The big move

Nick was so excited today that we were finally able to get some of the calves down to the front pasture. The cool weather has been a HUGE asset in getting these calves ready and in good condition. I have to say that this is one of the quietest sets of calves that we have every had and that helps matters a lot. I think that we may have broke 90 degrees for the first time this month but Nick has been working his tail off all day down in the new "wash house" rinsing calves and doing a little clipping. The calves look great thanks to Nick's hard work and I would guess thanks to our consignors who brought us such a powerful set of calves.

I don't think that I have told you all about Nick yet. Nick Andreson is heading into his third year at ISU this fall and is planning on being a vet. I hurt my back this spring so I posted a job opening at ISU just before finals week. We had several great applicants and we are thrilled to have Nick with us. He is incredibly talented with the cattle and has a great way with them. It takes a special person to do this work...or maybe just to work for me. I am a little particular about how my cattle are handled and Nick has greatly lived up to my standards. He thinks outside of the box and recognizes a problem...he just has some mechanical issues. We try not to tease him too much about that as I am not sure that he has my sense of humor. He is very athletic however and has been able to put his fire pit jumping skills to work. I would have to say that his pole vaulting skills need a bit more tuning. I don't think the pole is supposed to go through your foot! Ohhhh, the stories I could tell! LOL

We will miss him when he goes back to college but we are really looking forward to having him along with us during the Iowa State Fair. Nick is planning on coming back on weekends until our sale if over so I hope all of you get a chance to meet him.

Interesting weekend

Have you ever had that feeling that somebody is watching you? You know, the one where you look around and think that someone is hiding behind a tree waiting to jump out and scare you? I had that feeling yesterday. Darby went behind the bunkhouse and I saw him looking at something. When I investigated I saw a skunk crouched on the ground and I shrieked at Darby to try and get him away. Luckily SOME of our training sessions paid off because as soon as I called to "leave it" he backed away and jumped in the Kubota. I promptly stuck him in the house and headed for my son's gun.

I couldn't find the pin-striped little bugger and was kind of happy since I didn't really want to be part of his demise if he was just out wandering around. I really didn't think much more about it until the hair stood up on the back of my neck after I had been fixing fence for a while. When I turned around he was staggering towards me. He stopped for a minute, smelled the air and then continued to try rip me to shreds...or so I imagined. At that point I did what any normal woman would do...I RAN AWAY!!!! I called Brad and encouraged him to get his tush down the hill with the gun and save me from certain death!!!

The skunk decided to take another break in the shade of Brad's new smoker. BIG MISTAKE!!! Apparently it's ok to mess with me but DO NOT MESS WITH BRAD'S SMOKER!!!!! Needless to say the place looked like a crime scene. I don't know much about guns...or ammo...but apparently deer slugs will pretty much take care of a sick skunk. That's all I have to say about that.

As for the picture of my shop foreman...well, let me just say that Brad is NOT just a desk jockey. He has multiple talents and I am especially happy that running a welder and plasma cutter are part of them. Of course, you "might be a redneck if..." your honey-do list includes adding three feet to the length of your working chute. I do love that man...really!!!

Money is an issue!

Well, with another beautiful weekend I took advantage and worked my tail off setting things up at the pasture for the sale. The wash building is officially finished and we are currently working on finishing the upgrades on the chute and getting it moved in. We are supposed to get more storms today so we are waiting to move calves until tomorrow.

I wanted to take a moment to comment on something that I heard the other day that has me a bit concerned. The comment was that many people aren't coming over to Western Iowa for the sales this fall because they feel that they just can't afford a high dollar steer to use at their county fairs. That really upsets be because I think that there are calves here that will appeal to all; there will probably be some high dollar fancy steers that will certainly be competitive on a national level but I like to think that I have calves that will also appeal to the county-level projects as well.

Every one of our consignors has to place a floor bid on their calf. That bid is not allowed to change and they have to agree to sell that calf at that price if there is only one bid on that calf. Many of the steers will be floored in the $900 to $1100 range. Granted, that price is above the salebarn market price but it is not unreasonable. You have to understand that these are AI sired, they have been worked with and are ready to go into your kids hands. You know what you are paying for and a lot of the risk has been eliminated. When it comes to your kids that little bit extra is worth it in my book. We will sell a lot of calves in that price range. We are not just here for the big time showmen and we want to work with all of you. Everyone gets equal treatment at Club Calf Paradise no matter how much you spend!

I really hope that some of you that are hesitant to head this direction take time to read this. I would really be disappointed if you missed out on a nice steer that you could afford. At the very least take a day and come see us. Looking is half the experience!

Breaking out the sweaters

I woke up this morning with my nose sticking out from under my goose down quilt. I thought I was dreaming. It's the middle of July in Iowa! I am afraid that the calves that Mickey Peck sent up from the furnace of Oklahoma are going to go into shock. Even the yearling bred heifers in the oak grove look fuzzy this morning. I can't believe this weather but I will certainly enjoy every minute of it. It's almost noon and it's only 63 degrees. WOW!!!

Today kicks off the annual Darrell Nissen Memorial Calf show in Denison. This weather should really help bring out more market animals. I am looking forward to seeing everyone today and hope to spend some time this evening at the bunk house having some bbq and beverages. I am sure the front porch will be full but there is always room for more.

The Wash House

Every year we try to make some new additions to the front pasture. Last year we had a somewhat temporary set up for rinsing and working on calves while they were in the front pasture. This project had a July 4 deadline and is still not quite finished thanks mostly to the wonderful rains we have been having.

Last year we just had a chute and a temporary awning with some portable holding pens but it was still a far cry from the steel posts and portable gate panel that we had in the past. We even used to just tie the calves up to the side of the four wheeler and rinse them. Needless to say I am quite excited about getting this finished. We are getting excited about moving most of the calves down to the hillside paddocks as soon as possible.

They are supposed to be pouring concrete tomorrow and Darby is looking forward to putting his paw prints on the new cement. The workers always love that!

Tech Support

Club Calf Paradise doesn't just happen. Everything is choreographed from day one and includes help from a lot of people. Somewhere over that past year I lost my Wonder Woman uniform so I have had to resign myself to the fact that I needed to hire some assitants. So far I have been very happy with the people that have made a commitment to being part of the Nelson Cattle Company and Club Calf Paradise sale crew.

Pictured is Allison Vary. She is a recent high school graduate and is headed for College at Butler Community College this fall where she will be taking Ag. Communications with a Minor in Animal Science. She will also be an active member of their livestock judging team.

Currently Allison is working on her PhD from N.C.C. (Nelson Cattle Company) in Turf Mantenance. She is quite skilled at operating a JD 950 with belly mower and keeping the sale paddocks in immaculate condition. Occasionally you might find a stray golfer trying to chip balls from paddock to paddock. Recently the water hazards have posed a bit of a challenge but Allison has used stealth navigation to avoid them.

Stayed tuned for information about other employees...Nick Andreson is currently working on SEVERAL degrees at NCC. The last month has undoubtedly been a challenge for him as he is apparently working towards a triple major!

Password Society

Have you noticed lately how everything we do requires a "password"? Our phones, our computers, our bank accounts...pretty soon we will need a password to access vending machines and gas pumps. Heck, essentially I even have to remember a password to get into my car! I hate passwords. For some reason, on Monday mornings when I am exhausted from the weekend and I have not had my daily requirement of caffeine my brain randomly shuts down it's "password" memory and I have to spend a few minutes of stressed out confusion trying to access any and all of my accounts.

I have tried to keep track of my passwords by writing them in a "secret book" but I never seem to have that book handy when I am having a password brain-fart. Or along with forgetting my password, I forgot the safe place I left the book. Then when I am completely at a loss I will change the password. That is simply a bad idea because no matter what I can never remember the clever NEW password the next time I need it because I didn't have my stupid clever book to write it in which, if I would have had it in the first place I wouldn't have had to change my password!

There is no password that is unforgettable. I have even tried using the word "PASSWORD" as my password. Clever huh? Yeah, well 24 hours later or after I have inadvertantly washed my clever little book with my jeans...GONE!!! I dunno...maybe it's my age. Maybe it's my hair color. Maybe it's that I can actually remember what life was like before Internet, cell phones and PASSWORDS!!! At any rate, now that I have rambled and vented about this subject I have completely forgotton what I was going to "blog" about! So for today I am going to suggest that somebody outthere name a bull PASSWORD. I think it has some genius marketing potential. Can you imagine the response when you ask anyone if they have seen PASSWORD? They will think that they are privy to some deep secret that should never be shared with others! They will all want to know what it is and get access to it. You could even refer to his semen code as his PIN number!

Can you hear the music?

What is it about Sunday's and rain that make every song you hear tweak some deep sentiment? Maybe it's just that I am too mushy. Maybe it's the phone call that I got from a dear friend in Texas while standing outside in the middle of thunder and impending rain at 8:00 AM this morning telling me that after generations they are throwing in the towel due to the drought. I don't know. Life is so amazing to me sometimes; the delicate balance that we are constantly battling to maintain with mother nature. So here I am sitting in the house blogging while it pours...almost two inches now...listening to the soundtrack from Evita! Eva's final broadcast...it's a killer!!!

The north creek fence/hotwire is gone from the last storm. I had a massive floodgate firmly secured on twelve foot banks with massive augered anchors. That was demolished last fall after ten years of faithful service. Since then I have resigned myself to "breakaway" flood fencing. After any bad gully washers I simply have to replace a single wire and about three cheap insulated posts. I sometimes feel a little smug about this arrangement. Kind of like thumbing my nose at that Mother, Nature. She can't beat me!!! But this morning, armed with my cheap posts, light wire and fencing pliers I stood braced for the next rain battle with my cell phone in my hand and listening to the tears of a friend who was giving up his life dream. As the torrential downpour gave me yet another slap I hung up my phone and left the scene. Today you win Mother Nature. I'll be back! Evita, sing me a happy song.

Another day in Paradise

It's pretty quiet here today in Paradise. I am worried about the weather as it hasn't rained in almost 24 hours. I hope this isn't a trend! If this keeps up I may have to put my hip waders away and get out my Justins. The temperature is perfect and I think the calves are even laying out in the sun to try and stay a bit warmer. I love days like this.

Brad and I spent a good share of the day in an orientation meeting for Rotary exchange families. It was really interesting to meet with the other families and kids that are going to be going abroad. I am pretty excited but I think that it was a bit of a reality check. Our nest is seriously going to be empty and there aren't going to be any weekend visits or "home for the holidays" for the next year. I think that the emotions are going to run pretty deep over the next few weeks.

Nick is back from his trip and is working hard on the calves. I am not going to brag on him much because I am afraid that somebody will hire him away. He has been fabulous though and I don't know what I am going to do when he goes back to school. It is so hard to find somebody that respects the animals and is willing to work with them and treat them the same way that I do. He gets a little keyed up now and then but if he ever learns how to handle the "mule" I think that he will really be an asset to our program! BTW, if you can't tell...this is sarcasm.

So, gotta run. Going to Bonner's for a "Mario Kart Smackdown" and eat homemade bars before going to the movie. I have no idea what some of this is but I vowed to be random today and enjoy one of the last few days with my daughter.

Until tomorrow,
Juli

2009: Away we go!!!!!

Where has the year gone? I can't believe that it's time for another sale already. It just seems like yesterday we were pushing snow and cleaning calving pens! Club Calf Paradise is gearing up at full speed to get things ready for the sale. There are lots of changes in the front pasture this year. The Bunk House got a bit of a remodel and is more like home now. We are working hard to finish the new "wash bay" for the calves.

Many of our consigned calves are arriving this weekend to get ready for the sale. The rest will arrive around the 19th of August. I would say that by the 23rd of August we will be ready for visitors. We have an exceptional set of consignors this year and we are excited for everyone to see the dynamite set of calves we will have to offer. ALL of the calves will be videotaped and online after the 23rd of August. You will be able to see a still photo but also a short video clip so you can see them on the move. Soundness is priority at CCP along with attitude so you can buy with confidence!

I am especially looking forward to keeping up with the blogs and sharing fun stories that are unfolding here during the process. I guess we wouldn't do this if we couldn't have a little fun and I want to be able to share that with everyone.

We are still in the process of updating all of the information on the website. There are some simple changes in the bidding process so be sure to read all of the information. Also, we will be offering some great payment methods and incentives so stay tuned for those as well.

I look forward to seeing everyone again. There have been some great success stories since last year's sale and I am sure that we will be hearing more as the summer progresses. One of the calves purchased at CCP was Grand Champion at the 2008 Arkansas State Fair. Another one of our new consignors, Hanson Club Calves, had the 2008 Grand Champion steer at Louisville!

Darby the cow-dog is looking forward to seeing all of his friends again. We are looking forward to seeing you too!

Best of luck to everyone this summer and stay tuned!