Our cattle get divided up into single-bull groups or "herds" of 25 to 35 pair for breeding and summer pasture. Each group tends to either get named for the bull from each group or the pastures they run on. The bulls all tend to get some name that relates to where they came from or maybe some humorous story related to their acquisition.
I tell you this only because this evening I am sitting on my deck watching the cattle around me, having a drink, enjoying the evening.
Right in front of the house is "Switch's" herd. Maybe 30 pairs, mostly red in color, various backgrounds. Switch is a big black Angus bull. He was named Switch because when we went to pick out a bull the one we liked was already promised. So we picked our second choice. But the gal I buy bulls from was so accommodating she talked to the guy who had selected the bull we liked as our first choice and he agreed to "switch" with us. Hence the name Switch. Switch?s herd is grazing the fall triticale right in front of the house. I like it when they are in there because I can watch them graze. My brother, who lives just a few yards away from me also likes to watch them there. He is the real cowman of the family. He knows every cow, every calf, who they are bred to and when they will calve. He has a truly amazing mind for cattle. He?s sitting on his front porch tonight doing the same thing I am.
Off to my right I can see ?Dana?s? herd at the place next door that we rent. Dana is also a big black Angus I bought this year. He?s only two but going to be a bruiser. His cows are also mostly red of mixed background. They are maybe a quarter mile away and grazing peacefully. We named him Dana because that was the name of the guy who raised him, a guy I have known since first grade.
Down to my left, to the east, ?Chuck?s? herd is grazing the ?Rancho? pastures. It's part of my Dad?s original place. The place he built with his own two hands and his own four kids. It was his pride and joy. Chuck is a big white Charolais bull. And I mean big. He has a way of going where ever he wants to go. He?s not mean, just determined. His cows are mostly black hided and quite varied in their background too. The calves are mostly his from last year and they are awesome. Today is the Chuck herd?s first day on pasture this year. I will close the gates at the highway tonight in case they get to wandering.
In the corral immediately to the east of the house, maybe 150 feet away, I can see ?Bob?s? herd. Bob is also a BIG Charolais bull and his herd is all black, nearly all raised right here, and very consistent in type. In a week or so they will get hauled up to the ?Tucker? place for the summer. Not quite enough feed there yet. The calves are Bob?s from last year and they may very well be the best I have ever had. I'm sure that's been said before but this time, I swear?
We bought Chuck from a family I have known my entire life. They treated me well. Since he was a Charolais, we almost called him Charlie but it got shortened to Chuck. The first day Chuck was here he jumped a fence and bred three heifers he wasn?t supposed to. Can you say libido? Bob came from the same place after we got Chuck home and liked him so well. We just thought ?Chuck & Bob? sound good together, like morning DJs or something.
Also out in the corral I can see ?Superman? and the replacement heifers. They will go on pasture tomorrow or the next day. Superman got his name because the lady I bought him from, the same lady who sold me Switch and several before him, said compared to the rest of his cohorts he was ?super?. He is a big Red Angus who is a proven calving ease bull, ideal for first calf heifers. He weighed 48 pounds at birth. He weighs 2400 pounds today. That's what we pay the big money for ? genetics.
So the only group I can't see is ?Frederick?s? herd. Frederick is another black Angus, from the same place as Switch and Superman. He is only a year and half old. His herd is my wife?s Beefmasters. Several years ago I bought my wife seven Beefmaster heifers from my brother-in-law for Christmas. She said she wanted something different, her own herd. She calls them her ?diamond ring?. Since that time her herd has grown from 7 to over 20. She loves them all. Names them all. Only reason I can't see them right now is they are over at the ?other corral? because their pastures are wet. It's about a half mile away. I could see them if I really looked I suppose but I really can't SEE them. I just know where they are.
Oh, and right now there are three VERY nice Charolais-Angus cross calves standing in my front yard. They are some of Bob?s boys. Every night they crawl out of the manger and screw around. It's aggravating and I can't wait for them to get on pasture but it's kind of funny. Yesterday morning they were almost under the carport.
Sorry this was so long. Anyway, this is how I spend my evenings.
Life is good.