Starting to get back to normal !

It has been a month since we dug out from the storm "Atlas".  We have had a chance to reflect on the effects of the storm.  We have seen the loss that some neighbors have suffered.  Tammy and I have attended several of the Community Gatherings that were sponsored by most of the state's agriculture groups.  It was a chance for the Federal government to show their programs and the South Dakota Department of Ag was there to show their concerns .  The Church groups were there along with the Red Cross.

We were fortunate enough to visit with Sec Micheal Scuse from Washington D.C. and South Dakota FSA Director Schaunamen  next to a cattle burial pit that was some lease ground of ours.

Toward the end of the month we were able to get the calves sold.  The prices have been good and the calf weights have been surprisingly heavy.

Here are the calves going through the ring at the sale barn in Philip.  This group of steers weighed 577 pounds.
Then a week later we got the sheep in and sorted off the lambs .  Here I am sorting through the lambs to see how they fit together as a group.  Taking out any lamb that might be too small or one that might have a limp or anything else.

Then we run them up the loading chute into the truck.

Then they were hauled the forty-five miles to Newell.  We were able to get about three hundred head on a cattle pot.  A cattle pot is short the extra deck that would be needed to haul more lambs.  Right now the trucks are busy hauling calves so they don't bother putting the deck in for one load of lambs.  Ryan and the neighbor finished hauling the rest of the lambs to Newell.

After the short haul then they were unloaded.

At Newell the lambs arrived the day before the sale and were run down the chute and sorted then run across the weigh scale and then penned for the sale the next day.

Here part of the lambs were held in the ring to be sold.  There was 356 lambs in this group that weighed 88 pounds.  Fortunately lambs were up $7 that day so they sold pretty good.

So now the cows have had their calved weaned and are in the winter pasture.  The ewes have had their lambs weaned and they are in their winter pasture.   A load of cake was delivered so we can start feeding supplement when ever we think it is necessary.  I have a few hay stacks left to move, but the weather needs to cooperate.