Indiana Diary
Diarist Jim Small shared a month of activity at Arch Acres. As breeders and promoters of Texas Longhorn cattle, Jim and Jodi are equally busy the other months of the year.
In winter, the longhorns roam the corn fields to give the pastures a needed rest. We calve year-round, but more heavily in the spring. Longhorn breeders hold meetings to plan the year's activities.
In March, pastures are improved and fences are repaired. In March and September, we attend two sales/auctions in Missouri. We sell our "ropers," which are usually steers 6 months to a year in age. They bring better money there than around here. Some we keep to process, but it is hard to do that to the ones we get attached to. We do keep some steers for the public to buy and process. Heifers, however, sell better than steers and are usually not sold as ropers.
April is very busy with working the cows through the chutes, vaccinating and measuring horns. The cows are moved to pastures. We do an AI program on the better cows to improve the genetics of the herd. Our senior herd sire is placed with a group to breed. Our junior herd sire is placed with the younger heifers.
May, June and July are busy with hay making at our three hay fields. We check on the cattle in the different pastures daily. We record possible breeding dates and/or heat cycles.
The Ohio River Valley Texas Longhorn Association holds a show in June that we attend.
Seasonally, we support the local farmers’ markets with our farm fresh ground beef, summer sausage and skull sales. All of our beef is fed without growth hormones. We sell beef year-round here on the farm.
In August we host a longhorn social at Arch Acres for our longhorn friends from surrounding states.
September is busy with longhorn sales and auctions.
October is time to work cattle through the chutes again for maintenance and horn measurement. Cows go back to the fields or pens depending on age.
November is the Longhorn Showcase in Texas for the national horn competition. We check hay and grain supplies to make sure we will be all right through the winter.
In December we review the year and plan for the next. Sale consignments are sent in.
