Working Cattle & Horses

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This week was heavy on doctoring. We are starting to see some pneumonia and respiratory problems on the steer side of the operation. It makes sense that the steers are having these problems rather than the heifers as they came from a feedlot instead of the winter pasture like the heifers did. We’ve been using Nuflor and Draxxin to treat these respiratory problems. Nuflor is a little less aggressive than Draxxin; however, Draxxin is much more expensive. Nonetheless, we use Draxxin as frequent as we can because it is often a one time cure rather than us having to continuously doctor with Nuflor.

We’ve been running into some issue with our grass growth lately, too. It has been very hot and our flood irrigation has been suffering as a result. We are having less and less days on each of our pastures in comparison to the beginning of the season. As a result, we’ve been trying to find ways to utilize all of the land on the ranch, setting up temporary fences, splitting up our herds into smaller groups to be able to graze as much as we can. If we don’t keep a close eye on grass production, we will likely start to have fields becoming unusable due to grass dying off.

A question I have after this week is how effective our rotational grazing program is working, and how it would compare to if we just allowed our herds to graze uncontrolled. I think that our current program is definitely a good choice; however, I think it could be tailored a little better to account for this intense heat. All that said, though, unpredictable weather is just the nature of the agriculture industry, and it’s something that can never truly be avoided.

My biggest takeaway from this week has been how important it is to care for your horses and consider their health just as much as that of your cattle. If the cattle are hot and sweaty after doctoring, it’s safe to say your horses are working twice as hard. It’s important to give them grain, medicine if they need it, and rest. We have been making sure to run cold water over our horses joints at the end of the day to reduce inflammation, as well as give them grain before and after doctoring. Having respect for your horses and all that they do for you is of utmost importance in ranching.

Submitted by: Isabella Schultz
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team