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<\/a>Fall Calf Run<\/b><\/p>\nCattle pots are lit up like Christmas trees rumbling down the highways and byways of our region this month hauling all of the industry\u2019s hard work of raising beef. What a wonderful sight to see!<\/p>\n
We are in the thick of the fall calf run and it seems to be quite good. There were some early October snowy days that pushed producers to a different sale date, but hopefully, the date switches won\u2019t be too cumbersome on the sale barns and a backlog will be avoided for the most part.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Good luck to everyone who has yet to sell. May the bids be with you.<\/p>\n Harvest Continues\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n The drying up of the earth\u2019s crops \u2013 from leaves to corn \u2013 has always held a smell too it that comforts me. I can\u2019t describe it but I\u2019m sure many of you know what I\u2019m talking about. Harvest has come and gone for many places, however, harvest in the eastern portion of our readership area continues, because, well, it never has really gotten started. With so much rain, and then snow, it has been hard for farmers to get into the fields to get crops out. Dare I say it will be Christmas before things are wrapped up? Let\u2019s hope not for our crop farming friends.<\/p>\n South Dakota Women in Ag\u00a0<\/span><\/b>conference<\/b><\/p>\n This month I attended the South Dakota Women in Ag conference in Deadwood. Generally held in October, it is a quick get-away for ladies that need a break from all the cattle work or harvest activity. It\u2019s a day and a half of pure fun, education, and networking. This year we learned about animal handling from Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz with Production Animal Consultation, LLC. Sharlet Teigen with Demeter Communications walked us through the first steps of brand marketing \u2013 yourself or your business. Buckaroogirl Adrian Brannan spoke on the important topic of domestic violence in the agricultural community. While a heavy topic, she presented it with grace and solid information for our education. She capped off the conference with an upbeat mini-concert of some of the best songs from her albums.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sick on Arrival<\/b><\/p>\n While I enjoy the month, I notoriously get sick in October. Like a freshly weaned calf that has been hauled for eight hours, I generally come down with a chronic cough, snot dripping from my nose and poor will to live. This year has been no different, unfortunately. In this week\u2019s paper, there is an article from the Certified Angus Beef Feedlot Forum about whether you should vaccinate feedlot calves upon arrival. Many in the industry \u2013 backgrounder to feedlot operator \u2013 do vaccinate on arrival and the article suggests there should be a two week wait period to let the stress levels of the calves come down before administering vaccines. I can sympathize with those calves. It\u2019s something to think about as human doctors won\u2019t give you a flu shot if you are feeling a little bit \u201coff\u201d or are presenting any cold-like symptoms. The same could be applied to animal health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Herd Reference Guide in the mailbox<\/b><\/p>\n