I had a couple of experiences last week that got me to thinking about good things to discuss.

Dale Sigurdson from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan contacted me a while back to see if I could come out while in the area to help with some problems.

He had been to a demo I did a while ago using a “Bud Box” and then had seen a talk by my friend and Mentor Dr. Tom Noffsinger and decided to put in a Bud Box to work his cows to the chute.

I was with Zoetis on this trip, and Clarence Manegre and I had supper with the vet that pregnancy tested for Dale and his wife and he said it didn’t go so well.

Dale picked me up at my motel on a very cold morning and we drove for a half hour or so to get to his place. The drive gave us time to learn about his goals, philosophy, and frustrations with some handling issues.

He told me before they had a small tub system they used before the new system was put in. They were real exited to use the new system, but it took them a long time to preg check because the cows wouldn’t load.  Six hours instead of four if my memory serves me correctly.

Some neighbors came, and over coffee and some real good homemade pastries we had a nice visit. Clarence gave some real good honest advice about the vaccines they were using. I’m always amazed at how much can be learned from the different professionals I get to learn from.

On a humorous note, I had been visiting with someone a few days before about the great meal being the thing I remembered at the demo Dale was at. A young man was at our kitchen table discussion that had attended the demo and someone asked him what he remembered about it and he very seriously said “the food”. I got a big kick out of that.

Well, we all went out to the corrals and they had the cows in. I worked them back and forth through the pens and explained some things I thought were important. I’ll cut to the chase with out all the details so we can get to the discussion that matters.

The cows really responded very well to pressure in the pens, would walk by nicely on either side, and were not wild, but not dull either.

When I sorted some off and drove them up the alley to the holding pen, they moved fairly well. When I took them from the holding pen to the bud box I only took three or four to learn how much pressure to use. I really had a hard time putting enough pressure to get them to go.

They really anticipated going up to the box and were very different to handle now. It was a wide alley and I really had to be ahead of their mind to keep them from turning back. What I mean is my focus had to be up at the ears of the cows. If I was looking at the tail, they would have started to turn around and I would have been late to change their minds, and it would have taken way more pressure, maybe more than I had without the use of an aid (flag, rattle paddle, or electric prod), or the need for more bodies. I also had to have the appropriate energy behind them. I used a ch ch ch noise to help keep movement forward as my physical energy was not enough.

When they got over the threshold of the entrance gate, then they headed to the back of the box to escape,(they new I was going to try to put them up the lead up) so I had to hurry and shut the gate and because the box was real deep I had to hurry and get way down the box to get them out of the corner, and that made it to where I had to really be positioned properly to overcome their desire not to go to the chute, and apply enough forward pressure to get them to go into the pressure of the lead up.

I was able to get them through and after a few drafts was getting along ok. It wasn’t working the way a bud box is supposed to, but it was going and the cows were going straight up and out without stopping in chute. Good training for the cows.

One cow refused. She wouldn’t go. She would get to the entrance of the lead alley to the chute and turn back, then she wouldn’t come out of corner, then she would try to kick me, and was starting to get on the fight. There was a man gate to exit and walk along lead up, so I open it and got her to go out it, and then worked here up and down it and in and out of box a few times. I happened to find a sort stick by the chute (bad luck for the cow) and grabbed it on my way by.

After some applying proper pressure, and release of pressure when her mind changed, she finally decided to go up into the lead up and through the chute.

Everyone was about froze out by this time. I wasn’t because I was working pretty hard to produce pressure on the cow. We went to the house to a great noon meal and more discussion.

Well, this is a real life story about two real good people that really care about how they do things, try to learn to do them right, and how frustrating it can be when it doesn’t work out as they hoped. They will get it figured out, and be better stockman because of it.

When I was doing so many colt starting demos in the past, I always looked at them as a way to demonstrate the right kind of pressure and the focus was more on horsemanship, than with starting the colt as a good demonstration of change with proper use of pressure. It wasn’t about the round pen,halter, saddle,flag, or rope. If you focus on those things you miss the things that matter the most. All those things can make it easier to apply proper pressure, but until you understand the right amounts and the time to apply it, you are just as apt to cause more problems than benefits with any aid.

Same goes with cattle. This is why I am think we all are focusing on the wrong things when we start talking about facilities. A good system will help a good stockman apply the proper pressure. The more a facility keeps you from being able to apply pressure where and when it is needed, the harder is is to work properly. Some of these systems never even consider proper stockmanship, but to force animals to go. The more physical force these systems will creat the more they cost, and potentially are able to create more stress on animals if over forced.

I think is a great lead up to some discussion on some stockmanship ideas. Beings it’s going to get pretty cold in Ryegate, Montana the next couple days I’ll take a little time to write and share some ideas.

I mentioned old old bull in my last loop, and have been studying Spanish, so when I heard this song I thought it might be good to share some good music once in a while that fits the situation.  I used to really enjoy sharing music on this deal, so I hope you enjoy it as well.

Well it’s started. I’m Busy traveling! January was a good month of a little work and quite a bit of time home. Wife Tammy was off traveling and visiting and I had lots of time to work on improving my Spanish, physical health, and spending time in our cabin with just my dog and cats. It was a very nice time to reflect, learn and plan.

Tammy and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in Phoenix, and I’m sure some folks that watched our demos wondered why she put up with me so long.
I’ll keep working on that one.

So after NCBA convention I got home for a couple of days and headed north to Canada. It was real busy with lots of travel and lots of demos and talks. I was in Regina, Saskatchewan presenting at Saskatchewan Cattle feeders the first two days and then over to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to present at Ranch Management Forum.

Both really good events and spent time and visited with real good people all involved with production of beef. I heard some real wise and informative speakers as well.

I am working with Zoetis in Canada again this year, and Clarence Menegre is who I worked with. We went out to a cow calf customers that had contacted me earlier about helping with some problems with handling, and we met some neighbors and worked some cows through his bud box system. I will discuss that in another “scoop loop” in more detail. Good people and good meal makes for a much better morning than setting around a motel, even if it was colder than something on a monkey!

Had a late evening program then back to Regina, to fly back to Edmonton next morning, and the did a stockmanship presentation in Thorsby, Alberta. It was a real nice day, more good folks and a real good set up.

After I was finished, the person that set it up, and my ride to and from Airport, Kim Barkwell and I had a real nice conversation about lots of things involving agriculture and family. Stayed in Edmonton Saturday night and then up at 3:30 to get through customs and 6 am flight .

I made a lot of travel mistakes on this trip so far. As I left Ryegate the first morning, I was early and thought I would fill the car up with gas for my wife when she flew in to pick it up. Well as I reached in my pocket for my wallet, it was not there. No credit cards! That changed everything. No way I could make my flight after going home, and no way to travel with no credit cards. Luckily with the number of miles I fly, I can change flights for no cost. So I headed home, regrouped and flew out at 1:30 pm. The problem with that is I got into Edmonton at about 12:30pm and by the time I got through customs I new it would be real late and I had to be at airport for a early flight to Regina. So I booked a room at the hotel that is hooked onto the airport. My $100 dollar room at Holiday Inn just turned into a $250 three hour sleep at the Hyatt. So the credit card mistake, cost me a lot of money and sleep.

The next mistake I made was not knowing my schedule. I figured I would be done Friday afternoon, and I couldn’t find schedule online so I booked a flight back to Edmonton on Friday evening. Well the live portion of my demo was after supper from 7 to 9.

I thought I was going to have to rent a car and drive the 9 hours(all night) to Thorsby and but Kim found a flight on another airline that left the next morning a 6 am. That was great but it cost me an extra $350. I can’t expect the people that hire me to pay for my mistakes so I don’t charge for them. (In my younger days I would have driven to save the money).

The trouble is not only the money, but the lack of sleep and not being able to catch up.

After I was done in Canada, I flew back to Billings on Sunday and then got right back on the same plane, and headed to Reno to go work in Yerington, Nevada for a couple of day helping prepare bulls for the “Bulls for the 21rst Century sale.” (More on that in another throw of the old Scoop Lupe) This flight set up wasn’t a mistake, just bad timing as I had already booked the Canada flight, and had to start over to get good prices for the Reno flight.

The reason I’m telling you all this is I put myself through quite a bit of pressure because of my mistakes. I am a pretty seasoned traveler so I didn’t let it bother me, but I am much more tired and a little easier annoyed. I’m sure my immune system is having to work harder. I’m glad I take vitamins and am in good health or I could end up in the sick pen.

Thats my point of explaining all my mistakes. It creates more stress and cost money to fix them. This is putting human thought on animal care, but it is what happens to our livestock when we don’t prepare them and do things right.

Just like when Daughter Mesa hauls bucking bulls, the seasoned veterans can take it because they are used to the stress of travel, and don’t go off feed and water and learn to relax in different settings, and some even lay down and sleep on the trailer.

The young bulls that don’t have the experience that the more seasoned bulls often go off feed or don’t buck as good because of the stress.

I’m a pretty seasoned old bull. Traveling doesn’t bother me, but the easier and more prepared I am, the less money and sleep I lose (shrink for you livestock people)and the faster I recover when I get home.

This is why it is important to prepare your livestock, and set it up for them to have the best deal possible when you ship or move them. Try to see things from their point of view, and what would change for them and what you could do to prepare them for what they are going to go through. To do this you might have to really understand what they are comfortable with and what makes them uncomfortable.

I really felt good about my presentations, and I was very happy with the way I worked the cattle and horses in my presentations, so my mistakes we not paid for buy the buyers.(the folks I presented to and for)

Next loop I pitch out there at you will be about two real good learning experiences I had, one at a ranch in Moose Jaw working a Bud Box, and the other loading bull in the trailer with my friend Lucy Rechel.