Ramsey County

October 8, 2007

Howdy!!!

This weather is getting a little irritating.  I wish it would either rain and give us an inch or clear up and let harvest be under way again.  Not only that, days of clouds has a tendency to make me a little irritable.  I do think when the dust settles and the cloudy days move away it might be looking at the first killing frost in our world, so be prepared.  What a weekend in football, especially for our Minnesota Vikings, “they finally won”---I am just kidding, as they had a bye week, therefore did not lose either.  Sunday was another one of those opportunities for me to help with some farm chores.  Tommy got the dreaded phone call that your cows were out.  We went into action and headed north.  Upon our arrival to the pasture found the cows were all locked up in the corral which in turn started the journey back home, for the cows.  Trailers were found and after a couple of trips with different trailers the cows were home looking over their new surroundings and even eye balling the fence for any openings.  The cows and calves looked good and with them being home is just another reminder that winter is not far away, although I heard over the weekend that we are expected to get above normal temperatures for another 90 days.  This is also a good time of year to get those cattle worked for the feed lot.  I know we have many other activities starring at us but those calves are worth good dollars too and getting those calves run through the shoot early can be very rewarding.  Keeping good records of medications, times given and any other health information can bring additional dollars in the sale barn.  Pregnancy checking the cows could also be done now and would eliminate any unwanted girls that did not settle over the summer season.  This would also allow you the time to look for any replacements that might be needed as the market is usually a little softer during the fall run, for bred females.

I would also like to encourage all of you to be checking either your fields, gardens, lawns or flower beds for nutrients this fall.  Nutrient prices seem to be sky rocketing and knowing what your specific area has for nutrients could eliminate some unwanted spending.  This does not mean you can cheat on application rates as some areas might need additional nutrients but could keep you from over applying nutrients.  I mentioned this in an earlier article but with the cost of supplies it is becoming more critical than ever.

     Calendar!!!

            November 15               Farmers’s Night Out, Memorial building

            November 28               Rancher’s Night Out, Lake Region Livestock

            November 28               Tax Preparer workshop

            December  6                District Crop Improvement meeting, Lakota

            January    8-9               Lake Region Extension Roundup

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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