Farms
The Harvey's
Tom & Tina
Double
Farms
Double
Farms
Double
Newsletter
Table of Contents:
Preface,
We chose to combine July and August this issue. Hopefully it will get us caught up!
I. HUMOR (sorta...Tina thought it was "cute")
Hang on! (True story)
Our kids had plenty of energy as youngsters. They were always running here or running there, getting into mischief, or "finding" something to do. Even a good herdsman on a cutting horse would probably have a hard time putting these two in pen! Anytime we went into a store you had to hold reigns on them or else you would find yourself answering to a store manager, or leaving the store in a hurry...well almost that bad!...:) Stores were a virtual indoor playground for them though, and Tina and I had to keep a sharp eye on them in order to maintain control and make sure they knew there was a thing called manners.
If it wasn't already on the list of "don't do's" our kids would be sure to test the waters. Darting the isles, and playing hide and go seek in the clothing racks were two common violations, but despite the consequences, (yes we spanked!) these violations were challenged regularly. A constant vigil had to be maintained, and seriousness was paramount, as any signs of amusement on the side of the parent meant fair game! I must admit, sometimes they were cute, and sometimes you couldn't help but join in, especially on the hide an seek or see if I can loose the kids in the store game! Usually I was promptly scolded by my wife when I succumbed to this type behavior though!
One day I was working on a project around the house, and as usual, the tool or part I needed to complete that project could not be found or was not available. I decided to make a run for the local hardware store to get what I needed. I'm not sure how I ended up with the kids in the car, but never the less they were there, ready to go! Now this was a trip that had a mission, and that was to "get in" and "get out" as quickly as possible. There would be no time for the normal Dad/ kid shopping attitude...:) As we entered the store I told the kids to stay close and keep their hands to themselves. Before I knew it, the quick trip turned into a faced paced "get this" and "get that" trip. Moreover, in my haste to get through the store, I didn't focus on maintaining any discipline. Add this to the fact that a hardware store held no significant interest to children (ie: toys and candy), and it wasn't long before I had lost control of the kids. They were running in the isles and being disruptive.
Realizing my mistake I used the stern "y'all better get over here" voice, and within seconds they were standing by my side. I was in no mood, nor did I have the time to play store games. I instructed them to place their hands in my pockets and "hang on" (thinking it would keep them right next to me and allow me to finish the task at hand). When I stepped off to move to the next isle I heard an ominous tearing sound,...and then the giggling followed. Maybe the hands in the pockets wasn't such a good idea after all. Well, to make a long story short the kids got the amusement they were looking for in the store, and I got to do the "get in" and "get out" ....quickly!
The moral of the story:
Setting rules doesn't guarantee a successful outcome.
From a cattle raisers point of view:
No matter how careful you manage your program, you won't always have everything under control
II. INFORMATIVE
It's that time of year.....just rambling.
It is the later part of July and I am sitting in a chair watching it rain. For the last two weeks we have been blessed with intermittent rain as a result of the gulf coast moisture provided by the Hurricanes. In the last three months preceding these rains, our rainfall was meager at best, once going almost 60 days without any. We are in drought conditions for our county, and well below our average rainfall for the year. A burn ban is in effect, and the grass is still waning. Stock tanks are drying up all over the country. I have lost two and have two more which are critical. There is not enough runoff in the rains we have received to fill them back up, much less freshen them up! I had to place a water trough in one pasture to keep the animals from drinking the muddy slurry which remains. I am glad I had the foresight to dredge two of the stock tanks last year. They are still holding water. I was even feeding hay for a few weeks prior to the rains to help keep the pastures from being grazed too heavily. This little bit of moisture has helped the grass green back up and continue to grow, but the hay cutting is not going as well as planned and it will be all I can do to stock what I need plus have some overage for next year. Luckily, I had purchased some excess hay this spring anticipating a dry year, so I will be able to make the winter with no additional costs, as hay prices continue to climb. Hopefully the rest of the year will be kind, and I will still be selling some hay in a seller's market after all.
The month of July and the first part of August is a lull time of year here. No calving, no plowing, "usually" no feeding, no working the cows, maybe just a little mowing, fence work, and hay hauling is all. It's probably a good time to reevaluate the year, project where I am going, and determine if my operation will support my plan...or be supported by my plan...:) Of course all this is based on the environmental conditions and the market. As it stands right now, it appears the pastures will hold until the fall rains...assuming we get them. However, I am not so sure about the stock tanks. It will take inches and inches of rainfall to refill the tanks to there normal levels. Aside from hay and salt/mineral, fresh water is the only thing I need to keep my herd moving forward. I don't know how I would make it if I ran a feed program like some of my competitors. Shoot, I don't even know how their cows would make it "without" the extra feed...:) I'm glad I don't feed my cattle daily, or even every other day for that matter. I don't suppose what I do is called feeding anyway..it's more like teasing! Dumping a 1/2 bucket a cube on the ground a couple times a week in each pasture could hardly be called feeding. I guess it at least keeps them coming to me instead of me going to them!
It's funny, because in times like these I can go look at my cattle, which have sold off to other operations, and they are flourishing! It almost make me envious sometimes, to see the fine shape they maintain, and the fat little calves they have on their sides, but then I have to remind myself that this is exactly what I would expect of my cattle, based on how they were treated in my program. I should expect no less, and hope the customer is satisfied with their performance as well. Of course I come back to the house and find mine looking probably their worst, with the exception of late winter. I then ponder some, wishing I could feed mine a little more to make them look good, or wondering what my customers would think if they saw these momma's, but then out from behind one of those momma cows walks the reason for their condition. Despite the searing 100+ weather, the stocks tanks being murky and warm, the grass being course and dry, the cow milking out a calf, or battling the flys, plus the added nutritional pressures needed to lactate and grow a new calf inside her,...despite all this, she is standing in the middle of the pasture, in the middle of the afternoon, getting the job done with a nearly 600 lb calf on her side!
I guess I ought to get outside and spend a few hours fixing some badly needed fence rows. I don't like it when the 2000+ lb bull has only 18" of wire and a road between him and the other bull. I'm glad he is a Hereford and minds his own pasture! I might also get out there when it cools in the evening and top some of that goatweed since I didn't spray earlier this year. Maybe I can get those other two tanks cleaned with my loader while it is so dry..hmmm. Probably ought to evaluate my feed cost so far this year, or work on my records while it is still raining. Too late, it stopped raining. I guess a 20 minute shower is better than nothing. Maybe I'll go out and take a couple of pictures of the pasture after this rain an include them in this newsletter. Well I did. The picture which is on my main page this month was taken in the beginning of July, after about a week of rain. You can see the grass is still stressed. The pictures on this newsletter were taken at the end of July (while I was writing this newsletter) right after a short shower and you can see the grass has greened up considerably.
Unfortunately, it is now late August and we have not seen much rain since the beginning of July. Oh it keeps raining all around us alright; in town, on my hay meadows, down the road, in the next county, but not on my pastures! We're are right back to kicking up dust again! My cows will begin calving any day now. In fact, our first heifer calved a 61 lb heifer on the 20th of August. We moved the herd up from September so we could take a few choice females out of the groups, flush them, and then bred them back for the same season. This year will be a tough test for those calving females, based on the stresses of the season and the demands we will expect of them in the next few months, but these are also the years when you know if what you are doing with your program is working! Moreover, it will qualify my selections, and breedings which we continue to use as the foundations of our program. We hope this season finds you blessed with good grass, good rains, and a good calf crop, and if not, then we hope it at least qualifies your program...:)
Yes! We are on the edge of the red area! III.FARM NEWS:
Calving! Calving will begin in August this year. We decided to move it up a little so we could flush a couple of choice females from the fall and still leave them in season.
Michael Forge of Forge Cattle Co. is a recent buyer of Double H Farms cattle. Thankyou!
Santos Estraca Family is a recent buyer of Double H Farms cattle. Thankyou!
Chasity Cox is a recent buyer of Double H Farms cattle. Thankyou!
College is gearing back up, and our daughter hit another deer with her car!...So, look for cattle to sell...:)
IV. CURRENT EVENTS:
The Hereford Breeders Auction is just a month away!
The Texas Polled Hereford State Show will be in Tyler, Texas this year on October 1st!
V. HEREFORD HIGHLIGHTS:
GILLESPIE MALACHI M201
02/01/2002
Bred by Gerber Polled Herefords
Well, that about wraps it up. We certainly hoped you enjoyed the newsletter! Email us and let us know what you think.
ThankyouTom and Tina HarveyPerformance on the Hoof!
Performance on the Hoof!
Performance on the Hoof!
July / August 2005
After a missed an opportunity to get a new herd sire prospect from the Gerber dispersal sale in 2001, I was determined to find a way to sample his genetic base is my herd. I attempted to contact Doug Gerber, but instead made contact with a relative of his, Matt Gillespie. Matt informed me he had purchased a couple of bred cows from the dispersal himself, and after several phone conversations, emails, and a trip to see the two resulting bulls, we were able strike a deal. We again made the trip to Ohio in the fall of '02 to pick up the two weaned calves. Malachi was one of those two calves. The other, a 46B son,
out of the Dagmar line, died suddenly as a 1,300 pound yearling before we could collect him. Malachi went through gain test where he performed very well. Following gain test he was placed with 10 heifers at the age of 13 months in 2003. Although Malachi has seen limited use due to the fact we have had a smaller herd and other breed bulls to cover, he has sired a number of offspring, some registered and some commercially. The calves have come light to moderate, and almost without exception have good pigmentation. Malachi himself, is very easy fleshing bull. In fact I don't believe I have ever owned a bull who maintained condition like this bull does under breeding pressures and poor nutritional periods. Malachi is very closely related to the bull Gerber Lombardi. He is an excellent 434V son and he boast other sires in his line such as RHF Victor 103T, Gerber Watchfire, and Feltons 517,. He dam was a sale feature in the Gerber dispersal, and a top performing Watchfire daughter. His maternal side includes the two great cows Queen Ten 782 R and Gerber 103T Trish 45D. Malachi has been collected by us for AI purposes. He was used naturally in our herd for both fall '05 and Spring '06 calving. Since we are wanting to support the Hereford Breeders Auction Sale with top quality animals, we have decided to offer up full possession of this bull with 1/2 interest. Double H Farms and Willis Polled Herefords will maintain 1/4 interest each, for the purpose of future use in our herds through AI. Below you will find some pics of a few of his calves and another thumbnail photo of Malachi above taken in August of this year. Please refer to the Auction page if you are interested in owning this well bred sire.
Thanks, and keep coming back!!
Where is the water!
Where's the water!
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Photos taken in Late August 2005
(click on small photos to enlarge)
Gerber Lombardi
076
209 CR 4625
Cooper, Texas 75432
903 395-2413
doubleh@vzinet.com
