My Last Roundup

January 27th saw the last of my cattle head out on the big truck. A few stills and clips from years ago added to the video.

[@TahoesNTurbos]

I will never forget when we sold the cattle and Grandpa retired into town, was honestly a very sad day on the family farm. thanks for sharing roosty!

[@roosty6]

Change is harder for some than others but it happens anyway.

[@french-canadianfarmer5049]

You're selling off the cows and we just bought some yearling heifers to add beef to our farm. Thanks for the videos.

[@roosty6]

Thanks for watching and good luck with your cattle.

[@MaryGoff-x9i]

I will miss seeing them at your place.. In my past 40 years plus with your family I always enjoyed seeing the cattle. But it was time for them to go. Enjoy the less work. Loved the clip of the boys. I’m sure I have seen it before but it was great to see again. They sure have grown.

[@roosty6]

Thanks. Hope they like it too. It took a lot of editing. And I remember you helping me out with heifers and new calves more than a few times too.

[@JDseller1]

Roosty time stops for no man. I turned the last of the brood cows over to my kids last spring. It was tough helping my daughter fill out the registrations forms for last year's calves without my name on them. Sixty two years of filling them out. When things do not go right or get weighing on me , I just go to the pasture and walk among the cows/calves. Settles my troubles. Just enjoy what your still doing for as long as you can. It makes life enjoyable. My Grand Father always said that one bad thing about farming is when you finally get all the "toys" you want your too old to play with them. LOL

[@oj3888]

A sad day, i will be a wreck when my cows have to go, it's a lot of work, but work i enjoy more than the grain side of things. Thanks for the videos Roosty. I enjoy watching another small farmer on the prairies.

[@roosty6]

Thanks for watching. Last few years the cattle were just a hobby. I doubt I made much money on them. Especially if I ever counted my hours of work. But I didn't mind it.

[@nailedt0thecr0ss]

Heya Roosty6. I lovvvvvve the history pictures and family vids. Thanks sharing the goodness in you life from over the years.

[@roosty6]

Thanks and its good to have a place to share the history.

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

Well... That was a pretty long run with cattle there! Love the look back!! Been some good looking cattle raised there! Thank you for sharing the end of the cattle. Glad they all loaded without injury to anyone!! Im sure it was a colorful time.

[@roosty6]

Thanks Ed. I was a little concerned in view of the difficulty loading last spring but this time we were prepared and it wasn't too bad.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Dad sold the cattle and went straight grain after the ‘02 drought. Wasn’t an easy decision. Got back into a small herd again a couple years ago now that I’m solely farming and not working off farm anymore. I suppose I need to do more than just grain farm. I don’t want to take any more land base out of grain and into cattle so I’m at that 40 mark. It’s small enough that I can handle it quite fine and large enough that the profit makes it worth doing. If I end up buying a couple more quarters than I might make the big jump to 80 but with 1700 acres of crop I’m content. The kids seem to enjoy the cattle. My daughter has really taken an interest in them while my son is getting to that age where he can start running equipment and so he’s definitely more of a grain fan. It can be a little emotional when that last trailer load leaves the yard. A reason for everything they say.

[@kyfarmerman]

love the old pics and videos

[@roosty6]

Thanks, good to hear.

[@lttl858]

After having cattle all my life, I'm about to do the same thing this spring. It's going to be a huge change after living with them all these years. Place will be quiet without their constant activity. Sure going to be different.......

[@roosty6]

Yes, definitely different.

[@robertrhodes9123]

Sounds like you're not ever having cattle again. The place just won't be the same but ya gotta do what ya gotta do !

[@jeremycherny2041]

Bitter sweet. I enjoyed those old pictures. Seeing the past is pretty cool

[@roosty6]

For sure. And we have a lot of past on this farm. Photos are not as good as video but its all they had years ago.

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

Totally agree Jeremy!! Bittersweet! The old pictures and videos are awesome, so many of us don't have a lot of them to look back on.

[@jeremycherny2041]

There were shoe boxes of pictures from the old days. My uncle insisted that he take them and load them on CDs. I don't remember what year it was but it flooded in his town. They lost everything.

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

@@jeremycherny2041 that sucks 😥 We've found quite a few pictures from moms side from 100 years ago. She got them when grandma passed.. we got to see them after mom passed.

[@jeremycherny2041]

That's pretty cool Ed.

[@sassikatt]

Thanks for sharing.

[@goatfarmmb]

I am not sure anymore if I asked this before when did the creamery get closed down was that in de late 80s or early 90s? Some of them cattle from the 90s one can see some of the Brown Swiss in them, very nice cattle. Brings back some memories when we had the auction in Switzerland back in 97 when they all left the place, or the goats almost three years ago. Wasn't easy .. never is unfortunally Thank you for sharing them pics and down memory lane

[@roosty6]

Yes we had some Brown Swiss along with some Charolais. Western Breeders and their A.I. services allowed local farmers to get some exotic breeds but its still hard to beat the Angus and Herefords. Not sure when the cream shipping ended but likely the 90s. I remember still milking some by hand in 1989.

[@poorfarmerlogger]

Emotional day I’m sure. Nice to have all the pictures and videos to look back on though. Dad passed away on the 18th so we spent quite a bit of time looking back through old photos for the display at his funeral. Digital photos are nice but it’s sure hard to replace having the old photos to physically hold and look at though.

[@roosty6]

Sorry to hear about your dad. That will be a big adjustment for you to make. And yes, hard to beat the hard copies when it comes to photos.

[@poorfarmerlogger]

Thanks Ralph. Yes it’ll be different that’s for sure. Simpler in some ways but more difficult in other ways too. Mom’s still active with the farm so there’s still some help there when needed. Harvest will definitely be slower though with no one to drive truck.

[@upperpine]

Sad day but logical move. Our barn has been empty for decades and we have yet to re-purpose it.

[@roosty6]

I can always use the storage space in the barn. Have not used it for cattle in years except if I had to get a cow and her new calf inside out of the weather for a while.

[@1962mrmongoman]

glad to see you are able to retire . All the best.

[@roosty6]

Thanks, I don't consider it retiring. Just not raising cattle any more.

[@77patsfan64]

@@roosty6 Ralph the cats will have more of your time now

[@ssboot5663]

Everything changes. We have to change too. I'm sure it's sad to see them go. But there comes a time for everything.....How many years have you been exposed to cattle? 63 years here. The dairy left at around my 50th. I'm not sure how long I'll keep doing the beef herd. Thanks for the memories you shared in the photos!

[@roosty6]

I'd guess it was 1954 before I saw my first cattle.

[@eeengineer8851]

I was not around when Dad sold the last cattle the summer of his last farming year before he retired. But, walking around the farm yard later it was eerie with the yard/barn empty and nobody home in the pasture. I don't know how he felt about it all. The diary cows had left about 15yrs before and I wish I had been able to get some photos of the milking but it never happened. I don't think Dad was too sad about that as he had told me he hated milking. He'd done it >40yrs from the days of hand milking with a keroscene lamp for light.

[@roosty6]

Yes, seemed awful quiet in the cattle shelter and feeding area this morning as I was taking down corral panels and putting a few things away. Just a few cats out enjoying the milder weather.

[@genechronister7085]

When I sold the milk cows,it was weird to turn the milk tank off! Real weird to go out to dinner at 5 o clock. Never did that before!! I never looked back

[@MatthewBerginGarage]

At least the mule deer will get to use a nice shelter from those fierce winds. ............ I tend to look at the bright side.🤷‍♂😉

[@roosty6]

Thats a good attitude Matthew. I'll have to work on it. Mule deer are more numerous than cattle here lately. I come home late at night and see all the eyes glowing in my flashlight.

[@benjohnson1082]

Well… rats. Now it’s time to take care of the cats I guess. Keep working. Always great videos. Just like life down here in Kansas. (Maybe with less snow…)

[@roosty6]

Guess I'll need more cats to keep my busy :-)

[@massey375]

Sad to see them go Roosty but atleast the prices are staying strong.

[@roosty6]

That helps.

[@piperdoug428]

yeah i stood in a silent cattle yard in 95 when we sold our dairy herd to come to canada, it hits ye eh

[@bruceprentice6441]

What will you do with your pasture land, rent it out ? I am a bit younger than you, and have had cattle for 45 years. I enjoy watching them and feeding them but realize there will come a day, they will need to go. You will still have to go out to the barn to do your cat chores, lol.

[@roosty6]

The biggest part of the pasture is native prairie. Pretty much the way it was when my grandfather came here in 03. I plan to keep it that way. Maybe do some rotary cutting to keep the brush and trees from taking over. Who knows, maybe cut and sell hay?

[@lowellcrabb151]

Nice sentimental video Ralph. Are those boys in a position to raise their own cattle now?

[@roosty6]

Yes, one for sure.

[@olivei2484]

My step -father sold off his herd of dairy cows around 1994. Sure was sad to see them go, but it was time to sell-out.

[@John-jg5dh]

Are you retiring? Or just sold this years cattle?

[@roosty6]

Not retiring. Just getting out of the cattle side.

[@John-jg5dh]

@roosty6 sad day for any farmer to get rid of livestock.

[@IanHotson]

Well we had cattle on our Farms from 1853 until 2002 the last of our dairy cows went in 1989, was very strange to walk through the barns after they were gone just too quiet,, but if you get missing the cattle too much you can always try herding those cats! That'll keep you entertained anyway I enjoyed the video very much I'm glad everything went well on the loading

[@roosty6]

Thanks Ian. Its a mix of regret and relief. I'm sure relief will win out.

[@donvoll2580]

G day Roosty Yes there will be a few days it will hit hard! I guess that is life> Sorry Ths

[@roosty6]

I'm sure the good times outnumber the bad. I have a lot of good memories of working with cattle my entire life but it was time to quit.

[@MrJohndeere3720]

dont you have kids that want to run it? im sure we'll be going down this road at some point...

[@roosty6]

My nephews are in the vintage part of the video.

[@MrJohndeere3720]

@@roosty6 o ok :)

[@brianmelitz3909]

So no more moo moos what are you going to do with all your spare time now? Build more classic cars?

[@roosty6]

Hi Brian. Not too sure yet but time has a way of passing by quicker the older we get. I might not even notice the difference. 🙂