The End is Nigh

Not really, but tomorrow marks the last day of judging for the Marketing component of Summer Synergy. That also means that Summer Synergy and Stampede are only 10 days from commencement! Thanks to all of you for being stalwart readers of my agriculture adventures. Though I plan to continue this blog, it may start to come at you from the angle of a maroon-blooded Aggie, rather than as strictly an agricultural blog. With the start of Summer Synergy so near, it has drawn my attention to the fast-approaching day of my departure for Texas. As of the last day of the show, I will have only three weeks to make good all debts, organize my personal belongings, and say final farewells to those of you who I won't see again for another four years, if ever. Thanks for supporting me in my quest for a scholarship. Thanks to all the sponsors who may be reading this for making this competition possible, and thanks for eating beef and keeping us all just slightly out of the red!

Till Later, as this is by no means a goodbye,

Cameron Olson
My Cattle World

The question is not, "Am I ready for Texas?", but is rather, "Is Texas ready for me?"

She Calved

Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages, may I present to you the first, the only, the premier, Beefmaster Influenced Steer Calf in Canada!!!

As they say in Texas, "Innee' Cay-yute?" He looks like he might blow away in a good, stiff wind.

OK, so he may not look that spectacular to all of you with his large floppy ears and sticky-outy tongue, but he is special to me and approximately 5500 American Beefmaster breeders in the United States. He is, as I mentioned, the one and only steer of his kind in the nation. Makes ya feel kinda small, eh?

He is possibly the start of a brand new trend in Canadian livestock. Or he is possibly the biggest mistake I have ever made. Whichever it is, I will learn from the experience of having him here!

Momma Beefmaster and Baby Beefmaster X Limousin

The Way Things Were

The cattle we have today are not the cattle they had 100, 50, 25 or even ten years ago. Fads have come and gone, styles have faded in and out, preferences have surfaced and been submerged.

An artistic rendition of the ancient Auroch
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroch

The cattle of centuries ago were wild, untamed things living in the woods of Europe. It is a common belief that all modern beef cattle are descended from one species: the Auroch. The Aurochs were massive, temperamental creatures that populated most of eastern and central Europe, from the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in present day Russia to the hilly forests of eastern France, down into the arid centre of the Iberian peninsula and southeast from the Middle East to the centre of the Indian Subcontinent. From the Aurochs, strains were developed, moved, isolated, hunted, domesticated, and finally developed into modern beef and dairy cattle. Breeds such as the Spanish Fighting Bull and other traditional European breeds still resemble the old Aurochs in all but stature. Two separate instances of domestication have been documented: once in the Near East and once in the Indian Subcontinent, both occurring at the same time, between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago. These separate events gave rise to modern Bos Taurus (Hump less) and Bos Indicus (Humped) cattle, breeds of which have been purified and perfected over the Milena.

Bos Taurus humpless cattle evolved in Europe
http://oxy-genca.com/winners%20circle.htm

Over the centuries, tribes and populations domesticated their cattle and formed them into animals that best suited their regional needs. Some of the oldest records of domesticated cattle reside in the Lascaux Caves of France, where many separate breeds have been identified: Limousin (the oldest paintings), Salers, Blonde d'Aquitaine and others. Cattle spread throughout Europe and Asia, including the British Isles, and down into Northern Africa. For centuries, breeds were developed and perfected in complete isolation, allowing characteristics to become set in, styles to be developed, and purposes to be established.

Bos Indicus humped cattle evolved in India
http://www.brahman.org/brahman-information.html

By the time cattle made it to the Americas, on ships laden with Spanish Conquistadors, most modern breeds had been established somewhere in the world. The Conquistadors brought the cattle that would evolve into Texas Longhorns and similar North and South American types. Left to their own devices for three centuries, these cattle eventually formed the backbone of the United States cattle industry due to their ability to withstand the long yearly drives from the south west to the transport centres in Kansas and Iowa, where they were hauled by train to the slaughterhouses of the east.

In the 19th century, European cattle again made an appearance on North American soil. Aberdeen Angus, Scottish Shorthorns and Herefordshire Herefords were introduced, but looked quite different from their modern day descendants. The original British imports were quite small in comparison to the monsters that could be found on the European mainland. Called "belt buckle" cattle, they were as tall as a man's belt buckle, and would remain that way until the early sixties. The video below displays the typical height of these cattle, along with their blocky appearance and general squatness.

The sixties saw an era of change in the North American Cattle industry. With the increased amount of feed available for cattle, small and fat was no longer as desirable as the higher performing, larger made styles that were being "discovered" in Europe. These so-called Exotic cattle were muscular, they were long, they had growth and performance. The North American cattle industry was forever changed with the importation of Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Salers, Simmental, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Pinzgauer, and countless others. Cattle went from waist high to Forehead height in ten years, but they were all leg and no body. Sure their carcasses were fantastic and lean, but people can't eat leg bones and maintenance of such rapid growth was incredibly costly.

Some of these people can't even see the camera over the back of this Limo bull.

From this mistake forty years ago, cattle have slowly become more moderate in their height, thicker in their makeup, and infinitely more efficient in converting feedstuffs to muscle. The British breeds have grown, and the exotics have downsized. From magnificent beginnings as one of the largest bovine species in the world, cattle have evolved into functional, efficient, and tasty domestic animals.

The Stetson

Durable. Practical. Universally Recognized. The Stetson hat is all of these things and more, including being a necessary part of any cattleman's wardrobe. While Stetson is a brand name, just like all tissues are called Kleenex (whether they are or not), Stetson refers to any hat made in the western style. Also called Cowboy Hats, Stetsons were the brain child of one John B. Stetson, who set up the John B. Stetson Hat Company in Garland, Texas in 1865.

The cowboy hat is a piece of headwear designed to take some falls. Most are constructed of beaver felt, wool, or straw, and brim width, crown height, and shaping can vary from region to region and occupation to occupation. As the cowboy, range riding lifestyle has slowly died out; Stetsons have become more of a fashion accessory than a necessity. It used to be the wide brim kept the sun off your neck and the rain out of your face, and the crown was high enough to keep you cool in the summer and could be pulled down low in the winter. The shaping of the brim differed so greatly between cattlemen, outfits, ranches and regions that there is no one "right" style of brim, but personal preference must prevail in selecting the one right for you.

I have two stetsons that are for fashionable dress only, not to be worn daily, but with good reason. As my head is a rather large and irregular shape (7 and 7/8 hat size, to be exact, and rather egg shaped from frotn to back), all the hats I wear need to be custom made and shaped for my extraordinary cranium. This comes at a cost, just like anything else that is still hand made today. I prefer my hats to be very sharp in their shape, bent almost at a right angle over the temples. I think it gives them a cleaner, more modern look than the older styled, rounded bend hat brims.

This gent has a nice sharp shape to his hatbrim. from: http://www.stetsonhat.com/

Hat quality is a tricky matter. In decades past, hats were given a score based on the quantity of high quality beaver fur they contained, relative to other furs like rabbit, hare, and wool. For example, a hat that had a score of one X had substantially less beaver than a hat with a score of three (XXX). The hat with more beaver is also a lot more money than the one X hat. Nowadays, however, each manufacturer has their own way of scoring their hats, and there is no universal industry standard. Even some straw hats have X scores. My dad bought a hat from a custom hatter a few years ago which was 100X, or pure beaver felt. This hat cost well over $600. My good black Stetson is 20X, from the same custom hatter, and was about $450. I recently bought a 3X cream coloured hat for $210. While these prices may seem daunting to the layman, they are superior quality hats to the mass produced ones that are widely available in western wear stores across the country. The average Master Hatters of Texas or Resistol hat costs anywhere from $90 to $200. Straw hats range in price anywhere from $40 to $200.

Forever an icon of the West, the Stetson style hat is durable, stylish and universal.

Farmer's Creed

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming. I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character. I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorableway a man can spend his days on this earth. http://serenelyeccentricjessica.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/ode-to-the-farmers-love-a-city-girl/ I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways money can’t buy. I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way. I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth, and maturity in such a variety of ways. http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/y/young-rancher-mobley-1032619-sw.jpg I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, and the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring. I believe that true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feels the pride that springs from their shared experience. I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it; an honor that does not come to all men.  http://takegreatpictures.com/photo-tips/tgp-choice/the-lensbaby-3g-by-david-sanders I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellow man, and by this standard I fear no judgement. I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lived. I believe in farming because it makes all this possible

http://www.alderanholsteins.com/images/nov_12_farmer_kevin___farmer_ian.jpg 

Superiority

I had the opportunity to visit with some of our beef customers today. Apparently, our beef has a flavour and texture totally above and beyond anything they had ever had before. They enjoy it so much, they don't want to feed to their house guests! This illustrates the benefits of purchasing locally grown, quality raised, properly handled animal products, like beef, eggs, chicken and pork. While feedlots are the source for almost all of this country's fed beef animals, the locally produced is the best! Hand fed compared to mass fed, individual care rather than blanket antibiotics, real heartfelt care and understanding of all the needs of the animals are all factors that improve the quality of our beef. You cannot compare Superstore or Safeway beef to what we raise, or what anybody who sells local raises. It also helps when you have superior animals like Limousin cattle (I know that all you Angus Gents out there are rolling your eyes, but it isn't untrue!). We are to the point know that we are already taking orders for next year's beef sides, and for a simple reason: Start with quality, add quality, and you get superiority!

Limousin Beef-Naturally so good, and when you raise it with added care, naturally so superior!
Photo Credit: http://theroadislife.blogspot.com/2010/11/b-i-think-i-was-butcher-in-my-past-life.html

Spreading the Word

Today I was able to participate in a program called CAP. CAP stands for the Classroom Agriculture Program, and they asked me to make a presentation about beef cattle at Prairie Waters Elementary School in Chestermere.
To this end, I gathered all the braincells I have (that haven't been totally fried by High School) and put together a PowerPoint presentation. I would have liked to share it with you, but at this point I am not sure how to do that. If I figure it out, I will definitely let you all see it. Anyway, I went to this school and saw two groups of grade 4 students after their lunch break. To start the presentation, I asked what they might know about agriculture, and I was surprised with some of the answers I got. One young man even knew about the magnets used to treat hardware disease! I wasn't prepared for them to have so much knowledge already, but there were a couple of kids who had misconceptions that I was able to clear up for them. Overall, it was a great experience to be able to teach and show the kids what I knew about cattle.I was able to tie in to their grade 4 curriculum a little bit, building on things like Social Studies (Regions of Alberta and Waste and Our World), Health (Career and Work Choices), and Science (Plant Growth). They found it interesting how many aspects of Beef Production were related to their learning. They had lots of questions, but I ran out of time in both groups to get them all answered, so I invited them to refer to their teacher, who could email me later. Overall, I had a good time teaching all those fresh little people all about animal agriculture!

The Storm

A storm rolled through this afternoon. It washed everything up and made everything smell like fresh rain. Made me appreciate living where I live and doing what I do. I feel sorry the for people who will only smell hot, wet asphalt after a summer shower, who don't fall asleep to the music of frogs and crickets, who won't hear a hawk call in the hot summer sun, or watch the owls swoop through the twilight. People who are locked into their jobs, day in and day out, with no flexibility and no break of the monotony. These people will never hold a baby calf as it nurses for the first time, or watch the bulls fight it out in the breeding pasture, or watch the horses run through the field. They will never smell a barn loaded with new hay, or find a pile of kittens nestled in a straw stack. They will never feel the satisfaction of cashing the sale cheque, and feeling rewarded from a year's worth of hard work, sweat and blood. These people won't do r experience what six thousand 4-H members do every day. What hundreds of thousands of farmers do every day. What I do every day. 

The Million Dollar Question:



Eastside Missy, the million dollar cow. Missy sold for $1.2 million at the 2009
Toronto Royal Winter Fair, the second cow in Canada to break $1 million.

Is that cow worth a whole million dollars?

Short answer: Probably not. She likely won't produce enough calves that are of high enough quality to recover her cost.

The long answer is different. To some one, she is, in fact, worth a whole million, and change. Why? I guess she is one of a very select few dairy cows who scored a 99 on her card. That means that, out of all the sections of anatomy on a dairy cow, and all the things that could be wrong about her, she lost only one point. Most animals sit at 70-80 points, and are definately NOT worth a million dollars.

Commercial cattle at Innisfail Auction Mart, Innisfail, AB

This topic brings me around to the worth of a beef animal. Different animals, breeds, sexes and ages are worth different prices. If i were a commercial producer with a load of weanling calves, they are worth about $1.10 per pound. If i have a load of fattened steers, they are worth about $.60-.95 per pound. Slaughter bulls and cows are worth $.50-.70. These prices are approximate, because price fluctuates daily and demand may have feedlots or slaughterhouses bidding lots or little. The price of cattle also fluctuates seasonally, with highs reached in December and lows in June. Location, time, and even weather all have impacts on the price of catte as well.

In the purebred industry, prices for our animals are a little higher. Intstead of paying by the pound, we bid in lump sums of money. The average purebred Limousin yearling heifer will fetch anywehere from $2,000-$10,000. Animals of extraordinary conformation, genetics, or bloodlines can and have fetched as much as $800,000. The highest bid i have ever seen on a purebred animal was $75,000 a few years back, in Denver, Colorado. While purchase and setup costs are obviously higher, the return on investment is faster and larger than the returns in the commercial industry. That being said, there are more commercial cattle in Canada than purebred, because consumers don't want to pay $56.50 for hamburger. Follow this link for a purebred limousin production sale held in Montana.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E2TODb0XfE&feature=channel_video_title

Often people will complain about the cost of supermarket beef, but this is a pain felt sharpest by beef producers. The packing houses and retailers make massive amounts of money by setting the price for live animals. Producers are forced to take what packers will give, because producers can't take them home, nor can they feed all of their calves every year. The meat is then sold at exorbidant prices to the consumer, with no trickledown to the farmer. There would be a lot more people in beef if the producer brought in 3and 4 dollars per pound. What can ya do?

The Cattle Auction

"There was a boy in Arkansas"Who wouldn't listen to his ma
"When  she told him he should go to school

"He'd sneak away in the afternoon
"Take a little walk and pretty soon
"You'd find him at the local auction barn.

"He'd stand and listen carefully
"Then pretty soon he began to see
"How the  auctioneer could talk so rapid-ly
"He said, "Oh, my, it's do or die
"I've got to learn that auction cry
"Gotta make my mark and be an auction-eer."

"Twenty-five dollar bid it now, thirty dollar, thirty
"Will you gimmie thirty, make it thirty
"Bid it on a thirty dollar, will you gimmie thirty
"Who'll-ll bid it at a thirty dollar bid?
"Thirty dollar bid it now, thirty-five
"Will you gimmie thirty-five,
"To make it thirty-five, to bid it a thirty-five
"Who woulda bid it at a thirty-five dollar bid?"

The art of auctioneering is nowhere dispalyed as wonderfully as at a well-run cattle auction. It seems to me that livestock auctioneers sound different than other auctioneers. I find that they tend to be more rythmic, faster, and yet clearer in thier calls and actions. Not that I know a lot about auctioneering.

Most cattle today are sold via auction. For those of you who are unfamilier with auctions, it is basically a contest to see which buyer wants the animal or animals more, and who is willing to pay the most. The purpose of the auction is to allow producers to get fair value for their products. Basically, if a producers animals sell poorly, they aren't very good.

The process starts when the animal(s) (called "lots") are allowed into the auction ring. The auctioneer will usually wind up with a "Well, lookee here fellas" or a "Lets just see now what we can get". This phrase is unique to every auctioneer and good auctioneers will have a dozen or so, which keeps the patterns fresh. After the starting phrase, the auctioneer enters into the chant, asking for an average price on the animal. At purebred sales, the starting bid is usually high in comparison to the actual worth of the animal. This is done on the off chance that there is an overzealous bidder in the crowd, who may jump on the high price. After the auctineer has worked his way down to a tangible bid from the crowd, the numbers start to come in. To help the auctioneer see bids, three or four ringmen stand at the bottom of the bleachers and relay bids to the auctioneer. Good, fast sales can have these guys dancing pretty good. When bidding is slowing down, it is usually down to two people. Once the auctioneer decideds that there is no more money coming in, he winds down and sells the animal with a bang of the gavel.

The art of auctioneering is taught differently to everybody. Each auction school has it's own patterns, chants and rythms, so rarely will you hear two people who sound the same. Good auctioneers are easy to listen to and understand, are quick to see and call bids, and they know the price they want and when to stop. There is nothing worse than an auctioneer who continues to call, even three or four times, after there are no more bids. Auctioneering is a skill, one that I may decide to develop one day.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Gently Down the Stream

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life is But a Dream!

I am afraid life is anything but a dream for farmers and ranchers in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Most of us are up to our elbows in water, mud and all the unspeakables associated therewith (like, say, those friggin' MOSQUITOES!). This abundance of water, while not quite of biblical proportions yet, causes some major headaches for rural people.

First and foremost, the good people, who, at this very moment, are trying to get their seed in the ground in attempts to grow wheat, barley, rye, corn, flax, oats, peas, sunflowers, potatoes, sugar beets, and such are unable to do so. The fields are too wet to put heavy machinery on, and a stuck tractor is no good for anybody. The mud also keeps the ground relatively cool for this time of year, which can slow or even prevent germination of any seed that may have already been sown. These problems will translate to small yields this fall, which will increase commodity price. That price will be offset by the consumer later this year, so be prepared for the price of everything to got up.

Second, most rural roads are dirt ( "You know you're a redneck when... Directions to your house include 'Turn off the paved road.'"). I am sure we all know about the massive sinkhole that opened up last year, right underneath the Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan. Now, imagine all that water washing out road, after road, after road, after road in some rural area. These washouts are occurring in areas where six foot culverts have been placed, but even those are too small to channel all the water through under the roads. When roads are cut out, transportation of anything becomes extremely difficult. Boats are required to go to town for basics, equipment never leaves the yard, and, most importantly, emergency crews cannot access homes in times of need.

For sure, water, while it brings the blessings of rapid growth and green pastures, is just as powerful and damaging as a prolonged and severe drought. To contrast our wet and wild ways, Texas is having one of the driest spells on record. Rainfall is as much as 20 inches below normal, and there are parts of the state that haven't had rain in almost eight months. Pastures are dead, crops are refusing to grow, and the summer hasn't even reached its peak yet. No matter where you are, the weather will always control agriculture. http://tamunews.tamu.edu/2011/06/07/texas-drought-continues-to-set-records-no-relief-in-sight/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tamuNewsFull+%28TAMU+News+Articles%29

And the Price of Fuel Just goes Up...

Here on the Olson property, we are by no means a green bunch. Sure, we recycle our bottles and all that jazz, but when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, our motto seems to be, "let everyone else worry about our emissions." Case in point: We are the owners of ELEVEN road worthy vehicles. This doesn't include the lawnmowers, the gator, the tractors, or the quads. And only one of them is a small car. The rest? Only half ton chassis or bigger are qualified to park in our yard. 

We have the following, fully operational vehicles living on the farm here:
Dad's Work Truck: A small half ton short box standard cab, 2009 GMC
Dad's Special Truck: A 1977 GMC short box standard cab with a brand new engine-For special occasions only!
Dad's OTHER Special Truck: 2001 GMC Sierra C3 limited edition. Half ton chassis long box crew cab, this one is so nice!
Dad's not-so-special Truck: A 1984 dodge half ton, standard transmission. Purchased with the sole purpose of teaching my brother and I to drive standard.
My Truck: The 3/4 Ton 2006 long box standard cab. Only downside? White. Can't win 'em all. 
Lance's Car: 2001 Pontiac Firebird
Mom's Truck: A piece of poorly engineered crap, a 2007 Chev long box standard cab 3/4 ton.
Mom's Other Truck: The 1991 GMC Sierra standard cab long box, runs like a dream. Inherited from my grandfather.
Mom's Special Truck: 2002 GMC Yukon XL with the Denali trim package
The One Ton: Chev Long box extended cab, diesel with an Allison transmission, 2007, for hauling the stock trailer
The Green One Ton: Flat deck, not such a reliable vehicle, but it goes.

As you can see, we care about the price of petroleum a lot around these parts. The difference is though, with the exception of dad's two toys, every single one of these trucks serves a purpose the others can't. We do not have an obsession with having lots of trucks; we have an obsession with having a truck for every purpose. It's part of life on a farm. Thank god we don't have to haul seed, manure or bales with a truck, because that's three more right there!



The only one



The Visit

Hello All. I must apologize for the absence over the last few days. School, 4-H and several opportunities to mow the lawn finally caught up with me, and the blog was pushed to the backburner.

Today some friends of ours stopped in to say hello, which got me thinking about what this simple act can mean on a farm. In areas where neighbours can be as near as across the road to as far as five or six miles away, stopping in to check on each other has several uses.



Same as it was then



The use my mother generally puts visits to is called chin-wagging. This is an affliction that many agricultural women have, especially when they are all in the same place at the same time. Social lives can take a serious hit when anyone lives one a farm, whether it's because they just can't find time to get away, or, well guess that is really the only reason. Regardless, farmers and farmer's wives tend to be a talkative bunch when they get together, and a Saturday drive to the neighbours to look at their new bull can frequently turn into lunch, supper and late night coffee. All this talk can sure where on a young man's ears, but it is interesting to hear the opinions and positions of the different people in the industry. Talk topics can range from cattle, to tractors, to new trucks (and old trucks), the crazy city cousins, the dog, the horses, whether the crops will escape a coming hailstorm, how much rain is needed, how much sun is needed, the coyote population, the price of fuel, grain and cattle, what will be seeded, what will be harvested, how many bushels can be expected, when the vet was out last, why he was out, the prognosis and cost of his visit, and so on and so forth. As you can see, having a simple conversation on a farm, one that lasts twenty minutes to half an hour, is almost impossible unless one of the conversers is in a hurry. 

A popular place to visit

Another purpose of visiting the neighbours is to secretly (in theory it's secret, but since everyone does it at least once a year to somebody, it is really just the elephant in the room) evaluate the neighbour's cattle or crops. These visits are innocent enough, and really just gather information about what the neighbour may be doing better than you. Somehow or another, if a farmer is proud of what he is growing or raising, he or she will want to show it off. It could take a few minutes or three hours, but eventually there will be a trip in a truck to some pasture or field and a conversation to follow. 

Finally, the main purpose of visiting is to reinforce friendships, and a sense of community. While we may all be spread out over a few townships, we all belong in the same community and we want to keep that community strong and viable. Having good neighbours can be a blessing, but treating neighbours well is rewarding socially and can be helpful in a pinch. Some studies have shown that visiting bachelor farmers once in a while can prevent them from feeling lonely or forgotten, feelings which can lead to severe clinical depression. We all have busy lives, and can never seem to get anything done entirely, but the visits to and from the neighbours are always a valued treasures occasion. So, next time you're in the area, kick off your boots and come on in!