[Baystatetom]

Yet another great video Tim. For those of you who never tried this, it is not as easy as Tim and Will make it look. I spent a lot of time stacking logs on my landing this winter/spring and ended up with a criss-crossed mess as often as not. I realized using a peavy is a art in its self. I am sure stacking logs on the landing is the area I have with the most room for improvement. Thanks for showing us the right way to do it.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Scottish Highlander cattle do a pretty good job on brush as well. I have never owned one myself but I drive by a few places frequently where folks have pastured them in brush lots and before long they end up looking pretty well like open pasture again. The last pair of jersey steers I had seemed to eat everything in site as well. Darn things tore down all my fences chewing up the poison ivy growing on them.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Boy, he makes that looks easy, Don’t think I’ll post any of my steers and I plowing anytime soon :p
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Things keep pretty well in the cool weather but as summer temps pick up, softwood will get wormy and stain and hardwood will end check.

[Baystatetom]

The last thousand bdft was certainly faster then the first.

[Baystatetom]

So far the best I can do is $450/mbf on 12″ tip 10′ and longer with 3 clear faces. And that is delivered into the mill, I still have to pay trucking. I was really hoping for $150/mbf more then that, but I guess the markets just aren’t there. One of the local guys says he can only get $650/mbf for select and better lumber which translates down to $400 for the clear logs. Looks like I was working below minimum wage on this one!
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I have had this job done for a few weeks now. I sold a log length load of firewood and have about 10 cords of top wood bunched up on the sides of my main skid trail just waiting for when I have nothing else to do. I have also sold 3mbf of low grade soft maple to a local pallet mill, but still have 6-7 mbf of cherry logs I can’t seam to move. The one local guy who wants it can’t pay enough to get my attention. I just started trying to track down a Canadian market for it. Yet another rookie mistake I made on this job. I should have had all this figured out before I had it all stacked up on my clients lawn. I sell enough stumpage that I thought I knew what I was doing with the logs but I guess I still have some learning to do. I am negotiating with the landowner on another job now. So at least I can put what learned into immediate use.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

@hillsidehome 34061 wrote:

Hi, I’m a new member here and so excited to have found this forum! My family and I would really like a draft animal to help out with the occassional farm chores (hauling manure, hay, stones from the garden, etc.) but as we only have 3/12 acres it can’t be a huge animal. I already own a 5 year old milking Jersey and her 10 month steer. So my question is: is it possible to train a 5 year old cow to pull? Or is it too hard to train them when they are that old? Would it be better/easier to train a younger animal? It’d be grand if I could use my steer – he’s already here, and is such a giant, gentle baby – the only drawback is he still grabs a snack now and then from mom. Or should we look into purchasing an already trained ox? As we are so new to this any thoughts, suggestions, or advice from you experts is greatly appreciated!

I don’t see why you couldn’t train either of them. I have always broke mine when they were young calves so I have no experience with the older ones, however I have read plenty about cattle being broke at age 4. I am sure you will have your trials but at least they are big enough to go to work right away verses waiting for a young pair to grow up.
My inclination would be to work with the steer, start by teaching him to lead on a halter, then introduce him to your yoke,collar, whatever.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I know nothing of arches and less about horses, however I will say my oxen can pull a huge load down hill on snow. If your in a place with a real winter, just carefully time when you go for the big ones.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I have not really discussed it with my wife but I hope to come with my steers. They might be best at twitching and loading scoots for your bigger faster horses, but I’ll be flexible and have fun no matter what.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I am a red head and have that temper that we are famous for. I have learned though that nothing good happens when I lose my temper, especially with my oxen and kids. However there was a few times when I was a kid that I gosh darn earned the spanking I got. Just the other day my off steer tried my patience to the end and I broke my goad over his nose. Almost immediately my heart sank at the thought of what I had done, but that steer was on the top of his game the rest of the day. He was on the spot following every command the first time I said it like a star pupil. Maybe my discipline was too harsh but it worked well and put both of us on the right track for the rest of the day. Like Yosemite Sam when I say whoa I me whoa!
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I got my first team of steers at age 5. If you look at the age of people in my occupation (Forestry) I am extremely young at 37.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I forgot to mention:
Don’t beat them up after you catch them. As far as they know they just got hit for being caught. If you can run beside them with a 2×4 while they are bolting, yell whoa and let em have it. Joking of course but you get the point.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I can not disagree with anything said here. With previous teams I have had run away problems but not for a very long time now. My last pair was perfect angels for me, never even thought about running away, but when I gave them away to a first time teamster they ran away twice the first week. Not to put the blame on you Kevin, but you will get better. That being said I read an article about some old timer who used oxen for farming and logging his entire life as a profession, he was by all means as expert as you can get, and he spoke of a team he had that was uncontrollable run ways. At age 5 he sold them to a ox puller and started a new team. I guess I am saying your situation will most likely improve with experience, but it could also be a bit to much fire in the team.
Mine don’t run away but they will wonder off if left unattended for more then a minute, I combat this by either chaining them to a tree (while working in the woods) or else turning them around so they face me while I load/unload my sled. This will be a pain if working with a pole rather then a chain. Then again stepping over the pole and hooking up is a good thing to practice anyway.
Best of luck,
Tom

[Baystatetom]

I just checked, that is only a hour and a half straight up Rt91 for me, are oxen invited to come play too? I can bring my new go-devil and/or a scoot I just bought yesterday and have not tried out yet.
~Tom

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