So You Want to Be a Cowboy?

Just out of curiosity, whats everyones go-to for takin care of these things en masse? Ive heard everything from bubble gum, to equine salts, to gassing them, etc

Got a lot im about to take care of in one of our pastures and not sure which route I should take this time around.

Riding in a feedlot and I’m done. The place is understaffed, falling down, their horses are nags, my day rate was supposed to be based on 5-6 hour days, I’ve worked 10-18 hours every day, not a single day off. I was hired on as a pen rider, but I’ve been receiving, shipping, doctoring, processing, working pasture cattle, feeding all horses and dogs, and putting out hay. I’ve saddled a horse every day and many days swapped horses in the afternoon to keep from overworking them. Saddled three horses this morning trying to get on something sound and ended up having to go back to the barn without getting any work done because the mare I rode out on couldn’t work.

The cowboy life sucks. 20 years ago I swore I was done making a living on a horse and I think I just got a good reminder why.

4 gallons of 5W30 and 2 gallons of diesel 15W40 at NAPA was $360.

Exactly the same from Blain’s was $202.

I can’t believe how expensive either NAPA is or how great a deal Blain’s is.

How is this my 4 months old heifer looks like ?

Lost it on the gather gettting them to sale.. when it was 500 lbs. Isnt that cattle for you?

If this is not allowed, please take it down.

I'm a software developer working with a ranch near Sundance, WY. I'm trying to learn how crews pass along things like a sick calf, a downed fence or a dry tank when there's no cell signal out where you ride.

How do you handle it now? Text when you get back in range, write it down, tell the boss at supper, or something else? What goes wrong?

If you'd be up for a 20-minute phone call about how you work, I'd be grateful. I'm not selling anything, just trying to learn. Thanks.

Curious if anyone here uses cellular cameras (non-wifi, but send straight to your phone) to keep an eye on livestock, equipment, gates, water tanks, or just their land in general.

What are you using them for, and how well do they work? Any issues with signal, battery life, or cost? Any brands to look at or avoid?

I’m researching options and weighing the monthly costs, and obviously trying to pick something reliable. Thank you.

We are planning our spring rodeo and want opinions on what to call it. It’s gonna be a pro rodeo with all 5 events, SRA style.

Any suggestions??

Pic for tax

Blonde D’Aquitaine and Red Angus bulls squaring up to decide which will be the dominant male of the group.

First time cow owner here. Got 4 steers back in mid July. Each of them weighed in around 400lbs at that time.  They’ve stayed on this 2 acre area which is mostly fescue grass, and I’ve been feeding them with roughly 1% body weight per day of triple feed (corn, soy bean hulls, gluten) with rumensin added.  They also have hay in the pen as well that they’ve been munching on.  The three on the right all look like they’ve put on weight (I don’t currently have a way to weigh them), but the one on the left still looks pretty lean by comparison.  That one also tends to be the last to come up for feed, and tends to be off from the others a little bit. Is this something I should be worried about? He eats with them, and I see him out grazing, they’re all still making solid manure as well, no squirts that I’ve noticed.

Allow me to lay it all out, and bear with me please, I’m not new to the field but I am still learning.
Anywho,
A 2 year old, heavy bred dorper cross starts showing signs of potential toxemia.
About 8 weeks prior to this ordeal she was unfortunately attacked by a dog. We were able to treat her (LA200) and nurse her wounds back to health (cleaning, kote, fly spray) and through the whole recovery she did very well. Strong fight, staying with the herd, eating, drinking, running.
Shortly after she was recovered (picture scabs and scars but nothing you wouldn’t think couldn’t heal without help), she took a turn.
I found her isolated, standing with an arched back and seeming a little uneasy on her feet. But still hard to catch at this point, I hit her with the whole medicine cabinet except LA200 since she’d had so much of it at this point. I drenched her with b12, calcium, nutridrench and gave her some hay topped with dyne and fresh water. Over the next two days she continued to go downhill. I could feel baby inside and it seemed alive and well and not trying to come out yet.
She began to sort of tiptoe and move sorely and with very very small steps. We’ve been getting insane rains lately so I treated it as foot rot though her hooves looked great.
Well not even a few hours later, I get back from a job and find her on her side. I walk over, am able to get her on her feet (it took some support but she was able to hold herself up), and then went to fetch some penicillin to try. When I came back out maybe 5 minutes later, she was choking on a foamy yellow substance, seemingly aspirated.
I didn’t know what to do for her at that point and she’d lost all her fight, so I went inside to get my gun. By the time I’d come back out she was dead on the ground.

Now I know this isn’t an ideal situation and it’s hard to read. I feel terrible and I’m just looking for potential answers on what it may have been so I can handle it differently should it arise again.
Does anyone have any ideas on what may have happened?

I just saw Corbitt Wall’s article on Cattlemen’s News and he said “The Trump Administration has made market conditions worse by their uncanny insistence to continue to make comments and policy that hurts US cattle producers”. He then references the introduction of Brazilian beef to the US at a 25% discount as an example of bad policy.

However, he ends with “… many conservative cattle producers (are) turning away from him, until they consider his alternative.”

What is the fear here? What do these cattle producers think will happen if Trump falls from power or his supporters aren’t elected to Congress? You won’t get any argument from me. I have my opinions, obviously, but I would like to hear what my neighbors think will happen/could have happened that is worse.

I read the rules and hope this doesn’t fall into the “too political” category. I just know my diesel bills have almost doubled, replacement heifers are through the roof, and it seems like this administration is pushing prices producers get paid down while beef at the store remains high.

Just look at this. Dare I say more?

I write this starting 2:17 AM whilst it is piss pouring rain outside. Supposed to flood outside, and from the looks of my yard from the kitchen window it definitely is flooding. Harvest has been pushed back week after week since I started on September 11th. It is now October. When the first initial rain came, I thought that it couldn’t get much worse from here. I should get a job as a psychic because I’m great at jinxing things. Since 2009 I have not seen this wet of a harvest. 2009 I nearly went broke blowing my money on grain drying at 1000 bushel/hour. Just cannot wait to see how this year pans out..Prayers and hope for Nebraska/Iowa would be appreciated..

I have a hodgepodge herd that was mainly traded here and there during droughts in exchange for hay.

I currently have a Charolais mix bull that has been a winner for 5 years.

Looking forward this little guy was born about a month ago and his mom is a huge beautiful beefmaster. I have posted about her on here before (she doesn’t have the best udders)

Anyway I know there is a mentality of not going with something you don’t know the pedigree but this is not a real ranch. Just sort of starting to build a legit herd now that the price is right.

He look like a keeper???

We are in NE TX and full on drought. We had one of those dry thunderstorms which are very rare here. Just clouds and isolated wind gusts that downed trees in one area and didn’t disturb leaves next to it.

One neighbor noticed a high voltage line didn’t look right and called the Co-Op twice but no one came out.

Well during the wind gusts the big double pole cam down in the gust and landed directly on some cows and electrocuted some others from a short distance. The Utility has gone radio silent and didn’t even offer assistance in removing or burying the cattle.

It looks like they are taking advice from their lawyers and being completely noncommittal .

I am sure this will go to court as Act of God vs neglected maintenance.

23 cows in this market is a monster hit!

I’ve been selling beef, pork, lamb direct to consumer for 5 years now. I’ve never had a good way to tack purchase price, feed and hay costs, sales price, and final profit - and I never really knew what to tell the tax man in April. I’ve created an app to help me and I think it would help others as well. Here is the link:

https://TakeStock.farm

You enter your animals, track the costs to feed, assign buyers and send invoices, track when payments are made, and see reports showing your overall profit and tax picture.

I hope you find it helpful! Please leave me any feedback you have.

My horse was sore, so I rode my Mom’s. Lefty did this bloodhound impersonation for the entire 800ft climb. I think he was sniffing for his buddy (my brother’s horse) that went up this trail about an hour earlier.

So right now i am 21 and study something completely different. in 2 years i graduate. i live in Belgium and i have riding experience but not western. i want to work as a wrangler in Argentinië after a graduate. But i feel like this is an impossible dream. I will take Spanish lessons and learn the culture etc in the next years. Is my dream realistic? is there any change it will work? and how?