December 16, 2005
It’s been foggy in the Valley for about a week, clear here nights and part-days until the fog rises mid-day. The grass, after an inch-plus rain before the first, is pretty slow growing in our cool, sub-60 degree highs, but it’s coming and we’ve started to cut down feeding hay.
After being-out with the cows for two weeks, the bulls have begun playing musical fields, leaving a wake of tangled barbed wire and down fences behind them, testosterone thick in the air. One of the new bulls we bought to turn out with our replacement heifers is already crippled, a fairly expensive GMA bull from George Avila in Merced. George’s bulls have held-up well in the past for us, and I tried them initially because he guarantees, believe it or not, to replace any that get hurt or can’t breed. He’s hauling me a replacement Sunday – now who else do you know would do that?