From the Barns: My favorite season

Fall has always been my favorite season. Perhaps my reasons for that are not what you might guess. In my youth, it meant that basketball practice was near and the joy of that crowded out nearly everything else. I did always love harvest, too, but the grind of getting that done was sometimes really tough.

Nothing beats a good stroll in the white oak woods, followed by food around a fire and talk and singing as dark envelops everything. An occasional sip of cider and a cider donut is a real treat, too. The mums mark the season in a beautiful manner, as well. Warm days and cool nights seem like perfect weather. Things get busy now with Bears and Iowa Hawkeye football to religiously watch, too. Fall is a special season.

Here at River Oak, preparations to beat the onset of winter have begun. We have a major fencing project started with the old fence removed, posts pulled, earthen lots graded and fence-line bunks situated. I purchased #1 railroad ties for posts, since we have very few Osage orange trees remaining. Osage orange hedge posts are hard to beat for heavy fencing, but the railroad ties get the nod now. My past experience says they will last 30 years, but the Osage orange posts are usually good for 50 and more. The osage orange trees are not good out there, but I sure wish I had a stack to band saw split and screw on the fence.

I really like building fence and in this case continuous 6-bar fencing with handy connectors and hold-on straps makes the task especially friendly. This fencing replaces the old three hi-tensile electric wires, which worked well if the calves could see the wire the first time they were moved in. If not, well, just hang some ribbon on it and be smarter than the calves.

Carson is trying to juggle all the late-season grazing, because frost becomes a limiting factor in the sorghum-sudangrass and the reed canary grass. One doesn’t want to waste forage, but at the same time planning becomes very important. He keeps plenty of feed — distillers, corn fines, fermented shucks and ground hay — on hand for the feedlot calves and groups that may need a meal away from the grazing. Rain once again is making our earthen lots a temporary mess. It is good to look at a favorable forecast for the next 10 days after today’s rain, Oct. 1.

There is a lot of talk about technology these days. It has become so important in agriculture and that does not leave out the cattle industry. I still favor pen and paper, but recordkeeping in most operations these days is using software and apps that make life easier. Carson has everything on his phone and he can get there really quick to get the answer or the history. The truth for me is I have not kept up as much as is required to function full speed. But the truth is I do very little at full speed.

Really enjoyed speaking at the northern grazing school sponsored by the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition and hosted by Greg Thoren near Stockton. The Driftless Area up there is so beautiful with rolling hills, flowing waters and great views from the high points. Greg afforded the attendees with some really good grazing, crop growing, watering and innovative looks. He is truly worthy of the recognition he has received for his work, including being recognized by ILGLC as a Master Grazier and also the Leopold Conservation Award.

It looks like harvest will run full-bore the next few weeks. Take time to enjoy it. The smells of the harvest season also make it special. Stay safe and sane.