Getting warmer. Cows move to 6th split. Bulls stay in south half of SNG8 where they can water at the reservoir with the Cottonwood Grove. I have been forgetting to note that a Curlew family is in NG4. The ranch is supporting habitat for at least 5 separate Long-billed Curlew family groups.
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Remaining mild with cool mornings. Cows move to 5th split, as daily moves continue. We fenced to enclose a small colony of Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) growing in a draw much higher in the uplands than the species is normally found-very important for Monarch butterflies.
Continued mild weather. Cows move to 4th split. We are in a nice rhythm with the cows, the grass, the water, and us. Cows in strong condition score heading into breeding season. Relatedly, the ranch plans to adopt a higher cow to bull ratio (40 to 1).
Quick hard rain during the night. We moved to 3rd split in NG4. Katie came to do bull test-4 fell out. May need a get a couple more bulls from Travis. Bulls (16) holding in SNG8 back half.
Cooling down. Cows move to 2nd split in NG4. Hopper spraying completed. Bulls move into SNG8 in prep for testing.
Warm to hot. Cows move into 1st split in NG4. We heated up border fence with Colony to the south to hopefully control any bull mix up. Natalie and I checked out Echinacia in EL4. Conifer encroachment is becoming a bigger concern. First flocks of everything are readily seen around the ranch. First day of hopper spraying begins.
Just right. We moved cows to split in NG5 to pick up last grass left from before branding. Hopper spray postponed.
Clear, mild, and with mild breeze. Another partial backing up into NG6, but cows are now locked into NG6a. Maybe one more day of grazing before moving to new paddock. A contract to spray hoppers with Dimillin us finally reached. Spray commences tomorrow. Natalie and I visited SG2 to check out Echinacia-population seems to continue to expand. A fair amount of hail damage was experienced along the whole ridge from the storm on 7.6.
Cool, clear, and breezy morning. Ranch camp ends as the California crew head west to Red Lodge. Cows back up again into NG6. Basically the mob has moved somewhat unplanned through NG6 and NG6a since 6.28 to the present.
Cool with more unruly weather, yet less than yesterday. Cows ‘find’ new split in NG6a. We are moving bulls almost every day in WL1. Another ‘ranch camp bash’ held for my birthday. Vidic Drilling finds filter screen plug in Ryan’s well pump. With well now working, we are now filling the pit again. We finished the day with a nice sunset walk in “New Switzerland’ (NNG) and the reading of a letter from Big wall Dragon to the Ranch Camp kids responding to their questions.
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Bill Milton
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