SHIPPING DAY

It's shipping day on the ranch.  Well, one of the shipping days.  Today we are sending 5 loads of steers to a finishing feedlot in ID.  

It's quite a site to see the trucks lined up ready to be loaded.  

The cowboys get the steers out of the pen and run them into the corral.  Here they are counted, weighed and looked over by Dave and Wayne, the Producer Rep, who helps us sell our calves. Dave is on the board of directors of Producers Livestock Marketing Association.  For more information you can go to their web site. http://www.producerslivestock.com/

They weigh the calves very carefully.  Each truck has a maximum amount of weight they can haul, and the buyer has bought calves weighing a certain weight. These steers weigh an average of 950 lbs each.

Then the trucks are loaded.  Each truck holds a certain number of calves, depending on their size.  In each truck they have divisions, so the calves are brought in numbers according to the section they will be loaded into.

A brand inspector looks at the calves as they go by.

There is a lot going.  More calves coming out of pens, trucks being loaded and calves being weighed and counted, It's pretty busy.

Of course sending the calves off is a little sad, but that's the business.  

There are still several calves in the feedlot to go.  This process will be repeated until the feedlot is empty.