Featured blog!

Thanks to Elizabeth Martin for making me the featured blogger on her "faces of agriculture" page.

http://wagonramblins.blogspot.com/2012/05/faces-of-agriculture-feature-chad.html

She has some good stuff on a regular basis on her blog, and I hope everyone will look through it.

Here are few of more pictures I took. Cow work at its finest!

Pictures from today

 Thomas helping to flank a calf.

Thomas getting pitched off the flank of a calf.

A photo of the photographer.

In the news

I've been waiting on something like this to crop up.( pun intended )

http://www.naturalnews.com/035964_superweeds_GMO_herbicides.html

All actions have consequences, and I guess super weeds are the result of super crops. I try to stay as close to natural as fiscally possible, both on my pastures and hay meadows. I dislike any chemical application, including chemical fertilizer on my pastures, but sometimes there is no other way to make things work.

http://farmprogress.com/beef-producer-story-are-milk-meat-selection-overemphasized-10-60025

I have been saying this for years. I'll take a smaller, well balanced cow for the long haul.

I can feed these corriente cows for about a 1/3 of what it takes to feed my good cows. They won't bring near as much at the end of there life as a big cow, but the savings over a 10-12 year period more than make up for it. I hold most of the steers through the feed lot, and they feed just fine. I have also found a market for the angus/corriente heifers. They make easy to keep cows.

This week in the shop

I managed to get these built around a busy week. I put them in the mail to the sheath maker this afternoon, and all will be for sale when they return.

Corn cob handle

Pencil cactus handle

Agarita bush handle

King's Arsenal

http://kingsarsenal.com/

I met these guys today at the gun show in Abilene. It is an understatement to say that I was highly impressed with what they are doing. Plus they are local.
I know where my saved pennies will go from now on. I guess I need to hit the shop and turn some work out to sell.

Simple spurs

These are about as simple as you can get.

These are one piece spurs, with a 1" band, 1.5" roper shank, and an 1.25" clover rowel. The steel I use is 4140.
These spurs sold for 325.00$.

I built a set for Curtis (the new owner) a couple of years ago, and the only complaint he had was they didn't rust fast enough. I stopped polishing on these at about 400 grit, and they should age a little quicker. The last set were long shanked and big rowelled, and have got him bucked off a new horse a time or two. Maybe these will cure the problem.

New knives

Dwayne with Armoralleather took these pictures before he sent me the sheaths.

These knives are all 6.5"overall length, have bois d'arc handles, and a coach whip snake inlay on the sheath. The damascus is 5160/8670/15n20.

This one is 7.5" overall, with an antique paper micarta handle.

Blog shutdown

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/05/13/another-conservative-blog-shut-down-by-google-ksm-trial-edition

I wasn't aware they would do this. I guess I should be more careful when I get on one of my little political rants.

Spur start

The Western Heritage Classic got in the way of me finishing these this week.

If you have never been to the WHC, it is a lot of fun, ranch rodeos, cow horse competitions and races, and a big bit and spur show. It happens in Abilene, Tx at this time every year.

The stack. 1018 and nickel

The forge

Tools of the trade

Profiled

All I have to do now is finish!

HSUS in court

The humane society of the united states got it handed to them finally. I hope Barnum & Bailey pushes the counter suit and gets their legal fees back.

http://farmfutures.com/blogs.aspx/Gary-Baise-23-fcb

But they aren't defeated. Double H Photography posted this yesterday. Same old tactics, aimed not at animal welfare so much as putting all of us out of business.

http://doublehphoto.blogspot.com/2012/05/hsus-targets-wyoming-pig-farm.html
If you don't follow her, she has some very informative articles along with some great pictures.

More about the HSUS:

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/2010/04/184-7-things-you-didnt-know-about-hsus/

http://humanewatch.org/

http://www.animalwrongs.com/activist-groups/hsus/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJUiSjSw0Gc

These people and the politicians that they support are after private land ultimately, and they don't give up, as can be seen in the first article.

Education is the key to defeating organizations like this, and the politicians they are in bed with. Get the word out, I'd like to keep my way of life.

Knives back

I got these back from the sheath maker Friday. Armoralleather did there usual fantastic job.
All are stainless steel damascus.

Bone handle, 1" wide, 3"cutting edge, 7 1/2" overall length. Anaconda skin on the sheath.

Ivory handle, 3/4"wide, 2 1/4"cutting edge, 6" overall length. 

This wood was in a box with some other stuff I bought, all I know is it is pretty.

1"wide, 2 1/2"cutting edge, 6 1/4" overall length, snake inlay on the sheath.

These knives are for sale for $ 325.00 each.

Damascus spurs

I was asked to provide some examples of damascus spurs via pictures, and this is the easiest way I know to do it. Text messaging the blog link is a lot less work than all these pictures.

 

Thanks for asking about them.

First ride

Joe started a new horse, and after lots of ground work, the day to mount up and ride him off was yesterday.
Hillary took this video with her cell phone and I hope it comes through alright.
Joe might want to go back to his ground work after he gets off the ground himself.

Careful what you blog

Beware what you blog, or the advice you dispense. Big brother is monitoring us.

There is some stuff on the war on the family farm towards the end as well.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/04/blogger-threatened-with-jail-for-writing-on-health/?cat_orig=health

On a lighter note;

http://www.libertyzone.com/Communist-Manifesto-Planks.html

I think this ties in well with the previous link.

Mokume' buckles

Mokume' is similar to damascus, accept that it is made using materials other than steel. These are made using brass, copper, and nickel silver. The letters are sterling silver.

These can be made using any combination of letters, brands, or figures.