Our snowstorm yesterday and continuing today isn’t the reason we are heading to warmer country, but it’s a nice perk!

We are heading to the Santa Cruz, California area for a two day stockmanship school on May 9-10 and then will go north to Woodburn, Oregon for a one day introduction class! For more information about the Oregon school, contact Britt at everbearingfarms@hotmail.com or 541-231-5171.

As those of you who attended a Bud Williams Stockmanship School know, Bud didn’t like to give any sort of a “recipe” for handling cattle. However, here are three “steps” and several very important notes to keep in mind when you receive new animals or wean your own.

1. Get the entire group of animals to take the same amount of pressure. Pressure in and work with the animals that sprint out.

   NOTE: ANY TIME you are around your animals, be happy, have fun, and remind them that this is a great place to live. Your attitude is everything.

2. Teach the group to take pressure similar to sacking out a horse. You pressure in, and they should all move away quietly. This means they can handle loud noises, feed trucks, coyotes howling, thunder, etc. without tearing down the fences or getting agitated.

   NOTE: For steps number 1 and 2 especially, don’t work with them any longer than 20 minutes at any one time.

3. Now they know to stop and start, next teach them to take direction (turn left and right) from you.

   NOTE: Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 EVERY TIME before you do something with the livestock such as gather, sort, vaccinate, load, etc. AND repeat steps 1 and 2 EVERY TIME after you do anything with them such as shots, castrate, haul to new pasture, etc. This is vital.VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Any time the animals respond to you, make sure it’s correct. If it’s not correct, fix it immediately (work with them). IE, if you happen to walk by a pen going somewhere else and the calves startle away from you, you HAVE to go into the pen immediately and work the calves to remove the stress and touch up step #2.

   NOTE: Just because they aren’t bawling and walking the fence doesn’t mean they are settled forever or that they can take pressure. Follow all the steps and notes here.

   FINAL NOTE: You are done working the animals when they are loaded on the trailer to go to their new home and not a MINUTE before!

The Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan, a non-profit organization, has set up a Bud Williams memorial fund to provide educational producer seminars and clinics on stockmanship. Click here for more information.