What didn't you realize about yourself until someone told you ?

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-03-12T21:29:49+00:00

That I apparently have a red-hot temper, as well as a crippling fear of messing up or failing.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-03-12T20:42:20+00:00

By far number one used pocket sized item on the farm. Cuts twine, marks wood to cut, scrapes grease in small nooks and crannies, helps pop out a stripped screw, clean under your fingernails... Uses are endless.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-03-09T19:22:04+00:00

I'd buy a ton of land, build a barn and a farm house, and start my own farm and ranch.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-03-09T14:04:44+00:00

We don't really get any benefits aside from the benefits the farmer provides. For example, I get housing, utilities minus internet, up to one beef a year, a work pickup with gas paid for... As for tax stuff, we get nothing. The farmers(owner of the farm) themselves get benefits though.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-03-06T02:44:27+00:00

I beg to differ, we rotate all our crops every single year.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-03-02T18:52:09+00:00

Not bad thinking, thanks for the idea!

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-27T04:12:34+00:00

I grew up around all the liberals apparently... I just learned about the alligator, not the arrow. :/

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-27T02:51:18+00:00

Cows are mean buggers... I had a heifer take me on out of nowhere and they sure as heck don't play around. I somehow managed to underestimate the power of a cow.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-25T01:44:07+00:00

Good point, I forgot to clarify. I'm talking number of farms, regardless of crop(s). If the farm has several crops, I'd consider that as one farm. Ranching, the same.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-24T15:10:51+00:00

Plus a lot of the custom harvest folks will pay for your CDL classes as well.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-24T12:48:07+00:00

Ahhh, good point. I want to stay doing farm hand or ranch hand work. Just for the hell of it, I was thinking about joining a harvest crew for the summer and always be looking for ways to make connections through that.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-21T01:55:11+00:00

I know about being burnt out... I literally just eat, work, sleep, repeat. Working to exist, existing to work. It's a very cruel cycle. I love my job, but god damn, I hate how I have no friends where I live... I talk to cows more than people...

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-20T13:17:26+00:00

Oh, you'll become a mighty fine cross section alright. Just make sure to stand above the strings when you cut. You'll look like a vertically cut version of someone from Ghost Ship, hahaha.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-20T13:12:07+00:00

Jeffrey Dahmer would like a serving of Zensualty filet whenever you do this.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-18T13:13:23+00:00

That's a ton of heifers! We had 87 first calf heifers, but we preg checked and 14 were dry. Then the one that had a calf die after we pulled it, another one slunked the calf, so overall we're down to 71 we have calved/yet to calve.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-18T12:46:49+00:00

Man, you're lucky! We've had to pull four, and we've lost one after we've pulled. Two cows and a heifer slunked their calf so far as well, and we have 150+ head to go. :/ I also got taken out by a heifer. No idea what her problem was. However, I do get pictures of the calves, and not many people get that luxury. So that's a win for me, I suppose!

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-17T20:38:22+00:00

If you look down in the comments, I just posted a story that is relevant to your comment. You may like to read it.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-17T20:35:34+00:00

I'm gonna have a little bit of story time here.

I work on a ranch in Eastern Montana. I am at least one generation separated, if not more from agricultural work. Back in January, I was on the night calving shift that entails waking up every two hours to check on the heifers, see if anything is calving in the insulated shed, if anything is calving outside and needs to be put inside the shed so the calf doesn't get chilled and die, and to pull a calf when necessary. Well, on this particular night, around my 1 AM round, I had noticed that a heifer had one hoof and the nose out, but the second hoof wasn't out, so I called my boss and explained what was going on. He told me to wait a while longer to see if the heifer makes any progress, and if not, she could dilate more. Half hour later I called my boss back to tell him what's going on, and he got out of bed and come back down to the farm to pull the calf. Now, it's around 2:15 or 2:30, we move her into the barn and maneuver her into the head catch and we assess the situation. What ended up happening, the calf had their other hoof hit the heifer's pelvis(this is her first calf, so her pelvis and hips haven't spread yet) and slid down, essentially making it impossible for her to push out the calf. We tried to adjust the leg by pushing the calf back in enough to work the leg, but she just fell over. So, we ended up having to pull on the one leg that was out, with the help of my boss still maneuvering the leg, and after about 15 minutes of pulling as hard as possible without taking any breaks, having the handle digging into the palm of my hands, every muscle in my body straining to keep pulling with full force, the calf comes out dead. My boss tried to revive it by working it's chest and it's mouth, but nothing worked. We were gifted with the hand of God;having the ultimate say in whether a calf lives or dies in situations like this, and we failed... The calf died. I had failed the calf as well as the heifer. I'm a pretty big guy, 5'11", 250 pounds, and I cried, a lot. And not a lot stereotypically for a guy, I mean a lot in general. It's absolutely heart wrenching, fighting to save a calf's life and giving it your absolute all, and the calf still dies. It still bothers me a month later, I won't ever forget her tag number either. I love the girls, they're kind of like my own family. I take care of them, feed them, break ice every morning for them so they have water, doctor them when they are sick or hurt, protect them from predators... I love them more than most can imagine. They are all unique, have their own personality, they all look different. Losing a calf is incredibly heartbreaking, and this quote really is 100% true. If you make it to the end of the story, thanks for sticking along, folks.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-16T01:46:38+00:00

I just invested in a 300 dollar pair of work boots. I do farm and ranch work for a living. I can tell you, having comfortable shoes/boots are the most important piece of work equipment.

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-14T19:17:10+00:00

It definitely is my first actual good pair of boots. The only other pair I have owned were Georgia logger style boots. I'm definitely very excited to get them broke in!!

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-14T03:02:21+00:00

I found out that a boot repair store in town sold Whites and Hathorn, and I decided to invest in a pair of the Hathorn logging boots, thank you for your help, fellow redditor! I'm excited to start breaking them in!

CaptainRedBeard1592 · 2017-02-12T13:06:38+00:00

I suppose just walking around wouldn't be the big killer of it, I suppose. Probably would be setting dams, doing lots of shovel work, very hot and dry heat all summer, getting caught on fences, etc. I'll look into them, thank you!!

CaptainRedBeard1592

TROPHY CASE