I. Humor
"Slippery situation"
It just seemed appropriate to have a story that dealt with ice this time of year. I t may not bring the humor that some of my other stories bring, but it certainly was funny at the time. I was stationed in Iceland on barracks duty. My job was Sergeant of the Guard, and being such I was responsible for the managment of a guard section. Part of this responsibility involved the posting and relieving of sentries who guarded sensitive military assests. Some of the posts we manned were inside facilities, and others were outside. The outside post were usually roving posts...either walking or driving. The U.S. postal delivery workers would have a hard time keeping up with the weather conditions some of these sentries had to deal with in the performance of their duties..:) A couple of these posts were located off the base, and as the Sergeant of the Guard I had the responsibility to make these particular reliefs. I would load up the two on going sentries in a pickup, and off we would go. The first stop was a very large bunker complex. It was a driving post due to the area it covered. Leading up to the complex was an old abandoned British air strip. It was like driving down a freeway which suddenly dead ended into a fenced compound. Normally it was a simple relief. We would drive to the gate, where the waiting sentry would open it for releif to be made....but this day it was not so simple.
Icelandic weather can be very severe....and unpredictable. One day it can be so cold you can't remove your hand from your cold weather glove for more then a few seconds before it is almost frostbitten and useless. The next day it might be snowing so hard (what was known as a "whiteout") that you could not see what was 4 feet in in front of you. Other days it could be warm and pleasant with just a cool rain. All this was due to it's location in the northen hemisphere, and the fact the gulf stream passed over the corner of the island bringing warm air and moisture. The one thing you could always seem to count on was wind, and either perpetual darkness or light. Well, this one particular day had a mix of most of them. We had heavy snow a couple days previous, so there were a couple of feet of snow on the ground, with drifts as high as 6 or 7 feet. Then it rained which melted some of the snow, and then it froze, placing a sheet of ice all over everything. Add to that some hurricane force winds (average 50 mph), and perpertual darkness, and you got a situation waiting to happen...it did.
We drove off the base in those conditions (as we always did) sliding around on the ice. When we got to the airfield we turned head on into the wind. I had only gone several hundred feet of the thousands I needed to get to the end of the runway when the truck just decided to break loose and spin uncontrollably back down to where I came from. The runway had become a sheet of ice and the winds had put enough moisture on it to make it slicker then owl...well you know. I regained control and gave it a little more gas hoping I could overcome this dilemma with momentum. Two more attempts were both fruitless and comical as we fought to make our way, each time loosing traction and spinning back uncontrollably down the airfield. Actually it was kinda fun, but we had a sentry to consider who had been on post for 4 hrs so there was no time to play. I noticed a grader had pushed the snow on either side of the runway creating a low embankment for what appeared to be most of the distance down the runway. So I drove to the embankment, placed two tires on it and off we went. I radioed the sentry and told him not to open the gate under the circumstances fearing we would never get it closed. Also thinking ahead I drove the truck as close as I could get to the gate then wheeled around on the runway to the other side, so I was already facing downwind with two wheels in the embankment there for my departure.
As luck would have it someone had hit the gate in the past and there was just enough bend to squeeze a man through it. I told the relieving sentry the plan. We would exit the truck and hang on to it until we got to the rear, then we would literally crawl the distance to the gate on the embankment. Unfortunately the sentry didn't seem to think this was necessary and when he got to the end of the truck he tried to dash across the ice some 100 feet or so to the gate! Well, he made about 20 feet when, in an instant, the winds caught him sending him to the ground and down the airstrip spinning uuncontrollably on his back. I couldn't breath I was laughing so hard. He eventually slid to the far embankment where he regained his composure. He began to crawl (like I was doing) down the embankment, but he had one point of which there was about a 30 foot gap in the embankment. He made a "gallant" running attempt to span that gap and yes, away he went again! He finally made it on the second attempt (on his hands and knees), and we met at the fence clinging on for life. We slipped through the hole in the gate, crawled to the guard shack and met the sentry to be relieved, who was still laughing at the events. A quick report, weapons check and briefing, and we were back through the gate...this time with "clear" instructions for the new guy on how to get back to the truck safely! He had seen first hand the error of his relief, so the crawl back, gripping and clawing at the frozen snow with our fingers, was uneventful.
When I got in the truck I looked down to see the coffee thermos of "slick" still lying in the seat. My concious would not let me leave a cold, wet sentry without some form of comfort. So, back out on the truck I went, then crawling back down the embankment to the fence and eventually to the gate where I passed the thermos to the much appreciated sentry. I turned to make the slow crawl back. Thirty or forty minutes had passed since we began the "attack" on the runway which would normally have taken 5 minutes to do. The ardous miles we still had to drive would delay the second relief even more, and that sentry was on a walking post exposed to the elements. I'm not sure if this is what weighed heavily on my mind, or whether I just felt I was smarter and had more ability then "slick", but when I saw the distance I had to cover on my hands and knees...again, I decided on a different approach. The wind was at my back, and I figured I might just be able to skate to the truck using the wind to push me along. So, I did the unthinkable and let go of the gate...:) I stood upright and let the wind push me along the ice. I was doing pretty good, but about 50 or so feet into the hundred I lost my balance, and yes, I went spinning uncontrollably on my back down the runway pass the truck by about 100 feet before I came to rest on the far embankment. I waved the truck over to pick me up...since it was on their way....;)
The moral of the story:
Good intentions can sometimes lead to bad decisions.
From a cattle raisers point of view:
Following trends may be a sign that your decision making lacks individual intelligence
II. INFORMATIVE
"Culled....does not always mean bad"
When we hear the word "culled" we usually associate it with a negative meaning like "not wanted", "discarded" or "inferior", and in the cattle business it's typically used to identify just that. However, most farmers and ranchers will tell you there are various levels of culling, and that those levels can be influenced by many factors. Usually the first level of culling involves the injured or sick animals. This seperates them from further injury and exposure to the herd, and sometimes results in a second chance. If the problem cannot be corrected they are either disposed of, or sent packing. A registered breeder may spend allot of time and money preventing a good animal hit by these circumstances from falling out of production. Whereas most commercial cattlemen will just cut their losses and move on. When the registered breeder must succumb to the inevitable, it is (or should be) reported to the breeders association. That report usually ends up being a "died" or "culled" category.
Now the Hereford Association has five different designations for "died" and thirteen (yes thirteen) diffent designations for "culled". Breaking these down is a good way to track data and trends, for the breeder, but when it comes to the category being listed in the association's database they may only show either "dead" or "culled" with no further explanation. For example: "culled, old age" and "culled injury" just shows as "culled" in the associations database. It does not mean they were bad genetics. On the contrary, if I have an animal I keep in my heard until they die of old age that is a good thing. Not only did they prove longevity in the genetic line, but they obviously were producing a quality product, were an easy keeper, stayed good on their feet, and had an udder that didn't fall apart.
Usually the second level of culling is associated with genetically inferior or problem animals, but that can also be relative to the situation. If a program focuses on particular genetic traits, and lets use eye pigment as the trait, then any animal who does not have strong eye pigment is subject to culling by that breeders standards despite any other reason. This can be the same for frame size, fleshing ability, muscle tone, disposition, calf size, and even their EPD's. Many a decent animal has been "culled" for not meeting a particular standard...even when that trait may only be on paper! Problem animals should be culled. Fence jumpers, terrible dispositions, calving difficulties, udder issues and eye issues are all legitimate, but even these may carry exceptions to the rule based on factors related to proper herd management. The next level of culling can be related market trends, drought, available forage, financial situations, and the simple need to maintain a certain sex, age group, or production level. Many breeders will not keep over a certain percentage of "animals not in production" within their herd. Others will not keep animals over a certain age. When times are tough our herds are scrutinized more critically, and only the epitimy group may make the final cut. Whereas under any other circumstances, these culled animals would have remained in the heard. Many a good productive animal has seen the sale barn when culling of our herds is pressured by other factors.
So, when you see the word "culled" next to an animals name in the association's database, take it with a grain of salt and understand that circumstances do exist that may cause a good animal to be labled or associated as an inferior product. That being said, many a national champion has fallen into the culled category but never been listed as such in the associations database, for reasons not known...:). So, when investigating the status of an animal listed in the associations database as "culled", take the time to check with the association on the exact nature of the culled notation, or just call the owner or person responsible for reporting the disposal code. You may find that ol' girl was the best cow they ever had.
III. FARM NEWS:
All of our bulls and heifers have been sold!
Thank you! - Jason and Stacy Earnest for being a repeat buyer...again, and thank you for the wonderful visit and the hospitality.
Thank you! - Jimmy Prentice for your purchase of Double H Farms cattle.
Thank you! - Willis Polled Herefords for your purchases!
Thank You! - Taylor Made Herfords for your purchases!
IV. CURRENT/ UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 30th - Cowtown Select sale at Ft. Worth Stockyards
January 31st - National Hereford Show - Ft. Worth, Texas
February 26th - South Texas Polled Hereford Assoc. Sale, Lockhart, Texas
March 1st - Houston Livestock show, Houston Texas
March 12th - Northeast Texas Hereford Association Sale, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
March 26th - Cross Timbers Hereford Sale, West, Texas
V. HEREFORD HIGHLIGHTS:
Willis 10H WC 702 ET
(02/12/07)
Farms
Double
Farms
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Farms
doubleh@vzinet.com
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Newsletter
Performance on the Hoof!
Performance on the Hoof!
Performance on the Hoof!
Winter/Spring 2010
Thanks, and keep coming back!!
Table of Contents:
702 is our herd bull out of a Dam of Distiction we bought at the Jim Bellis sale. He was bred by Mike Willis of Willis Polled Herefords and is an ET calf. 702 carries ample muscle, great pigmentation,and is conservatively marked with a moderate frame. He has sired over 30 calves to date and those calves have grown out very well. His EPD's are outstanding as well as his disposition. His sire is World Class who goes back to Feltons 517, and his dam is a Fast Forward daughter. 702 is sound structurally and does a good job settling our cows.
There's something about harsh weather and Herefords that just seems natural..:)
The Harvey's
Tom & Tina
702 taken 12/10
702 taken just after turning three
702 Son
702 Son
702 Son
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