Things are coming together for Thursday's AI'ing of the heifers. Genex has graciously donated the semen, the use of an Ai'ing barn and three technicians are coming to ensure a smooth process. A big thank you to Dwain Hould for making that happen.
We'll get photo's for everyone the day after tomorrow and send these lovely ladies to some great new homes.
We will make a difference.
This is a repost by a family who received bred heifers last winter. So wonderful to know that what we have all worked so hard for has helped. We are very excited to be able to do this once again. One week and counting!
"Today...the first day of spring..brought on the very first calf out of the Heifers for S.D. that came to our ranch.....all gift wrapped in horse trailers. The calf is a spry little heifer calf...pretty sure it will be a keeper here;);) Thank you all for the... time, work, travel and everything that comes with your cause. I thank God for working threw you all and lifting up those in need after the Atlas Blizzard. God Bless You;);)"
Once again, if you know of someone who we can help please message us a name and phone number with as much of their story as you know.
We will make a difference.
The AI'ing process has begun. On Tuesday, the replacement heifers which have grown into a tremendous set of yearlings, were given the first shot and Cidr's were implanted to synchronize them for AI'ing on Thursday, June 5th. They will then go out to their new owners on Friday, June 6th possibly stretching into June 7th. So those who donated heifer calves, get excited, your girls are about to bless some great folks.
We have a request for those of you in the affected area of... Atlas, or with friends and family there - who have we missed? We desperately want these heifers to go to those who need them the most. Please pm us with a name and phone number so that we can contact these folks. We are so thankful for the incredible of love and generosity that we have witnessed through this undertaking and are desiring to finish well. Please help us to be a blessing once again.
We will make a difference.
Heifers for S. Dakota a ajouté 9 photos.
The last delivery of the Virginia cattle. These photo's were taken as the last loads of Virginia cattle were hauled to their new owners corrals yesterday. This couple was out of town so the father of the wife helped to haul and take care of the heifers for a day and a half until the husband and wife would be returning home.
Here is the great part . . . this couple had no idea the heifers were waiting for them at home. They were getting away for a few days and leaving the s...tress and loss of the last year behind as they enjoyed each other and what really matters. When they returned home today 14 head of lovely ladies who had traveled over 1,600 miles to get there were waiting to surprise and encourage them. These folks were in tremendous need of the lift these gals provided. Total strangers gave of their pocketbooks, their cattle and themselves to make this happen. Pretty awesome.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
Heifers for S. Dakota a ajouté 2 photos.
The Virginia cattle are sorted and half and standing knee deep in lush green hay. As one of our crew noted this evening, "The feed they had laid out for those heifers looked good enough that I wanted to eat it." Here are just a few pictures of the cattle as they were worked and sorted today. They handled their long journey very well.
The Virginia gals will be getting in to South Dakota shortly with a drop off of late tonight. They spent an extra day in Illinois and were spoiled with some corn belt silage. I think they were a little tougher to load on the truck as they were reluctant to leave that good high-powered feed. They'll be meeting their new owners on Monday. Pictures and stories to be shared that evening. Until then everyone have a blessed Sunday.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
Safe and sound in Greenville. The Virginia cattle are bedded down on hay and good clean water. There may be an issue with the next truck, but we've been assured they will be on the road again soon. The girls might appreciate an extra day to chew the cud anyway.
A young couple with a pair of handsome young boys asked early on if they could be a part of this undertaking. They had five quiet mannered bred heifers that they wished to donate and if they were needed would sure ...be willing to help gather up a few more. They were in their first couple of years of running the ranch but stated how they had been blessed so mightily, they just wanted to help pass that along. It's a sentiment that has been repeated over and over and over again. Somehow it still hasn't gotten old though. Everyone who has pitched in to help with Heifers for South Dakota has been blessed mightily, if not before hand, most assuredly afterwards by the joy of giving.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
Tomorrow morning the Virginia cattle will be loading up for the first leg of their journey West. We ask for prayers for safe travels for the girls as they will be making quite a trip over the next couple of days. Prayer for alertness for the driver, good roads and a smooth ride.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
The results of a production sale of one of our previous donor's was recently shown to us. The bred heifers averaged well over $3,000. It was quite a gift when they were giving one. It was even more incredible when they unloaded two.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
It sounds like North Central RC&D has finished all of the tax receipts and got them in the mail, so all donors should be looking for those in the mail very soon.
A family in Kansas has ten head of top quality Sim/Angus replacement heifers that they will be bringing North. When they announced last fall during their bull sale that they would be hauling some up the response was overwhelming with numerous individuals pitching in to help ensure that even more would make it on that trailer. Truly, good neighbors can be over one thousand miles away.
With the help of others we will keep making a difference.
Meet a few of the Virginia belle's that will be making the journey north in less than a week. They've been preg-checked, health inspected and now they have a ride. We will have a little bit of expense in trucking, but thanks to so many generous donor's we have enough to cover it. It's quite amazing that a storm which received virtually no national attention has caused hearts thousands of miles away to be touched. These ladies will make their new owners very proud and spirits will be lifted when they step off that trailer.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
We were able to purchase another 26 head of high quality bred heifers today, and the monetary donations still haven't been depleted! We are looking at the Virginia cattle being shipped to Illinois on next Thursday where they will have a corn belt sleepover and then begin the rest of the journey Friday morning. That second leg is where we would appreciate prayers as we seek to find a truck to haul them. We've got some great people working on it and are confident this will a...ll come together.
A recent recipient was contacted about possibly giving some cattle a new home. Would he and his young family be willing to take some cattle? "Well, I suppose we would but not too many, there are a lot of other people out there who are hurting as bad or worse than we are."
"Would you take five head . . . ?"
"No, that's too many."
"Well, would you take four then?"
. . .
"I suppose we would take four."
This young family had lost 40% of their cows and were still turning the focus to others. Praise God we've been able to help some extraordinary people.
With the help of others we will continue to make a difference.
The truckload of cattle from Virginia is nearly together. They await prey-checking and health inspection on Friday and then will prepare for their trip West, with a layover in Illinois. A huge thank you to Lynn Koontz for coordinating things over there.
A recipient's story - Things were looking quite good as the first part of October rolled around, cattle prices were up and the calves were in excellent condition. Breed up on the younger cows was going to be good and everyo...ne was quite optimistic. The first weekend in October changed all of that. Over 75% of their herd was now gone. It would have been quite easy to slip into the despair that loomed at the doorstep. However they chose to trust in their God even as they felt so lost. Heifers for South Dakota was able to provide 20 head of bred stock to them through the generous donations of so many caring producers. Those 20 head, along with the sale of some surplus hay, the price of which was very good as well this year, will enable them to make it. "We'll survive now," was their comment to a donor of one of the heifers they received. Not we're completely healed up, not it's all sunshine and roses from here on, but, "We'll make it, thank you so much for caring."
With the help of others, we will keep making a difference.
We mentioned this yesterday, but feel that it merits its own individual post. These heifers were part of a group of cattle that a gentleman purchased and then donated nearly half, 48 head in all, to Heifers for South Dakota, back in December. We received a call a few weeks later stating that he would like us to be able to purchase the remaining 52 head. He had purchased these phenomenal heifers for $2200 a head and we were unsure at that time if we would have enough moneta...ry donations to cover that. He went on to inform us that he would sell them for $1800 per animal. In essence he donated another $20,800. Everytime we began to tell him thank you, he would politely interrupt and tell us, "Well, what else could I do?"
I think we all know very well what else he could have done - ignored the prompting he felt to give, stayed focused on his own circumstances, give a shrug and say better you than me. Instead he chose to give and because he was capable, he gave in a very large way.
He still wishes to remain anonymous, but we thank you sir. You have made a tremendous difference.
