Your experiences...

[american honey]

So I got to thinkin' the other day about the first time I ever drove a tractor by myself, no help from anyone, just me in the middle of the pasture...and I thought...good thing I knew how to run that tractor. But what if I tipped over or something went wrong. Agriculture is among the most dangerous occupations in the United States. 120,000 farm workers are injured, with up to 1,300 of the injuries being fatal. Most farm related injuries are with tractors, but I don't think people realize just how dangerous livestock can be too. So be safe and keep doin' what you love!

 

[rtmcc]

I'v been working with show cattle for over 30 years.  The first weekend in April I was helping one of our kids with their heifer in the wash rack to get all the winter grime off.  This heifer had been shown last year at State Fair and our Beef Expo.  In fact Bodie won the Junior Showmanship with her at Expo.

I reached underneath to "pull off one more mud ball" with a scotch comb.  She took offense and kicked me in the side of the knee and dropped me.  Went to the emergency room at Mayo the next day.  Had a fractured Tibia and a crater in the Tibial Plato in the knee joint.  They did surgery a few days later and spent a couple days in the hospital.  Now after a month of being at home I finally got to drive this weekend and go back to work buying fat cattle.  I will still be on crutches and a brace till the 4th of July.

So it can happen to anybody with any animal.  One less swipe of the scotch comb when I knew the heifer was getting tired would have saved us three months of grief.  On the upside I'm glad it was me and not one of the kids.  Also after being wheeled around the Mayo Clinic for a while, you realize there is a lot of very sick people there and I was fortunate to only be a little busted up.  Nothing life threatening.

Always be careful and if your calf seems to be getting tired and impatient, put them away for the day.  There is always tomorrow!

Ron
<cowboy>

 

[mainecattlemother]

My daughter was walking two herself (heifer and steer) on Sunday as dad was too tired to walk the difficult one and we were just about in the home stretch when the heifer got spooked by something and daugher got pushed to the ground by the steer and then ankle stepped on.  She can walk on it but was very sore in softball today. Think she will be okay but you can definately see a hoof print in her ankle.  Mayo clinic is a awesome place.  I truly understand the last post!!

 

[fed_champions]

I can remember like it was yesterday, when i was 9 years old, my dad stuck me running a grain cart for the first time. Being so young it took all my might to press in the clutch. The first day went relatively smooth, unloading on the truck sure was a hassle, but i got the job done. The second day on the other hand, i wasnt so lucky, with a full load on the cart i went in to unload on the truck, all that weight and my lack of strength on the clutch, i plowed straight into the side of the semi trailer, putting a huge hole in the side and spilling about 200 bushels of wheat already loaded on the truck. My luck returned though in the form of my mom being on the combine with my dad. Needless to say his angry wrath was weakened a bit when my mom reminded him that he was the one that stuck me on the tractor at 9 years old.

 

[shortyjock89]

I can remember like it was yesterday, when i was 9 years old, my dad stuck me running a grain cart for the first time. Being so young it took all my might to press in the clutch. The first day went relatively smooth, unloading on the truck sure was a hassle, but i got the job done. The second day on the other hand, i wasnt so lucky, with a full load on the cart i went in to unload on the truck, all that weight and my lack of strength on the clutch, i plowed straight into the side of the semi trailer, putting a huge hole in the side and spilling about 200 bushels of wheat already loaded on the truck. My luck returned though in the form of my mom being on the combine with my dad. Needless to say his angry wrath was weakened a bit when my mom reminded him that he was the one that stuck me on the tractor at 9 years old.

My dad did the exact same thing to me!  All I did was put a dent a decent sized dent in the auger, but he was still pretty mad. I had no mother to protect me from such wrath, but his sense returned to him once he remembered that I weighed just slightly more than a sack of feed, and had been in the tractor for 8 hours already.  First and only time I ever hit anything with the grain cart rig.  He won't even let my youngest brother (who is nine) mow the lawn, but I was ready to work ground and haul wagons and everything else at that age........ (argue)

 

[showsteerdlux]

In reference to rtmcc, I had a not so fun experience last May while on a ladder on the feed bin at the hog house. Something I had done a few thousand times, but when I was almost to the top, grabbed the next rung, and there was a yellow jackets next on the back. I fell about 15 feet. I was lucky as the only thing I did was rupture all the ligaments and tendons in and around the ankle, but it could have been worse. I am still getting to go to therapy, but when its all done, it will be right at a year I have been in a brace or worse. Not the best experience, but I am blessed it wasn't worse.

 

[whereselway]

@rtmcc---I can relate.  I was trying to drag my son's steer into the trim chute, which I had done everyday before, when all of a sudden I heard a loud pop...kinda like a champaigne cork.  Only there was NO bubbly!!  I fell to the ground, rolling around in immense pain, holding my knee, and feeling remorse for all the times I referred to Jay Cutler a tittie baby (when he hurt his knee).  I kinda knew immediately that life was gonna be different for a while.  Anyway, I am now sporting a sexy bulky black brace, and am facing surgery for a completely severed ACL.  I no longer take simple things for granted...such as walking!  So, I will reiterate...this gig we all are involved in can be dangerous, even when we are doing our best to be safe. 

 

[fed_champions]

@ Olson, I cant say thats the only time i did anything stupid. Several years later when i was 16, i had a hot date lined up for the evening and one hay patch left to cut. Needless to say, even though i had cut this field a hundred times, i was running a bit too fast ( D1in a 4430). Well with the winter being wet that year, the edge of the field decided to wash out, creating a huge hole leading to the creek bed off to the left. Well making my first pass around the field and WHAP!!! the window hit me right in the side of the head, i looked up to find myself dangling over the edge of a 20 ft hole (good thing the front end loader reached the other side of the hole to hold me up). My brother came by and hooked onto me with a chain before i got out and we tried our best to get it out without dad finding out. No such luck, had to call dad over with the plow tractor to do the job. I couldnt sit for a week since my brother decided to tell him how fast i was going. Oh and i certainly didnt make my date that night.

 

[farmboy]

I've had just about evErything done to me you can imagine from working with cows. Sprained ankles, fractured hands, broken nose. Been drug through gravel, squeezed up against gates, chased into the woods and briars and cornered in the barn and had to climb in the loft... Cows just generally don't like me I guess. Don't really use any machinery but have known people falling off tractors and getting there arm severed from the Hogg... He was ok though, he's very good with the prosthetic.

 

[american honey]

Thank you to everyone who posted their experience!!!!

 

[cowchick14]

I haven't worked with cattle long and I have only shown in two shows. So far I love it! The very first time I worked with leading around my heifer, things didn't go well. I was drug across the ground and then lost her. As she was going in circles trying to get free, I had fallen and she almost stepped on my head since she was jumping around.  Then I had to hold onto my steer while my cow guy chased after the heifer. He was spooked and I was stressed and then he jumped over a pile of hay and took me into the straw too. Luckily I didn't let him go. I definitely learned from that and I know to never let a calf step on your foot as your walking it because all it does it cause chaos! To this day I still have a scar from the burn that I got from the halter. When I look at it, it reminds me to always be prepared and to show them who is the boss! ha ha  I am sure that I will encounter many more things as I continue to work with cattle!