Quote of the day

Greg_Cornish · Post by **Greg_Cornish** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:53 pm

'Sarah knows how to field-dress a moose. I know how to castrate a calf. Neither of those things has anything at all to do with this election. But since we know so much about Sarah's special skills, I wanted to make sure you knew about mine too.'

-- Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge (D)

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:08 pm

Donâ€™t worry Greg â€“ I hear she is learning how to field-dress a â€œDonkeyâ€

Guy Kelley · Post by **Guy Kelley** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:25 am

When I was in the FFA in High School we had to castrate sheep with our
TEETH

So if I run for V.P. do I get the JOB

Greg_Cornish · Post by **Greg_Cornish** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:12 am

Guy Kelley wrote:When I was in the FFA in High School we had to castrate sheep with our
TEETH

So if I run for V.P. do I get the JOB

You lying to me? I've heard about that, but never seen it done. That was thought to be a sterile way of doing things. That practice ended at the beginning of my generation. I remember the castrating pigs time on our farm. One of the neighbors would come over to help. We'd throw the 10 pound boar on its side, put a knee on his neck, grip all four legs together with two hands and my dad would be on the business end. He'd pop them to the surface on at a time and cut through the skin into the testicle with a single edge razor blade, pull it out and cut the cord. Then the other side. The pig squeal would deafen you. Then he throw a handful of rubbing alcohol on it and let the pig up. Depending on which neighbor it was, the testicles would bve left on the floor to be consumed by the pigs or put in a bucket and taken by the neighbor.

That and sheep shearing were my two favorite spectator sports.

Cutting lard off a cold dead pig and rendering it for cooking was fun too.

smittyfish · Post by **smittyfish** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:36 pm

Hey Greg,

Was there lipstick on that pig?????

For some reason that seems to matter..........lol.

Guy Kelley · Post by **Guy Kelley** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:29 pm

absolute truth, part of my initiation into FFA in 1964. Wasn't so bad though ! opened the sac with a razor and just sort of went in and snapped em off like.

Yeah I remember when we hung the pig upside down from the A-Frame and swish-swish a swipe to the throat with the knife, that 's wear the expression "bleed like a stuck pig comes from"

After it was bleed out, it would be lowered into a vat of hot water to help get those bristles off. then the de gutting would start.

Calf's were easiest, we would lock im in the pen , flip em over, a flick of the knife, poof DE-balled !, then shove a tube down there throat to DE worm em, give em a shot for vaccination, a hot brand to the hind quarters and a number tag punched through the ear for good measure, man talk about wobble when we let em out of the chute

Greg_Cornish · Post by **Greg_Cornish** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:35 pm

I looked it up and it wasn't clear how they did it. There were rumors that people just bit the scrotum off, but I didn't believe that. I heard that they used that technique for sterility purposes which I think that would be counter productive, knowing what we know about bacteria now. I asked a dentist in chat today about that theory but she disappeared from chat immediately.

Oh yeh, I watched my Dad bleed a pig. I got queazy there. I could have done it, but it would have been difficult. My Dad said the old Germans in our community would catch the blood with cups and drink it. The pigs die very quickly, I was surprised. If people who ate meat had to see the slaughtering process there would be a lot more vegetarians LOL.

Until 1958 in our school the senior class trip included a visit to the slaughter yards in St. Paul Minnesota. I graduated in 65 but heard lots of storys about people passing out.

Greg_Cornish · Post by **Greg_Cornish** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:42 pm

smittyfish wrote:Hey Greg,

Was there lipstick on that pig?????

For some reason that seems to matter..........lol.

Only if we took them for a ride in the car.

hrvestuff · Post by **hrvestuff** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:43 pm

"When I was in the FFA in High School we had to castrate sheep with our
TEETH "

That was definitely the procedure in sheep country of Montana back when. I could never do it but I held the bucket. What was the bucket for ? I collected the sheepnuts , then had to wash them, put them on ice. When fried they were called "rocky mountain oysters". I ate dozens of them....but that was over 50 years ago...I wouldn't touch them today....though like rattlesnake, frogs, etc they tasted like chicken..............................
-hrvestuff-[/quote]