By Tyler Trieglaff

Notes from the Chief

Thursday, March 16 was the due date for the heifers to start calving. As of Thursday evening, none had popped yet. A few of the 10 first calf heifers have started to make a bag so the time is soon. I hope that they waited a few days as there was some cold weather expected for last weekend.

We do have the heifers in a corral next to the farm yard so we can keep a close eye on them. The cows are still on their winter pasture and are due April 2. We will move them as soon as there is water in the swamp for them to drink.  

A very wise old veterinarian told me once that calving should not be done on the same pasture that the cows have been on all winter. This will be the fourth year that we calve the cows on the nice grass hayfields/pasture which will clean and dry once the snow melts.

The intention is to prevent the calves from having contact with all the manure the cows deposited over the winter.  

A couple weeks ago we ran all the preggo stock through the chute and gave them all a ScourGuard 4K vaccine. This will hopefully prevent the scours sickness that can affect the young calves. The vaccine was over $5/head which may seem a little spendy, but if you save one calf from dying, it pays for itself. This vaccine along with the new pasture calving system we have used has drastically cut down on the number of sick calves we have had the last three years. That’s not to say we still haven’t had some death loss, but it seems to not be because of the scours bug.  

There will be 58 cows and 10 heifers due this Spring. Let’s hope for a nice calving season, but I am sure Mother Nature will want to domesticate with Father Time once or twice during calving season. Once we get a few calves on the ground, maybe the nice newspaper man will let me publish a couple cute calf pics.

Have a nice week!

(Editor’s Note: By all means, send cute calf pics.)

Friday, March 10

12:55 p.m. Welfare check requested by school on a student.

6:02 p.m. Young adult driving a small dirt bike motorcycle/minibike on the public street.   Warning for not having the motorcycle licensed, insured, lights, endorsement and no safety glasses.  

9:28 p.m. Driving complaint coming from DL to Frazee. Unable to locate.

Sunday, March 12

3:43 p.m. Warrant arrest of Jeremiah Dahring, 36, Frazee. 

9:45 p.m. Assist with jumpstarting a car at the gas station. Jumper cables were not hooked up right, officer gave guidance and used the PD booster pack to get the vehicle started. Not even the slightest mention of a thank you from an ungrateful driver.

Monday, March 13

7:36 a.m. Injured deer on St Hwy 87. Officer put deer down.

10:08 a.m. Neighbor dispute over property lines and snow being deposited onto other neighbor’s yard.

11:05 a.m. Parking complaint with a vehicle parked the wrong way and not moving for over a week. Vehicle was towed to help keep the street clean.

2:11 p.m. School requested officer to talk with a boy about his behavior.

6:38 p.m. Report of a male yelling on Main Ave. Officer found male party and male said he had been drinking today and decided it would be a good idea to go home.

Tuesday, March 14

10:48 a.m. Report of a loose dog on 2nd St SW.

2:44 a.m. Assist with a traffic stop on 335th Ave.

Wednesday, March 15

11:53 a.m. Welfare check requested for a male near the RR tracks east of town. Jesse Bailey, 32, Wadena, arrested for trespassing and obstructing the legal process.

3:49 p.m. Request by the school to drive by the elementary as there were siblings that did not want to go with one parent. Parent had the kids loaded up and gone by the time officer arrived.

7:37 p.m. Report from parents that their child was getting picked on at school to the point of bruises were showing.  They were going to talk with school staff in the morning.  

Thursday March 16

12:03 p.m. Welfare check requested from school on a student that left the building. Officer found student near his home and mediated the situation at home for a while.