Simon Reeve : The Americas.

[Pond digger]

Stupid ? Perhaps , why do they rope and drag large no.s of calves rather than pen them up tight - looks hardwork and hard on the calves to me , but I admire their horse/stock skills .?

Wouldn’t be nearly as much fun............... Probably.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Stupid ? Perhaps , why do they rope and drag large no.s of calves rather than pen them up tight - looks hardwork and hard on the calves to me , but I admire their horse/stock skills .?

Depends how far away the yards are i guess, although temporary pens could be moved around .
but itKeeps the skills alive and practiced , migt be needed again seriously one day or like in South America where they work more exstensivly.
With regards the skill, the horses (Stock horses) help a lot, its in their breeding.
I dont know about , lassoing ,
... but rounding up cattle on a good horse in open country is something else

Anyway it Looked like proper cowboy country , just like in all them westerns.

 

[steveR]

Stupid ? Perhaps , why do they rope and drag large no.s of calves rather than pen them up tight - looks hardwork and hard on the calves to me , but I admire their horse/stock skills .?

I think that they do it the "hard way" cos they enjoy it!! Loved watching the quarter horses in action... Poetry!

Daughter Steph went over for the Calgary Stampede last year after going to a big Rodeo in SF in 2017. Came back wanting to marry a Cowboy!! Happily no cowboy or horses here..... YET!

Bit of good hoss action and a great tune... Old Cros Medicine Show if you like Country/Folk

 

[Blaithin]

Stupid ? Perhaps , why do they rope and drag large no.s of calves rather than pen them up tight - looks hardwork and hard on the calves to me , but I admire their horse/stock skills .?

Do you think penning range cattle and pushing them through alleys is less stressful?

I’ve seen some godawful wrecks when cattle not used to yards are brought in. Broken legs, upside down in the alley, hotshotted and zapped until they go the right way, bellowing and running. In a traditional branding set up they’re a bit stressed when they’re roped and flat assed and that’s about it. Very minimal actual handling stress as they’re always allowed to herd up.

 

[Canada Farmer]

On the ranch the commentator slagged off feedlots. Little realising that is how those range bred calves will be finished.

Nothing wrong with feedlots if done properly, doesn't have to be large scale either. You have to use a farming system that works to suit your environment and climate , no different to anywhere else in the world.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Do you think penning range cattle and pushing them through alleys is less stressful?

I’ve seen some godawful wrecks when cattle not used to yards are brought in. Broken legs, upside down in the alley, hotshotted and zapped until they go the right way, bellowing and running. In a traditional branding set up they’re a bit stressed when they’re roped and flat assed and that’s about it. Very minimal actual handling stress as they’re always allowed to herd up.

Weaning would need a yard.

 

[steveR]

Do you think penning range cattle and pushing them through alleys is less stressful?

I’ve seen some godawful wrecks when cattle not used to yards are brought in. Broken legs, upside down in the alley, hotshotted and zapped until they go the right way, bellowing and running. In a traditional branding set up they’re a bit stressed when they’re roped and flat assed and that’s about it. Very minimal actual handling stress as they’re always allowed to herd up.

Sounds like 1990's Limmies...!

Needs a proper handling setup like used for deer, high races with blacked out races and corrals. The Spanish use concrete setups that I've seen in cattle country.

 

[Blaithin]

Weaning would need a yard.

Calves are bigger at weaning. You wouldn’t need a whole other sized alley and tipping table.
Lots of set ups wean right into trucks and to the auction, no need for yards to hold calves. Also animals are weaned in the fall when they know to come in closer for feed. They aren’t nearly as interested in coming in close in the summer.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Nothing wrong with feedlots if done properly, doesn't have to be large scale either. You have to use a farming system that works to suit your environment and climate , no different to anywhere else in the world.

Yes it was Simon Reeve saying the usual tosh about intensive feed lots. As an extensive pig farmer who writes a bit I never criticise intensive livestock production having been privileged to have visited many intensive pig, beef, dairy and poultry farms and been impressed by the care that goes into their management.

 

[digger64]

Do you think penning range cattle and pushing them through alleys is less stressful?

I’ve seen some godawful wrecks when cattle not used to yards are brought in. Broken legs, upside down in the alley, hotshotted and zapped until they go the right way, bellowing and running. In a traditional branding set up they’re a bit stressed when they’re roped and flat assed and that’s about it. Very minimal actual handling stress as they’re always allowed to herd up.

I wouldnt know ,I'm not criticising I'm asking , I could see that it keeps the calf near it's mother , thats got to be worth a lot in that situation - sorry trying to learn .

 

[digger64]

[Qdon't ="Canada Farmer, post: 6598362, member: 91796"]
Nothing wrong with feedlots if done properly, doesn't have to be large scale either. You have to use a farming system that works to suit your environment and climate , no different to anywhere else in the world.
[/QUOTE]
I dont understand why feed lots appear to be viewed in a negative light by UK farmers the only difference I can see is specialist management , scale and a roof between these and most UK cattle finishers ,

 

[Blaithin]

I wouldnt know ,I'm not criticising I'm asking , I could see that it keeps the calf near it's mother , thats got to be worth a lot in that situation - sorry trying to learn .

No need to apologize. I was just expanding on reasoning.

In today’s world it seems that handling systems and multiple needles is the standard for welfare. I’ve seen animals getting castrated that have to be run through twice, once for sedation and then 15 minutes later when it’s fully effective, just for a quick procedure. In a second chute I was doing twice the animals with half the handling in half the time because I could just get them done (this is without the added issue of trying to get a half sedated animal through a handling system too)

Yes handling systems and pain management have their places, but that doesn’t mean the cowboy way is awful. Perception is everything is all.

 

[Exfarmer]

When we used to de horn before anaesthetics we used a hot iron to remove the bud and the recovery time was probably ten minutes before they were back suckling or feeding. After we started too use an anaesthetic we noticed recovery was far longer possibly a couple of hours

 

[steveR]

When we used to de horn before anaesthetics we used a hot iron to remove the bud and the recovery time was probably ten minutes before they were back suckling or feeding. After we started too use an anaesthetic we noticed recovery was far longer possibly a couple of hours

Fully agree. When doing very young calves, far better NOT to use anaesthetic, possibly a whiff of Metacam would be better?

 

[Bury the Trash]

California tonight , best soil on the planet there apparently plus ...interesting piece on migrant labour.....
...and water use by cattle...... plus more much more......

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I went and stopped with a penfriend farming/ranching family with Herself in upstate MT about 15 years ago and assisted or saw all of the above. Local lads who were roping and holding the "calves" were astonished when I told them they would be prosecuted here in the UK for a lot of their activities. As for the we pellet inside the ear.....

Our programs are all happy sunny Dales type progs. apart for the rare exception that is, This Farming Life. Even that has it Countryfile moments....

What area of Montana if I can ask?

 

[steveR]

What area of Montana if I can ask?

Near Sidney... ( near being a Montana definition, as opposed to an English one!!)

Sadly, not really in touch these days.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

Near Sidney... ( near being a Montana definition, as opposed to an English one!!)

Sadly, not really in touch these days.

Used to take combines through on 2 hwy, closest I ever got to Sidney. FA in eastern Montana.

 

[lazy farmer]

California tonight , best soil on the planet there apparently plus ...interesting piece on migrant labour.....
...and water use by cattle...... plus more much more......

Couldn’t understand why you would employ loads of illegal labour at 10$ an hour to pick sugar beat when a machine would be much faster.
Also very frightening that land levels had drop by up to 60 ft in some areas due to water extraction.

 

[jondear]

California tonight , best soil on the planet there apparently plus ...interesting piece on migrant labour.....
...and water use by cattle...... plus more much more......

And all the pesticide pollution in the water!
Get your lovely juciey almonds here!