Is Spring Here?

What a long-seeming and COLD winter!

Lately I have been concentrating on Dexter meat.  I raise grass-only, no hormones, no antibiotics, no GMOs beef.  Natural and delicious Dexter and Dexford beef.  Various local processors do the job.  Right now I'm eating very lean, winter-harvested meat.  Even though it would not be most recommended to order grass-fed beef in mid-winter, I have wonderful ground meat that is so lean I can put it in soups and spaghetti sauce without precooking and not have anything to skim off the top.  So far I have had "made-right" type sandwich, and also a chunk crockpotted for eating the next day, and I have been very happy with the ground.  Also, friends who pre-paid have an unexpected early pickup which gives me a chance to visit some folks I don't see often enough.  I send out evaluations to buyers who (buy live animals to make meat or) buy meat, and most come back positive.  I heard from a previous buyer this week who did NOT like a roast she'd cooked and I had no idea.  It turned out that she was unaware that grassfed beef needs to be cooked differently, and I thought she already knew the "low and slow" byword.  Shannon Hayes authored The Grassfed Gourmet, so is worth a look.  See http://www.shannonhayes.org/the-difference-between-grainfed-and-grassfed/

Early this week I had the anticipated birth of a "Legacy" calf.  In the early 2000s I was hoping to make a "mini-Woodmagic" herd on this side of the Atlantic and went in search of cows whose pedigrees contained mostly Beryl Rutherford's animals.  Hard to find relatively-unmixed, and dying off.  The "Colorado" herd came to my attention at around the same time, as a herd from early bloodlines in the U.S. that had been closed from outside influences for many years.  Among my Woodmagic finds/buys, only one gave me a calf that was unmixed (from AI, using Trillium Cluny semen).  Due to positive BLV tests in the cows, I isolated them from my normal herd and was pasturing them in an area I didn't visit often so did not get to know that bull calf well.  I eventually lost all the females without success in calves, and sold the bull last year, fortunately to some folks interested in preserving early bloodlines.  Meanwhile I had had one female transported from Delaware in 2004 or 2005 from the Colorado herd.  She has now given me 2 heifers from that Woodmagic-line bull.  I tried to buy a Colorado bull-calf from Delaware in 2012 but the owners said yes and then went into the process of dispersing their herd and I did not get one.  Now I have one Colorado cow, and two heifers that are a combination of Colorado and Woodmagic.  Have plans to try to tend and increase these rather rare Dexter lines as seedstock options for buyers, if I can manage it.

Meanwhile my Preference, from Llanfair's Mulligan (first red polled Dexter bull born in the US, I believe) is still his sweet self and getting along in a pen in my barnlot with three of my prospective future herd sires.  He has been my main herd sire for the calves to be born this year.  He tends to pass his sweet, calm temperament on to his offspring.  There is no Dexter bull in the U.S. that I am prouder to have had influence my herd than Mulligan.  And since Preference came with his sire and dam when I bought Mulligan, Preference has been with me since a calf and is so dear to me that he is prominent on my keychain and my cellphone!  I have various Mulligan descendants for sale.

My Babydoll sheep are a treasure too.  I enjoy them and appreciate their easy care.  It is nearing both shearing time and lambing time.  I have found a white ram that I was looking for but so late in the winter season that I couldn't get him to use this year.  I held out my oldest white ewes and did not breed them because I was hoping to get the ram I was seeking.  Hope that doesn't turn out to have been a mistake.  Meanwhile I have some ewe lambs from last year that should still be fine to show this year and I've tried to learn a bit more about showing so that I can.

I'm eagerly awaiting the young humans who will (I hope) be out to practice with calves and sheep and learn to handle and show them.  The weather, though it keeps bouncing between warm and cold, is moderating enough for the kids to start soon.  Your child, if you live nearby, may still enroll in the program, as I have several openings. 

A money-saving thing I ran into recently is that my cellphone provider is taking referrals and paying, $35 during March (presumably $25 later) to both the new customer and the referrer.  If you would rather switch from your contract cellphone and move to Virgin Mobile, I would definitely appreciate your using my code as referring customer:  https://refer.virginmobileusa.com/2djMlwJ .   I saw some new acquaintances in WalMart in February, I think, looking at phones and told them about the great customer service, inexpensive plans, and good phones that Virgin Mobile has.  Since Sprint as carrier has good service in their area, they decided to try it out.  When I spoke with them yesterday, they told me they had their month already credited to them and I found today that I did too!  So I don't owe another month on that phone until mid-May and will still have continuous service--woohoo!

Winter

Yes, I know.  I've neglected this blog for awhile.  Late September through early October was very busy with trying to make all the pieces of a puzzle fit together to take Dexters to FarmFest in Springfield and then the MO Dexter Breeders Show and Sale near there two weeks later.  Working to get the animals ready--foot trimming, halter-training, getting grooming-comfortable, having vet checks....  Working to get the arrangements made to keep them somewhere down there since driving a pickup and trailer that far is not my favorite thing to do; so handling both events in one trip was highly desired.  Had the reservations made, the money sent in.  Animals ready, six-year-old Abi all eager to show, etc.  Both events fell through for us because of my truck.  Mechanic shop didn't get truck ready soon enough for the first one and steering wasn't great.   Ok, so try to save and go to the second anyway....  We had the truck packed and ready, the animals loaded in the trailer, Abi in the back seat, her mom and I in the front and we headed off.  Stopped in Chillicothe at WalMart for something like water and--what should happen, but the power-steering goes out on the truck!  Limp to somewhere to try to get expert help.  Time spent waiting at the shop and I walking to ask nearby acquaintances if they know of someone for hire to drive.  Abi and her mom, and I concur, decide it is not best for them to make the trip, but I need to sell animals and have committed them to the sale as well as the show.  So they get a ride home and I head out.  Get a third of the way there and replenish the fluids and decide it is not really safe for me either.  DISAPPOINTING!!!!  Also needed to reduce animals for winter care.  Tried to find a way to do an online auction, worked on it til first week of December.  No carrier worked out.

Meanwhile, the Thanksgiving homestays went well; I was blessed to be a part of the process again of foreign students in the Intensive English Program at MU visiting in American family homes at Thanksgiving.  Christmas also came and went (with lots of cold weather surrounding that time.)

Winter is upon us, and a hard one it is.  Maintain.  Try to maintain.  The name of the game is day to day.  Neglect blog because positive things I can find to say are regarding the warmth of friends, but not farm news--so not the blog material to put up.  Hope everyone else is finding blessings in their relationships this winter...and maintaining!

Wheeling Homecoming

Since Assisi was already separated, washed, and easy to walk, I had the brilliant idea (!) to walk her in the Wheeling Homecoming parade.  The parade theme was "Happy, happy Wheeling."  Since I don't watch TV, that brought to mind clowns and balloons; E.P. makes balloon animals and enjoys making and selling them...so I thought the Wheeling Homecoming might be a fun time for him.  But the family had plenty of plans and declined.  So I proceeded to call and see if another family with kids might have a child or two who would like to walk in the parade.  The Howes thought that Hunter MIGHT, so I went to Chilli and got markers, poster board and 2 little flags and wrote "A happy, happy Wheeling needs a healthy, healthy USA" and registered the entry.  I used a red/white/blue lead rope and placed a  little flag in the halter between her ears. I wore a flag shirt and carried the sign and the other little flag. Assisi, the Babydoll, walked perfectly and many kids at the Homecoming wanted to pet her. The recruited Hunter did want to lead her and did fine.  So the experience was successful overall, even though decided on very quickly.  Thank goodness the day was not as hot as Saturday!  One picture of the three of us during the parade.  And one of Assisi afterwards.

August 2013

World Sheepfest at Bethel, MO.

Once again E.P. and I went to this event.  This time I showed Xen in Lead Line before he was picked up by the folks buying him (and thank you to new owners!), while E.P. showed Assisi in all events:  Lead Line, Babydoll class, Babydoll champion, Champion Ewe Lamb Drive, and Showmanship.  This year the weather was HOT!  This likely affected the attendance at the Bethel event negatively.  We had a decent time and a good lamb-kabob for lunch.  Assisi behaved admirably after her first less-great appearance during the Lead Line event when she had to be carried.  After that, after E.P. walked her enough for her to be used to him, she was GREAT!  Some pix follow.

We're here

The Schedule

Ewe Lamb Champion Drive

July

July 6, 2013

Happy Birthday, USA!

After I lost--upon their family's decison to move--my young charges who were working with cattle, I was blessed to find another family whose two 14-year-old granddaughters wanted to try their hand with learning to gentle and work with and show my Dexters.  We began our push for the Braymer Livestock Show immediately as I had learned that the entrants could be anyone under 21, whether or not they were in 4-H or FFA.  We decided to show sheep too.

We are just back from that show!  I will post a bunch of pictures. As some of the pictures show, OTHER kids had significant family help and backing.  Katy and Sarah did amazingly well, considering that I am new to showing and their grandparents attended their first show at this Braymer one!!!  We adults helped out as we could but the girls were doing so much on their own.  Another nice thing is that E.P. (of first sheep-showing last Labor Day!) and his sister picked up the slack when Sarah took a break from the cattle-showing work.  So, many thanks to them as well!  And for our preparation, thanks to Philip Martin (a lesson on showing given by phone) and Kimberly B and son who came over and gave a hands-on lesson also!

Waiting for 1st time in ring...

Lookin' good!--you seem to know what you're doing!

Champion Bull drive--Sarah & ZeMizjEF are at the far right

 

E.P. helps out with heifers--I hope not embarrassed because he had no practice or information.

Champion Heifer drive--Katy with Xangwen, red Dexter

Again, in the ring with teens experienced in showing and adults helping youngsters, the girls held their own and "carried it off."

Waiting was a big part of the day.  Showmanship ended the species competitions, so we waited for that part and the teens in our team could choose which animal to go in the ring with.  Katy chose ZeMizjEF and E.P. showed Xangwen.  I thought both showed a good bit of presence and had learned a great deal in their few times in the ring and observations of other showmen!

After waiting through goats, Katy showed Xen, Babydoll ram.

Champion Ram drive

Sweet girls with sweet little ewe lambs--more relaxed by the end of the day?

Spring to Summer

June 3, 2013.  Alas, a lot of time (really?) has passed since my last blog post.  (I even found my January blogspot in drafts, unpublished, waiting for me to add a couple pictures.)  A bunch of cuties have been born this spring.  Here are a few pictures of babies, happenings, animals for sale:

Sheep first!
I had my first lamb triplets this year!

Surprising event--We had a snow in MAY! I titled this "I ain't dumb!"  for the lambs found a spot to get in out of the weather.

What I have available now is 2 rams and 6 females to sell.  I would like to keep a couple lambs and sell the yearlings out of the same ewes instead.  I am interested in having fewer lambs next year but I want to keep my adults so this is a way that I can give a buyer a boost and keep my production lower, I think.  I have a ram or two to go with some of the females.  Both black rams I would sell are ones I would keep and use, but I would like to have a white ram to breed my original white dam before she is too old and only prefer to have two rams at a time.  So I'm looking for a particular kind of white one.  My little ewe lambs this year are so cute and so shapely!  Next possible show, early July, is only for under-21, though, and my kids who have been working with the cattle may not be able to go, much less add sheep to their efforts--but I would really like these ewe lambs to be shown!

Lots of cute calves too.  And plenty of bulls and heifers to sell, breeding pairs and breeding triplets.  Have found that my milking stanchion is often very helpful and have brought several heifers in to eat in it and be more easily trained.  Have a good bit of A2 genes in my herd so those wanting a milk cow might be able to get one, but I am not testing everything at once--too costly!!!!!!

I have "some of everything" to sell.  I have a traditional bull, Legacy-approved.

Gladhour HH Tyde Cluny

This bull is by Trillium Cluny by AI and out of Zodiac's P-Bar Ida.  Around 2004 I was seeking heavily Woodmagic animals to try to build a "mini-Woodmagic" on this side of the Atlantic.  I bought several old line Woodmagic females and one bull.  Alas, "Clunyson"  is my only offspring from all those buys and all that effort.  I finally have one heifer by Clunyson out of a Colorado cow that I bought from the Davises in DE during that time as well.  Now I want to extend out to some other old-line bulls with my two females, so am ready to let Clunyson go.  He is PHA and chondro-free, dun and good-looking. Not so many of these traditional animals to be had, so if that is your interest, please contact me about him.  [Update 6-24-13:  Clunyson is SOLD.  Thank you to the new owners, who intend to use him to produce Legacy-approved animals--Yay!!!]


I have a black polled 2009 bull, WeeMustRayt, for sale.
[Update 6-24-13: He is UNDER CONTRACT.]

WeeMustRayt

I also have a homozygous polled black bull available to sell.  He carries neither red nor dun.  Is PHA and chondro-free. 

Homozygous polled black

Also available is the homozygous polled red Kaelan shown in earlier posts (who looks better now since he's been on pasture for some months).

Kaelan

I have Xugar and X-Rall red polled bulls available for sale from 2010.  Both have been sire-confirmed to Preference and X-Rall confirmed to both parents, meaning that he must be A2/A2.  Xugar's dam is not yet tested for A2, but both boys are chondro and PHA-free. 

Gladhour X-Rall O'Pref

Gladhour Xugar O'Pref

The little guy I really intended to take to the national ADCA show this year is from sire and dam that are chondro and PHA-free, but he is quite short.  I believe that he is homozygous dun and homyzygous red, so that would mean that whichever color of cow he was bred to would have that color calf if/even if she didn't carry the other color.  His half sister was the Mature Cow Division winner in the 2007 ADCA national video show and his dam came in just behind his sister in a good-sized class.  His name is Gladhour Xtubhen O'Rol, another 2010 polled bull. Such a cutie!

Gladhour Xtubhen O'Rol

And I have available for sale young 2012 black or red polled bulls that are very sweet, similar in laidback temperament to their sire, SF Preference, and some from Gladhour Raymore or  SGF ANT Kaelan, other desirable sires. 

There are plenty (and I do mean SEVERAL) red polled boys to choose from that have just been born this year.  As buyers are told, if you choose one and put down a deposit before they are weaned I will do the training, up to haltering, to the level you choose for no extra charge.  If they pass weaning, then you get the kind of training I prefer for myself or manage within the pasture.  Most of my bulls are pettable but not moved by halter.  The ones we will be training for show, though, will be halter-trained.

January Blogspot

January Blogspot

Almost missed January, huh?  Well, to update...the Thanksgiving homestays happened and were a blessing to families and students.  The Christmas holidays came and went with many activities.  Winter is HERE, but other than needing hay and having the extra efforts that winter brings, it hasn't been too bad a winter here so far.

Right now, I have some appointments for meat.  The processors have been completely swamped for many weeks in this area, it seems.  Do you suppose it is because people think meat prices will go up so they are stocking up?  It is not the best time for harvest, but I have some ready and some meat buyers who have spoken for some.  So things are set up with two different processors.  The veal calves will go to USDA processor so that I can sell the ones that are not currently ordered.  The buyers of my larger animals decided to buy the large animals on the hoof so they will get "custom" work on their orders.  Handy for them (and less expensive) and easier for me too.

But now to my greater love:  matching buyers and animals for breeding stock.  From my Dexters, both Raymore and Wrrayence went to new homes since my last blog.  Raymore was a wonderful bull for me and great-looking.  Wrrayence has so much potential and a sweet personality.  Here are pictures of both of them, and a thank you to their new owners!

Raymore

Wrrayence

I have several bulls for sale right now including  Xugar O'Pref, a red polled;
WeeMustRayt, a black polled by Raymore; 

WeeMustRayt

and both horned and polled younger boys.  I also have some proven herd sires that I would let go to the right home.


Another piece of news is the homozygous polled test that has just come out, available at UC-Davis.  This will make it possible for people who want to deal with only polled calves to have their wish in Dexters without experimenting so.  However, I personally intend to keep a polled herd and a horned herd as I want to retain the traditional Dexters along with having the polled that I originally thought were best, keeping the individual animals that I love most.