In this episode of Horns and Hooves, Taylor returns from a transformative week at the Graham School in Garnett, Kansas. Stepping far outside her comfort zone, she dives into the technical world of cattle management, covering everything from ultrasounding and pregnancy checking to nutrition and herd health.

Taylor shares her excitement about bringing these new skills back to her mini highland herd, noting that "you're learning everything you need to know from the moment that calf is in the womb... to taking it to the sale barn". The duo also discusses a fascinating product called Bovi-Thera (referenced as "therapies") that mimics a nursing calf to calm livestock during high-stress events like weaning, shipping, and AI.

Key Takeaways

The Graham School offers an intensive five-day cattleman course providing hands-on experience with pregnancy checking, ultrasounding, and fertility management.

Once you pay the initial fee, students can return to future classes for free to refresh their skills.

Calming products that mimic natural maternal pheromones can significantly improve conception rates during AI and reduce weight loss during shipping.

Proper semen handling is critical, as even slight temperature changes in the neck of the tank can damage motility and lower success rates.

Episode Highlights

Taylor describes her experience as a "niche breed" owner among 19 students from across the country, including Hawaii and Florida.

We discuss the challenges of confirming pregnancies in miniature donkeys and horses, hoping that external ultrasound techniques might provide a faster solution than waiting a year for a foal.

We also touch on the emotional side of ranching, acknowledging the mourning process cows go through after losing a calf.

Finally, we look forward to the National Western Stock Show in Denver, discussing the preparations for showing heifers in the new facilities.

Timestamps

00:11 Graham School overview and location

01:04 Skills learned: Ultrasounding and preg checking

05:29 The "Return and Learn" free tuition policy

07:18 Benefits of calming pheromone products

10:40 Testing external ultrasound on mini donkeys

14:07 Technical tips for AI and semen handling

16:43 Coping with calving losses and breech births

19:18 Preparing for the National Western Stock Show

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Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/