Welcome, General

Here is a happy footnote to a sad story.  After losing our Hereford bull, Dude, a few weeks ago, we needed another bull for our herd.  On Tuesday of last week, we again visited Spearhead Ranch near Killeen to look at young bulls General Paul Funk had for sale.  After “interviewing” several likely candidates, we selected Spearhead X51 C.G. III Corps E23.

At only 14 months of age, he is still a teenager and has a lot of growing to do.  However, he wasted no time in exploring his new territory and getting acquainted with our cows and calves.  And, I'm happy to say he got right to work!

We look forward to many good years with The General, and feel sure his disposition and productivity will be a good as his predecessor's.

Certifiable?

Last weekend held new opportunities for owners of dogs that do not regularly get to interact with livestock or experience sights and sounds they might encounter on a farm.  The Texas Herding Association hosted a Farm Dog Certification event at Destiny Farm near Bertram.

A number of dogs from various herding breeds participated…in fact, you might have been at Westminister if it weren’t for the livestock.   The biggest, by far, was Esme the Mastiff, going through a section of the course and demonstrating that she can get her some 180 pounds up onto a hay bale.

Another of the big guys was this young Leonberger, who when full-grown could weigh 170 pounds.  His name is derived from the city of Leonberg in Germany.  This breed is usually classified as a working or guardian dog.

Marty the Briard is a big boy, as well, but more slender.  Briard males can weigh up to 100 pounds.  (I wonder how much of that is fur?)  He comes from an ancient French herding breed.

Among the other dogs represented were the Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Doberman, German Shepherd Dog, Belgian Shepherd, Rough Collie, an English Pointer named Pete, and some “All- American” dogs. 

 

There was also a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, bred to herd cattle, who could have taken the prize for the shortest legs and perhaps “most enthusiastic.”  

And a Puli…we admired her curls and we know she has eyes, they are just hard to see!

All in all, it was a wonderful day.  The dogs showed their ability to remain calm and obedient in spite of the presence of unusual surfaces and objects, some very anxious sheep and a very noisy tractor as they walked through the course with their handlers and the judges.

They also had to show that they could be calm when their handlers performed an "examination" to check for burrs, foreign objects, etc.

Colt and Rue spend almost half their time on our farm, so they were not seeking a certification.  They were just glad to be able to help.  Here they are waiting for their turn to "work."

The dogs getting their certification had to show that they were able to remain calm when a “friendly dog” in the person (I’m not sure how else to say it) of Colt or Rue walked near them, and when they had to pass near a stranger (sitting under a very large, flapping umbrella due to the brisk winds).

All the dogs received their certifications and it was a great day for everyone.

April in our Rear-view Mirror

We had a lot going on during April, some of which was covered in earlier posts.   Perhaps the highlight of our month was visits with our good friends Rick and Linda Lorentz.  We met Rick and Linda in Custer, SD, in 2014 when we spent several weeks camped next to each other.  They are originally from Minnesota, but now RV full-time.  We have met up several times since then, both in Custer and in Rockport, TX, where they have spent a couple of winters.  

This year, we had planned to join Rick and Linda at the coast for the month of January, but last year’s Hurricane Harvey made it difficult for us to find accommodations there.  Instead, we arranged to get together when Rick and Linda headed north for the summer.  A couple of weeks ago, we drove to Fredericksburg where they were spending a couple of weeks.  We had a deja vu lunch at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company.  They still advocate “Less Government, More Beer!”

We then visited a couple of wineries, including Lost Draw Cellars where we had some nice wines and a chat about where their grapes are grown, processed, etc.

Then, last week Rick and Linda dropped their motor home in Hamilton and spent three days with us at the farm.  We had some lovely walks and lots of porch-sitting.  

We were especially pleased that, while walking the mountain along our east property line, we were able to call in a golden-cheeked warbler, which they had never seen.  

The farm was beautiful, with bluebonnets in full bloom.

We were disappointed, though, that one of our deer stands, affectionately known as "The Hilton" had been demolished by what we think was a small twister because it also took out several large trees and limbs.  When he saw photos of the wreckage, my son Brian noted, "I guess you could say it's resting in pieces."

There was some work done, too.  The guys planted a couple of rosemary bushes and Rick dug up some “Spanish dagger” for me to pot.  But the real work was done on the caliche road leading up to the house.  Rick has a background in the heavy equipment business, and he showed John how to use the rock rake behind our tractor to put a nice crown on the road so (hopefully) the rains later this spring will run off into the pasture instead of making ruts.  We plan to meet Rick and Linda again this summer at Custer’s Gulch RV Park in South Dakota, where we will continue our adventures.

The end of April saw a continuation of our herding activities.  The Texas Herding Association sponsored an AKC cattle and sheep trial at the lovely Lantana Ranch near Flatonia.  Here is a shot of the B Course under threatening skies that kept us damp through most of Saturday.

Joe and Mary Sheeran were our very gracious hosts, and opened their lovely home to trial participants for meetings and lunch.  We so appreciate their hospitality. 

Only a couple of dogs had previous experience with herding cattle in competition, but we hope that next year there will be more entries in those trials.  Below is a shot of Shertom's Hash convincing a calf to move.  

And here are a few photos of our fellow herders competing on the A Course on sheep.  As you can see, several different breeds were represented.  In addition to the border collies (rough and smooth-coat) there was a Picardy shepherd (also known as the berger Picard), a French breed, and a couple of shelties, or Shetland sheepdogs.

 

Here are some shots of Rue working on the B and A Courses.  Thanks to our friends who were kind enough to take videos for us.  We had a great time.

April this year was not without its sadness.  When we arrived at the farm on April 23rd, we found our Hereford bull seriously lame.  He was having difficulty walking, and was obviously in a great deal of pain.  We were able to contact our vet, Dr. Josh Lackey, who came right out.  Unfortunately, examination showed that Dude had injured the stifle joints in both his hind legs, probably while breeding a cow.  Dr. Lackey explained that the injuries were so severe that, in addition to being in pain, he would never recover. 

Spearhead Ribeye Dude, whom we acquired from General Paul Funk of Spearhead Ranch near Killeen, has been with us for seven years.  He has fathered many beautiful calves in addition to taking good care of his “girls,” shown with him below.  His disposition was calm and taciturn.  He was always gentle and easy to handle, and never even threatened to kick or butt…either us or the dogs.

It was with a great deal of sorrow that we said goodbye to Dude.  I hope we will be able to keep one of his daughters to help us remember his gentle spirit.