay or pellets, about 12 lbs each daily. For last couple months. The alfalfa is a game changer. Also ACV in their water.
I’d like to try finishing with alfalfa. It may open up some new opportunities for me. But dang alfalfa is expensive. It is not grown in our region so maybe that’s why.
I haven’t noticed anything like that. We get them so frequently I haven’t really ever stored them any length of time. They normally go from tree to pot. We just enjoy them when they are fresh in season.
With as tall and thick as it grows the field actually creates a mini rain forest affect. I planted SS years ago during a drought year what I noticed was if you walked into the field at 11am your clothes would get wet from the dew droplets and the ground was damp thus the plants were basically self watering from the dew running down the stalks and with how fast it grows it will choke off anything that cannot out pace it’s incredibly growth rate that’s probably why your soybeans and annual grasses didn’t make it.
Definitely right about the moisture. Also the ground stays so much cooler. The soybeans were a disappointment but them cowpeas did great with the sudex.
They are big and unpredictable around calves, even when it’s not their own. None of my momma cows have ever come after me, but I’ve had close calls just with them accidentally bumping into me or almost stepping on me.
@@stringerbridgefarm3201 yes! in have seen the brown\black cows (I forgot what they are called) when I went to buy steaks and I was shocked how huge they were.I was scared. I had a chance to feed them but their tongues kiinda creeped me out!😜
Awesome haul! I would love to have these in my back yard. Always try and cut mushroom off when you can. It preserves the immune system of the mycelium that the mushrooms grow out of. Ripping them off like that is akin to tearing a scab off your body and leaving the open wound susceptible to infection.
If you treat mama cows the same as mares are treated, then things might work out better. Give these mama cows a private birthing area. Consider them as equal to horses (which us humans do NOT eat ...as a rule). Consider them more than $$$. I'm turning vegetarian myself. Cows are just as valuable a creature as horses are, they are just as beautiful, and I'm more and more convinced that we should NOT be eating them. We can get our "protein" elsewhere. Yes yes I know what God says.... But keep this in mind....In the Beginning, God gave us every "herb yielding seed, and every tree that bears fruit yielding seed..." (see Genesis). Only after the Flood, did God say we could eat "meat". Think about it....Prior to the Flood, when God created the Universe, mankind, and the animal kingdom.....we were to be caretakers of the animal kingdom, friends of the animals, no fear between us and the animals.
I think most of us get emotional in these situations, myself included. We tend to "love" animals. It's difficult to hear about "butchering", or getting weight on a cow for more money. Whereas on the opposite side of the spectrum, cows are very affectionate animals, who can develop a major bond with humans, just like dogs and other pets. Turning vegetarian might be a good idea for myself. Besides, I hear it's healthier anyway.
I was interested and decided to research this subject.....Cows may reject their calves for a variety of reasons, including a failure to recognize the calf, a medical problem with the calf, or a lack of experience with giving birth. This is more common in heifers, who have less experience and a lower level of oxytocin released. The mama cow may be confused or uncertain. The smell and taste of birth fluids drives maternal behavior, and if this process is interrupted, it increases the likelihood of mis-mothering. One farmer's trick is to pour grain over the calf's back when it is first born, to get the mother to lick the calf. This cleaning should help the cow's maternal instincts to kick in. But one of the most effective ways to minimize your cow rejecting its calf is to plan ahead for the calving. Handle your cow regularly so you can handle her effectively after she has given birth. Prepare a PRIVATE birthing location for her. Cows will more readily bond with their calves if allowed this privacy. Young heifers may be intimidated by older heifers. Smear some of the birthing fluids across the cow's mouth and nose to stimulate her mothering instincts.
ALL baby calfs are so very cute. Greetings from Canada. Happy to see you take such good care of your cattle sir. Myself I don't know anything, except I remember naming the calfs when I was a young girl, for my Grandmother and Grandfather. Now, as an adult, I wish I could do it all over again, so that I could better appreciate these beautiful animals!
One of the vets in Australia showed a video that bonded an orphan colt to a mare that lost her foal. He rubbed the mother’s manure on the new baby horse, to give it, her smell. They were able to get the strange foal accepted in a short time and she readily nursed it. I think it took a few hours.
Good to see that you know what direction to go. It would be interesting to see if you can get a heifer calf out of the angusX heifer from the southpoll bull for possible future breeding
Thanks. When I raised sheep the generational turnover and improvement was so fast. With cattle it is so slow. We we see if we can get a herd of low input animals.
We do dna on all cows/bull/calves. Very simple procedure. With our registry only 100% full blood dna tested can be registered. All of ours are 100% fullblood.
Are yours south poll? We used to dna test and register our sheep. Have never done it with cattle since I’ve never sold breeding stock. Seems like all the cattle registries have different rules and procedures.
It was great thank you, I will be able to sleep tonight, unlike last night! Now you have told me 95% no problems & I can see I still hav a few weeks to go.
First few times of having animals give birth can be high anxiety. Our cattle have had a very high rate of success the last few years. Good luck to with yours
I’ve talked to them a few times and our parish extension does not have one. Our area is dominated by sugarcane farming. Very little grain or livestock so it doesn’t seem like a priority for our extension office.
I’ve noticed several large Chinese tallow (Popcorn) on my property have died with no help from me. These were right along a chain link fence and competing with large water oaks. A couple of them are at least sixty feet tall, so dangerous once they start falling apart. In addition, we have those blasted China berry, Chinese privet, and a hundred other invasive species here in south Alabama. It is a full time job keeping these things under control.
@@stringerbridgefarm3201 Yeah, they have propagated like rabbits here in the south. At least on my property I have removed all but three or four, and their time is limited.
sir you are doing grass fed right, most "grass-fed beef " at the grocery store is just wild ass pasture cows and taste like a overaged poorly processed swamp hog/deer. I highly doubt yours will taste like that Summer grasses lack the protein here in Texas same way. Our winter grasses fatten them up way better than the summer forage in the deep south. BTW if you got some high and dry areas, try some bluestem, it hits 16% cruse protein during the hottest 2 month of the summer.
I appreciate the vote of confidence. We do get some bluestem that comes up mid to late summer. Once it gets past 8-10 inches tall my cows won’t eat it.
Tallow trees ? They are in Asia. Those look like they can be beach or oak? Those are the trees oyster mushrooms prefer to grow on either way nice looking ones.
They are the Chinese Tallow trees. They are not native here and are highly invasive. At least they grow good mushrooms and bees use them quite a bit for honey. They will take over fast though
I know this was posted a while ago, but wondering if you used the "Pasture Pro" you showed in the video or the actual 2,4-D product. We are cutting down some Tallow Trees in our pasture over the next 2 weeks, and works like to try this since it seems you have proven results. So just conforming before I purchase
I’ve used both, but the Gordon’s pasture pro is what’s most available locally in my area, so I mostly use that. Also, I like putting the dye when I’m working in an area so I don’t lose track of what I have sprayed.
Yes, the majority of it is Chinese tallow. Talking with the extension office, a lot of the trees will live or at least persist for several years though. They will be flooded mostly during the dormant season, and since it’s already marginal land it’s mostly tree species that can survive seasonal flooding. Will be interesting to see what trees die, and how fast.
I figured you would have water on them most of the year since you were growing crawfish. Rule of thumb is to put water on trees after they go dormant and drained before spring. I usually go from mid December to the end of February. I deal with a couple GTRs Kill all of those tallow trees though. Just another Non-Native Invasive
@alanevans1921 so for crawfish, my water plan is to put water in the pond starting in November, then drain in June. Once dry, plant forage crop for crawfish, then flood again in November
Up north we don't cut big maples on fence lines low because they're full of wire and or sap spiles and porcelin insulaters. Maples tolerate metal very well , black cherry not at all. If the wire even touchs the tree it will kill it.
I know what you mean, I’m scared to cut any tree within about 15 feet of a property line. Lots of wire and hardware that the trees just swallow up. Ruin a chainsaw blade instantly
@@stringerbridgefarm3201 For sure. I was milling a city yard black walnut and we found and had to surgically remove a six inch clothes line bracket!. Sawyer was a very patient man. He still cuts for me ( and I own a sawmill).
