Not as different as you would think

Since selecting my excellent steer Stewart (or Beef Stew for short) I have received many comments on how perfect we are for each other.  He has been called my mini-me, what I would be like if I were reincarnated as a bovine, and Allie-The-Steer. But no matter how you put it, I have to admit there is a certain...er... similarity.  This similarity is heightened by the fact that, in addition to both having copper colored hair (or in Stewey's case fur), we both currently have colds.

Now, until now I had never even considered how to treat a 700 lb steer that's coughing and sneezing and I now know that it is quite the process, and quite different than the way I treat my own colds.

Step One: Steer- Move sick steer out of his pen, down the hallway and into the squeeze shoot.  It helps to have some help from the big boys for this step.

                Me- Leave room and drive 40 minutes to Dr's office.  It helps to have a parent to help with the driving part if you don't feel good for this step.



Stewey poses in the squeeze shoot! I was glad to have help getting him in there!



Step Two:  Steer- Find soft cloth and wipe mucus discharge from steer's nose
                  Me- Find box of tissues and you know....

Step Three: Steer-Measure out the appropriate amount of medication according to the weight of the animal.  Remember to follow all directions on the medication, especially any instructions about splitting the dosage.  Stewey needed 20 cc of antibiotics, but could only have 10 in one site, so he needed a shot in either side of his neck. OUCH!

Mrs. Lacey Measuring Antibiotics for Stewey

                  Me- Measure out the appropriate amount of medication according to the prescription.  Remember to follow important directions like "Go to sleep after you take this"

Step Four: Steer-Lead Steer gently back to pen and brush him well.  Make sure to scratch his belly and apologize profusely for the above indignities.  Then leave the pen with soft words and let the poor thing rest and eat lots of hay.

                 Me- Go home and rest as much as possible.  This might take up to an entire week.  Make sure to watch cartoons sparingly and be nice to the rest of your family as they feed you Popsicles and chips 'n salsa. Try not to think about your sick steer.



I'm REALLY glad my shots don't come from needles like this...



Anticpation Rewarded

I am so excited, after weeks of anticipation and several nights spent tossing and turning, wondering when my very own steer will arrive, he is here.  When I got the text this morning, telling me that the steers would be at the FFA farm and ready for picking at 2:15.

Now, because I have been having a sick week this week ('tis the season), I came up with a brilliant plan so that I would have optimum energy for steer selection.  I would take a nap until 1:30, throw on my boots and start driving by 1:45.  So I started my brilliant plan and was in bed at 12:20. 

At 12:37 I double checked the text to make sure we were meeting at 2:15 not 1:15.

At 12:43 I tried to run through potential steer names, an effort that I declared useless by 12:55.

At 1:04 I reviewed key things to look for when choosing my steer.

At 1:16 I received a text from my incredible FFA advisor explaining that "they are beautiful!!!!" Unable to wait any longer, I jumped out of bed, threw on my boots and headed out the door, never mind that I was nearly 14 minutes early!

I got to the farm at 1:58, over 15 minutes early, so I decided to furtively drive by the backside of the farm, right past the beef unit to get a first peek at the steers.  I was unable to see the steers from the road, what I did see however was my friend Rachel's car.  Rachel was also getting a steer.  Seeing that I was by no means too early, I spun the car around (who knew you could break speed records in a 1991 Ford Tempo?) and hurried to the beef unit. 

As soon as I got to the pen where the steers were currently lounging, this little guy caught my eye. 

Pretty soon Mrs. Lacey and the other two, Victoria and Makenna had arrived and we were ready to begin.  Makenna, being the most experienced with two steers already successfully raised, picked first.  I let out a breath as she picked a large black bald steer. Next went Victoria who picked the dark red Shorthorn Charolais cross.  Another silent sigh of relief, my steer was still in the running.  Finally Rachel chose an adorable black steer that was heavily muscled and reminded her of the steer she had two years ago.  If I hadn't been sick I would have jumped for joy, my first choice steer was mine. 



I settled him in his pen and reluctantly left my little guy alone for the night, but not before he demonstrated to me that while he may seem little, he is more than capable of taking me for a nice.... er.... run.  We'll have to get that fixed pretty soon!

The only question left is what to name him.... Any suggestions?

Desert Ag Girl doesn't PLAY video games

Yesterday we finally welcomed our family's breeding ewe, Begonia home after a summer and fall at Camp Ram. When my sister led her up the walkway we greeted her with pets and hugs and her favorite treat-a cookie. However, the events leading up to her homecoming was anything but boring.

Worming Begonia so she could come home

Begonia had come up in the trailer with a passel of other extraordinarily pregnant ewes. All of these ewes belong to my very favorite mentor/Ag teacher/FFA advisor, Mrs. Lacey. Now all of the ewes, including Begonia, were tucked safe and sound into a field, where they were doing their thing. The problem was, ewes that are doing... whatever it is that ewes do when we aren't watching them, don't particularly want to be caught.

The goal was get them in the pen, like this,

What ended up happening reminded me of a giant, real life video game. I'm predicting it would go viral, and attract fans of both Farmville and Angry Birds.

-Four players: Preferably all girls, (and preferably looking like real women, not like the ones found in nerdy video games)
-About 30 VERY pregnant ewes: These could be computer generated and programmed to avoid the four players AT ALL COSTS.
-The object of the game is to get the sheep into a small pen, for some reasonable purpose like separating one ewe out to take her home.
-This is accomplished by moving a variety of semi heavy and cumbersome objects to form blockades and fortresses that direct the sheep in a variety of directions.

-If this cannot be accomplished, there should be a cheat code available that involves super awesome dogs.
-There can be a variety of levels with different sheep moods and available objects.

And after each level, you might see a screen like this, because the Battle of Penning Sheep is never truly won!

I'm telling you, this could totally catch on, and when it does, I will finally be able to say that Desert Ag Girl doesn't PLAY video games, her life IS a video game!

(All I need now is a catchy name... Maybe: Woman vs. Sheep, Sheep a Rama, or Cranky Ewes...hmm I'll have to think about that one!)

Llamas on the Loose

There is no downside to keeping a pair of retired Llamas around. They're not loud, they don't chase cars, they don't need to be groomed often, they don't need to be walked for a half hour every day, and they don't kick. They do eat weeds, have kind and unique personalities, put up with unruly dogs and brothers, and have an adventurous spirit. Wait, okay, so I suppose that "adventurous spirit" can get them into a little trouble sometimes. But that's okay, because they don't startle very easily. However, when they do get startled, combine that raw(ma) llama fear with that adventurous spirit, and you might have a bit of a problem on your hands.

Now, you may be getting the idea that I'm speaking from experience, because, well I do have a pair of retired Llamas, and yes I normally do speak from experience. So I will admit right now that yes, my Llamas became startled. Then, they started feeling adventurous, and they sorta broke right through one of the panels on their pen. So that's how my family spent our Sunday morning. Rounding up a couple of spooked Llamas-in the windstorm that had them all riled up in the first place. Needless to say it wasn't easy. We would have our arms around them, ready for a halter, when a gust of wind would come up, and that lovely Llama would take off again. It doesn't really help that we were trying to repair the pen (that Bodie Busted through) at the same time. Eventually though, we had the pen fixed, the Llamas rounded up and sealed in their pen, then we got some hay in those Llamas and they settled right now.

I'm looking out my window at the Llamas. Bodie is munching on some tasty weeds, and Superman is acting as our heroic Sentinel, keeping an eye on the road. Yeah, no matter how many "adventures" we might have together, I don't think I will ever see a downside to keeping Llamas.

County Agriculture Spotlight

Let's try something new. Every week I'm going to feature a different county in California for an agricultural spotlight! From going to FFA meetings and leadership conferences where we worked on memorizing the top five ag commodities in California, (dairy products, nursery products, grapes, almonds, and cattle), I have realized that there is a lot more to California agriculture than the ranches and youth opportunities that I see in the desert. This is my way of highlighting the different agriculture industries of California's 58 counties.


This week I will be featuring Alameda county. Alameda County's top agricultural commodity is Nursery Products, which are closely followed by grapes and a variety of livestock production. Alameda county has a lot of urban land use in addition to their agricultural land use. Therefore, they have taken on a major urban agriculture project that involves over 200 community farms and gardens in their urban areas. Alameda county has two FFA chapters, with a total of three ag teachers.






My sources for this spotlight include:



http://www.calaged.org/caescripts/school-listing.asp?Option=County&HasURL=YES



http://www.acgov.org/cda/awm/



And my own experiences at FFA meetings and conferences!