By Tyler Trieglaff

Notes from the Chief

Notes from the Farm…After we quit milking cows, we turned the old stanchion barn into pens for calves and goats. Currently, we use part of those pens as an alley way and a chute/headgate so we can work the cattle under cover. This includes preg checking the cows and weaning the calves in the fall.  

We also have a scale in the chute so we can weigh the calves in the fall and once or twice more before we sell them in February. We also use the scale to weigh the fat steers that we butcher to sell by the quarter, half or full beef.  

I have tried a couple different scales on the chute. One weighs the entire chute and the other is a platform inside the chute. The last time we were weighing some of the calves and fats, a wire from one of the scale feet came unhooked and it cannot be repaired.  This is a pretty simple scale kit that you can customize to your operation and it only costs $229, including delivery.  

After this wire got ripped out, I decided to upgrade to a scale unit that comes with two load bars that will go under the entire chute. I ordered the load bars and last Sunday I went to look at the chute to see how I would install them.

I went into the barn and started looking at the chute when I heard something out of the ordinary. Low and behold there was a fat steer in the alley way. This didn’t totally surprise me as there is a way for those steers to make their way into the barn.  

Cattle have a way of being curious and it can lead to them getting into trouble. As I was walking over to check on this big steer, I noticed that there were two more steers in the alley. Well dad gummit…all four of them had played follow the leader and were all in the alleyway.  

The last steer I saw was on the floor, underneath the front two steers and not moving. I quickly got the gates open and got the first two steers out of the chute, but it was too late. He was still warm, but not alive. If that ain’t like a kick in the nuts! The second time this year we have lost a fat steer that is close to butcher time. That is about $3,600 or more down the drain. So lesson learned, keep the gates to the barn and alleyway closed.

Have a nice week!

Friday, May 15

9:27 a.m. Assist with an unruly student at the high school.

1:29 p.m. Officers and others helped with an escort out of town for the girls track team on their way to state. Congrats on a seventh place finish!

2:08 p.m. Warrant arrest of Michael Gullard, 47, Frazee.

4:56 p.m. Business reporting possible fraud on their debit cards. Under investigation.

7:37 p.m. Traffic stop with warning for speed.

9:04 p.m. Debit card turned in and the officer returned it to the party’s parents in town.

10:55 p.m. An officer talked with two boys about curfew hours.

Saturday, May 16

7:48 p.m. Escort track team back into town.

Sunday, May 17

5:17 p.m. City ordinance violation with vehicles parked in the front yard. The officer provided a copy of the ordinance and vehicles were moved to the street.

Monday, May 18

12:11 p.m. Adult reporting sending photos on Snapchat and is now being extorted for money.

3:10 p.m. Report of a vehicle driving up the sliding hill at Riverside Park. The officer talked with the juvenile driver and called his mother.

Tuesday, May 19

1:51 p.m. Report of two dogs loose in town. Owner to be cited for dog at large as this is an ongoing issue with these dogs.

Wednesday, May 20

8:30 a.m. Student at the high school had legal questions for the officer. 

8:31 a.m. Female reporting possible theft of family heirloom items. Items were discovered in a tote.

9:50 a.m. Female calling in to report issues with her boyfriend as he left work, is possibly intoxicated and has her bank card. The officer was not able to make contact with the male party.

1:22 p.m. Landlord asking about issues a dog is causing on their property. The officer advised that the people that the dog has bitten need to call in if they are the ones with the issues.

1:50 p.m. Male party complaining that he went to the elementary school to get his kids’ report cards and the school will not give them to him. Officer explained that the issue is a civil matter and that the mother has sole custody over the kids and she does not want him to have the information.

2:19 p.m. Elderly female reporting to the officer that she has concerns about her adult son with him possibly threatening her. The officer talked with her about options and the civil commit process.

2:47 p.m. Report of a paddle boat that wandered from shore. The officer contacted the owner about the renegade paddle boat.

Thursday, May 21

11:43 a.m. Assist with railroad crossing arms that are malfunctioning on Lake St. S.

2:41 p.m. Traffic stop for stop sign violation.