Livestock as Livestock Equipment?
What exactly do you as a farmer or rancher consider equipment on your farm or ranch?
This may seem like a silly question to most but, think about it for a minute. Of course, we all use tractors and tools and, that is the first things we think of. The ATV or the mower, all the things that help us work our business is what comes to mind. Well, I have another thought.
Yesterday, while doing chores and checking the livestock, I realized that our new mama, a 3 year old heifer, had misplaced her calf. It had been born early yesterday morning and I knew that it had been up moving about and had suckled. So when she came up to eat with no baby, I figured she hid it out and would go right back to it. After she ate, she headed back to the pasture but, couldn’t seem to locate her baby. So my 3 year old niece and I started walking the pasture, looking everywhere we thought she might have left it. We had no luck and it was beginning to get dark. We called it a day. Needless to say, she finally found it.
That got me to thinking on the fact that we, ourselves, are equipment for our business, but even more our own livestock is also equipment. Given the fact that I had my niece with me, I didn’t think to take the dog along. She would have been a real help but, I didn’t want to spook the cattle or have her get them moving and we not be able to get out of the way. I don’t have a lot of control over the dog since she is a work in progress. Now, if my partner would have been home from work, he would have had more success.
The other thought was that Allen uses his horse to check the cattle. Bubby is the best we have at working the cattle and Allen will always saddle him up and ride the entire pasture. Bubby can take him just about anywhere he needs to go. My horse has been injured so he cannot be rode just yet and it was easier for us to walk.
Using your livestock to work your livestock makes a lot of sense. In these days, it saves on gas too. Not every situation can have a simple solution but, if we use what livestock equipment we have available to us, some of our days can just be as relaxing and enjoyable as we want them to be. What better way to relax than riding your horse, having your dog tag along and looking at the things you enjoy.