Eden Shale Update- June 2023

It has been seventeen days since our last measurable rain fall in Owen County. This morning we are getting very light showers but I’m afraid it is not going to amount to enough. Things have certainly been dry lately and I hope it is a pattern that we soon break.

The dry weather has allowed us to get our first cutting of hay up and in the barn. We baled 97 bales on about 30 acres. This mixed hay consisted of fescue, orchard grass, red clover, and alfalfa. The fact that the grass grew slowly this spring helped keep the hay from becoming overripe. As of cutting, the orchard grass seed heads were still doughy, and only about 20% of the alfalfa had made a bloom. This hay will be stored inside at the shop and the heifer calving facility. This will feed our replacement heifers and the 1st and 2nd calf heifers next winter. (Image 1)

Late May was also spent running cattle through the chute. We synchronized both the cows and the replacement heifers to be breed with timed AI. Each group had to go through the chute four times to complete the protocol. Once to get their pre breeding vaccinations, once to put the CIDR’s in, once to pull the CIDR’s out, and one final trip on breeding day. (Image 2)

David McGlothlin, with Genetics Plus, bred 79 head of the cows on the last Friday in May. We used the same bulls we used last year because we are very happy with the calves so far. We used Angus bull Plus One, and Hereford bull Kingdom. (Image 3)

Dr. Les Anderson bred 40 head of replacement heifers the week before the cows were bred. These heifers were also synchronized and time AI’ed. They were bred to Hereford bull Small Town Kid and Angus bull Counselor. These heifers will be re-synchronized and any that did not stick on the first round will be AI bred again. After two rounds of AI we will not turn a cleanup bull in with the heifers. Any heifer that does not breed on the first two heat cycles is not going to stay in our tight calving window and will be marketed as a cull.

There continues to be lots of activity with the road construction going on. Cartinhour Fencing has been at the farm moving and rebuilding our road fence along the new highway right of way.
​
I would like to thank David Cartinhour (Cartinhour Fencing), David McGlothlin (Genetics Plus), and Les Anderson (UK Beef Extension) for their professional services to Eden Shale this past month. Without them this work would not be possible. 

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3