Raising a 4-H Steer

Life on the farm has changed once again. We now have a 4-H steer.

Serenity is taking on this big project. I think everyone was wondering if she would be able to handle it or not  but the Lord has blessed her with the calmest steer ever.

After going to the livestock auction and calling around to different ranchers in the area, she was told to call the a rural highschool where they have a FFA program in place. They had a steer the weight she needed and when they arrived at the school to see the steer they found out it was calm and mellow. Just what she needed!

It’s an Angus cross. An Angus bull bred to a Semmintel cow.

The Cowgirl

The steer without a name currently.

He weighs 750 pounds and we are hoping for a rate of gain of 2 pounds per day.

By September he will probably be eating 25# of grain every day.

Ideally he’ll weigh 1250 pounds by the first week in October when the auction is held.

After keeping him penned for his first week here at the farm, to get him acclimated to his new surroundings, it was time to take him out for a walk.  The market beef project is the most time intensive project of any of the project animals.

Seth raised a few steers when he was in 4-H, so he’s helping Serenity, too. There were three of them that went on the walk and held on to the lead rope so that if the steer was startled or tried to get away, they had back-up.  This steer is so calm they didn’t think anything would happen but just to be safe, they all went anyway. There’s a lot of money tied up in these beef projects and you don’t want them getting away OR getting sick.

Seth had a steer get away once. It was his first one and it seemed pretty calm, so the day after he brought it home he went to take it on a walk. All by himself. It didn’t go too well. The steer took off and ended up a few miles from the house. Rancher friends that run cattle on State land near us came to our rescue and with a horse and rope they were able to lasso that big animal and get it loaded into a trailer.  It was a big relief once it was caught and secure in its pen.

But this fellow was pretty calm for the mile-long walk they went on.

But it was still a treat to see these 3 walking all together through the grasses. Not many years hence, things will be different. That happens when your kids grow up on you.

Each one pursuing and following the path God has laid out for them.