Raising cattle

Raising beef cattle was a given when you have so much land that isn't suitable for grain farming. We had quite a bit of bush and also access to another quarter of land for pasture. So, cattle were a part of our farming.

At the yard we had a spring feed creek that flowed through our yard and the pasture quarter.This was such a blessing as George never had to worry about water for the animals in summer or winter as the creek never froze over in winter. The water in the creek was so warm the cattle never had ice on there feet in winter.

We had a herd of around 25-30 cows. The calves were usually born in spring and sold in fall. ( a few years he fed the calves until spring ). The cows had to be fed over winter. With so many hills and so much bush, George could always find a good sheltered spot to feed them and so they did well.

When we were first married he still had the old log barns his father had built and a poor set up for corrals. Then in 1971 we got a new barn built and later a corral was added behind the barn. This surely was a big improvement.

We needed a lot of hay for the cows. this was a big part of work over the summer. Baling hay and hauling it home took a lot of time.

At first we had square bales which were hard to handle but what an improvement when we got the round bales.

Another part of our cattle farming were our milk cows. We always had a cow for own milk but later this was increased - some years up to six cows. Then we could sell cream which was picked up each week by a truck. At first we milked the cows by hand until my arms got to sore. Then we got a milk machine and a milk room in the barn. It provided the extra income we needed for expenses on a weekly basis.

The work on the farm kept us busy but as the family grew and was able to help, the chores also provided a good time for us to work together. Many times these were the opportunities to share what was troubling one or the other.

Yes, this was part of the life one the farm and I`m thankful now for all the Lord provided for us over the years.