Any dairy or beef farmers on the forum?

[Bob Weisner]

Hi.

Are there any dairy or beef farmers on the Sawmillcreek forum?

Thanks,

[nic obie]

I used to be a wholesale meat and dairy distributor.

[David Wilson]

I repair radios for a dairy. Does that count?

[Jason Roehl]

I'm not, but my in-laws are beef cattle farmers. I'll have been married ten years this year--guess how much I've spent on beef in that ten years? :D

Anything in particular you wanted to know, or are you a beef/dairy farmer just wondering who your contemporaries are?

[Steve Ash]

Well, I used to be before I became a building contractor 16 years ago...I farmed with my Dad and brother on 1600 acres of owned ground and 400 rented. We had 300 head of brood cows and raised the calves to feeder cattle status. Then they were sold to a feedlot to fatten them up to slaughter weight. I also had 24 head of brood sows that I raised feeder pigs for "extra income". We also raised beans, corn, wheat and about 30,000 bales of hay each year. Can I help you with something?

[Chad Pater]

I am a dairy farmer. We have around 200 cows.
Chad

[Bob Weisner]

Chad:

What breed of cows do you have?

[Chad Pater]

Chad:

What breed of cows do you have?

We have all Holstein. I grew on the dairy farm. My parents milked around 30-35 head, now my brother and I are working together. We raise all our own heifers and our feed.
What is your connection to cattle?
Chad

[Bob Weisner]

Chad:

My parents, aunt, uncles and grandparents all were dairy farmers. I was born a year after my grandparents sold the farm, so I have never had the chance to run a dairy farm. My question is this:

1. At what age does a Holstein bull start to turn mean?

I was taking pictures for my town's website and one of the places I went to was to one of the dairy farms in town. They milk over 400 Holsteins. I took a bunch of pictures of the farm. The barns, silos, calves, cows, fields, ect. Then we decided to take some pictures of the cows as they were being led back from the pasture to go for the morning milking. Everything went well, and I got some nice pictures. Then, one of the "COWS" , stopped dead in its tracks!! (There was about 80 head being brought back to the barn) Now, I did not know it at the the time, but there was 3 Holstein bulls that were out in the pasture with the cows. The owner said "you better back up" , thats a bull" I looked at the bull and it could not have been more than 1 1/2 years old. I was so busy taking pictures that i got about 1 foot from the fence. I said " he's fine" That is when things started going downhill !. The bull, which was really not that big at all, lowered it's head and started snorting and let out a LOUD noise!! He then rammed the gates. The bull did that twice. After the first crash to the gates, I backed up. Then, the bull backed up a third time and started digging his hooves into the ground. He then rammed the gates a third time. That is when the gates pushed open about 6 inches. The chain that kept the gates locked, held. But, just barely.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bob....My grandparents were farmers and in one of my summer visits I can remember picking blackberries with my grandfather and an uncle. We were in a pasture when their holstein bull charged us. They'd bottle fed this bull when it was a calf. Grandpa a small man picked me up and placed me on a pile of fence posts that were stacked as you'd stack drying lumber. Grandpa climbed up beside me. My uncle Don picked up a pole from the pile and swatted the bull on the nose like you or I'd swat a fly with a flyswatter. My uncle was a large man and not to be taken lightly.

In high school, I was spending a weekend with a friend on their dairy farm. My friend took his horse to bring in the cows for the evening milking while I put hay in the mangers. I heard him yelling...."Close the door behind me" He was riding the horse in front of the cows and going rapidly. I stood on the manger and with my foot closed the bottom half of the dutch door as he rode the horse into the milking area. Their holstein bull had charged he and the horse and gored the horse in the left flank. I held the horse while he got his dad. His dad mounted the horse and carrying a 2x4 went out to address the bull. The bull proceeded to gore the horse in the right flank. Charlie dismounted in front of the bull and led the injured horse into the barn. Charlie went to the house and got his shotgun and fired a couple of shots aiming near the bull. That evening I helped calm the horse while the vet stiched it up. Around 4:00 a.m. we heard a truck pull into their driveway and Charlie told us to get up and help load the bull. It was hamburger by that evening......

In the same tone.....Yellowstone National Park.....There are more people injured photographing buffalo than by grizzley bears! The animals there are not pets....not trained...not domesticated....they are wild! I cringe everytime I pass through there and see somebody standing in front of this very large animal trying to get a close up shot. Medical bills and suffering are more expensive than a camera and a good telephoto lens!

Bulls are bulls....it's the nature of the beast.....

[Chad Pater]

Chad:

1. At what age does a Holstein bull start to turn mean?

Hmmm that is the magic question isn't it. Unfortunately there isn't one answer to that. Usually they get "worse" with age but they are all different. Kind of like people I suppose :) . In my experience Holstein can be the worst. Their mood swings are worse then other breeds...meaning one day they nice and the next day they are acting like what you saw yesterday. Glad your alright.
By the way this is one reason why we A.I. everything. Another is far better genectics of course.
Chad

[Steve Ash]

We had 7 bulls that we used to do clean up duty....."anything that didn't catch artificially". I never once lost respect for these Libido crazed monsters at any age....even when I fed them I never turned my back to them.
My mom's best friend lost both of her parents due to a bull going crazy...she was 17 at the time, imagine watching your Mom and Dad dying at the same time because of a bull gone crazy!
Bottom line......never trust a bull (bovine) at any age!

[Michael Gibbons]

My wife and I live down the road from her parents who have about 40 brood cows on 80 acres. Dads real job is a tool and die maker and mom does all the odd stuff till he gets home. One time he got chased by a steer so it had to go. They called the guy from the local slaughter house and he came out with his 30.06 and let him have it. Loaded it up and we had fresh steaks in a couple weeks. Another time it was castrating time and one of the bulls didn't take to kindly to becoming a steer so it jumped through the window of the barn ( no glass in it at the time). Call the guy out again. Ornsby was one of their bulls who would sit like a dog and let you pet it.