Dust Bags

Summer is fly season for cattle. That is an aspect of ranching that often goes neglected. Not because lack of effort or desire, but mainly because of the magnitude of the problem. With only running 12 pairs in one pasture, we hope to make a good dent in our fly problem.

There are numerous means of tending to flys. Oilers are popular. Supplementing fly deterrents through salt  blocks are common. Fly repellent in ear tags is a thing. We chose to go the dust bag route. I've not been around this, but it is simple, inexpensive, and quite effective, based on our research. 

Horn Flys gathered on the back of cows is a common site from June to September. They are an annoyance at best and infectious at worst. Recently, in the southern US, there has been detection of Screw Worms, which are flys that imbed and spread in live flesh verses feces like most flys. All this considered, we wanted to do our part to deter any flys from propagating.   

I've had different ideas of how to hang the bags. Dust bags are 80% effective when used in forced settings. Meaning, in settings where the cattle are forced to walk under them to get water or salt or the like. So I thought the gateway into the water and out to pasture would be good.

So I swung a lariat from one post to another, with the bags hanging in between and a half-hitch on the other end.

Then took the dust concentrate, 

And filled the bags.

Looks decent. 

This cow gets the idea, anyway.

Wanting to force the cows to use them, I closed the gap with an extra panel. 

However, by mid day, only about three cows had dared to walk under them. I don't doubt they would find the courage eventually and use them confidently, but I didn't want to take the chance.

So I hung them down in the shed where Dad told me to put them in the first place!

Alls well that ends well. I hope they take advantage of these back rubs. Time will tell. They like to camp out in this shed during the heat of the day. If nothing else, it should keep the flys from concentrating down here. Fly control can be an overwhelming project. I pray that researchers be given the wisdom necessary to get a grip on the Screw Worm scenario. Nobody needs an infestation of any sorts. A country boy will survive. Ranch on. 

Poor

Poor in spirit is the key to our Lord's Sermon on the Mount.

           https://youtu.be/Yl-uemsQPXE         

Train Bell Repair

Our train bell has been working well and has been a hit around the community. I drove by it one morning and all looked fine. I drove by again that afternoon, and the rope was down. Thinking it had just come undone, I swung in to take a look. Not so.

To my surprise, the vertical arm that rocked the bell had broken off. Shocked, I looked closer to discover that the 1 1/4" rod that it pivoted on was broke. I'm still not sure what to think, but I knew it had to be fixed.

Cast iron is vulnerable and hard to work with. That could have been some of the problem. Regular steal I don't think would have broken even if someone was pulling aggressively hard. The hard part was, how to reattach it in a way that didn't cause it to falter again. 

With a game plan in mind, we drilled a 1/2" hole through the rocker arm. 

Then James punched a 19/64" hole into the other side of the broken shaft on the bell.

Then we tapped it 1/2" NC threads.

Dad and I were pretty unsure how cast iron would tap. Only one way to find out. Seemed to thread in good.

Our concern is that there is not much meat to keep the arm from pivoting on the pin it was originally attached to, especially when middle school kids really get to ringing it. So we opted to put some Locktite on the threads to make sure the bolt stays tight.

Let's ranch.

It tightened up pretty good.

And we set it with a good 80 ft-lbs of torque. 

Then let little-man give her a tug. Seems to hold good and strong.

Back in Black.

Good stuff. If nothing ever broke down there would be no opportunity to fix it. I don't doubt we'll be back here again. But in the mean time, let freedom ring! Ranch on. 

Remnant

God can work with a few.

           https://youtu.be/yUEpPRnoJJQ         

Sin

 Misses the mark.

           https://youtu.be/48jxlMNFwmw         

Zach Wiese

CRL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DovPMZx_RtY

No Fear

Trust in the Father casts out all fear.

           https://youtu.be/LEXMSEafFag         

Hay Stacking

It's never too early to start thinking about winter. In ranch world, preparing for winter involves stacking hay in the barn during the summer. Before we could do that, though, we had to make a little room.

The barn is great, still standing strong 50 years after Grandpa built it. However, it has gotten cluttered. 

These back stalls have become a catchall. Wanting to stack our little square bales back here, we got to work cleaning them out. 

Once the clutter was gone, we decided to take down the last two stanchions.  

Good lumber that we'll put to use in other projects. 

Better. Now we have some room to work with.

Dad baled about 80 little bales on our first cutting of grass. Needing to just get them off the field, he loaded in the International with the farmhand and just dumped them outside the field. 

So we loaded them in the trailer and hauled them to the barn. 

When stacking on dirt, I like to put the bottom row on their side, keeps the twine in good shape and doesn't seem to spoil as much. Then stack away, going different directions with each layer, tying-in everything together tight.

Works for me.

Good stuff. We are just thankful to have some hay for the winter. Who knows what it will bring, but it's always good to have hay stacked in the barn just in case winter gets harsh. Ranch on.

Perfect Charity

Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

           https://youtu.be/zY9VnlJOMuQ         

Greed

Virtue lies in the middle.

           https://youtu.be/P8_sxFcRKSo         

Priesthood

Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.

             https://youtu.be/JEKhMa10pWE           

Father's Heart

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an image of the Father's Heart.

           https://youtu.be/RHRgzX0CJdg