This week I started to prepare for our upcoming meso-mammal surveys by hiking around the property and looking for areas where our target mammals are most active.  On the southern end of the property near the hay barn, I found armadillo, coyote, fox, bobcat, and raccoon tracks. In addition to looking for tracks on my hikes this week, I also did some opportunistic herping and birding and saw this green tree frog and red-bellied woodpecker. At the end of the week, Georgina and I both helped move and work the cows in 4 corners. We were both able learn how to palpate cows to see if they are pregnant and learn how to tell how far along the pregnancy is.

A lot was accomplished this week at the Stiles Farm. On Monday and Tuesday we moved the main herds to new pastures so they can graze and maintain their body condition. We also did some repairs on two of the barns around headquarters, replacing the tin on the roof, the plywood, and the trimming on the outside, teaching me some basic carpentry work. On Wednesday Ryan and I worked on the cattle pens, fixing doors and gates and then moved the cows to the holding pens late in the afternoon so we could work them first thing in the morning. Thursday we worked the 4-corners herd, and with the help of our local veterinarian we were able to palpate, check for pregnancy, vaccinate, and wean the older calves.  We also worked the younger calves,  tagging and vaccinating, and castrating the bull calves. Thursday afternoon we sold the calves, and moved the bull to a new herd. Friday Bobby and I checked on the main herd and moved them to a larger pasture for grazing. Also that afternoon, Bobby taught both AnMarie and I how to mend barbed wire fences properly, and later how to run the shredder for shredding weeds and how we service and operate it safely on the farm. 

 

Georgina Macias Fall 2018 Intern

Stiles Blog 9-28-18

This week at the Stiles Farm was very productive. On Monday Bobby and I fed hay to the main herd, specifically placing the bales so we could move them to the eastern pastures later in the week. Tuesday we had a calf get out and we were able to get it back to the herd and find the piece of fence that had been damaged.  Bobby showed me some of the different ways we fix barbed wire fences, using stays, wire stretchers, and simple wire ties. On Wednesday and Thursday Bobby, Jimmy, and I moved over one hundred bales of hay from the hay pasture to where we store them. It was awesome to see how much we could get done once we got a system and a rhythm going. Also this week I accompanied Ryan to the USDA Farm Service Agency in Georgetown and learned about some of the crop insurance options that farmers have and how subsidies for commodities work. On Friday we finally were able to move the main herd to the eastern pastures after a few attempts.

 Stiles Blog 9-21-18

Georgina Macias Fall 2018 Intern 

This week I began cleaning small mammal (Sherman) traps in preparation for our upcoming small mammal surveys. In order to remove biases from our survey, it’s important to clean out previous bait and animal waste left in each trap. During the dry part of the week, I was able to set out 3 time-lapse cameras throughout the prairie restoration project areas on the south end of the farm.   Each camera is set to take a picture every 24 hours so that we can see in detail how the project area is changing over time. At the end of this week, I was able to spend some time with Jimmy learning how to use the tractor and the shredder. Shredding strips in the public hunting fields on the farm will disperse seed on the ground for the doves as well as make it easier for the hunters to spot and retrieve birds.

 

AnMarie Ulery-Wild Life Intern

 

At the beginning of this week the weather stayed relatively dry and allowed me to get more training on the tractor, loading and feeding hay and moving hay rings under Bobby’s supervision. Bobby and I also fixed some of the fences along the southern pastures and taught me the basics of putting in t-posts and barbed wire. The cows in the 4 corners pasture got out on Tuesday morning and we were able to get them all back together and lead them to some green grass. 

Due to spotty showers in the middle of the week and the conditions being too wet to do much, it gave us the opportunity to do some maintenance work on the equipment in the tractor shed and attaching a new implement for the horticulture field. On Tuesday, I attended a grain producers meeting with Ryan, hosted by the county extension agent, and was able to meet some farmers in the community and our local extension agent and get some insight on some one of the many projects he does for the county.  This week I was also trained on driving the ranger so I can take it out to the pastures on my own in the coming weeks. On Thursday Bobby and I checked cows in all the pastures and checked the perimeter gates and fences to prevent more cows from getting out. We also went to Williamson Co. Grain and Bobby showed me how we get molasses and minerals for the cows to supplement protein and essential nutrients. We loaded the molasses tub and set out the smaller tubs in the three small herds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly this week due to the wet conditions we just checked each herd to make sure they’re ok for the weekend and had no obvious health issues. We had a few cows give birth this week and we’re keeping an eye on the cows to make sure they’re recovering ok and the calves are nursing properly. It was a busy week at the Stiles Farm and there is lots of Slowly I’m working into awork to always be done.  Slowly I’m working into a routine in checking cows, and in the coming months we will be getting ready to wean the older calves and get cows back on schedule.

 

 

-Georgina Macias Fall 2018 Intern

Stiles Blog 9-14-18

It was a rainy week this week at the Stiles farm. Farm intern Georgina and I continued spraying mesquite when we could. Unfortunately, spraying when it’s wet makes for a less effective kill due to the chemical not being able to stick to wet leaves. In addition to spraying mesquite, Georgina and I went to each of my vegetation transects and flipped cover boards in hopes of finding reptiles or amphibians taking shelter from the rain. Finding “herps” depends on a variety of factors including temperature, rainfall, time of day, and habitat being searched. Although we didn’t find any this week, we hope that after a few more weeks and a little more rainfall we may have a better chance of success. Another rainy day activity that I spent some time on this week was data entry from my vegetation surveys. By transcribing my initial data to an excel spreadsheet and identifying plants that I couldn’t ID at the time of the survey, I am able to better analyze the data and get an idea of species diversity on the property.

AnMarie Ulery-Wild Life Intern

During my second week here at the Stiles Farm I was taught the safety procedures of handling chemicals, specifically Sendero, which is used for killing problem mesquite trees. After learning the proper safety protocols, long sleeve, long pants, shoes and socks, gloves, and safety goggles, I helped AnMarie spray mesquites in the Sancho pasture. While checking the cows this week we found a new calf that has been born. 

The little bull calf is looking healthy and sticking by his mother and growing fast. Ryan and Bobby taught me how to drive the hay loader and feed hay to the different herds. Due to the rain this past week we were able to start working on some tractors and equipment that weren’t working. Overall this past week was rewarding and very informative, learning different types of mechanisms and safety while working with tractors and equipment.

“Getting a new farm started is hard work. And unless you can find a great deal, it can often get pretty expensive to get everything you need. As every farmer knows, however, there is often a high cost for used or “free” items. But the other day, when I really needed some poultry manure for the new veggie farm’s fertilizer, I am infinitely pleased that I found a good neighbor in Bird and Bee Farm.  Just up the road in Rockdale,  Bird and Bee Farm produces poultry for urban and rural customers, bees for honey and naturally fed livestock.  I called and they said” “Come on!”.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Steven”

This week I continued spraying mesquite on the southern end of the property.  I also helped with checking cows and surveying our public hunting areas to make sure everything was ready for opening day on September 1st. While I was in 4 corners, I picked up the game camera that was set up at one of my vegetation transects where I was hoping to capture some photos of a northern bobwhite.  Unfortunately, there were no bobwhite photos from the bait station. There were, however, several pictures of rats and mice using the milo and then several more pictures of a barn owl taking advantage of these rodents foraging out in the open.

AnMarie Ulery Wild Life Inter

 

“Massive thanks to Paul Jones and Cowboy Fellowship in Pleasanton, TX for making a huge impact on the new Stiles Veggie Farm.  Paul and several members of the youth group made the several hour journey to get the farm started off on the right track.  Paul, y’all are welcome back any time!

Steven”