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Cattle Drive!! NW WI Style


Annual Farm Task:
Move beef cow/calf pairs from summer pasture to winter feeding grounds- a 3 mile trip this year
Components:
* 60+ cow/calf pairs (120+ critters)
* 8 People
*1 Tractor with hay bale
*1 horse
*1 Gator (UTV)
* several additional vehicles
*the general public who are planning to travel the road at the time of the cattle drive (more on that below).

Mission Accomplished!!

I actually got to be in the front of the drive for the first leg of the journey (down the town road)- and so got to take pictures from the front for the first time... Then I had to help at the intersection of the county road when we needed to turn them- and then I followed behind for the remainder of the trip. Though Nate has been using this method for multiple years now, this was one of the longest drive we've done. (Usually it's a little over one and half miles). It everything went smooth for the most part, and was really nice to have Laura and her horse (Poco) in the back keeping them bunched up and helping round up the ones that tried to take a detour into the field.

Now, back to the general public who were attempting to use the road at the same time we were. Traffic going the opposite direction we are is delayed very little, they either come a complete stop and let the cattle walk around them (the preferred option) or we've had people try to drive through- this is not a good idea- but it's happened to us. Thankfully, all the oncoming traffic stopped, let us pass and then continued on their way.  However if you are going the same direction we are they have 2 options: 1) patiently follow us, or 2) turn around and take a different route. Traffic on the town road wasn't an issue, but once we hit the county road we accumulated a bit of a following.

 Enjoy the pictures!






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