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Weather: Morning frost yet wind weakens over the day.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8-16. Bulls (18) + 14 horses (always been mixed) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Cows move into L-16 (45 acres). Yearlings move into next split (7.5). Heifers move to 3-acre split. Bulls to next split. Old cow (cannot read tag) slinked her calf. Fourth and last day of punishing and drying winds. I saw the first Heron on ponds below Big Wall…also first Turkey Vulture. And Vesper sparrows are back. Weather: Morning frosts and cold persistent winds continue.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) + 14 horses (always been mixed) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Worrisome weather sucking out ground moisture and slowing spring growth. All but the bulls move to new splits. Heifer calving picks up. I spent the whole day facilitating a CMR Working Group meeting at Fort Peck-engaging and connecting a variety of intentional people who all share a genuine interest in the long-term health of this grassland place. Walking Ben and checking heifers breaks up the night and leaves me yawning. Summary L-8 (264): 10 days; 10 splits; 14 ads; 1.4 ads from protein supplemental alfalfa hay Weather: Wet to the west (Big Timber-Bozeman) yet for us a painful, cold, drying and unrelenting wind all day.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Cows (25+ acres), heifers (3 acres), yearlings (10 acres), and bulls (2 acres) all move to fresh splits. A surprising absence of waterfowl species and numbers at present along the ranch’s ponds and tributaries. Alaina departs for Glacier-her cheerful demeanor, kindness, and Friday night movie smarts will be missed. Weather: Mild in the morning with afternoon wind dropping temperatures and moisture forecasted.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Daily splits for all except bulls. NRCS staff arrive today to do on ground 5-year audit of our NRCS easement.
Weather: Almost too hot.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Cows and calves to new splits. Locked heifers in back lot for night check. Met Scott Goffena and his dad in Lackey looking for arrowheads. They should have asked for permission, but I did not press. Scott said they saw several teepee rings in L-3. I asked Scott to come back and show me the rings. Sharp-tail Lek just south of corrals is alive well and noisy. Weather: Just about perfect.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Cow and heifers all to new splits. Hay day for cows, heifers, and calves. Everyone off today and not too hard to cover all the chores. Long-billed Curlews arrive, and chorus frogs start singing. Sounds of Sandhill Cranes at North Willow at west end of Big Wall. A few dandelions and phlox beginning to flower. Such a nice start of spring. If we can 4 or 5 inches of moisture evenly spaced between now and end of June, it could be lovely. Yet, long-term forecast is leaning toward a drier and warmer summer. Weather: Bouts of sporadic wind over the day, yet mostly calm and warm.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. New splits for all 4 groups. Tyler takes his crew from Boulder in tow to help with all the chores. While moving the calves, they spotted a fire in Lackey 15 near Pelan’s boundary. Apparently, a Northwest Electric line popped off its insulator and sparked the fire. As that paddock had been grazed in March, there was not a lot of standing feed to carry the fire and it just barely got into the trees before it stopped. Great help from neighbors and the Volunteer Fireman. Could have been worse, or maybe better, as the fire could have burned through the “dog hair” scrub pine and opened some space for more grass. Hardly ever works that neatly. Ryan’s getting the fire truck ready to go. And we spotted a few turkeys near the fire. Weather: Gentle and warm with a light morning frost.
Where: Cows (254) in L-8. Bulls (18) in WG-4. Heifers (74) LS-1. Calves (264) in EG-4. Cows move to 4th split in L-8. Heifers move to next 5-acre split. Calves move into a smaller (10 acre) split. Bulls stay put. Tyler’s Boulder crew arrive. All groups fed hay supplement. |
Bill Milton
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Milton Ranch LLC | Daily Ranch Journal |