Hey y'all, what a weekend it's been! Between the chaos of the cattle sale, some accidental bids (oops), and a brand-new baby calf born while we were gone, it's safe to say life on the farm has been anything but quiet lately.
If you've been following along, you already know how much I love sharing real, unfiltered farm life, the good, the funny, and even the "wait, how did that happen?" moments. This cattle sale had a little bit of all three.
Getting Ready for the Sale
We started the day bright and early, loading up and heading out to the sale barn. Before anything else, I had to say hi to some of our girls, especially Matriarch, one of our favorite heifers. She's due to calve in December or January, and we're offering embryos from her. That's one of the best parts of these sales, people get to see the cows behind the genetics they're buying from.
Some of the cattle there were just for display, showing off the sires and dams behind the embryos. It's a neat way to connect the dots between pedigrees and the animals themselves.
And of course, I couldn't resist checking in on the mamas and babies. One had just calved a couple of days ago, and her little one was doing great.
Bidding and Accidentally Winning (Twice)
Once the sale started, things got exciting fast. If you've ever been to a cattle sale, you know it can move quickly, and sometimes maybe too quickly. Between watching the bids, chatting, and trying to keep up, I ended up winning a few more lots than planned.
Okay... ten, to be exact.
There was a moment where I thought the auctioneer said forty-five hundred, but nope, he meant five thousand. I probably made the most "Katie" face imaginable. Then, later on, I thought I was bidding on one heifer, but turns out I bought another one too. So yes, two "oops" moments in one day!
But honestly, they were happy accidents. Every cow we ended up with fits beautifully into what we're working toward on the farm.
The Energy of the Sale
Even with all the bidding chaos, it was such a great day. The atmosphere was full of energy, everyone was friendly, supportive, and there for the same reason: to celebrate good cattle and good people.
I have to give credit to Chris and the team who ran the sale. They did an amazing job keeping things organized and moving smoothly. There were some really strong genetics represented, and we felt lucky to be part of it.
By the end of the sale, we'd sold more than we bought, including a few open heifers, a bull calf, and some recips carrying embryos. We also sold three pregnant mamas with calves on the ground. Overall, it balanced out perfectly.
Back Home to a New Baby
After the sale wrapped up, we still had to wait for load-out. It takes time because you're not the only one hauling cattle home, everyone's sorting and loading at once. It's about an hour drive back, and with a couple of suspiciously close-to-calving mamas back at home, we decided to head out early.
And wouldn't you know it, while we were gone, one of our cows decided it was the perfect time to calve.
This little one was an embryo calf we'd been eagerly waiting on. Six days overdue, and she waited until the whole crew was at the cattle sale to make her entrance! By the time we got home, she was brand-new, probably only an hour old.
We let her and mama bond quietly, checked back later to make sure she was up and nursing, and decided to tag and weigh her the next morning.
Meet the New Herd Members
A few hours later, our new cows from the sale arrived, nine in total (technically ten, but one was Dad's doing, so I'm counting nine). Most of them are bred cows, and the genetics are incredible. We have eight confirmed pregnancies, six carrying heifer calves and two with bull calves. One of the little bulls has already earned himself a name: Newman.
It's funny how quickly the herd dynamic shifts after a sale. The new girls fit right in, and they're already out grazing with the others. Even though some of the buys were accidental, every one of them turned out to be the right choice.
Looking Ahead
At the end of the day, I'm so grateful for how it all turned out. Between the sale, the new baby calves, and the growing herd, this season has been full of blessings and lessons.
Our calf count for the season is now up to 46, and that number's only going to grow. We've got several more mamas due before the year wraps up, so stay tuned for lots of farm updates.
If you liked this peek into the cattle sale life, let me know in the comments, I'm already planning to take y'all along for another sale in November. You can also catch more behind-the-scenes moments on my Snapchat, where I share daily clips from the ranch that never make it to other platforms.
Farming and ranching aren't always predictable (clearly, based on my "oops" bids), but that's part of what makes it such a fun adventure.
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