growing impatient

Here we are on the 27th of February, and we only have 5 calves on the ground!!    Needless to say I am growing quite impatient.  I love calving season!  It is such an exciting time on the farm.  New presents are "unwrapped" everyday, and Chasen does a pretty good job of sending me picture messages of these presents.  But as you may have guessed, I have only got 5 picture messages this month; extremely disappointing!!!

By now I thought we would have four times the amount of calves on the ground. The 30 heifers Stevenson Farms bought earlier this year were "due" at the end of February.  Only three of those mamma's have calved, and that was at the beginning of last month.  So either someone wrote down the wrong expected calving date, or these ladies want their calves to have the same birthday, or worse yet, they are waiting for three feet of snow/mud to be on the ground.  For Chasen's sake, and for the health of the baby calves, I hope it is option A.  

This weekend I stayed out in Lincoln, so it has been awhile since I have seen the cows.  But in my head, they all look like these mammas below: ready to pop at any minute!

I took that picture last year, and it cracks me up every time I look at it!  Another picture that cracks me up is the one below.  I mean, how often do you see a bovine sticking its tongue out at you??  But I guess I should get used to it.  I feel like all the calves are going to come out this way, taunting me with how long I had to wait until they arrived!!

the importance of anatomy

I got off the phone with Chasen about 5 minutes ago and my ears are still ringing.  Let's just say he was excited and screaming like a 4 year old on Christmas morning.  Although my ears are in pain, I too have a beaming smile on my face.  What can I say, I guess his enthusiasm for raising cattle is contagious!  

So here is my story about the importance of anatomy.  JF Ebonys Joy 9154X is a purebred Simmental heifer Chasen bought this fall at Janssen Farms female sale.  I was at the auction with Chasen and didn't even realize he was bidding on her until he made the final bid.  I was quite shocked when the auctioneer shouted sold to buyer number something-something-something and pointed his gavel at Chasen.  My brain started swimming as I began to wonder how we would get a 1100 pound heifer home with my impala!  After the hot flash and light headedness dismissed, I was able to gain excitement on Chasen's big purchase!  JF Ebonys Joy 9154X (pictured above) is a first calf heifer safe-in bred to JF American Pride (a purebred Simmental bull) thus resulting in a purebred calf.  Because of this reason, Chasen and I have been hoping for a heifer out of JF Ebonys Joy.

Well, yesterday morning, JF Ebonys Joy calved.  After making sure the calf was breathing and cleaned off, Chasen walked out to check the sex of the calf.  By just "looking" at the calf Chasen determined it was a bull calf.  He called me on my way to campus and was quite depressed.  I tried to cheer him up, telling him we could keep him around for a herd bull, or take him to a sale next spring to gain some exposure for Stevenson Farms.  Regardless of these two outstanding ideas, I was not able to improve his mood.  So I left it at that.

Approximately 30 minutes ago, Chasen was tagging the "bull" calf and administering a Vitamin B shot.  While holding the calf Chasen began to brush off its sides and more importantly the area underneath the tail.  In this process he discovered the calf he determined as a bull was actually a HEIFER!!! Thus the reason he called me screaming like a 4 year old :)

After this little anatomy scandal, I know now Chasen will never just look to assume the sex of a calf.  In light of this whole ordeal, I think I remember Chasen saying if JF Ebonys Joy 9154X had a heifer calf he was going to buy a keg and have a party.....guess I will have to remind him of this recollection.  But then again, I don't want to ruin his good mood!!

happy i love beef month!

Many a discussion have been held on the importance of celebrating Valentine's Day.  For some it is a day of chocolates, flowers, sweet cards, and a few extra kisses.  For others it is simply a reminder they remain single (by choice or chance) and for that reason is loathed.  I am a simple romantic and for that reason LOVE Valentine's Day.  Heck, I have had my card picked out for Chasen for over two weeks now!!!  Yet I somehow have managed to resist the urge to buy a box of chocolates--looks like I do have self control.....or am just waiting for them to go on sale haha.

Regardless, whether you are a romantic or a rebel on Valentine's Day, everyone can find a reason to celebrate the month of February!!  Last year, the Beef Checkoff program claimed February as "I Heart Beef" month!  You may have seen this logo, or at least you should expect to see it soon through communications and publications courtesy of your state Beef Council.

Although I love beef every month, and every day of each month, this campaign was developed by the Checkoff program to improve sales of middle meats during their typical winter slump.  This drop in middle meat sales occurs not by a decrease in quality or a surplus of beef; but simply the fact most consumers are not firing up the grill with 3 feet of snow on the ground.  Through the month of February the Checkoff hopes to remind consumers of their passion for steaks such as the T-Bone, Porterhouse, Ribeye, Strip (my favorite), and Tenderloin.  With February also being the month for Heart Health, the Checkoff wants to share with consumers the 29 lean cuts of beef that can be part of a healthy, low saturated fat diet. 

I found the following statistics on the Beef Checkoff's webpage and thought they are a great way to put beef in your month of February!

• In this month of romance, 62% of Americans prefer beef.  Nothing says "I Love You" like a great steak dinner on v-day. 
• 35% of Americans prefer a Ribeye steak, with 32% having preference for a T-bone steak when sharing a meal with a significant other.
• Americans often associate beef with celebrations (50%), followed by chicken 18%, pork 17%, and then fish 15%.
• 60% of Americans feel that beef is the best way for their dinner partner to show gratitude or appreciation.

As I mentioned before, I love beef every day of every month.  This may be done through a juicy steak dinner, or delicious hamburger for lunch, but mostly it is through the joy of raising cattle--and by the looks of this little guy he knows it's true!  Hopefully you too can find a way to make beef part of your daily lives!