The Official Farming Thread...

[Hedgerow]

When we bought our property, there were a couple dozen or so in the barn.
My wife sold most of them at a craft show. Got $50 a piece for the nice ones. The one in your pic is in better shape than ours were.
I've seen them used to store umbrellas, or by a fireplace.
I still have one in the shop that I keep kindling in. Does that make me trendy?

Depends...

If you aren’t wearing skinny jeans and beard butter when you are fetching kindling out of it, sorry to say, but you may not be trendy...

 

[Hedgerow]

yes. That’s how you do it. Very nice finish on that beef sir. Well done. My last one wasn’t that pretty. It’s good Eatin. But I know what you’ve got there is better

How many months was the last one you sent?
I think Kyle was 15 months.
The two previous were 13 and 14 respectively..

They did not have as much marbling.

Starting to wonder what an 18 or 20 month old steer would look like??

 

[srb08]

Depends...

If you aren’t wearing skinny jeans and beard butter when you are fetching kindling out of it, sorry to say, but you may not be trendy...

Oh well. I guess I'll just have to be content with being a redneck.

 

[Hedgerow]

Oh well. I guess I'll just have to be content with being a redneck.

Indeed...

Life is better that way..

 

[srb08]

Indeed...

Life is better that way..

Yep. I'm not sure I could grow enough hair for a man bun.

 

[Ryan Browne]

The reason I ask was I went past a antique / salvage shop and he had a couple for sale
These old milk churns used to be everywhere on the farm they are always perfect for taking out water when the barn and pasture water is frozen

now apparently thes city folk are buying them up
I couldn’t believe the price tag

View attachment 302286

Here is one of my favorite finds from a local antique store. Cracked me up. No, I didn't buy it...

 

[jakethesnake]

How many months was the last one you sent?
I think Kyle was 15 months.
The two previous were 13 and 14 respectively..

They did not have as much marbling.

Starting to wonder what an 18 or 20 month old steer would look like??

The last one was 14. I’ve done 18. Honestly it depends. I like 16. But I’ve had some not get as big so I finished them longer. I fed this one in the barn for a few weeks but it just wasn’t long enough. For this specific animal. It has enough fat but not in all the right places. It was an angus Hereford cross like all the rest.

don’t get me wrong he’s delicious. But that cut you posted is brilliant

the ones I raised up longer in my opinion were just too big. The steaks are great but they get bigger all the way around. I can eat a nice sized cut but they were a little too big.

after that I quit going by just age and I guess at a certain weight. That’s working for me. I think some of our hot summers sorta slow them down on growth. Next one I whack I’m gonna really throw the corn or barley to them in the finish. See how that works.

 

[jakethesnake]

I think you may be able to achieve very good marble by putting them in the small pen for a touch longer. However I’m no scientist. I had a bit younger ones turn out beautiful by keeping them in the pen longer than I wanted. Had a little backup at the butcher. Meanest steer I ever raised. He would run you. I figured he’d be tough. I penned him up and called ahead. The wait time was a tick over a month. I left him in there and turned the feed to him. Just a little bit of good grass hay. One of the best beefs I ever ate. From the looks of things you know how to finish one. But I’m thinking penning them up longer may be the answer. Possibly even depends on the specific beast.

 

[ajschainsaws]

When we bought our property, there were a couple dozen or so in the barn.
My wife sold most of them at a craft show. Got $50 a piece for the nice ones. The one in your pic is in better shape than ours were.
I've seen them used to store umbrellas, or by a fireplace.
I still have one in the shop that I keep kindling in. Does that make me trendy?

yep you are

 

[ajschainsaws]

Depends...

If you aren’t wearing skinny jeans and beard butter when you are fetching kindling out of it, sorry to say, but you may not be trendy...

yeah but now the men are into bicycles and wearing Lycra shorts etc
And wearing beard oil with the adventure outdoorsy aroma

 

[ajschainsaws]

Indeed...

Life is better that way..

true that being redneck and making do has been around for hundreds of years
Man buns will be gone next Christmas and then it’ll be God only knows

 

[ajschainsaws]

I think you may be able to achieve very good marble by putting them in the small pen for a touch longer. However I’m no scientist. I had a bit younger ones turn out beautiful by keeping them in the pen longer than I wanted. Had a little backup at the butcher. Meanest steer I ever raised. He would run you. I figured he’d be tough. I penned him up and called ahead. The wait time was a tick over a month. I left him in there and turned the feed to him. Just a little bit of good grass hay. One of the best beefs I ever ate. From the looks of things you know how to finish one. But I’m thinking penning them up longer may be the answer. Possibly even depends on the specific beast.

your right there in Europe there’s too much protein being used and force fed
corn silage there’s nothing better than natural growth

 

[Hedgerow]

I think you may be able to achieve very good marble by putting them in the small pen for a touch longer. However I’m no scientist. I had a bit younger ones turn out beautiful by keeping them in the pen longer than I wanted. Had a little backup at the butcher. Meanest steer I ever raised. He would run you. I figured he’d be tough. I penned him up and called ahead. The wait time was a tick over a month. I left him in there and turned the feed to him. Just a little bit of good grass hay. One of the best beefs I ever ate. From the looks of things you know how to finish one. But I’m thinking penning them up longer may be the answer. Possibly even depends on the specific beast.

From the time I stock the lot, the steers get free choice Bermuda grass hay in a covered hay feeder.
They are fed grain at the rate of 1.5-2 lbs per hundred weight of body weight.
800 lb critter = 12-16 lbs of grain.

When they hit ~1000 lbs or so, I don’t change the ratio, I change the type of grain they get.
Finnishing ration is a 99% corn mixed with a feedlot pellet that is high in fiber and has all the buffers and vitamins and such to keep their digestive systems in the right PH range.. I want them to consume as much of the hay as possible still.. dry hay keeps their belly’s happy.

500-800 pounders get same grain rate, just a different grain.
Cattle charge pellets or purina Pre-con works great on young stock, as it’s a complete ration and very high in fiber.. they are in their growth phase then and not really laying on the fat yet.

 

[Hedgerow]

your right there in Europe there’s too much protein being used and force fed
corn silage there’s nothing better than natural growth

If it’s available, I wouldn’t hesitate to use corn sileage as a ration base.. its actually a very good feed for ruminating critters.. lots of fiber from the stalk and cob... mix in some long stem dry hay and you’ll have some very happy cattle..
and I love the smell of it.... brings back memories of the feed room at the dairy farm..

 

[Hedgerow]

I’d like to come up with a system where I could graze a batch of fat steers up to 1000 lbs and make them lazy bastards go fetch their own forage and come back in twice a day for their supplimental grain.
Just not sure how many acres it would take or how many paddocks I’d have to make to keep them in optimal quality forage over a 6 month period of time...

Something tells me it’s gonna take thousands of dollars in pipe/gates/fence..

 

[Mastermind]

I’d like to come up with a system where I could graze a batch of fat steers up to 1000 lbs and make them lazy bastards go fetch their own forage and come back in twice a day for their supplimental grain.
Just not sure how many acres it would take or how many paddocks I’d have to make to keep them in optimal quality forage over a 6 month period of time...

Something tells me it’s gonna take thousands of dollars in pipe/gates/fence..

I've got 14 head on 40 acres of good grass. I only give them grain to keep them coming if I yell for them. Fat and sassy they are....but none are steers.

 

[jakethesnake]

From the time I stock the lot, the steers get free choice Bermuda grass hay in a covered hay feeder.
They are fed grain at the rate of 1.5-2 lbs per hundred weight of body weight.
800 lb critter = 12-16 lbs of grain.

When they hit ~1000 lbs or so, I don’t change the ratio, I change the type of grain they get.
Finnishing ration is a 99% corn mixed with a feedlot pellet that is high in fiber and has all the buffers and vitamins and such to keep their digestive systems in the right PH range.. I want them to consume as much of the hay as possible still.. dry hay keeps their belly’s happy.

500-800 pounders get same grain rate, just a different grain.
Cattle charge pellets or purina Pre-con works great on young stock, as it’s a complete ration and very high in fiber.. they are in their growth phase then and not really laying on the fat yet.

I try to keep my feed cost as low as possible. So I put whatever barley/corn. In the grinder and try to feed decent enough hay. That’s as scientific as I go. Most of my critters are just roaming until I pen them up. Then I try to give the best I’ve got. Without spending much on feed. That’s my thought process. Maybe not right but it does work out pretty well for me.

 

[jakethesnake]

As far as silage goes. No doubt I’d feed the hell out of it. It’s just a pain with a few beef cattle. 20 plus head doesn’t justify dealing with storing it and dealing with rats and everything that goes with silage. It’s excellent feed. No doubt.

 

[N8TE]

If it’s available, I wouldn’t hesitate to use corn sileage as a ration base.. its actually a very good feed for ruminating critters.. lots of fiber from the stalk and cob... mix in some long stem dry hay and you’ll have some very happy cattle..
and I love the smell of it.... brings back memories of the feed room at the dairy farm..

A little silage gets put up around here

 

[N8TE]

dealing with rats

A thermal on top of a .22lr makes for many entertaining nights!