My favorite time of the day is chore time. Whether 5 am or 5 pm; whether the moon or sun is setting it is such a peaceful time of day. Cattle are always happy to be fed at the feeder during the winter months when the ground is too frozen and barren to graze. They lazily stay close to the barnyard and the abundance of what the land gave us over the summer for them. Not to mention the fresh sweet smell of the barley and alfalfa hay when it’s not bothering my allergies.
Have you ever seen a more gorgeous view than either of these pictures?
Moon and Sun sets are just lovely in the country’s fresh crisp air!
Why eat out of the trough when you can lodge a protest over hay you don’t like by standing in your trough! This is one of my all-time favorite pictures and it was taken last February.
Licorice is now in the freezer providing yummy homegrown beef on our table, filling our tummies, and giving us great all natural lean proteins, abundant in Vitamin B12, Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Niacin, Vitamin B6, and Phosphorus.
People often ask me how I can eat my own beef. Well, this is how I look at the situation. I’m an omnivore human but if I had to give up something in my diet, I would opt for dropping those veggies over meat any day. Yes, you heard me right. I love meat; especially a tender juicy tenderloin steak, a melt in your mouth bacon cheeseburger, fresh grilled salmon, oven roasted turkey with crispy skin, and let’s not forget old fashioned fried chicken!
If I’m going to eat meat then I want to make sure it’s fresh, been raised properly and butchered with capable and knowledgeable hands.
So, I take great pride in raising beef and recognizing their needs. I feel if you treat animals (even butcher animals) with diligence and make sure they have adequate feed, water, and care throughout their lives then you will have a well-managed and great cattle herd. I give the cows under my management the “best” life they deserve as each supplies a need in our lives; whether food or income; and I treat them with dignity until their life comes to an end.
A swift and calm kill by the butcher at the end to me is more humane than selling them at auction to a inhumane rancher that could run them into the ground and mistreated by another less reputable cattle owner. If the cows I raise end up on someone’s property that mistreats them I would not be able to sleep at night.
However, mine are given a good life, and in the end supply a need for us, and I thank God for all that he has blessed me with.
It takes a real confident person to admit they were wrong…
As I sit on the ATV or what some call a side by side reflecting on the day it was delivered. It is called a side by side because the 4-wheel ATV sits three people legally in seatbelts. Although two people are more comfortable than three. When it came down the driveway on a trailer behind the old Ford pickup truck, I cringed and said aloud, “I’ll never be using that.” And I headed for the barnyard on my two capable feet.
Now “Red” is my reliant partner as I tend to the cows most days solo. Red is my faster legs and more capable hands and arms. Especially when hauling hay or grain to a remote animal or even from barn to barn. Most definitely its head lights are super useful while searching for stray cows in the dark of night.
Before Red came to the ranch I walked everywhere and in any kind of weather. I treated this as my exercise program. At a slower pace than a wheeled vehicle it provided me much time to reflect while using my legs for transportation. I’d use the extra time to form characters and story lines in my mind.
Most days the walking did me good. There were some situations that a quick check turned into an hour or more. Inevitably the cow I was checking on had wandered to the furthest reaches of the ranch’s property lines and with the multi-terrain of the rolling hills, trees, and creek valleys I couldn’t see them unless I walked and walked…
My mind was changed one afternoon when I walked into the barnyard for a cow check. One of the cows had waded across the swollen creek to have her calf. The grassy banks of the other side of the creek had served her well for birthing all her other calves. Sheltered under the hundred-year-old pine trees and the hillside behind as a natural blind to predators. In her mind this year would be no different.
The land bridge over the creek had disappeared beneath the swirling high waters of the snow run off as the aging culvert couldn’t keep up. The cow mid creek trying to guide her newest calf through determined to get to the feeder for her dinner meal with the rest of the cow herd. The water was neck deep for her calf and it was struggling against the swirling current.
The ATV was right next to the barn gate. I knew my legs couldn’t get me to the creek fast enough. If the swirling waters decided to capture the new calf and suck her into the culvert she would be lost. I jumped on the ATV, turned the key over, flicked the switch to 4WD and slid the stick into high gear and off I cruised.
I’m not foreign to ATV’s. In fact, I had quite fun on them in my youth with friends. I had never really thought of them being a useful piece of equipment around the ranch. That is until this day happened.
Reaching the banks of the creek in a flash I jumped in and the water went well over my muck boots tops. Swooping up the newborn calf’s legs just where they meet the hip bones, I thanked God. Luckily, this calf was only sixty-ish pounds and not the 114-pound calf born the day before to another cow. I loaded the calf into the seat beside me and off we set for the barnyard. The cow mom following close behind.
In that moment of action, I had not given a second thought to my original statement at Red’s delivery to the ranch. I was just thankful I had the 4 wheels under my 2 legs and that I didn’t have to carry the calf more than fifty feet.
It might be a few years late but thank you, Richard. I know you were trying to provide me with the tools I needed when no one else is around to help and make my life a bit easier. You are correct, horses make good companions. But ATV’s do not need food, water, or care. Being able to park ATV’s and walk away without cooling them down and brushing them out, make them a great fit.
Oh, and by the way, Richard, before I forget, Red’s going to need some fuel real soon!
