By Tyler Trieglaff

Notes from the Chief

Well, I did it again and it will for sure happen in the future, I totally spaced out the article last week. I took a couple days off and I’m sure I had many disappointed fans. 

My couple of days off was well spent on the farm, getting the feeder calves ready for auction. We sorted and sold 41 steers and heifers at the Bagley Livestock Auction on Thursday, Jan. 20. Our calves averaged 75 pounds heavier than last year and it was a nice trip to Bagley and back. 

The calves we sold were the ones born last April and May and they have been on a backgrounding ration since October. We gave the calves preconditioning shots in September, booster shots in October and weaned them from mama in what I believe is the least stressful method for weaning. The calves are run through the chute and each calf gets a weaning tag in their nose.  The calves are then turned back with mama and after 4 days the tags are removed and the calves are separated from the mama cows. The calves will have learned that mama doesn’t have any milk for them so they don’t miss mom as much and turn to the feed bunk to start packing on the pounds.  The research has shown and proven on our farm that the calves have very little stress which reduces the respiratory sicknesses that can occur due to weaning stress. 

In December we sorted and sold the 13 heaviest steers to sell at the auction.  If we would have kept these steers longer, they would have been too big and the profits would start to go backwards. 

The feed lots like to have the calves be of similar size and weight so they can make a pen of animals to fatten. They also like to put lots together so they can fill a semi-truck to save on trucking expenses. It helps to market your calves when there are other feeder calves of similar size, sex and color. Yes, feedlots are particular about the color and sometimes breeds of the calves they raise. This is more of a personal preference of the feedlot. Some areas the black and black white face (BWF) calves sell better and other areas prefer the red and red white face (RWF).  

This was just a quick synopsis of the days and weeks leading up to sale day. We did keep 12 of the biggest heifer calves as we will use them for replacements in the cow herd.  

Friday, Jan. 15

7:18 a.m. Assist with a medical.

2:58 p.m. Assist with medical.

4:33 p.m. Report of physical domestic on U.S. Hwy. 10. A male party giving the business to a female.  Frazee officer and Becker County deputies found the parties walking away from their vehicle. Officers talked with male and female and both said there was nothing physical.  Parties were allowed to continue on their way.  Good thing they live in Perham.

4:39 p.m. Female reporting receiving threats from her adult brother. Officer talked with brother and told him to leave sister alone.

Saturday, Jan. 16

2:15 p.m. Assist with a welfare check on male on W. Main.

4:35 p.m. Assist with a traffic stop on St. Hwy. 87.

7:59 p.m. Welfare check on female on W. Main.

9:45 p.m. Assist a dad with getting his daughter’s car back to town after she blew it up.

Sunday, Jan. 17

2:40 a.m. Assist with a possible drunk driver on U.S. Hwy. 10.

Monday, Jan. 18

12:06 p.m. Vehicle in trailer park slid and hit mailbox due to glare ice conditions.  

3:58 p.m. Assist with a medical at the sledding hill.

5:05 p.m. Assist Perham PD with looking for a vehicle involved in a gas drive off.

6:40 p.m. Traffic complaint leading to DWI arrest of Kimberly Benke, 29, Frazee. Benke facing 3rd Degree DWI and 5th Degree Possession of Pills charges.

Tuesday, Jan. 19

10:21 a.m. Assist with a stalled vehicle on Spruce Ave.

3:19 p.m. Report of a dog that took off from home.  Dog returned short time later.

10:46 p.m. Assist Otter Tail County with looking for vehicle possibly stolen.

1:59 a.m. Parking warning issued on Cherry Ave.

Wednesday, Jan. 20

4:39 p.m. Parking complaint of a vehicle in a handicap spot without handicap placard.

Thursday, Jan. 21

12:28 a.m. Suspicious camper parked on street of concern.  Camper owner has been moving camper around every day or 2 to avoid parking citation.

Friday, Jan. 22

10:15 a.m. Ongoing harassment on Rivercrest Drive with vehicle being shot with a BB gun. Case is under investigation.

3:19 p.m. Report of possible drug activity. Officer field tested white powdery which tested negative for meth.

9:16 p.m. Officer found several juveniles in the warming house and some were using vapes. Officer had kids call their parents to explain what was going on. One juvenile female claimed the vapes were hers.  Juveniles turned over to their parents.

10:12 p.m. Report of a male making suicidal threats.  Male was transported to the ER for evaluation. 

Saturday, Jan. 23

9:06 a.m. Male reporting an assault that happened yesterday. Male got into a fight with another male over a female.  One male got walloped with a baseball bat.  Charges pending.

Sunday, Jan. 24

5:59 p.m. Assist with a traffic stop on 130th St.,  Kimberly Stewart, 49, Frazee arrested on DWI charges.

Monday, Jan. 25

3:53 p.m. Report of package delivered to a house was damaged and had items missing.  

4:06 p.m. Male reporting girlfriend taking money and their kids’ social security cards.

7:54 p.m. More harassment on Rivercrest Drive.

Tuesday, Jan. 26    

4:49 p.m. Alarm at the high school.

Wednesday, Jan. 27

1:23 p.m. Assist Becker County with looking for a female runaway from the Ogema area.

2:40 p.m. Vehicle in ditch on Co. Hwy. 29.  Vehicle was able to make its way out of the ditch on its own.

3 p.m. Vehicle broke down on Co Hwy 10 just into Otter Tail County. Vehicle was towed the next day.

4:15 p.m. Vehicle unlock on W. Cedar Ave.

Thursday, Jan. 28

7:05 p.m. Assist landlord with home visit checking on possible squatters.