yeah, yeah... I'm back in business. There's too much good stuff that happens in our life to let it just slip by. I must write!
So, with Fall comes the beginning of 4H. RT's only request at the end of 4H last year was that could he please raise a steer because he didn't want to be the only boy in middle school showing his Nigerian Dwarf goat at the fair... What, not manly enough for you RT?
After much discussion, analysis, reasoning, rationalizing, and agonizing we decided to cross over to the dark side... raising a market animal. Meat animal. Short term project... and after too many glasses of wine at an FFA benefit dinner, one introduction, and one phone call later, RT became a beef cattle rancher... a rancher of one.
Red.
In the idealic setting of farmland and rolling hills, at a dear friend's home, a handsome - clearly champion worthy - hereford steer has come to live. My son's first business endeavor... well, besides the market eggs of last year. And I'm not making fun... those eggs fetched a silver Supreme Champion belt buckle and $250 at the livestock auction... not bad for 12 stinking eggs.
Anyway, back to Red. RT didn't over think the name. It was between Burger (too mean, I said), #110 (ear tag), and Red (note his color.) But we are over thinking everything else: brand of feed (hours of research), type of hay (tried two types already), halters, coat blowers, corral fencing, exercise schedule, weigh dates, hoof trimming, blow drying...
And I thought blow drying the chickens was weird.
OK, blow drying chickens is weird...
In this short period of time we have all already learned so much: there is no end to the number of flies in the world, cow tongues are scratchy, cow poop is easier to clean up than horse poop (cow poop stays together in one plop), cows like to play (yes, Red was trying to play when he was tossing his head and running after RT... "Stay behind the tree" I'm yelling. Please God let no one have filmed us...) Anyway the learning goes on and on and on. So stay tuned. This project is sure to yield some great laughs!
