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Tag Archives: Jim

Fall Gather

cows-coming-out-of-forest

Leaving the Routt National Forest

 

 

 

It’s that time of year again. It seems like we were just trailing the cows and calves onto the Forest for summer grazing. Our “off-date” has rolled around already. We mustered 19 horses and riders, including the six grandkids, to gather the cattle and bring them down to a lower pasture on private land. The calves are looking nice and chubby, and the cows are looking forward to weaning.

Pat with kid crew

Pat with kid crew

Siobhan on Coco with Cinnamon

Siobhan on Coco with Cinnamon

Cinnamon taking a break

Cinnamon taking a break

Maeve--the stylish cowgirl

Maeve–the stylish cowgirl

Seamus and Dot

Seamus and Dot

Tiarnan and Daisy

Tiarnan and Daisy

Rhen and McCoy on the job

Rhen and McCoy on the job

McCoy, Rhen and Eamon

McCoy, Rhen and Eamon

Peanut contemplating the speed limit

Peanut contemplating the speed limit

Jim, looking for cows

Jim, looking for cows

Eamon has dogs at the ready!

Eamon has dogs at the ready!

 

 

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Summer Love: A.I. for the cows

 

Cows waiting in the Elephant Corrals

Cows waiting in the Elephant Corrals

Not all of our cows find Mr. Right Bull in their forest pastures in the summer months. Some of them meet Mr. Artificial Inseminator just before they trek to the National Forest grazing permits. After studying the bull catalogs and deciding on the future fathers of many of next year’s calves, Eamon orders semen and sets the wheels in motion.The process is complicated, but the day arrives, and the AI crew  arrives, and the chosen cows are ready to conceive. This allows us to use better quality bulls than we can afford to buy, and means that we don’t need to keep as many live bulls on hand throughout the year. The bulls aren’t too disappointed though. They go to the Forest with the cows, and breed those who didn’t conceive or are in the natural breeding group.

The AI techs prepare the semen

The AI techs prepare the semen

This is romantic? No bull!

This is romantic? No bull!

McCoy and Eamon working the chute

McCoy and Eamon working the chute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family labor:  Georgia, Jim, Rhen and Jeff

Family labor: Georgia, Jim, Rhen and Jeff

McCoy and Megan bringing up the cows

McCoy and Megan bringing up the cows

The bull team

The bull team

Ready to ride

Ready to ride

 

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