Bon Voyage Until Next Spring!

11/29/2013

Our cows and calves go south for the winter. No, not to Arizona, Florida or Texas. Bill hauls them to Winter Resort Ranch, about 45 minutes away, where they will receive sumptuous catered meals of silage and hay. Our farm is not set up to provide such lavish accommodations through the winter.

Departure From Hilbert Hauling Terminal

Boarding area play pen for the children.

Ear tags and inoculations are required prior to traveling south for the winter. If you haven’t already received those, we’ll provide them prior to boarding.

Pre-boarding is now open for children under one year old.

We have a full load today. Carry-on luggage is limited to one bag per cow.

General bovine boarding at Gate H is now open. Please have your boarding passes ready and proceed in an orderly fashion along the chute-way.

Taxiing up the driveway. Cricket sees them off.

Leaving behind a cloud of dust, not a contrail, the cattle are on their way.

Neighbor's cattle watch enviously as ours leave. "Gee, sure wish we could go south for the winter!"

De-Trailering at Winter Resort Ranch

"Here we are!"
"Which way to the beach? Cow-abunga!"
"I'm hungry. How soon do we get silage?"
"What do you mean there's no beach? Did I board the wrong trailer?"

Back at Hilbert Hauling Terminal service area: There are no lavatories in trailer-class.

Thanks for traveling with Hilbert Hauling! We’ll be happy to provide return transport next spring. Until then…

Bon Voyage! We'll come visit!

2 Comments

Suzanne link

11/30/2013 11:08:04 am

Great post! Just curious: how do you get the calves to load on the trailer? We have a heck of a time getting ours to load at that age.

June

12/1/2013 09:28:13 am

Thanks, Suzanne! Yes, herding calves can be like herding cats—you never know which way the little buggers will go! Our operation of 60 cow/calf pairs is spread out among our own pastures plus four we rent in our neighborhood. Bill only hauls home what he can work and haul to winter pasture in one day making two trips, usually 14 pairs. He constructed a system of pens, alleyways and chutes out of cattle panels in our corral. So we work with small groups in relatively confined areas. When calves are loaded into the trailer there are only 7 per load, and Bill follows behind, gently shooing them along the alleyway to the trailer, where he shuts them in the front compartment. Next, he herds their mothers along the alleyway and into the trailer. Then, it’s off to the Winter Resort Ranch!