Kid's $ Update

Last year Dave and I came up with a plan how our kids could earn some money.  So here we are a year later and time to see if it worked.  It did but there were a few flaws we had to rethink.  Blake and Leah had both picked steers.  All went well there.  We had Cora pick a yearling thinking that she would then have a calf this year and she would be a year ahead.  She did and her cow calved a few days ago. 

 

But since she didn't sell anything, she essentially didn't earn anything and is actually now a year behind. (We took the price of the two steer and split it three ways) And it won't work to have the kids each building their own little herds within the main herd.  Gets way to complicated.  I hadn't thought about that.  This year Cora will need to have her calf and then pick another so she equals out. (Then next year take four steers split three ways)  Cora has falling in love with a beautiful deep chocolate calf. #10 She will go out and check with Dave and look for it every time.  I think if she could have bundled it up and brought it home she would have.  We have waited a while till all the money from the sold steers was in the bank.  I was so proud of the work they did and loved seeing their faces when they saw the pay off for the cold days of preg testing and hot days of fencing and everything in between. They all decided to keep out $50 to do whatever.  So after the 50 and tithing each kid now has 2 months of their mission paid for. We are off to a good start and hopefully our tweaking will work better for next year.

Last night Dave and I walked over for our turn of checking the cows.  There is a big field all enclosed with a barbed wire fence.  This is split into three pieces with an electric fence.  The cows are currently in the middle.  As we were riding around we noticed a calf that had gotten out and was laying down in the green.  We got off the 4-wheeler and walked across the fence toward the calf.  This is not unusal, calves slip under sometimes.  We gave it a wide berth.  As we got behind it we slowly walked a few steps then stopped.  I think at this point Dave did not even move, I took one small step.  The poor little things jumped up, stumbles, fell on it hours new legs, got back up and quickly waddled off.  Dave and I waited, I think we were both a little stunned that it took off so quick.  The little guy did not stop.  We stood there and watched just to see how far it would go.  It went under the fence, across the field with all the cows, under the other fence and across the other field.  It was sure looking for a way to get under that last fence as well.  We were kinda laughing and surprised.  It's mom was not doing a lot to find it.  We finished the check and went through the gate to try to get this calf back to its mom.  Mom sorta started looking.  The calf almost went clear through again, Dave was on one side and I was on the other.  We finally got them together, stay a bit to make sure they stayed that way.  It was funny and exasperating.  Never seen a new calf take off like that.  We then had a lovely walk home at dusk.