#and clover who is probably not more than 12 was the most grown-up of all

[atwas-gaming]

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: "

"but when I became a man, I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11

This:

is not childish, it's childlike. There's nothing wrong with that.

This:

IS childish, and there's everything wrong with that.

Bonus:

The truest sign of maturity:

[interestray]

it’s always a good moment when I see a critical role episode with so many things happening that my adhd can’t help but develop a mind of its own, so now that my hyper-fixations have stopped beating the shit out of me theres a couple things I wanna bring up most of it theory stuff and the rest personal things. btw its a long post be warned.

SPOILER ALERT- I’m talking about ep 117 of critical role and its a doozy.

 I’ve doing my recent posts in a different format and I’m liking it so I’m gonna use it here. btw I gonna mention some ship stuff I want to make clear I have no hate for any ships mentioned but unless I say I like the ship just assume I’m indifferent.

1. I gonna say I called it because even if I’m wrong about about future stuff I was right that it’s not just Lucien in that body, even if Lucien is completely right about molly as the group knew him is gone forever Molly (which I don’t believe at all) is still a fragment of lucien’s soul. now past that I do think molly as a conscious being is still in there and trying to connect with his friends. why? because theres this weird disconnect with how lucien acts communicating with the m9 from a far vs in person, in person it seems like he had his guard way up but when they scry or message him the barrier is lowered a bit I think when his guard isn’t up Molly bleeds into his actions and mind more. I personally see Lucien at being 130% whole because Molly grew into his own thing.

2. regarding my predictions for this episode I’m gonna give myself 2 points (with 1 of the points being made up of half points) I was hoping for flirting and I think we definitely got some version of flirting between Lucien and Caleb so I get a half point for that, not gonna lie I was a little freaked out (in a good way) how fast Lucien zeroed in on Caleb, I hope if things don’t go pear shaped we get to see those two interact more.

3. Personal thing I really wanted to smack Fjord and Veth for most of the episode like they both had moments of being rational (fjord more so) but for the most part i just want to slap them.

4. it was kind of hilarious to see how freaked out Lucien was of the m9, like there was a little of the bad kind of freaked out feeling I think it was mostly like how Ludinus felt meeting Jester. like poor Lucien he’s just doing his thing and suddenly this group of puppies imprints on him and follows him around poor guy. Seems like Lucien has so distrust towards the tomb takers with the whole ‘we are one’ thing, it seemed to be a recent development. I’ve seen people talk about whether the tomb takers/Cree will backstab Lucien I think it’s possible.

5. I think some members of the m9 have realized Caleb’s not doing ok, most likely from the corpse scene and him talking over Beau (bad caleb bad). what they do with this info is gonna be interesting I personally think Cad should talk with him in private maybe have yasha there as well (also hugs please someone hug the sad wizard man him and Yasha both need it).

6. personal thing I don’t understand jester x Fjord as a possible canon ship at this point in the story like i got it in early campaign but I think they’ve both grown and changed to the point where a relationship between the two would end quickly after starting (whether in tears or not). the only times I like seeing their romantic interactions is when Laura and Travis bleed through and at that point its nots really jester and fjord. again no hate you do you I just don’t understand the appeal.

7. I’ve not watched campaign 1 for a few reasons yet but I’ve done research on some of the bigger events one of which was Percy’s resurrection where Taliesin watched how everyone was acting to decide whether to come back or not. I think Cad’s whole talk about what the rest of the m9′s goals towards Molly/Lucien is first Taliesin’s way of deciding whether Molly will be a npc after this arc or if he picks up playing him again (this all of course depending on whether the m9′s stupid actions don’t get Lucien killed), second I think this is Cad’s way of deciding whether his “debt” is payed and if it’s time for him to leave. To be clear I don’t think this was the final decision I think it was the first step to see whether anyone could say they want their friend back and we had two (almost 3) say yeah they do so I think it was a good start.

8. I can totally see Lucien kidnapping some of the m9. this sounds weird but stick with me, it looks like the tomb takers as a whole have a few important spots missing in their mission like they (probably) have a blood cleric in Cree the goliath and halfing seems more strength based I’m not sure about the human and Lucien is filling spot of a little bit of everything. Lucien has already pointed out Caleb as being curious and smart so I think out of the party is Lucien steals any of them it will be Caleb, if not Caleb tho I think Yasha could also be one that gets his attention (especially if Lucien ever sees them fight) I don’t he would kidnap anyone unprompted but if they go through with their stupid plan I’m sure he’ll want payback.

9. I get a full point for crying at both the Yasha clover scene and Molly’s card about Caleb. 

10. So my best friend is also a fan of critical role but he always works Thursday’s so he’s behind on actively watching the shows, but I can watch them so I take notes of all the funny, interesting, and weird shit that happens then I call when he gets off work to tell him everything that happened then we talk about what we think will happen next. why does this matter? because before the molly reveal when we first heard about them going to aore (I don’t know how to spell the ruin place) I said I had a feeling Essek would probably show up and run into the m9. well I was right so i’m supper happy, hearing floaty bois voice was awesome I hope Essek and Lucien meet at some point (hopefully not while trying to kill each other that would be sad).

11. Caleb’s eighth floor is so interesting like I hope we get to see all the rooms at some point, I think the room we saw this episode was his room at the asylum (mostly from it’s disarray and how drab it was) as for who he was talking to? I’ve seen a lot of people says its Essek or Astrid (I can smell the incoming discourse) I think it’s neither, it’s probably the simplest answer himself or more specificly Bren. I think he was talking to the Bren that spent years in that bed and chair wasting away.

12. wtf do you mean the big snow worm has a double reason for hunting the party Matt?! (I have no clue what that means).

13. the m9′s decision to try and get to A2 before Lucien and take whatever is there is such a shit idea, why did he kill Vess because she was a traitor she betrayed him what are they m9 about to do betray him even after the warning about straying from the path (which btw I think was molly warning them). If they actually go through with this plan I hope Cad is right on Lucien getting amused at them instead of fucking pissed. good news is that even if they get there before Lucien they could still salvage the thing with Lucien by saying they wanted unbiased answers. I get they’re grieving and in a bunch of pain but use the common sense I know you have and learn more about whats happening before fucking it all up. (also I get half a point from Lucien kicking Vess’s body)

14. I will say I mostly loved this episode (except for the ending) but them talking about possibly scattering Lucien to get Molly back no matter how brief did unsettle me a lot. no matter my feelings about Molly this is Lucien’s body when he was scattered molly did have the right to the body so I don't think any of his actions were wrong or bad but now that Lucien is whole again his bodily autonomy should not be violated just for a unsure chance Molly would come back. As it is Lucien seemed already uneasy and annoyed with stuff molly did (ex-tattoos).

15. I originally wasn’t gonna put this point but I think I should. when Taliesin said “he thought they would be on the other side of this” I think most people thought it was in reference to how it seems like Lucien is evil (I still don’t think he is) but what if he meant Molly’s arc. think of it wouldn’t it make sense for Molly’s arc to focus on his past coming back to meet him what if they always intended for Lucien to become whole again and it was suppose to be Lucien’s thoughts/feelings bleeding into molly’s. but Molly died so instead we’re getting the inverse Lucien has to come to terms with his past as Molly and the people Molly left behind coming into his life. I think it would be a good arc him learning that you can’t run from or ignore the past no matter how much you want to it can and will come bite you in the ass. would also make sense why Lucien and Molly both have that attitude towards their pasts (you know other than being pieces of the same person). 

[betanyagito]

3 hours left of this decade here and I promised I’d write a sappy post so [ABBA voice] let’s go gays

Oh man. Oh boy. Was this a time. An entire 10 years spent on the internet. I’ve met people, got into new things, forgot old dreams and made new ones. How old was I when I first started here? 12? 13? It doesn’t feel real honestly. So much has happened that I still think about to this day, and as embarrassed as I am of my roots, I wouldn’t be who I am without them, and I likely wouldn’t have met the people I did if it weren’t for the early day join.mes and art streams from Deviantart and Minecraft askblogs on tumblr dot kom

I am thankful I got to know Minecraft, I got to know Hetalia, I got to know Homestuck. I am thankful these things allowed me to meet people who I couldn’t possibly imagine my life without right now. And that’s honestly the part I want to focus on. My friends

Old friends who I don’t talk to anymore, old friends who I don’t even know if are still around, old friends who still message me again and again sometime (honestly knowing that I’m still on their minds after all these years is the single most heartwarming thing ever), friends who I don’t talk with as frequently but still keep in my mind and get happy whenever we do end up meeting, and friends who are still here every day and support me endlessly.

If I were to talk about each and every one of them I would be sitting here all throughout January so I’ll try to talk about everyone in groups because I do want to take a moment to appreciate everyone. Everyone I’ve met shaped me into the person I am today, and while I am not perfect, I am happy. I am happy that I have the friends I do now

I remember the first big group of friends I’ve had when I first felt like I belonged. Kat, Wesley, Meni, Britain - those Whirled Days. I remember spending hours doing sprite edits and staying up late into the night to make sure I stayed caught up with rp and was present for the trials and murders lmao. I know it all ended on a sour note, but I will always treasure the moments we had together, and I’m so glad that after over six years I am still in touch with some of you. You were my first true out of the country friends, and you all helped me open my horizons and realize that the world is much much bigger than I had thought, and I can find friends anywhere who will love me

DR had stayed with me ever since, and I got to meet Mina, Chinch, Erika and Damien. Oh my god you guys. All my admiration for you four for being able to handle the edgefest that my writing and I was. I can’t believe we’ve lived through the peak days of DR tumblr rp. What a fucking Time that was. I would’ve never discovered my love for writing and betas without you all. You stuck with me through my worst years and always supported my dumb ideas. I remember the skypechats, the craigslist edits, the quiche, the zombie apocalypse, the adoption. I know I said I don’t want to address anyone one-on-one but Mina. Mina. If there’s anyone then you deserve a one-on-one. It’s been six (?) years. We’ve known each other for six (?!) years and we’ve seen each other go through so much. I know I tend to be really bad at communication and often fall short at replies but there’s not a day when I’m not thankful that I’ve met you and I still have you in my life. Your influence on me has been nothing but positive, you’ve taught me so much, how to love life, love my creations, how to be excited about anything. If I was half a good influence on you, I would already call that a success. I hope we will remain friends for a long time. At this point, I couldn’t imagine my life without having you in it. I just love you so much I almost teared up writing this ngl

And this one goes out to those Nanbaka SLUTS who also turned me into a slut who can never step foot into another church ever again. I can’t even recall how exactly I ended up in the discord group, but I know that you all were another milestone for me. Nick, Mew, Kristi, without you guys I would’ve never opened up towards people. I was scared back into my bubble where I just didn’t want to interact with fandoms ever again, but I you guys were one of the most accepting group of people I’ve ever met and probably ever will meet. You welcomed me with warmth and excitement and I still keep so many screenshots of the old discord chat that I read back whenever I need a good hearted laugh. Even now when our interests had changed, I’m so happy that we can still find a common note and have fun with each other. I wish nothing but the best for all of you

This brings us to the current era. All these muppet lovers......all these muppet lovers and I find so many friends.....Stella, Michael, Maple, Daco, Kris, Clover, Katie, Nette, Lili, Dani it was all Your Fault that this obsession started. I had such a fun time with all of you that now my brain cannot stop producing serotonin whenever I see a goddamn potato man. But even besides just having a common interest, you are all such wonderful people. You all helped me out of a rut and helped me shape myself, to be confident in my own opinions, to be able to stand up for myself and to have fun without worrying about what other people think. I am so grateful for every conversation we’ve had, every joke we shared, every idea we came up with together. I had no idea that a gag anime could ever get me such amazing friends, but it happened! And even if I don’t talk with some of you as often anymore, or at all, I will never forget any of you

Standing on more stable feet I was able to reach out to other parts of the fandom and start my own big project in the form of an askblog, and even if it’s stagnant now, it was one of the best decisions of my life, as I got to meet the most wonderful group of people. Nat, Athro, Buns, Turo, Jasp, JM, Lulu, Tris, Holly, Eden, Dairy, Ruri, Timey, Zako, Vivi, Ruah - you’re all just amazing. You accepted me into your group and I honestly feel like we’ve grown into a family. I’ve grown both as an artist and as a person thanks to you all, and I’ve never had such a tight knit group of friends before who’ve supported each other quite like you do. I feel loved and I know my voice is heard whenever I speak. I know that even on my worst days, you all will  be here. I know that you will hear even my most outlandish ideas, you will listen to me ramble about media you’ve never heard of and I more than gladly do the same for all of you too. I’ve never been more confident in my content and especially in my OCs. We’ve created something incredible together, and I am just so incredibly proud that I can say that I belong to MVA, that I can say that “hey thats my friend!!” whenever any of you come up, and I am so happy that I could meet all of you. I truly feel like I’ve become a much better person since meeting all of you. I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that we’ll be able to spend many more years together, and watch each other succeed in many more things

Despite what I intended this turned into a pretty lengthy post nevertheless whOOPS. I’m sorry if I left in any typos or anything of the sort. The bottom line of everything is- I’ve had some terrible times this decade. Really, awful times when I thought that theres no way, no way I would be able to continue on. But all these strangers online, who I’ve never even seen in person, you all were and are always there to extend a hand and help me back on my feet. There are many ways in which this decade sucked, there were many terrible news and terrible times, but, it was all worth it. If not for anything else, then for the fact that I’ve got to meet so many amazing and talented people. Thank you all for loving me and calling me a friend. I hope the next decade will treat all of us, but especially you well. You all deserve nothing but the best in your lives and I love all of you so so much

[bk-201-314]

Why is Turf Grass a Discourse?

Like, this is a thing actually happening right now on tumblr? Are we for real? This is hilarious only because otherwise it would be horrifying. 

When I first saw signs of the discourse on the nice green plant covering most of our yards I thought for sure it was a joke. We had already done this before and the results were not great *coughcough-as-the-increase-in-astroturf-in-cough-southern-United-States-would-show-cough*, we couldn’t possibly be doing this again, right? I was apparently very wrong as I saw more and more posts about it.

Grass and lawn owners were being called out, but why? People were left with many many questions I am sure; and as a Horticulture graduate in North America with a course of Turf Care under their belt, I’m hoping to make some clarifications for a few people.

The grass in most well-kept lawns on your average residential street today originated in Europe. Livestock grazing caused the grass there to begin to grow naturally shorter. This, in turn, became used as a defensive strategy for walled cities as the shorter grass surrounding them gave them a better line of site to approaching enemies. In the 17th century recreational grass came into use as formal open turf areas gained popularity with the rich for garden parties and polo matches. In the 18th century open space between gardens would be filled with turf in estates and parks, but still be grazed. That is until in 1830 when Edwin Budding invented the lawnmower.

Soon, turf grass came to the Americas during colonization and grew in popularity as cities established and then even more so when suburbia did after WWII.

This is where our issues begin. 

Under Anti-Grass or Anti-Lawn (or whatever the hell you want to call them) belief, today the modern lawn is an introduced species, therefore not entirely suited to our climates, therefore requiring more care. This seems especially true when they begin to discuss grass as a monoculture. Monocultures are mass plantings of a singular species as we see with many of our crops today and monocultures are notoriously known to struggle with pests and disease.

This seems to make a lot of sense to people who see grass as one singular species of which it is not. Many yards today are polystands. Meaning they consist of two or more species and often different cultivars of said species. You can go from one section of the yard to another and often find different species from one patch to the next. Polystands generally require less maintenance and are more resistant to pests and disease.

So why is there a belief that yards are monocultures? Three reasons: Sports, Sod, and People just not knowing any better.

Many sports fields are monocultures particularly golf courses as different grasses on your greens can impact the speed and movement of the ball. The golden child of sports grass is Agrostis stolonifera (Creeping Bentgrass) and in warmer climates, you’ll find Bermudagrass is the favourite. This is because Bentgrass is extremely aesthetically pleasing in both colour and texture. It also repairs itself quite well. Golf greens were considered the epitome of grass and therefore the desire of many a homeowner to the point where Creeping Bent was an extremely popular monoculture choice for residential yards at one time. That all changed when homeowners began to see how unrealistic the maintenance of these yards would be.

Agrostis stolonifera is the most high maintenance of the cold season grasses in North America.  It is not drought tolerant and requires syringing or misting on hot summer days. Active growing season means it can be cut almost daily and non-active seasons mean at least three times a week. It grows in so thick and is the highest thatch producer that it needs regular aeration and dethatching. This same thickness makes it very prone to disease which in turn would mean the use of pesticides. Creeping Bent is also a huge glutton with one of the highest fertilizer demands at 12-16 pounds of nitrogen per 1000ft per year with applications every 2-4 weeks.

Soon Bentgrass fell out of favour with residential owners but was replaced with Poa pratensis (Kentucky Bluegrass). The thing about Kentucky Blue was that it and its cultivars made up almost 100% of sod. Sod is a huge convenience, it gives you a yard instantly, but it is highly labour intensive to install, usually pretty expensive, and again it is mostly a monoculture.

So how are these residential monoculture plantings polystands today? We overseeded the crap out of our yards. See, those with sod often have a hard time caring for it and end up having to overseed any thin areas and those with Bentgrass yards knew it would be easier to throw more seed into the yard than to just tear it up. This works because most seed unless otherwise specified is sold in polystand mixtures. This is also extremely useful if you struggle with yard weeds. If you can, remove the weeds and as much of the root systems as possible by hand, then overseed. If you can get the grass to grow thick enough it will force out and prevent yard weeds.

Fun Fact: your yard and a lot of its weeds are both introduced species, but weeds like dandelions, clover, Henbit, and Creeping Charlie often provide the first food source for our pollinators.

Continuing with our anti-grassers vs. Introduced species, it seems that because our lawns are introduced that automatically makes them bad whether they’re polystands or not. Granted our modern turf grass is not the most environmentally friendly option when you compare it to our native perennial grasslands; with root structures many feet below the surface and ample food and habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, but our modern lawns are not the worst thing to have either *coughcough-astroturf-coughcough-concretejungles-cough*.

Our turf grass today does not require much maintenance after establishment, still produces large amounts of oxygen and increases air quality, still provides security via line of sight, still sequesters carbon dioxide, it still filters runoff and rainwater and recharges groundwater, it breaks down some pollutants, still reduces noise pollution, turf still provides food and habitat for insects and pollinators, it dissipates heat, and probably most effective is humans like it.  Humans often experience biophilia, we have a tendency to like other living things, nature, and green things in general.  Our need for our own plot of grass is theorized to come from encoded memories of African savannas. It seems strange until you realize that green is a calming colour for humans and reduces tension and specifically walking on grass barefoot releases an increase in endorphins and can lower stress up to 62%. Our modern day turf grass makes walking barefoot extremely practical. It is often softer, denser, and shorter to see obstacles.  

Overall, our turf grass isn’t a problem. Until it’s grown in areas where it shouldn’t be. Make sure you have the right species for your area, for your soil, for your yard’s amount of sunlight, and are planting it at the correct time (SPRING IS NOT THE SAME PLANTING TIME FOR EVERYTHING!). Remember that grass can go dormant and know when for your area so you don’t have to waste water on it.

Also, know that mosses are NOT options even if they’re native as they often are even more high maintenance than our European turf grasses. Yards turned into edible gardens are not always practical, any less maintenance, and depending on the crop choice can actually be damaging to the soil. Invasive ground-covers and garden plants should be a no-brainer, as in FUCK NO!

Those in arid regions should not have turf grass beyond their natural grasses. The water consumption of turf grass in these areas is absolutely out of control and people who live in these drought areas and insist on maintaining them are indeed selfish. You do not need and should not have grass. Xeriscaping removes the need for supplemental watering, is easy as hell, uses species native to your area, still looks fantastic, fulfills that human need for green life, is fairly inexpensive, and unlike astroturf and grass paint (yeah that’s a thing); that hold in heat, the native plants reduce heat in the surrounding area like grass would.

In Conclusion:

Don’t hate on turf grass or people who have turf grass. Instead, educate about the benefits of more naturalistic landscapes consisting of native species, offer hardier lower maintenance turf grass options for people and more effective polystands based on zones and the environment. Grass is not bad, people just don’t fully understand it or its requirements. It’s such a common thing that it is seen as something that must be of less value and less effort when instead it should be the opposite.

[mizmahlia]

Get to know me uncomfortably well!

I was tagged by my sis @donaldpiercesbae . Thanks, my dear. I loved your answers!! 

1. What’s your middle name?

It rhymes with ‘bae’.

2. How old are you?

Older than a lot of folks around here, I reckon. (Mid-thirties.)

3. When is your birthday?

January the 26th

4. What’s your zodiac sign?

Aquarius. I’m stubborn, rebellious, and quirky.

5. What’s your favourite colour?

Clover green.

6. What’s your lucky number?

I don’t have one- I’ve never been superstitious in that capacity.

7. Do you have any pets?

I have a cat who’s a bit of an asshole named Oliver, who I love to pieces. And three days from now, I’ll be picking up a puppy. It’ll be almost six months to the day I suddenly lost my Milo.

8. Where are you from?

The United States of Dysfunction

9. How tall are you?

5’6” / 1.68 m

10. What shoe size are you?

I’m an 8.5 / 41-42

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Uh… it’s more than two dozen, but less than three dozen, I think.

12. What was your last dream about?

I don’t remember my dreams, unfortunately.

13. What talents do you have?

Procrastination, I can talk to pretty much anyone, I can play video games longer than is healthy, and I can sorta write.

14. Are you psychic in any way?

Not in the slightest and I am totally okay with that.

15. Favourite song?

None of Your Business by Salt N Pepa, Alone Together by Fall Out Boy, Broken by Lifehouse, Creep by Clint Mansell/Eliot Sumner

16. Favourite movie?

I can’t think of just one at the moment; but if it’s got Batman (or his friends/family) in it, it’s safe to say it’s on my list.

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

Someone I’m comfortable sharing my nerdy hobbies with, who can communicate, and who isn’t content with life as-is. (That means he wants to explore, try new things, strives to be a better person than he was yesterday, etc) To be cheesy, I want a partner in crime.

18. Do you want children?

Yes, but being 35 and having been single for 5+ years, I’m scared I’m running out of time.

19. Do you want a church wedding?

As someone who’s been married (and sadly, is divorced), I’ll be the first to tell you the venue isn’t nearly as important as people like to make you think it is. If I do it again, I’ll probably not do so in a church.

20. Are you religious?

No, but I consider myself a Christian.

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

I’ve been there as a visitor many times, but as a patient, thankfully I’ve only ever been to the emergency room.

22. Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law?

Nope! But I used to get rides home after cross country practices in the back of my friend’s mom’s police car.

23. Have you met any celebrities?

Yep! Karen Gillan, Richard Speight Jr, Sebastian Roche, Hugh Grant, Johan Santana (MLB pitcher), EJ Henderson (NFL player) 

24. Baths or showers?

I love me a hot bath, but it’s usually a shower.

25. What colour of socks are you wearing?

I’m barefoot whenever possible, like right now.

26. Have you ever been famous?

LOL nope

27. What type of music do you like?

Just about anything!

28. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Only in my bathtub

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

One. I have a neck problem, so I have a specific pillow I need to sleep with.

31. What position do you sleep in?

Curled up on my side.

32. How big is your house?

Three bedrooms, two floors, and an awesome living room.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

Coffee and a granola or protein bar.

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

Several, and I honestly don’t see how/why it’s fun,.

35. Have you ever tried archery?

Yes, but I’m certainly no Roy Harper.

36. Favourite clean word?

Shenanigans

37. Favourite swear word?

Fuck and all of its derivatives

38. What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleeping?

30 hours, I think? 0/10, do not recommend.

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

Nope, and I’m okay with that. I find it a little creepy.

41. Are you a good liar?

Better than I have a right to be, and it bothers me.

42. Are you a good judge of character?

I think so, but then again, based on past experiences, I’m utterly terrible.

43. Can you do any other accents than your own?

I can do the stereotypical Minnesota one, though a lot of us don’t talk that way. But I’m terrible at trying to imitate accents, so no.

44. Do you have a strong accent?

I’ve been told by quite a few people I don’t sound like I’m from Minnesota. Make of that what you will. :)

45. What’s your favourite accent?

Irish, by far. I love that accent so much.

46. What is your personality type?

I don’t have a favorite type, but I generally prefer those who aren’t judgmental, arrogant assholes.

47. What’s your most expensive piece of clothing?

My wedding dress. It’s ludicrous how much they cost, and you wear it once.

48. Can you curl your tongue?

I certainly can!

49. Are you an innie or an outie?

A pierced innie.

50. Left of right handed?

Right-handed

51. Are you scared of spiders?

Is water wet?

52. Favourite food?

Peanut butter

53. Favourite foreign food?

Authentic Italian, not like the crap they call Italian here.

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

I’m somewhere in between. I’m clean, but somewhat disorganized.

55. Most used phrase?

“What the hell?”

56. Most used word?

“Damnit.”

57. How long does it take you to get ready?

Depends on the occasion- for more important things or when I want to go through all my steps, about an hour and fifteen minutes because I have long, thick hair. For class every day, about 15 minutes.

58. Do you have much of an ego?

I seriously hope not, but I’m not the best judge of that.

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

Neither because I don’t like lollipops.

60. Do you talk to yourself?

All the freakin’ time.

61. Do you sing to yourself?

In my car every day!

62. Are you a good singer?

Nope, but since I’m the only one who hears it, that’s okay!

63. Biggest fear?

Losing my parents or being alone for the rest of my life.

64. Are you a gossip?

I try not to be because gossip never helps anything or anyone.

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

L.A. Confidential.

66. Do you like long or short hair?

I like short hair, but I love long hair.  

67. Can you name all 50 states in America?

I should hope so, since I live in the country.

68. Favourite school subject?

A tie between anatomy and microbiology.

69. Extrovert or introvert?

Introvert with some extroverted qualities.

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

Nope!

71. What makes you nervous?

Dentist appointments, waiting around at the starting line of a race I’ve never run before, flying.

72. Are you scared of the dark?

If it’s somewhere unfamiliar, sort of. Otherwise, no.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

Depends on the mistake and the person.

74. Are you ticklish?

Everywhere and I absolutely hate it.

75. Have you ever started a rumour?

Not that I know of, no.

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

Several times and every time, I’ve hated it. I’m more comfortable as a worker bee, not the queen of the hive.

77. Have you ever drank underage?

LOL yes. My hometown had little to do other than that.

78. Have you ever done drugs?

Nothing that wasn’t prescribed. I’ve never been curious enough to try any.

79. Who was your first real crush?

A boy named Davey (his name is David) when I was a kid. He’s a year younger than me and loved Batman, riding bikes, and wanted to be a Navy fighter pilot. He had these gorgeous blue eyes and almost black hair.

80. How many piercings do you have?

Three, but that will likely increase at some time.

81. Can you roll your R’s?

I should hope so; I studied Spanish for almost a decade.

82. How fast can you type?

According to a typing test I just took: 83 words/minute.

83. How fast can you run?

LOL not fast. Right now, I’d be lucky to break 9:30/mile.

84. What colour is your hair?

Medium brown with some grown-out balayage.

85. What colour are your eyes?

Like about 2% of the population, they’re green.

86. What are you allergic to?

Stupidity.

I recently developed an allergy to something, but I’m still trying to figure out what. I blame a trip to the state of Kansas.

87. Do you keep a journal?

I don’t, but I should. It really helped me work things out when I didn’t want to talk to someone.

88. What do your parents do?

They both still work, though I wish they would/could retire.

89. Do you like your age?

For the most part, yeah. I hated myself in my 20’s, but my 30’s have been so much better.

90. What makes you angry?

Intolerance, rude behavior, the Green Bay Packers, and the New York Yankees.

91. Do you like your own name?

Of course! It’s not a super common name.

92. Have you already thought about baby names? And if so, what are they?

I admit I have, but I’m not gonna share them.

93. Do you want a boy or girl for a child?

I’d like a healthy kid, plain and simple. Gender doesn’t matter.

94. What are your strengths?

I’m stubborn, persistent, and empathetic.

95. What are your weaknesses?

I’m stubborn, persistent, and empathetic.

96. How did you get your name?

A family friend’s first name is Molly and I got my aunt’s middle name.

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

Not that I know of or care.

98. Do you have any scars?

Physical or emotional?

99. Colour of your bedspread?

100. Colour of your room?

Plain ‘ol white.

I tag @rolodexthoughts . :)

[livestocklens3-blog]

Live stock lens

Live stock lens

The Most significant thing that anyone ought to know about anything concerning cows farming is that no ranch or farm is precisely the exact same. Nobody farm follows the creation practices of a different, and no 1 manufacturer manages her or his cows the exact same manner as the following one will. If you would like to learn about everything connected with cattle farming, then get to understand the fundamentals first, what makes each plantation click and everything in between anything else. Dairy farming or beef farming, it does not matter what, there are particular things within those ventures which make them operate, from the feed to the cattle and the financing necessary to conduct the farm into the cows themselves.

Live stock lens

It is a Great Deal of Hard Work...

Anyone  Are a fool if they stated raising cows was simple.  You've got machines, buildings, buildings, and managing facilities to preserve, fix --replace if it is absolutely crucial --cattle waterers to mend if they freeze in the dead of winter or should they stop working on you all of a sudden, hay to haul, financing to maintain at the top of (loans, utility bills and penalties to cover ), fences to keep and fix, the list keeps moving. You may experience periods of exhaustion during times once the farm requires you the most--be it physical or psychological exhaustion.

When  It's really easy to get caught when you are least expecting it, and from the time you realize you are caught it is often too late.  The best thing to ensure your success and also to keep all of your limbs intact would be to always know about your surroundings, understand if and when you are feeling exhausted, never wear loose clothes around running machines, and show the utmost respect for each of bulls and fresh momma cows with their calves. There's an entire collection of all farm-safety items I could lay out in the following guide, however I fear that it is only going to take up more space than that I intend and induce me to seriously slough off course.

No matter bulls and cows Needs to be respected and frequently not trustworthy either, whether or not you are working or handling a beef or poultry farm. Dairy bulls are particularly dangerous and you never to turn your back .  This is an issue when you have not established dominance together and if they don't honor you and your distance.  In case a bull sees you as contest because of his harem, he'll come after you. Otherwise, and sees you as only a two-legged individual rather than a two-legged bovine, then you need to be secure, but do not take my word for this as who knows what goes through a bull's head during breeding period!

Hormones Are also a huge element in aggressiveness in cattle. A cow's first instincts when that calf strikes the floor will be for her to nurture, suckle and shield it with her entire life.    Bulls have their method of communication they're not conducive of your existence also: revealing their sides, arching their throat revealing their dimensions, head shaking, not recognizing your existence at all (in other words, even ignoring you) if you are in the pen together, etc.. These are warning signals to get out, or be ready to stand your ground and make it understood that you don't tolerate their behavior . Then be ready to undergo with your escape plan, in case you've got one.

It Requires Knowing a little Bovine Psychology

When Raising cows, you need to know a reasonable bit about what cows are telling you so as to tell if they are just being favorable, a nuisance, a hazard, or an expected cull. Cattle that admit your existence, and come around you but maintain their individual space from you (except in the event that you invite them) are favorable. A number of the favorable ones may also be those which don't discount you but return into what they were doing until you disrupted them may also be considered favorable. Even the ones that come running towards you whenever they visit you--might be considered favorable, particularly in the event that you understand them well enough to understand when they come hurrying just like that it is to have fed, and less to make a stampede! Cattle that make high-strung, high-headed and make a rush for it each time you're about are ones which needs to be culled--cows should keep their individual space from you, but not go so far as to attempt jumping over the fence to escape from you! Sometimes these kinds of animals can be trained to be calmer about individuals, but there are occasions when this could be much more vain than simply rewarding. Some cows simply can not be tamed and stay"crazy"

Even though     Calves on cows could be weaned when they are about 6 to 10 weeks old. Dairy calves are removed from their dams each day or 2 (sometimes less) after arrival, but are not weaned off the jar till they're about 3 to 4 weeks old.  Vast majority of heifers are ready to be consumed by the time they're around 15 weeks old. A bull is about to breed from the time he is 12 months old. Age of adulthood for the majority of cows is about 3 to 4 decades old.

Calving and breeding periods will match, and the best   There's loads of debate exactly what time of year it's ideal to calve out cows, nevertheless a cow could be bred--and consequently calve--in any given time of the year. A cow could be bred either obviously --through a bull--or --known as artificial insemination through AI semen and gun .

When the calf stems, the milk works. The very first milk a cow creates because of her calf is known as colostrum. Following 48 hours she begins making"normal" milk. Her greatest nutritional necessities occur from late pregnancy into the next month of lactation.  Calves, once weaned, however, have different nutrient requirements--because they become older, protein demands reduction.

Know What to Take Them

Perhaps not   This is most likely where the best variations in how cattle are raised starts, and something that I am only able to cover temporarily here. Basically there are five kinds of feedstuffs which are fed to cows: hay, silage, grain, other feeds, and pasture. The latter is not just fed to cows, but instead cows are put to nourish themselves.

All dairy farms Will Need to feed their cows cows a  Nearly all hay fed to dairy cows is constituted of alfalfa or clover and fishes such as orchard grass and timothy. Silage--that can be chopped and fermented feed--is frequently of corn, because it's greater nutritional quality than wheat or barley. The grain part of the TMR ration could be corn, wheat or barley, based on what is more appropriately grown in the region where the milk farm is situated.

Varies considerably more significantly than in your typical dairy farms.  The lowest-quality rations are awarded to cow-calf surgeries, and also the highest-quality to feedlots. Cows on cow-calf surgeries frequently don't have any issue subsisting from grass and hay, even though some manufacturers like to feed them grain or silage during the winter season. Backgrounding/stocker surgeries will need to nourish their calves so they develop, therefore pasture, silage and high quality hay is frequently fed. Feedlots finish cows for slaughter, therefore an 85 percent grain-based"sexy" ration is necessary. Another 15 percent is included of roughage such as silage.

All cows Have to Be fed sterile water and also have access to Mineral in any way times. Beef producers feed their nutrient to their cows free-choice, occasionally mixed in with all the feed. Dairy manufacturers have a tendency to possess these minerals blended in with all the feed.

Which Are You Getting Your Favorite From?

That is  A significant question to ask yourself whether you plan on starting your cows farm. Basically you've got two options: Create your own, or buy it. If you create your own, you'll need your own equipment and also the opportunity to produce the feed. You might require the excess labour if it is required, based on which sort of feed you are making. Producing your own feed will bite into your gains since it means more money spent on gasoline and maintenance/repair expenses. Purchasing feed has its dangers too. Although you do not close half the machines needed for producing your own feed, you still need to have somewhere to keep it and risk the feed you are getting to be less good excellent feed as you would like it to be. There might be health risks related to the feed you buy --that the hay you buy may have pieces of garbage or metal inside, or even the feed you bought from the feed shop could possibly be infected with something which will kill your critters.

You Can have as small as merely a few parts of machines to as numerous as to create any agricultural machines retailer company proud. I have known a few cattle producers that just have a couple pieces of gear: a hay-hauler truck, a livestock trailer, and also a four-wheeler ATV.   What kind and how many machines you believe you want to own (try to not consider it as"need") in your cows farm will have an effect on your bottom line and the way you increase your critters.

Believe  Of it this way: If you would like to repaint your cows on pasture throughout the year, there'll be a point in time at which you will understand that the machines you desire is not always the very same parts of machines you may need!!

Each   From that point you are able to do the test to find out whether you're losing money, simply breaking even or really making a little cash from the farm. In addition, it can let you know in which you're weakest or most powerful, and what options you should think about if you would like to boost income amounts to your enterprise. Creating and keeping a business strategy can help a lot too.

Sheltering Your Own Cattle

Shelter Is not too large an significance, though a easy lean-to drop or even a stand of trees will probably suffice for many. Dairy cows will need to be kept restricted to a barn during the winter season. This might not be so in locations where they do not encounter as intense, freezing or freezing winters as a lot of North America has. When they don't have a lot of shelter, then they will need to compensate for the absence of heat by ingesting more feed so they can remain warm.

Most Herds will need to stay current with their vaccinations each year, based upon the age and sex of the animals in addition to in which you're farming them.    Some regions need vaccinations against Anthrax too. Check with your neighborhood large-animal vet for what kinds of diseases that you want to vaccinate your creatures.

Assess your herd Regularly for signs of disease or illness. The clearest symptoms I have discovered using the cows we had were listlessness or lethargic action --calves that normally ought to be considering food aren't, they're slow to get up or attempting to put down and rest rather than get up and consume. Other indications include lameness, dull eyes, loss of body condition, bald spots, kicking at the stomach, coughing, snotty nose, or a lot of abortions on your herd to be considered ordinary, or anything else unusual regarding the creature's behavior or elements of its body, which range from the udder or scrotum into the eyes. Be constantly aware that one symptom you visit could be a indication of a far larger issue.

Where You Buy Livestock, You'll Acquire Deadstock

As The Circle of Life goes round and about, you can't expect any of your critters, old and young alike, to live eternally. You'll receive cows which will expire on you, otherwise or unexpectedly. That's only something to anticipate on each livestock farm or ranch. It's challenging for every single manufacturer to have an animal die on these, but that is only part of life. A lot of men and women that are generations removed from farm lifestyle don't understand this, however as somebody who wishes to enter cows or any sort of livestock industry this is a tough fact you have to understand or else you are not likely to survive long inside.

Everything you do with these dead Creatures is dependent upon local laws.  It is no issue to drag a carcass from the middle of a pasture and allow  The scavengers treat it. Other regions need such carcasses to Be instantly buried or burnt or possess a livestock-rendering truck encounter  To take away them for you.  Special bull or cow, prized or maybe not, opt to bury that creature just Like somebody would spoil a pet cat or dog which was part of the household  For many years.

[she-who-the-river-could-not-hold]

100 Questions!

Tagged by the wonderful @janes-mike, @caseyk112, and @el-and-hop! Thank you!!

1. What is your nickname? People call me Kat and Kath usually! The Kath originally was just an online nickname but then my boyfriend’s coworker called me it this weekend so it’s an official one now! I just let people decide if they want to use a nickname I always go by my full name otherwise

2. How old are you? 23! I turn 24 in less than a month though yikes

3. What is your birth month? July!

4. What is your zodiac sign? sun sign: cancer, moon sign: aries

5. What is your favorite color? black

6. What’s your lucky number? eh I don't really have one

7. Do you have any pets? sadly no, but my parents have a cat and a dog back home!

8. Where are you from? Idaho

9. How tall are you? 5' 6"

10. What shoe size are you? 9

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? I don't even know it's a lot lol

12. Are you random? I am such a creature of habit it's actually absurd

13. Last person you texted? my parents!

14. Are you psychic in any way? the closest I've gotten was having a dream about my teeth rotting only to go to the dentist to find out I was having issues with my gums

15. Last TV show watched? idk if I watched TV this past week? probably Altered Carbon or the 100

16. Favorite movie? IMPOSSIBLE. Potential answers are Mad Max: Fury Road or Gone Girl

17. Favorite show from your childhood? Idk the name of it but there was a show hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg where she talked about haunted places? or one called "Endurance"

18. Do you want children? yes! probably no more than two though

19. Do you want a church wedding? ehhhhh not sure. Not really but also it seems stressful to get married outside. Maybe I'll say fuck it and elope at the Taco Bell Cantina in Vegas where you can get married.

20. What is your religion? theistic agnostic with interest in wicca (and witchcraft but I know that’s not considered a religion usually but more of a spirituality?)

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? not since being born!

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? closest I got was running a stop sign in college but I just got a warning

23. How is life? life is good right now!! really thankful

24. Baths or showers? showers but only because I live in an apartment. My bath tub is tiny af

25. What color socks are you wearing? I'm wearing those footie sock thingies for when you wear slides so like a tan color

26. Have you ever been famous? I guess getting voted to homecoming court in high school counts? pretty sure it was a fluke though I didn't like many people hahah

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? only for the money but so much else of it suckkkkss

28. What type of music do you like? everything pretty much? I suppose I don't listen to country music much but as a whole I listen to a wide variety

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? nope not really my thing

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? I have four on my bed but usually use two

31. What position do you usually sleep in? on my side

32. How big is your house? my apartment is a pretty good size I think for being in the city, it’s a two bedroom/two bath condo 

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? a protein bar or toast!

34. Have you ever left the country? yes!

35. Have you ever tried archery? I might have at church camp once but I don’t really remember if I was good at it, I’d love to do it at a renaissance fair sometime!

36. Do you like anyone? I do and luckily he likes me too! three years and strong

37. Favorite swear word? fuck, it works for so many things. ass clown. bastards.

38. When do you fall asleep? usually around 11-11:30, I’d love to make that earlier

39. Do you have any scars? a couple leftover from the chicken pox!

40. Sexual orientation? straight

41. Are you a good liar? depends on what I’m trying to lie about

42. What languages would you like to learn? I used to be able to speak German so I’d love to get back into that! And then Spanish since I think that’s important as a person in the United States and I hate how bad I am at it

43. Top 10 songs? REFUSING TO ANSWER THIS

44. Do you like your country? Hmmmmmmmmmm. Yes and no. Currently our worst aspects are hella on display and I hate a lot of it. But I also enjoy living here since it’s where I’ve grown up and I’m interested in helping improve it. But obviously thanks to current politics I’m pretty angry about the state of things.

45. Do you have friends from the web? Oh man I’ve made so many friends on Tumblr in the last year! so yes I do!

46. What is your personality type? creative, type A

47. Hogwarts House? Slytherin

48. Can you curl your tongue? yep! just the hot dog style though not the clover thing

49. Pick one fictional character you can relate to? Hermione Granger 100%

50. Left or right handed? right, though I can sorta write with my left hand since I tried to train myself how to do it in high school

51. Are you scared of spiders? oh my god yes

52. Favorite food? ahhhhh. Maybe BBQ (South Carolina style) or Tex-Mex

53. Favorite foreign food? Probably Italian followed by German

54. Are you a clean or messy person? v messy but I’m really really really trying to get better

55. If you could switch your gender for a day, what would you do? go out at night and not be afraid. enjoy having pockets.

56. What color underwear? uhh blue? I think?

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? if it’s a normal morning, Usually an hour. I’ll start showering around 7:30ish and then I’m usually dressed and ready by 8:30-40ish.

58. Do you have much of an ego? In some regards yes, in some no. I’m extremely confident in my work and what I put out there, but when it comes to myself as a person I have zero ego hahaha. Very far from it.

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? I wait to bite until it’s nearly gone!

60. Do you talk to yourself? I mean internally yeah? but that’s just thinking right? so yes?

61. Do you sing to yourself? mmm not really. I’ll drunkenly sing but not a lot no

62. Are you a good singer? NOPE LOLOLOLOL

63. Biggest Fears? failure, not accomplishing my goals

64. Are you a gossip? I try not to be but I’m susceptible to it

65. Are you a grammar nazi? I used to be a lot worse but for the most part I’ve relaxed, unless it’s at work

66. Do you have long or short hair? I have medium length hair on the shorter end!

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? it took me ages to find a quiz that didn’t have a map with it but I was able to get 41/50 from memory in 4 minutes!

68. Favorite school subject? always was Art and English which has worked out pretty well!

69. Extrovert or Introvert? extrovert! to the fullest of the definition 

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? nope! probably won’t because that shit sounds terrifying to me

71. What makes you nervous? the idea of failing, disappointing people I love

72. Are you scared of the dark? kinda? a bit of the unknown aspect of it

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? yessssss 

74. Are you ticklish? terribly so but I’ve found the older you get the less people try to tickle you THANK GOD I will fight anyone that touches me

75. Have you ever started a rumor? not to my knowledge

76. Have you ever been out of your home country? yes!

77. Have you ever drank underage? Yep! though only a year or so off from the legal age

78. Have you ever done drugs? nope! I don’t think briefly smoking a cigarette, cigar, and hookah thing once each really count. Smoking is even a dramatic way to described it. Puffed a couple times and passed it off because meh.

79. What do you fantasize about? having enough money to be able to live in the place I want and have it furnished like I want, be able to travel everywhere, pay back my parents for everything they’ve helped me with, spoil the shit out of people, being able to donate to as many charities and creators that I can

80. How many piercings do you have? none! closed up my earlobes in middle school

81. Can you roll your R’s? I’m so hilariously bad at this it’s impossible for me

82. How fast can you type? I think last time I tested myself I did 90 wpm and 76 if I was typing on my phone

83. How fast can you run? not fast at all but I’m working on it

84. What color is your hair? brown

85. What color are your eyes? brown

86. What are you allergic to? nothing! unless it’s bullshit

87. Do you keep a journal? Tumblr count? otherwise nope

88. Are you depressed about anything? If I think too long about how we’re not doing anything about this planet, the lack of interest in gun control from our legislators, or the deaths in the Middle East that are at the fault of the US (intentionally or by us ignoring those who need help) I feel really helpless and sad. But nah not really. 

89. Do you like your age? 23 is... chill. I think I’ve got until 25 to panic.

90. What makes you angry? EVERYTHING. Incompetent coworkers who don’t respect my job or process. Republicans across the board and a shit ton of establishment Democrats. That our Earth is dying. How people in this city don’t hold doors open for anyone. Wars that we support or won’t get out of or turn our cheeks to (as a nation). My inability to actually take care of myself/my laziness.

91. Do you like your own name? Yeah it’s cool! I like it more now I think. I also like old-fashioned sounding names.

92. Did you ever get a foreign object up your nose? I can’t speak for my very younger self but not that I can remember

93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child? I’d be fine with either! I’d have to scramble if I had only boys though I have infinitely more “girl” names that I like

94. What talents do you have? graphic design, art, writing, photography, badass houses in the sims (jk I’m okay at it), terrible puns

95. Sun or moon? MOON always

96. How did you get your name? it’s my late grandmother’s name!

97. Are you religious? Not massively, I grew up Lutheran and then went to a couple of different churches. Went through a hard atheist phase in middle school. Now I’m most comfortable identifying with the term agnostic theistic since long story short I’m not against the concept of a higher being, I believe things happen for a reason, I’ve always believed in energies, which can be connected to meditation and praying. I’m currently researching wicca and witchcraft though I’m probably far off from identifying with either of those. Oops that was long I have a lot of thoughts.

98. Have you ever been to a therapist? I haven’t actually, though considered one in high school for a brief amount of time.

99. Color of your bedspread? white with black flowers and green petals!

100. Color of your room? white walls since I’m renting

Tagging: @thezoomermax, @dustinhendrsn, @jane-el-hopper, @littledancersun, @sweet-sugar-sunsets, and @the-most-beautiful-broom!

[damnhedidthat]

You know to distract myself from... myself, I'm going to throw you into a sort of initiation and say all the fucking questions. All of them. Accept it and loathe me to the end of your last breath.

You’re right, I loathe every inch of your being.

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?

The Greek gods, goddesses, and deities.

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

Vinyl. If I’m going for outdated might as well go for ancient.

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

Oh god. I don’t know what books have been published. I’m going to play it safe and say Sight Of The Damned by Josh Neer.

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

Never had the opportunity. Don’t know why I would.

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

Being knocked out for twenty four hours.

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?

To finish Hal’s system by Sunday.

lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?

The ocean.

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Yes.

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?

No.

apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

Tired.

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

Drowning.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

Caffeine.

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

Offs: Extended foreplay, slow pace, cheesy dirty talk, “knocking”.

water lilly; when was the last time you cried? why?

Don’t remember.

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

No.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

Bite.

honey perfume; favorite movie ever?

Shaken Hold (2403)

desert rose; do you like yourself?

Sure.

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

Yes.

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

Most. About 12.

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

No.

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

Died.

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

A combination of sleep, homicide, and work.

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

Sagitta.

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.

I don’t like the color yellow.I live in a second floor apartment.I own a sentient Roomba.I have three middle names.Portions of my nerves are soldered to cybernetic components.

daphne; do you believe in karma?

No.

queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

No.

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

Not really anyone.

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

I don’t recall being told any bedtime stories.

remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

I don’t know if I did.

iris; do you believe in ghosts?

No.

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?

None of them. They’re all awful. 

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?

No. Absolutely not. I’m already being forced through one lifespan, don’t throw any more my way.

primula; what makes you sad?

Can’t think of much.

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?

Yes, with the exception of Mint.

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

Myself. Maybe Rox.

lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

Didn’t. 

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

Sure.

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

The પ્રાચીન વન, originally penned by હા અબ્રાતી but later re-conceptualised by یوهان پیشینی. I still prefer the original.

violet; favorite tv show?

Don’t watch TV much. Probably Burnt Roast.

sunflower; share a favorite quote.

“Stop fucking up the second chance when you weren’t given a first one.”

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

Sleep.

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

IVR. Haven’t played in a while, though. Cooking. Reading. I don’t have much time.

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you.

જંગલમાં કોઈ સમુદ્ર નથી. જંગલમાં કોઈ શહેરો નથી. જંગલમાં કોઈ આકાશ નથી. જંગલ છે અને અમારી માતા પૃથ્વી છે અને અમારી આત્માઓ યોદ્ધાઓ છે. અમે યોદ્ધાઓ છીએ જેઓ ભટકતા, યોદ્ધાઓ જે વિશાળ વિસ્તારમાંથી પસાર થાય છે, યોદ્ધાઓ શ્વાસ લે છે. અને જ્યારે આપણે શ્વાસ કરીએ છીએ, ત્યારે આપણે સમૃદ્ધિ શ્વાસમાં લઈએ છીએ.

tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

Leave.

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

I usually don’t date.

sweet pea; who means the world to you? why?

Hal. He is a version of myself that I hated, but separate from my body I have grown to love.

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

Anything by હા અબ્રાતી.

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

Don’t really watch cartoons.

magnolia; coffee or tea?

Coffee.

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

Loved. I have plenty of wealth as it is.

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

Neither. Dog if I have to choose.

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?

Caffeine.

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

Yes.

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

Gunmetal grey.

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?

Siblings, yes.

sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

Night.

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

Yes.

clover; how would your friends describe you?

Nonexistent situation.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?

Introvert.

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

Burnt Roast.

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.

What a jerk.

lotus; best memory as a child?

Visiting one of the exterra colonies.

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

Orange, and natural or current? Naturally black, currently blond.

dahlia; do you like crystals?

Sure.

buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Everything.

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

Ravenclaw.

calendula; biggest pet peeve?

People who take longer to do things than they need to.

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

Stay home.

blazing star; share a secret.

I don’t have any that I can share. Sometimes Hal curates my porn. That’s pretty much all I’ve got. I forgot to buy groceries last week.

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

Happier.

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?

Can’t think of any.

bluebell; do you wear glasses?

Yes.

nymphea; forest or river?

Forest.

orchid; do you like exercise?

Sometimes.

pansy; do you like poetry?

Sometimes.

morning glory; any special talent that you have?

Is intelligence a talent?

[timclymer]

Everything You Need to Know About Cattle Farming

The most important thing that anybody should know about anything about cattle farming is that no farm or ranch is the same. No one farm follows the production practices of another, and no one producer manages his or her cattle the same way as the next one does. If you want to know about everything involved with cattle farming, get to know the basics first, what makes every farm click and everything else in between before anything else. Dairy farming or beef farming, it doesn’t matter what, there are certain things within those enterprises that make them run, from the feed fed to the cattle and the finances needed to run the farm to the cattle themselves.

It’s a lot of Hard Work …

Anybody would be a fool if they said raising cattle was easy. You have to be a veterinarian, an accountant, a mechanic, a carpenter, a plumber, a salesperson, an electrician and everything else in between to manage a farm. You have machinery, buildings, fences, and handling facilities to maintain, repair – even replace if it’s absolutely necessary – cattle waterers to fix if they freeze over in the dead of winter or if they quit working on you all of a sudden, hay to haul, finances to keep on top of (loans, utility bills and taxes to pay), fences to maintain and repair, the list keeps going on. You will experience periods of fatigue during times when the farm needs you the most – be it mental or physical fatigue. Your muscles will ache, your head will ache, and there will be times when you wonder why in the heck did you get into the cattle business in the first place!

It can be Life Threatening, Dangerous Work …

When you experience fatigue or get complacent around machinery or livestock this can result in serious injuries or even death. It is so easy to get caught when you least expect it, and by the time you realize you’re caught it’s often too late. It can be as simple as forgetting to never step over a running PTO shaft, never turn your back on a seemingly docile bull, cut with your knife away from you, things like that. The best thing to ensure your survival and to keep all your limbs intact is to always be aware of your surroundings, know if and when you’re feeling tired, never wear loose clothing around running machinery, and show the utmost respect to all bulls and new momma cows with their new calves. There is a whole list of farm-safety things I could lay out in this article, but I fear it will only take up more space than I intend and cause me to severely veer off track.

Regardless, bulls and cows must be respected and often not trusted either, no matter if you’re working or managing a dairy or beef farm. Dairy bulls are especially dangerous and ones to never turn your back on. Beef bulls can be just as bad: at first they may seem quite gentle and docile, but they can turn on you with the slightest provocation. This is a concern if you haven’t established dominance with them and if they don’t respect you and your space. Hormones can play a large factor in a bull’s aggressiveness. If a bull sees you as competition for his harem, he will come after you. If not, and sees you as just a two-legged human and not a two-legged bovine, then you should be safe, but don’t take my word for it because who knows what goes through a bull’s mind during breeding season!

Hormones are also a big factor in aggressiveness in cows. A cow’s initial instincts when that calf hits the ground is for her to nurture, suckle and protect it with her life. This means that no other animal should come within ten yards (some more, some less) of her baby without her explicit permission !! To some she can attack without warning, but I can say I doubt that – they do give you a warning to stay away if you know what to look for. A curled lip, that cold gleam in her eye, head shaking, that sort of thing are body language signs to look for when she’s telling you to stay away. Bulls also have their way of communicating that they’re not tolerant of your presence too: showing their sides, arching their neck showing their size, head shaking, not acknowledging your presence at all (in other words, ignoring you) when you’re in the pen with them, etc. These are all warning signs to either get out, or be prepared to stand your ground and make it known that you don’t tolerate their behavior towards you. Then be prepared to go through with your escape plan, if you have one.

It Takes Knowing a bit of Bovine Psychology

When raising cattle, you really have to know a fair bit about what cattle are telling you in order to tell if they’re just being friendly, a nuisance, a threat, or a potential cull. Cattle that acknowledge your presence, and come up to you but keep their respective distance from you (except if you invite them) are friendly. Some of the friendly ones can also be the ones that don’t ignore you but go back to what they were doing before you disrupted them can also be considered friendly. Even those that come running towards you when they see you – can be considered friendly, especially if you know them well enough to know when they come running like that it’s to get fed, and not as to create a stampede! Cattle that get high-strung, high-headed and make a run for it every time you are around are ones that should be culled – cattle should keep their respective distance from you, but not go so far as to try jumping over the fence to get away from you! Sometimes these types of animals can be trained to be calmer around people, but there are times when this can be more vain than rewarding. Some cattle just can’t be tamed and remain “wild.”

Breeding, Calving, Weaning, Growing …

Though not applicable to backgrounding / stockering and feedlot operations, knowing the basics about breeding, calving and weaning is important. The gestation period of a cow or heifer averages around 285 days or just over 9 months. A cow or heifer as a 50% chance of giving birth to a bull calf or heifer calf when not bred via sexed semen (artificial insemination or natural service). Calves on cows can be weaned when they are around 6 to 10 months old. Dairy calves are taken away from their dams a day or two (sometimes less) after birth, but aren’t weaned off the bottle until they’re around 3 to 4 months old. Estrous period for cows and heifers is 21 days long and estrus or heat lasts 18 to 24 hours long. Majority of heifers are ready to be bred by the time they are around 15 months old. A bull is ready to breed by the time he’s 12 months of age. Age of maturity for most cattle is around 3 to 4 years of age.

Calving and breeding periods will coincide, and the optimum length should be around 45 to 60 days. There is plenty of debate what time of year it is best to calve out cows, however a cow can be bred – and thus calve – at any time of the year. A cow can be bred either naturally – via a bull – or artificially – called artificial insemination via AI gun and semen straw.

Once the calf comes, the milk follows. The first milk a cow produces for her calf is called colostrum. After 48 hours she starts producing “normal” milk. Her highest nutritional requirements occur from late pregnancy to the third month of lactation. Her lowest is when she is dry and in her second trimester of pregnancy. Calves, once weaned, though, have different nutritional requirements – as they get older, protein requirements decrease.

Know What to Feed Them

Not all ranches and farms feed their cattle the same thing. This is probably where the greatest variations in how cattle are raised begins, and something which I can only cover briefly here. Essentially there are five types of feedstuffs that are fed to cattle: hay, silage, grain, alternative feeds, and pasture. The latter isn’t exactly fed to cattle, but rather cattle are set to feed themselves. However, with the former four, each farm and ranch varies in how much and what of each is fed to their animals.

All dairy farms need to feed their dairy cows a mixed ration – called a TMR or Total Mixed Ration – of high-quality hay, silage and grain to meet their cows’ nutritional requirements in protein, energy, calcium and phosphorus levels. The majority of hay fed to dairy cattle is comprised of alfalfa or clover and grasses like orchard grass and timothy. Silage – which is chopped up and fermented feed – is often of corn, since it has higher nutritional quality than barley or wheat. The grain portion of the TMR ration can be corn, barley or wheat, depending on what is more suitably grown in the area where the dairy farm is located.

As for beef farms, rations for cattle varies much more greatly than on your average dairy farms. There are three main enterprises involved in beef farming: cow-calf, backgrounding / stocker, and feedlot. The lowest-quality rations are given to cow-calf operations, and the highest-quality to feedlots. Cows on cow-calf operations often have no problem subsisting off of grass and hay, though some producers like to feed them grain and / or silage during the winter months. Backgrounding / stocker operations need to feed their calves so that they grow, so pasture, silage and good-quality hay is often fed. Feedlots finish cattle for slaughter, so an 85% grain-based “hot” ration is needed. The other 15% is comprised of roughage like silage.

All cattle need to be fed clean water and have access to mineral at all times. Beef producers feed their mineral to their cattle free-choice, sometimes mixed in with the feed. Dairy producers tend to have these minerals mixed in with the feed.

Where Are You Getting Your Feed From?

That’s a big question to ask yourself if you intend on starting your own cattle farm. Basically you have two choices: Make your own, or purchase it. If you make your own, you need your own equipment and the time to make the feed. You may need the extra labor if it’s required, depending on what type of feed you’re making. Making your own feed may bite into your profits because it means more money spent on fuel and maintenance / repair costs. Purchasing feed has its risks too. Though you don’t near half the machinery required for making your own feed, you still need a place to store it and risk the feed you’re getting to be not as good quality feed as you want it to be. There may be health risks associated with the feed you purchase – the hay you get may have bits of metal or garbage in it, or the feed you purchased from your feed store may be contaminated with something that will kill your animals.

Machinery Needed On a Cattle Farm

You can literally have as little as only a couple pieces of machinery to as many as to make any agricultural machinery retailer business proud. I’ve known a couple cattle producers that only have a few pieces of equipment: a hay-hauler truck, a livestock trailer, and a four-wheeler ATV. A lot of other producers can get by just fine with a good tractor with a front-end loader, a baler, haybine or mower, a good truck, a livestock trailer, and the choice between using the four-wheeler ATV (I prefer to call a “quad”) or a good cow horse. Many other cattle farmers need to have a lot more machinery than that: two to three tractors, a combine-harvester, several pieces of tillage machinery (disc, plow, cultivator, flexi-coil harrows, harrows, etc.), a few swathers , a few grain trucks, several grain augers, a forage harvester, a baler, a haybine, the list goes on. What type and how much of machinery you think you need to have (try not to think of it as “want”) on your cattle farm will affect your bottom line and how you raise your animals.

Think of it this way: If you want to graze your cattle on pasture all year round, there will be a point in time where you will realize that the machinery you want isn’t necessarily the same pieces of machinery you will need !!

Your Finances

Every producer of every cattle farm should take account of their finances – purchases, loans, utility bills, fuel bills, fertilizer bills, feed purchases, veterinary bills, repair / maintenance payments, rent payments / income, cattle sales, feed sales, and other things that affect the operations of your farm. From there you can do the evaluation to see if you are losing money, just breaking even or actually making a little money from your farm. It can also tell you where you are weakest or strongest, and what choices you should consider if you wish to increase income levels to your business. Making and maintaining a business plan can help a lot here too.

Sheltering Your Cattle

Shelter isn’t as big an importance, though a simple lean-to shed or a stand of trees will suffice for most. Dairy cattle need to be kept confined to a barn during the winter months. This may not be so in areas where they don’t experience as extreme, frigid or snowy winters as much of North America has. If they don’t have much shelter, they need to compensate for the lack of warmth by eating more feed so that they can stay warm. This is also true with thin beef cows.

Herd Health and Signs of Illness or Disease

Most herds need to keep up to date with their vaccinations every year, depending on the age and gender of the animals as well as where you are farming them. In most areas of the USA and Canada, vaccinating for diseases such as Blackleg (with Clostridia sp. Related bacteria), Bovine Viral Diarrhea, Bovine Respiratory Disease Virus complex and others is very important. Leptospirosis vaccinations for heifers and trichomoniasis vaccinations for young bulls are also important for a breeding herd. Some areas require vaccinations against Anthrax as well. Check with your local large-animal veterinarian for what types of diseases you need to vaccinate your animals for.

Check your herd regularly for signs of illness or disease. The most obvious symptoms I’ve found with the cattle we had were listlessness or lethargic activity – calves that normally should be interested in food are not, they are either slow to get up or wanting to lay down and rest instead of get up and eat. Other signs include lameness, dull eyes, loss of body condition, hairless patches, kicking at the belly, coughing, snotty nose, too many abortions in your herd to be considered normal, or anything unusual about the animal’s behavior or parts of its anatomy, ranging from the udder or scrotum to the eyes. Be cautious that one symptom you see may be a sign of a much bigger problem.

Where You Get Livestock, You Will Get Deadstock

As the Circle of Life goes around and around, you cannot expect any one of your animals, young and old alike, to live forever. You will get cattle that will die on you, unexpectedly or otherwise. That is just something to expect on every livestock farm or ranch. It is hard for every producer to have an animal die on them, but that’s just a part of life. Many people who are generations removed from farm life do not understand this, but as someone who wants to get into cattle or any kind of livestock business this is a hard fact you must learn or else you’re not going to last very long in it .

What you do with those dead animals depends on local laws. Some ranches are so big and vast that it’s no problem to drag a carcass out to the middle of a pasture and let the scavengers take care of it. Other areas require such carcasses to be immediately buried or burned or have a livestock-rendering truck come to take them away for you. Some people who have grown attached to a particular cow or bull, prized or not, choose to bury that animal just like someone would bury a pet dog or cat that was a part of the family for years.

There may have been a few things that I missed in describing “ everything about cattle farming” because there are many other things I have not covered that are involved with not just with cattle farming itself, but the actual animals, the feed and machinery and many other little things that make a cattle farm tick. I hope that the basics covered above give you some idea what to expect in running a cattle farm.

Source by Karin L.

from Home Solutions Forev https://homesolutionsforev.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cattle-farming/ via Home Solutions on WordPress from Home Solutions FOREV https://homesolutionsforev.tumblr.com/post/187243987815 via Tim Clymer on Wordpress

[homesolutionsforev]

Everything You Need to Know About Cattle Farming

The most important thing that anybody should know about anything about cattle farming is that no farm or ranch is the same. No one farm follows the production practices of another, and no one producer manages his or her cattle the same way as the next one does. If you want to know about everything involved with cattle farming, get to know the basics first, what makes every farm click and everything else in between before anything else. Dairy farming or beef farming, it doesn't matter what, there are certain things within those enterprises that make them run, from the feed fed to the cattle and the finances needed to run the farm to the cattle themselves.

It's a lot of Hard Work …

Anybody would be a fool if they said raising cattle was easy. You have to be a veterinarian, an accountant, a mechanic, a carpenter, a plumber, a salesperson, an electrician and everything else in between to manage a farm. You have machinery, buildings, fences, and handling facilities to maintain, repair – even replace if it's absolutely necessary – cattle waterers to fix if they freeze over in the dead of winter or if they quit working on you all of a sudden, hay to haul, finances to keep on top of (loans, utility bills and taxes to pay), fences to maintain and repair, the list keeps going on. You will experience periods of fatigue during times when the farm needs you the most – be it mental or physical fatigue. Your muscles will ache, your head will ache, and there will be times when you wonder why in the heck did you get into the cattle business in the first place!

It can be Life Threatening, Dangerous Work …

When you experience fatigue or get complacent around machinery or livestock this can result in serious injuries or even death. It is so easy to get caught when you least expect it, and by the time you realize you're caught it's often too late. It can be as simple as forgetting to never step over a running PTO shaft, never turn your back on a seemingly docile bull, cut with your knife away from you, things like that. The best thing to ensure your survival and to keep all your limbs intact is to always be aware of your surroundings, know if and when you're feeling tired, never wear loose clothing around running machinery, and show the utmost respect to all bulls and new momma cows with their new calves. There is a whole list of farm-safety things I could lay out in this article, but I fear it will only take up more space than I intend and cause me to severely veer off track.

Regardless, bulls and cows must be respected and often not trusted either, no matter if you're working or managing a dairy or beef farm. Dairy bulls are especially dangerous and ones to never turn your back on. Beef bulls can be just as bad: at first they may seem quite gentle and docile, but they can turn on you with the slightest provocation. This is a concern if you haven't established dominance with them and if they don't respect you and your space. Hormones can play a large factor in a bull's aggressiveness. If a bull sees you as competition for his harem, he will come after you. If not, and sees you as just a two-legged human and not a two-legged bovine, then you should be safe, but don't take my word for it because who knows what goes through a bull's mind during breeding season!

Hormones are also a big factor in aggressiveness in cows. A cow's initial instincts when that calf hits the ground is for her to nurture, suckle and protect it with her life. This means that no other animal should come within ten yards (some more, some less) of her baby without her explicit permission !! To some she can attack without warning, but I can say I doubt that – they do give you a warning to stay away if you know what to look for. A curled lip, that cold gleam in her eye, head shaking, that sort of thing are body language signs to look for when she's telling you to stay away. Bulls also have their way of communicating that they're not tolerant of your presence too: showing their sides, arching their neck showing their size, head shaking, not acknowledging your presence at all (in other words, ignoring you) when you're in the pen with them, etc. These are all warning signs to either get out, or be prepared to stand your ground and make it known that you don't tolerate their behavior towards you. Then be prepared to go through with your escape plan, if you have one.

It Takes Knowing a bit of Bovine Psychology

When raising cattle, you really have to know a fair bit about what cattle are telling you in order to tell if they're just being friendly, a nuisance, a threat, or a potential cull. Cattle that acknowledge your presence, and come up to you but keep their respective distance from you (except if you invite them) are friendly. Some of the friendly ones can also be the ones that don't ignore you but go back to what they were doing before you disrupted them can also be considered friendly. Even those that come running towards you when they see you – can be considered friendly, especially if you know them well enough to know when they come running like that it's to get fed, and not as to create a stampede! Cattle that get high-strung, high-headed and make a run for it every time you are around are ones that should be culled – cattle should keep their respective distance from you, but not go so far as to try jumping over the fence to get away from you! Sometimes these types of animals can be trained to be calmer around people, but there are times when this can be more vain than rewarding. Some cattle just can't be tamed and remain "wild."

Breeding, Calving, Weaning, Growing …

Though not applicable to backgrounding / stockering and feedlot operations, knowing the basics about breeding, calving and weaning is important. The gestation period of a cow or heifer averages around 285 days or just over 9 months. A cow or heifer as a 50% chance of giving birth to a bull calf or heifer calf when not bred via sexed semen (artificial insemination or natural service). Calves on cows can be weaned when they are around 6 to 10 months old. Dairy calves are taken away from their dams a day or two (sometimes less) after birth, but aren't weaned off the bottle until they're around 3 to 4 months old. Estrous period for cows and heifers is 21 days long and estrus or heat lasts 18 to 24 hours long. Majority of heifers are ready to be bred by the time they are around 15 months old. A bull is ready to breed by the time he's 12 months of age. Age of maturity for most cattle is around 3 to 4 years of age.

Calving and breeding periods will coincide, and the optimum length should be around 45 to 60 days. There is plenty of debate what time of year it is best to calve out cows, however a cow can be bred – and thus calve – at any time of the year. A cow can be bred either naturally – via a bull – or artificially – called artificial insemination via AI gun and semen straw.

Once the calf comes, the milk follows. The first milk a cow produces for her calf is called colostrum. After 48 hours she starts producing "normal" milk. Her highest nutritional requirements occur from late pregnancy to the third month of lactation. Her lowest is when she is dry and in her second trimester of pregnancy. Calves, once weaned, though, have different nutritional requirements – as they get older, protein requirements decrease.

Know What to Feed Them

Not all ranches and farms feed their cattle the same thing. This is probably where the greatest variations in how cattle are raised begins, and something which I can only cover briefly here. Essentially there are five types of feedstuffs that are fed to cattle: hay, silage, grain, alternative feeds, and pasture. The latter isn't exactly fed to cattle, but rather cattle are set to feed themselves. However, with the former four, each farm and ranch varies in how much and what of each is fed to their animals.

All dairy farms need to feed their dairy cows a mixed ration – called a TMR or Total Mixed Ration – of high-quality hay, silage and grain to meet their cows' nutritional requirements in protein, energy, calcium and phosphorus levels. The majority of hay fed to dairy cattle is comprised of alfalfa or clover and grasses like orchard grass and timothy. Silage – which is chopped up and fermented feed – is often of corn, since it has higher nutritional quality than barley or wheat. The grain portion of the TMR ration can be corn, barley or wheat, depending on what is more suitably grown in the area where the dairy farm is located.

As for beef farms, rations for cattle varies much more greatly than on your average dairy farms. There are three main enterprises involved in beef farming: cow-calf, backgrounding / stocker, and feedlot. The lowest-quality rations are given to cow-calf operations, and the highest-quality to feedlots. Cows on cow-calf operations often have no problem subsisting off of grass and hay, though some producers like to feed them grain and / or silage during the winter months. Backgrounding / stocker operations need to feed their calves so that they grow, so pasture, silage and good-quality hay is often fed. Feedlots finish cattle for slaughter, so an 85% grain-based "hot" ration is needed. The other 15% is comprised of roughage like silage.

All cattle need to be fed clean water and have access to mineral at all times. Beef producers feed their mineral to their cattle free-choice, sometimes mixed in with the feed. Dairy producers tend to have these minerals mixed in with the feed.

Where Are You Getting Your Feed From?

That's a big question to ask yourself if you intend on starting your own cattle farm. Basically you have two choices: Make your own, or purchase it. If you make your own, you need your own equipment and the time to make the feed. You may need the extra labor if it's required, depending on what type of feed you're making. Making your own feed may bite into your profits because it means more money spent on fuel and maintenance / repair costs. Purchasing feed has its risks too. Though you don't near half the machinery required for making your own feed, you still need a place to store it and risk the feed you're getting to be not as good quality feed as you want it to be. There may be health risks associated with the feed you purchase – the hay you get may have bits of metal or garbage in it, or the feed you purchased from your feed store may be contaminated with something that will kill your animals.

Machinery Needed On a Cattle Farm

You can literally have as little as only a couple pieces of machinery to as many as to make any agricultural machinery retailer business proud. I've known a couple cattle producers that only have a few pieces of equipment: a hay-hauler truck, a livestock trailer, and a four-wheeler ATV. A lot of other producers can get by just fine with a good tractor with a front-end loader, a baler, haybine or mower, a good truck, a livestock trailer, and the choice between using the four-wheeler ATV (I prefer to call a "quad") or a good cow horse. Many other cattle farmers need to have a lot more machinery than that: two to three tractors, a combine-harvester, several pieces of tillage machinery (disc, plow, cultivator, flexi-coil harrows, harrows, etc.), a few swathers , a few grain trucks, several grain augers, a forage harvester, a baler, a haybine, the list goes on. What type and how much of machinery you think you need to have (try not to think of it as "want") on your cattle farm will affect your bottom line and how you raise your animals.

Think of it this way: If you want to graze your cattle on pasture all year round, there will be a point in time where you will realize that the machinery you want isn't necessarily the same pieces of machinery you will need !!

Your Finances

Every producer of every cattle farm should take account of their finances – purchases, loans, utility bills, fuel bills, fertilizer bills, feed purchases, veterinary bills, repair / maintenance payments, rent payments / income, cattle sales, feed sales, and other things that affect the operations of your farm. From there you can do the evaluation to see if you are losing money, just breaking even or actually making a little money from your farm. It can also tell you where you are weakest or strongest, and what choices you should consider if you wish to increase income levels to your business. Making and maintaining a business plan can help a lot here too.

Sheltering Your Cattle

Shelter isn't as big an importance, though a simple lean-to shed or a stand of trees will suffice for most. Dairy cattle need to be kept confined to a barn during the winter months. This may not be so in areas where they don't experience as extreme, frigid or snowy winters as much of North America has. If they don't have much shelter, they need to compensate for the lack of warmth by eating more feed so that they can stay warm. This is also true with thin beef cows.

Herd Health and Signs of Illness or Disease

Most herds need to keep up to date with their vaccinations every year, depending on the age and gender of the animals as well as where you are farming them. In most areas of the USA and Canada, vaccinating for diseases such as Blackleg (with Clostridia sp. Related bacteria), Bovine Viral Diarrhea, Bovine Respiratory Disease Virus complex and others is very important. Leptospirosis vaccinations for heifers and trichomoniasis vaccinations for young bulls are also important for a breeding herd. Some areas require vaccinations against Anthrax as well. Check with your local large-animal veterinarian for what types of diseases you need to vaccinate your animals for.

Check your herd regularly for signs of illness or disease. The most obvious symptoms I've found with the cattle we had were listlessness or lethargic activity – calves that normally should be interested in food are not, they are either slow to get up or wanting to lay down and rest instead of get up and eat. Other signs include lameness, dull eyes, loss of body condition, hairless patches, kicking at the belly, coughing, snotty nose, too many abortions in your herd to be considered normal, or anything unusual about the animal's behavior or parts of its anatomy, ranging from the udder or scrotum to the eyes. Be cautious that one symptom you see may be a sign of a much bigger problem.

Where You Get Livestock, You Will Get Deadstock

As the Circle of Life goes around and around, you cannot expect any one of your animals, young and old alike, to live forever. You will get cattle that will die on you, unexpectedly or otherwise. That is just something to expect on every livestock farm or ranch. It is hard for every producer to have an animal die on them, but that's just a part of life. Many people who are generations removed from farm life do not understand this, but as someone who wants to get into cattle or any kind of livestock business this is a hard fact you must learn or else you're not going to last very long in it .

What you do with those dead animals depends on local laws. Some ranches are so big and vast that it's no problem to drag a carcass out to the middle of a pasture and let the scavengers take care of it. Other areas require such carcasses to be immediately buried or burned or have a livestock-rendering truck come to take them away for you. Some people who have grown attached to a particular cow or bull, prized or not, choose to bury that animal just like someone would bury a pet dog or cat that was a part of the family for years.

There may have been a few things that I missed in describing " everything about cattle farming" because there are many other things I have not covered that are involved with not just with cattle farming itself, but the actual animals, the feed and machinery and many other little things that make a cattle farm tick. I hope that the basics covered above give you some idea what to expect in running a cattle farm.

Source by Karin L.

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