Undated12 videos
Dead Cow. What Now?
Last night we had a cow that came through the parlor that acted like she had a belly ache.
February 6, 2025
We're here in the herd at the Beckman Brothers Dairy Farm and Randy's got a couple of his favorites they like to come and get a back scratch every morning if it itches you got to scratch it speaking of which is...
January 26, 2025
Randy's taking a break from the cold who you got there Randy uh just doer his name is Rudy but we have all kinds of nicknames for him I see something else sitting on the desk well it's that time in the...
August 31, 2024
August 31, 2024
“Randy had Some Little Lambs”
“Randy had Some Little Lambs”
Bull Tantrums
Bull Tantrums
Conversations with “The Ladies”
Say cheese that's not cheese that's chicken besides I don't say cheese I make cheese...
“Fowl Play” @ Beckman Brother’s Dairy
“Fowl Play” @ Beckman Brother’s Dairy
R.I.P. Butch
R.I.P. Butch
Hot,Hot,Hot!
It's June 20th the first day of summer it's a hot 90° out in the sun but under the feed lot roof the cows got it made in the shade with the misters going and the fans blowing it can be a...
Get Back, Loretta!
Get Back, Loretta!
Ooh-ooh That Smell!
Ooh-ooh That Smell!
August 20263 videos
41 minRooster Round-up and Other Stuff
It is Saturday, August 8th, and we're here at Donny's, and the heifers are behind me here. Donnie's going to clean the concrete, and Tony's coming over to feed them some hay. They also keep the bucks here when they're not leaving them with the use. This one's pretty good.
9 min2026 Beckman 4-H Family
I'm here at the Effingham County Fair with my niece Hank's daughter Emma. And I will let her tell you what she is showing at the County Fair. My natural lamb, natural breed and then my other one was a ewe and she got grand champion and then grand champion overall ewe.
23 minSaturday Road Trip with the Bros.
It is August 1st and we're on a road trip with Gerard, Randy, and Tony. This doesn't happen very often that all three can go and do stuff, but it's been so wet this week that they are going to Strasburg, Illinois to look at running gear garden gnomes. The whole town's got them, supposedly.
July 20266 videos
42 minCall the Clean-up Crew
It's 11:15 and Gerard, Tony, and Alex are mulling over today's agenda. Okay, now that everybody decided what they're going to do, we're here at the dairy farm. It is Thursday, July 23rd. Tony's going to spray some weeds. We call them bull nettles and sheep.
26 minInferno Rising
It is July 16th. So today we might see how they've been trying to keep the cows cool. On these hot days, it's really essential to keep the water tanks full. And in a little while they'll have the misters going. Pretty soon the cows will be in here with the misting device.
32 minBaling Small Bales
It's Monday, July 6th, and the guys are baling some small bales. And this is Wentz Field just northwest of the Wentz Farm, which is John Henry's family. And the guys are going to bale up some for John, some for Sam, and some for the farm.
24 minSam’s “Other” Job
It's about 10:00 and it's starting to rain. So, I think we're going to go off-site today and visit Sam where he keeps his pigs at his grandpa's. Okay, I'm now at Sam's Grandma and Grandpa Hubers and he's got pigs that are going to be going out today.
30 minMilking during the Heat Wave
Happy July 4th, 2026. It's about 4:15 and our brother Randy is visiting our sister Ann in northern Indiana. So Tony's going to leave to run the TMR mixer soon. nephew Sam wanted to go on a four-wheeler ride and they were supposed to get started earlier, but they didn't.
6 minDairy Favorites!
It's June 29th and we are rounding out the National Dairy Month. Probably ice cream or chocolate milk. That's their favorite around here.
June 20268 videos
22 minGrain Expectations: When to Cut Wheat
Well, today they decided to cut wheat. So, it looks like they've got a couple gravity wagons full. And Tony's son, Jack, is up there helping Gerard. It's actually air tube. And we put a fan on top and it sucks air through the wheat, back out the top.
19 minParlor Talk
Rudy was trying to chase mice and got a little too close to the cows and he got stepped on. So, one of his feet is pretty sore. But, he's putting a little weight on it now. And it looks like Gerard has been weeding. I don't know where, but we're going to find out.
28 minWhat in the Wool?!
And here come the sheep, and they're going to be sheared tomorrow. [groaning] They know just where to go. They just We have to watch the road to make sure that they don't go that way.
21 minSome of Us Just Bummin’ on a Sunday Afternoon
It rained about an inch and 2/10 the night before last. So, they're doing some maintenance stuff today. George got the baler. As long as the weather holds out in the next couple of days, they're wanting to cut and bale the third cutting of alfalfa in several of the fields.
26 minWreck-It Randy Drops the Bucket
The skid loader bucket dropped off the skid loader into the mixer. Go up there and you'll see. Really kind of got jammed in there. You got the other If you get it hooked, let me know. And then step to that east side and I'll lift it up.
14 minShade/Pasture/Finish by Dark
It's shaping up to be a hot Saturday, probably a busy Saturday. It's time to put the shade up. That's what these guys are working on.
26 minHeifers, Heifers, Heifers
It's Tuesday, June 2nd. And I guess today's a good day to move the heifers from here to where Donnie lives and get them on pasture. They're also going to do some rearranging with the bulls. So, tell me again what's going on with the bulls.
32 minCows and Farmers Havin’ a Hay Day
It's Sunday, May 31st and I really don't know where this month has gone. About 8:30 and they're finishing up milking. I can hear the feeder run. But Randy says there's some other exciting things happening today, so let's find out what that is.
May 20268 videos
38 minPart 2: 2 Dry Days
This is the first load coming in from the field. And Randy said he heard the tire pop. So he says it's in the inside tire. Donnie must be done raking in one of the fields. I can't tell if one of them's flat, but Randy assured me he heard it pop.
34 minPart 1: 2 Dry Days
It's Sunday, May 24th. And we are just west of the farm. Tony has the single rake. This week has been rain one day, partially dry the next day, rain the next two days. So, they're taking their chances and they're going to try to bale alfalfa tomorrow.
21 minParlor Project/Weeds/FertilizerSpreader
It is Tuesday, May 19th and you can hear in the background Donnie is weed eating. Uh around here people got 2 and 1/2 to 3 in of rain yesterday. So there is going to be no field work today.
33 minFracture Healed/Alfalfa/Trivia in the Parlor
Back in February, there was a newborn calf that got stepped on and its leg broke. Here's the bull calf that has his leg casted. He was born on Tuesday night and it is Friday morning. He's been sucking good. He just had his bottle. Uh with just a little help.
35 minWhen the Ag-Bag is Full
I just got back to the farm from chopping wheat with Gerard. Randy's got load number five for the day and Tony's headed out to get load number six. All right, here out the silage pad. Looks like they filled in some of the soft spots with some rock here.
32 minChopping Wheat Next to Prairie Lane
Today we're in the wheat field west of what we call Prairie Lane, and it's behind our neighbor Nick's house. Just to give you a point of reference, the alfalfa field beyond those trees is the newly planted field, and if you see the red garage, that's Randy's corner.
13 minMeet the Family
We've got some new subscribers who want to know who belongs to who in this family. So, I think it's time to reintroduce you to our dairy farm and our working family. In 1963, our dad and mom, Don and Catherine Beckman, bought this 100-acre farm from the Binkers.
30 minPlanting Beans 2026
It's April 25th, Saturday morning about 8:30. And today Alex is going to be planting beans in Herb's field. There's a lot that goes into getting a field ready, so that's where we're going to begin. This is what Randy's been working on this morning. 2:00 2:00 this morning.
April 20268 videos
54 minPart1: Cutting and Chopping Alfalfa
Part1: Cutting and Chopping Alfalfa
45 minPart 2: The Bagger
It's Sunday evening and they're gearing up for a busy week. Woah, woah, woah, back up. You can't do that. Set that right on that bolt. You use the skid loader to turn on it. How am I supposed to do I know. Push on that tire. Try a different nut on.
28 minDump Truck and Discbines
It's Friday, April 17th. Today is kind of a mishmash of different things that they're doing. Here comes Alex and Tony's son, Jack. And they're going to take the skid loader and this load of dirt out to Craig's field to fill in some washouts. That's what they're going to be doing this morning.
31 minTime to Bunker Down! Wheatlage 2026
I tell you what, people. You go to work for 10 hours and you come back and Beckman Brothers Dairy has most of the bunker filled up with haylage. It's 5:30 and April 22nd we're going to check in and see how they're doing.
26 minBaling Season 2026: “Not Always Peaches-n-Cream”
Tuesday, April 14th, eleven in the morning, down the mile-long lane to the field they call Kittens and Peanuts. It was discbined yesterday, and if the wind holds it gets baled today. The hay passes inspection: cured enough, not too green. Then a wagon goes down with either a flat or a blowout, and it is not even the one they put air in. The title was a warning.
35 minPlanting Corn 2026
It's April 8th and Alex just finished putting on the dual tires on the tractor. Looks like they picked up some dust over the winter time. And now he's dusting off the black machine and he will be getting things ready to plant beans.
20 minBye-Bye Bagger
So, the rain has let up a little bit and Randy's on a mission today. He's going to sell off their bagger. Wow, you're like a regular advertisement. Your hat's even got Ag Bag on it. They're going to think you're a salesman.
47 min2026 Farming Season Begins! Alfalfa is in!
It is March 30th. It is a windy Monday, but the temperature is real nice. It is time to clean out this barn, and then they're just about finished cleaning out all the barns. We're in the north pepper barns.
March 20265 videos
28 minLike a Good Neighbor…
I'm here with John Henry. He's got a little project going on in one of his fields. I'll let them tell you about it. We're wheeling it off to get our footage from Anthony. John went wants to put a new fence up.
35 minPoopy Tuesday
It's a big day here at the farm because they got a hard freeze. So, there's lots of manure spreading going on. Brother Tony, nephew Sam, and nephew Kyle. I thought they were going to say manure, but they said burr. Got some neighbors hauling their manure.
22 min“Pete and Repeat”
It is a Tuesday morning, March 10th. Very pleasant outside, about 75 degrees, breezy, and the guys are finished milking. I'm scanning the herd just so you can see how content the cows are. The cleanup is going on now. But Randy also has the manure spreader and the dump trailer out.
40 minWednesday Washout
March 4th back at the dairy farm. Very sloppy but it's much needed rain and it's about 50°. We're expecting more rain any minute. About 7:00 in the morning. And here in the calf barn, all the animals are very vocal this morning.
16 minStrong Winds & Calf Care
February 20th, Friday morning. Overnight, some bad storms. And it's very windy now. They did lose power almost at the end of milking. So, it's still set up to run the generator if the power goes out again. Wouldn't be standing under trees today.
February 20264 videos
21 minBroken Blades & Broken Bones
Today we are actually putting existing knife that was in here that came out because it wore the heads off of all the bolts and this whole frame and knife came out a couple weeks ago but it's being so cold we just left it go until today.
31 minThe Boss is Back in Town
It is Saturday morning about 10:30 February 14th. Happy Valentine's Day everybody. As you can see, Gerard is back at the farm. And we're going to follow him in a few moments. We're going to check the dairy herd for bull and cows. The bull is quiet. I haven't heard that for a long time.
34 minMany Hands Make Light Work
It's Sunday morning, February 1st, and we have extra people helping today because Gerard is out from his hernia surgery. And we haven't seen John Henry in a while on our video, but we're glad to have you here today, John. Glad to be here with you. John's little dog's here.
25 minSnow Much Fun & Winter Road Trip
It is January 30th. I'm here with Tony and our nephew Kyle and we are headed out to scrape away some snow from this door so that they can open the door and get sawdust in a couple days. It's a little cold today. I think it's about zero.
January 20264 videos
42 minThe January Cold
It's Tuesday morning and I'm in the milking parlor with Gerard, our nephew Kyle, and Alex. It was probably 4° feels like temperature this morning. It was 12° or 13° this morning. no windchill because there is no wind. So, right now it's 14 degrees. But yes, it is cold.
38 minTuesday “to-do” List
It is January 13th, Tuesday morning about 10:30 and Tony just finished trimming a cow that he's going to turn dry. I'm to the west of the milking parlor right now. And here is the cow that he's going to turn dry.
21 minVaccinations and Other Things
It's Tuesday, January 6th, and morning cleanup is finished. You wouldn't know it by the fresh cow piles, but morning cleanup is done. And they need the herd to get over to the east side because Gerard and Sam are sorting heifers for vaccination. And they need to run the heifers down this lot here.
26 minNew Year, New Bag, New Mixer
It's about 1:00 in the afternoon on January 1st. Happy New Year, everybody. We are here at the farm and some of the guys have gone home to their homes to relax a little bit this afternoon. Randy is here working with some sawdust. And then he's got another project he's going to be starting.
December 20254 videos
5 minMerry Christmas from the Beckmans
So, it's Christmas Eve and I'm here with my daughter Shannon and Uncle Donnie. And so, Shannon has a question. Merry Christmas and happy new year. Supposed to blow it up and let it the donkeys. It's a 30 in ball for the donkeys to roll around and play with. And I bet they will.
39 minReplacing Tires on the Old 560
It is Tuesday, December 16th, and what a difference a day makes. It was 2° yesterday morning, and now it's 40° and stuff is melting. I'm going to slash my way over to the machine shed where they're working on the old 560. Right now we are I just come back from Dwars.
21 minCold Doesn’t Stop the Day-to-Day Activity
Tony and Gerard are now moving up the cows. And now Gerard is finished doing some AI breeding. I got more to go yet. It's a crazy time. So these that you already bred are joining the herd. Let them get their out of the system. Otherwise they ride out the barn.
18 minBuddy the Calf
It's December 2nd and yesterday evening and through the night we got hit with some more snow. But like our friends in Minnesota said they're used to it and they get it all the time. So basically, I think they were saying, "Quit your bitching. Get over it." Maybe they were saying, "Get over it.
November 20256 videos
22 minTues/Fri/Sat:Rain/Sun/Snow
It's a sloppy Tuesday morning, November 25th. Tony's getting ready to do calves. I hear Donnie blading concrete. Alex is doing some feeding. We're going to help Tony with calves. Tony's quiet this morning. Don't have much to say.
4 minThanksgiving 2025
Well, I'm thankful that my boys are kept running the dairy farm for me all these years. my health realizing that I don't have heart problems like I thought and I have um asthma instead. It's much easier to control. Thankful for uh being healthy. Thankful for the health of all the animals.
31 minA Busy Thursday in November
Tony's coming in with the calf carrier because we're going to wean this group here and that includes Little Red and they're going to get taken to the north heifer barn. Meanwhile, we will break the rest of these pens down after he puts the remaining calves in a group.
30 minMorning at the Dairy/Afternoon with Grandpa
It's Saturday morning and it's about 6:30. Tony's just setting up for calves and we're going to head out there and help him in just a little bit. I don't I don't even know what to say. I came in here to get some more footage and this is what I got.
22 minRainy Day Chores
It is October 29th. It's a wet Wednesday morning about 10:15. Randy reported that he saw a newborn calf walking around on the concrete. So Tony and I are checking it out. Tony's going to get it back in the barn with its mom. Let's go this side.
13 minFFA Meets Beckman Brothers Dairy
On October 29th, Beckman Brothers Dairy hosted a farm tour for Northwestern FFA members from Palmyra, Illinois. Rainy as it was, they put on their plastic boot covers and off we went into the milking parlor. We had John Henry helping out this morning. And I always do the back one first.
October 20254 videos
33 minOpening up Bunkers & Cousins Visit the Farm
It's October 15th and they are finished showing corn. So, Alex is cleaning the corn heads and it smells like rotten corn out here. So, you can imagine Alex being this close up to it. It's not the greatest job in the world. Well, it's something that has to get done.
17 minAutumn Calves, Kids, & Lambs
Since I was in here with you last time, we stopped off at this little girl. She was number 15. So now we have number 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. A little red and white. 21 22 23 and 24. Last 24 hours they had seven calves. One was born dead.
32 minHarvest Moon Week in Review
It's Saturday morning, October 4th, and Alex is gearing up to get back into the corn field to shell some corn. We are in Hardex field and Tony is finishing up with raking while Gerard has gotten a good start at baling this bean stubble.
37 minOh, the Dust! Beans, Wheat, Corn
It's been a very busy week. As you can see here, this is at Moon's and they've already cut these beans. They finished this field at Crrakes and we're headed down to where Alex is cutting beans about a mile south of the farm.
September 20257 videos
25 minWhat the Flush!
We're here at the dairy farm on a Sunday morning overlooking the lagoon, the waste pond, and Randy is here with the honey wagon. They're borrowing the wagon from Sam's grandpa, Huber. And since they've had it, Randy has put it to good use, like cleaning out the parlor septic tank several times.
17 minSelling bull & cows/Equip Repairs/and More
We are on a road trip with Tony and his wife Michelle and daughter Joanie. They've got two cows loaded and ready to go to the sail barn. We are headed to Shelbyville Sail Barn in Shelbyville, Illinois. We have arrived at Shelbyville's sail barn.
16 minSilage Season Wrap-Up
To recap our chopping for 2025, we've got these two silage bags, 9 ft by 135 ft in the east pasture here. And of course, we have the bunker that was filled.
30 minRepairs & Badger Breakdown
Just after milking, George's trying to fix the liner that goes into the chopper here. There's the old one. There's the new one. I don't remember how. Might be able to go in like this. So, that's looking a little rusty, too. But I guess the liner will protect it.
45 minMore Chopping and Replacing Teat Cups
More Chopping and Replacing Teat Cups
40 minSilage:From Field to Farm to Bag
Silage:From Field to Farm to Bag
25 minChop, Chop
Chop, Chop
August 20257 videos
40 minChopping Silage: Red and Green Working Together
Tuesday, August 26th, nine in the morning, and the first day of chopping silage and filling the bunker. Andy Feldick, a dairy farmer from up the road, brings his self-propelled chopper over to open the fields while Gerard starts in with the Beckmans’ own. Green machinery on a red farm, running the same ground on the same day. You can hear which is which, and so can they.
26 minThe Runaway Badger
Earlier in the summer, Randy found these badger wagons on a consignment sale. And with silage season upon us, I thought now would be a good time to share these videos with you.
24 minTrenching a New Water Line
Well, I know something's going on because I saw a backhoe and this huge hole here. And if you look closely, that is all rusted. But that's just a little part of the main problem. It's the water line that the guys are trying to replace.
8 min“It’s Coming Backwards”
It's Tuesday, August 19th, about 2:00 in the afternoon, and I'm following Tony into the dry cow barn to do a quick check. So, anybody that walks through here throughout the day pops in to see if the dry cows are having a calf, if any one of them are showing.
19 minPrepare the Way!
They just finished milking. Tony and Sam are moving all the cows over to this section here um so that they can clean up the east side there. Looks like they have a little bull in here.
21 minClay and Hay
We're going to jump right in and see what happened this past week on the dairy farm. Here comes Tony with the ghoulies. Take your gator down here.
23 minTree Removal and Twice the Surprise!
It's Thursday, July 31st, and we're here with Gerard and Sam, and we are heading out to clean up a tree that got in the pasture. Last night, there were some strong winds, which was good because it brought in some cooler temperatures. It's about 72°, but it did blow over a big oak tree.
July 20254 videos
18 minForecast: More Heat & Humidity
This has been the hottest week of the summer. And each day it's a little more humid and then a a shower springs up. So that's why we've got the water here. But let's get out of the sun and go see how Saturday evening milking is going.
10 minRepairing Barn Post/Crop check/Fishing
It's another hot July morning at Beckman Brothers Dairy and we are here in the compost barn where the guys are trying to repair this large post. This is what the post looked like before they started the project.
15 minSunday Afternoon Milking
It's Sunday 3:00 and it's time for milking. Tony's moving some gates around. It got to about 91 or 92°. It's a little bit of a breeze. So, while the sanitizer cycle is running, Tony's moving some cows around to get ready for milking. This water here is from the misting units.
22 minCombining Wheat
Combining Wheat
June 20258 videos
16 minBaling Straw
We're joining Tony who's on the 666 pulling the single bar rake and he's about 2 miles north of the farm. He's almost finished with this field. So, we're going to hop on and do a little raking with Tony. And here comes Gerard with Baylor.
11 minFeelin’ the HEAT!
So, it's getting real hot here in central Illinois, and so the guys are putting this tarp up to give extra shade to the cows.
27 minBusy Baling
Baling season is in full swing. As you can see, they had been busy the prior two weeks and all of these bales have been wrapped for balage. I've put together some of the footage from the past two weeks from various fields. Some of it first cutting, some of it second cutting.
26 minHeifers and Cows on the MOOve!
It is June 10th and we're here at Beckman Brothers Dairy. We have 30 heifers that are going to be moved today to Donny's and then they can be out to pasture there. Donnie, Tony, Randy, and Sam are going to get this job done while Gerard and Alex are out cutting hay.
4 minTRACTORS!
Well, come along and see for yourself. 7230 hooked up to the chopper. The 7140 hooked up to the large Knight manure spreader. 7140 7120 hooked up to the BOR. Here we have the 5088 and it's hooked up to the smaller manure spreader. 1466 hooked up to this fine.
20 minRearranging Equipment
Hey folks, I've got some footage from about a month ago, especially for those of you who like farming equipment.
42 minPlanting Corn & Pumping Water
For all you fieldwork enthusiast, ride along with Gerard as he plants 20 acres of corn.
26 minFlat Tire/SkidSteer Breakdown/Fence Maintenance
Like a flat tire. This is Tony's son, Jack, and he is going to replace that tire that was flat so that the wagons are all ready to go. So, he said him and Gerard took off the flat tire.
May 20257 videos
14 minFilling the AG-BAG
And now they're getting out the egg bag. So we have Sam and Randy and now Tony to finish up with the a bag setup. And I'm sure that as soon as Alex is finished raking that Gerard's gonna be raring to get the chopper out.
31 minChopping Haylage 2025
Gerard heads south with the chopper to a field he and Randy cut yesterday, and Alex has just finished raking. Somebody jokes about karma, and the day takes it as an instruction: there is a tree down in the field. Also settled along the way, and worth the watch on its own, is why this ground stays in hay instead of going to a crop, and what finally makes them change their mind.
18 minDouble the DiscBines
May 17th. Gerard takes the discbine to an eleven-acre alfalfa field south of the farm, and Randy brings the 1066 out so both machines are cutting at once. The detail worth having: the shaded edges by the tree line are sown to orchard grass on purpose, because alfalfa will not grow there. Nobody stops. “He’ll hop in another implement and head off to another field.”
22 minA Very Busy Day:Beans, Corn,and so Much More
It's 7:45 on May 15th and Alex is out here in the field planting beans. trying to get an early start. They've got a busy day ahead.
12 minFilling the Bunker with Wheatlage
May 14th, quarter past seven in the evening. Ginny had to work and missed the whole thing, so she arrives to a bunker that is already nearly full with Randy still packing it down. She asks their nephew Kyle what time he got there. “Three thirty, four o’clock.” They did all of this in a single day, and Alex is still out working ground, because corn goes in tomorrow morning.
19 minHow Now Down Cow!
April 28th, quarter past seven in the evening. Ginny drove out after work because it was too nice to stay inside, and got as far as the new goslings on the pond before the evening turned. Then 451 is down on the concrete. She has been down once already this week, the straps are still on her, and both back legs are folded underneath her wrong. The plan is a rope on her head to roll her sideways so she can get her feet back under her. “That is not what you want to see.”
27 minMachine Shed Makeover
It is April 8th and we're here at the dairy farm. They've got quite a big project going on. For quite a while now, after a heavy rainfall, this machine shed has been taking in water from the south side.
April 20254 videos
29 minWorking Ground after Hauling Manure
It's Friday morning and we are here at the South Compost Barn where Randy and Alex have spent the morning hauling out one strip of the compost barn so that they can work it into the field later. Let's check in with Randy.
27 minSome Odd Jobs Just Need to be Done
It's March 11th and that's Gerard leaving with a load of manure using the small spreader. Today the weather is very mild, perfect for hauling out the sheep barn. While Gerard gets rid of that load, Tony is bringing the small dump trailer to the shed.
12 min“Charging” the Chamber of the Big Baler
Seems a little early to be getting the BOR out. Today, we're going to what we call charge the chamber with hay. We got the chamber empty because we cleaned it out last fall for to put it away for the winter.
31 minMorning Milking
Also, full-timer Sam Huber, our nephew and future farmer of America. And me, Ginny, one of the Beckman sisters and manager of the YouTube channel. Recently, we've had some viewers ask us to get back into the milking parlor and show some of the operations in there.
March 20257 videos
3 minMore Scratchers!
Randy now that the sawdust is done it made me all itchy don't you have that problem I'm kind of used to the sawdust but I've got a different itch oh my goodness of course you do five times lucky how about...
24 minRoad Trip with Randy
Back in January we took a road trip with Randy to get sawdust and at that time we were in the big red grain truck today he's got the Dodge duly and the smaller of the sawdust wagons okay we're going to...
30 minA Little Spring Cleaning!
It's March 19th and we have quite an operation going on here I'm going to let Tony and Gerard tell you about it today we are cleaning out the septic here for the barn it uh getting filled up with some heavy...
28 minThe Trim Chute is In!
It is a cold day, but it's also a big day here at the dairy farm. Tony's new trim shoot has arrived. And I want to say a special thanks to Tony's wife, Michelle, for filming today's activities.
34 minIt’s Almost Spring
It is Monday March 10th and what a difference a few days makes in the weather in Illinois it's going to be in the upper 60s today here it's about 9:45 and this is almost the whole Dairy herd the guys still...
14 minLoading Goats and Sheep on a Windy, Wet Wednesday
Today we are going to sell my young goats that were born last fall sold nine of them a couple week two or three weeks ago and uh the market is really good right now so we're going to take the rest...
18 minChanging out a Water Pump
Today we're going to change out our water pump for our pond water. This water pump might be good. We don't know for sure. But we're having trouble getting enough water.
February 20255 videos
14 minGettin’ Ready for the New Trim Chute
Last fall Beckman Brothers Derry and Moore talked Hoof Trimming with Tony and this shoot served its purpose for over 15 years but it has seen better days I mean the cables are wearing out the hydraulic movements just aren't as smooth...
15 minA.I. on the Dairy Farm
Today we're talking AI artificial insemination with Gerard so how often do you get a supply of those S the specimens in once a month they come by and uh see once if I need anything and if I do then we...
2 minWinner Winner Chicken Dinner
It's Wednesday and Randy's got something special winner winner chicken dinner let's see how it goes are these your numbers seven 18 29 or 10 those are the clucky numbers 13 28 22 39 5 33 11 21 7 9 24 12...
22 minNew Kuhn Knight Spreader
Drum roll please it is January 20th and something new has arrived on the farm okay here's the brand new Knight Slinger SLC 132 and Randy likes to say fresh paint but it's dark in here so you really can't see how...
30 minBenjamin, Birds, and Other Things
Okay we're getting an update on the calves and the coughing it's January 15th just checking to see if they got anything that's pumping and got pneumonia with that came because of the cough this group here still got the cough a...
January 20254 videos
30 minThe Winter Woes
This is take 10 Ginny trying to get her boots on that's no joke she says it's because of her little belly but Tony says it's all that cloth she's got on Tony says best way to dress for this is to...
29 minSawdust Run with Randy
It's January 15th and besides being our sister an's birthday it's also my day off of the week and I am going to go with Randy to get a load of sawdust and see what that's all about hope you want to...
42 minWintry Mix
January 6th. Blowing snow before noon, a high near 26, and a north-northwest wind gusting to 25. Getting the footage at all involves Ginny climbing over a fence, which she reports on honestly: “it was not graceful at all, trust me.” Behind her, clean-up starts on the dry cow lot, using gates that get worked here until they fall apart.
38 minShearing Sheep…on a Dairy Farm?
I'm here with my dad Donald Beckman and we're talking sheep today yeah I'm 87 years old always had sheep my dad had a few years ago and I used to share my own I had up to 120 head for a...
December 20244 videos
21 minThe Spirit of Christmas
The Spirit of Christmas
29 minThe good, the bad, and the ugly of dairy farming.
We're in the calf barn with this little pepper calf born yesterday morning Tony said it took the bottle real good two times and then a little slower this morning and now it has the runs and it's just acting like it's...
1h 17mSaturday at the Farm
With the warm-up in the weather, there is a lot to do, including wean, vaccinate,  and move calves. Plus a whole lot more.
34 minHoof Trimming with “Toe- ny”
It's a typical day at the dairy farm and it's about 11:00 in the morning we are joining Tony to the west side of the milking parlor where he does the hoof trimming and he's just getting this cow in the Chute...
November 20245 videos
3 minHappy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving
28 minJust Talkin’ Sh!t
Randy on manure spreaders, with a side-by-side of a side slinger against a rear slinger. A dealer dropped a Knight 140 Pro Push off the evening before and asked them to try it. What actually wins him over is a design detail you would never think to look for: the gears and chains run in an oil bath in the bottom of the pan, so everything stays soaked and lubricated. Whether it earns the trade is left open.
23 minBedding and Backscratchers
It's November 16th and we're checking in with Randy here at the dairy farm he's got uh this Implement that he's going to talk about what you got here Randy this is a Hoover Bale spreader uh we got it a couple...
20 minInside the Calf Barns
We're headed out to the calf Barn where Tony and his daughter Jenna are getting ready to start bottling calves Tony's been busy in here getting the five and six week olds into separate pens they're not used to having this much...
18 minWhen the Pipes Burst…
To part two pumping water to the pond we're with Gerard headed down to the Salt Creek and him being a multitasker he is eating an apple driving looking out over his newly planted wheat field and probably thinking about the next...
October 20244 videos
25 minNobody Lays Pipe Like Beckman Bros.
It's October 19th and we are headed out to the West Pond at the dairy farm now that Harvest is over the guys can concentrate on some other things that need to be done one of those things is to pump water...
25 minBringing in the Gold: Shelling Corn
I'm in the combine with Randy and he's shelling corn in a field that's about a mile and a half north of the farm. This field that they rent is next to a cemetery off Highway 33. It's a good thing I'm not superstitious with it being October.
13 minCool Beans!
It's October 5th and here in South Central Illinois Effingham County Harvest is in full swing what you see here in this field is what you see in almost all the other fields Bean dust corn dust and combines from Beckman Brothers...
15 minMiracle of Birth: Calving on the Dairy Farm
It's a warm September 5th afternoon and I'm just hanging out here in the dry cow barn checking on the dry cows. This group here is what Tony calls the closeups and that just means that they are ready to cave within the week or two. And there's a nice breeze coming through.
September 202411 videos
19 minCleaning Wheat/Sowing Wheat-Grass
It's September 11th and we've got Dennis Williams here at the Beckman Brothers Dairy Farm. Dennis is setting up his seed cleaning machine and the wheat that's going to be cleaned today was harvested June 15th. The guys reserve two gravity wagons to be cleaned so that they don't have to buy wheat seed later.
15 minReturning the Favor/Chopping&Bagging Field Trip
It's Saturday September 7th and Beckman Brothers Dairy and Moore is on a field trip we are at the feldic dairy farm just a few miles west of the Beckman farm this is Jim and Sue feldick's home place it's a fourth...
1 min3-Month Recap
3-Month Recap
15 minFRESH PAINT! Chopping with 3-Row Corn Head
Of course, everyone's excited about the New Holland three row cornhead. And after some of the issues that they had with the Dion and with the older two row head, they're hoping that this will bring the cornhead saga to an end. Just straight on up first. Now tip it down.
11 minChopping with 2-Row Head
Good morning it's September 5th we're joining Gerard out at this cornfield east of the farm this is called hardic Field named after the former owners today Gerard is using a two row corn head that he switched onto this New Holland...
16 minFull Silage Bag/Cows Escape!
This is a last load of the day this will easily fill this bag up if there's any left over we'll put it in the next bag um and uh go again tomorrow in continuation to our last video where we showed...
20 minSilage Bagger
It's Monday September 2nd it's Labor Day and what does that mean to a Dairy Farmer it's not a day off it's just another day of work especially this time of year it's silage time and we are about to start bagging...
14 minAn old Head is better than No Head. Swapping out a broken Corn Head.
It's September 4th about 7:00 in the evening and I was just going to take my dog out for a walk and when I got to the farm they said that they have a broken corn head so they're going to remove...
12 minCovering the Bunker—Annual Family Event!
It is Friday evening August 30th and finally the heat wave has been broken with this nice breeze it actually came a little sooner than we thought it was going to and the guys are here to get all the supplies out...
16 minFilling the Silage Bunker
August 29th. Sam pulls out of the field with a full load and Ginny follows him back to watch it blown into the bunker, while Gerard’s son Roy swings in for the next wagon. The real story is the roll call of iron it takes: a 686 on the blower, a 656 unloading, the 1456 packing, and 7120s both hauling and on the chopper. It works every year for one reason. “As long as the cheap labor keeps showing up.”
21 minChopping
August 29th at Shner’s, opening the south end of the field with the MP230 and its kernel processor, two rolls that crack every kernel on the way through. The lesson of the day is Gerard’s, delivered to whoever is running the head: kick it in at an idle, slowly. “You can’t just throw it in real fast, you’ll shear the pins.” And the wagon with the flat tire is back.
August 20245 videos
11 minCalving Season Begins
It's August 11th this little calf was born yesterday evening August 10th and it was the first calf of the season Tony said it didn't feed very good this morning looks like it's really hungry taking it now Tony wasn't really ready...
27 minSorting and Vaccinating Heifers and Dry Cows
What are you sorting and how do you know which ones are going to go into these are closest to having C are you going off of numbers or what put in okay them out first then we look at see if...
3 minDulcey, the Baby Donkey
On June 20th Donnie and his wife Penny welcomed this little donkey to their pasture Donnie named her Dy after one of his favorite Western characters and because her mom is not very tame he moved her up to the barn little...
5 minThat Sweet Alfalfa
Uh we're taking a sample of the hay that we just baled and we'll send it to our the feed company and they will test it send it off to a lab and it'll get tested it'll show the protein feed value...
10 min3rd Cutting Grass Hay
It is Friday July 12th and Gerard is disc binding on this 8 acre field of grass hay it's third cutting and he's clipping right along which you will see when we get on the tractor with him it's Saturday June 13th...
July 20248 videos
11 minThe Bloody Quarter
Here we have a cow that's got a red band on it's on there because she has a bloody quarter and we have to remember it when she comes in so we can watch it cuz you can't get the blood in...
26 minEvening Chores
It's a Friday afternoon. You got the sheep grazing. Gerard is disc binding in this field closest to his house. Sam and Tony are in the milking parlor. They've probably on their third or fourth group of eight cows.
13 minUnloading Lumber
The guys are over at Donny's working on a project to unload this Oak Lumber that they had made into boards they're stacking it in what used to be the halog this Slumber that we're stacking up here today came from our...
14 minTMR Mixer
It's time to mix feed again. I'm heading out to the silage area with the TMR mixer. It's a Jlor TMR mixer. Uh we've had this for I think 3 years now.
7 minBale Wrapping
Today we uh baled our third cutting alpha alpha. We had four different fields. Uh two of them were down south what we call riches. It was uh third cutting. And then we had uh actually three fields up here close to home. And uh we totaled uh 85 or 86 bales that we baled.
10 minOld Blue and Odd Jobs
This old blue truck and they use it for hauling water and it has seen better days but it still gets around nothing real exciting today uh just doing some maintenance stuff like cleaning out a stock tank and as you can...
16 minRoadtrip with Dad!
Today's June 17th I'm going to take Dad out and about today and our first stop is Fast Stop got to get our beverages it's about 90 something degrees today this is my home place where I gred up and my brother...
13 minCows vs. Heifers
It's about 7:30 in the evening on May 30th, and the herd can hardly wait to get out to pasture for the first time this season. Randy is unchaining the gates and he's ready to let him out. I can't handle these kind of pressure situations. I can barely hold this game.
June 202412 videos
17 min“They’re Callin’ for Rain”
We have had excellent weather this may in Effingham County Illinois that led the Beckman Brothers second cutting wheat hay grass hay and Alfalfa to be ready for cutting all at the same time they have 5 days to get it done...
11 minBaling Straw
Donnie's been out raking for quite a while now on this 10acre field. The rest of the crew have arrived and are setting up. Tony will be pulling this 566 New Holland BOR with the IH 1066. We're going to little bale, little square bale, some straw today.
2 minCooling the cows
It's June 20th the first day of summer it's a hot 90° out in the sun but under the feed lot roof the cows got it made in the shade with the misters going and the fans blowing it can be a...
7 minWheat! Take a load off, Randy.
It's June 10th and I'm on a field trip with Gerard to pick up the head wagon and the grain head for combining wheat we're at Donnie's where the wagon is stored and the heifers that he keeps over the summer are...
11 minGoat vaccination or goat rodeo?
It's a nice May Day a little bit Breezy we've had a lot of rain here in Illinois and these are the kind of things that we need to do on these days when we can't be out in the field that's...
17 min“It’s Milking Time”
Is swing the line so the milk goes into the tank. This bulk tank holds 3,000 g. A miller picks up once daily. In 1983, we started with a 1500galon tank, but we outgrew it when the milk hauler had to pick up twice daily. The line just got done doing a sanitizer rinse.
3 minJune 10, 2024
Sneak Peek—Randy on the Discbine.
4 minTony
Here he is with his faithful friend Rudy. Of the four brothers, Gerard and Tony are the primary milkers. Tony helps keep up with records of when to turn cows dry, when to expect calves, which cows are high producers versus low producers.
6 minRandy
Randy is the youngest of the Beckman Brothers he's also our youngest sibling one of Randy's main responsibilities on the dairy farm is preparing feed for the dairy cows using this TMR mixer using a skid steer he first adds a mixture...
3 minGerard
This is Gerard Gerard is considered the manager of the farm from ordering feed to planting seed Gerard eats drinks and breathes farming and he always has he's the first one to arrive in the morning usually Before Dawn he checks over...
3 minDonnie
This is Donnie one of Donnie's primary jobs is to care for the Cales heifers and Bulls in the west barns after 2 months the calves are weaned off milk and moved into the West barns they are grouped by age as...
2 minIntroducing Beckman Bros. Dairy & More
Welcome to Beckman Brothers Dairy and more we want to introduce you to our family-owned dairy farm in South Central Illinois in 1963 our mom and dad bought this 100 Acre Farm and started out with just a few dairy cows in...