Life on the Ranch
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Pastured cattle and grass-fed beef
Here at the ranch, we’ve turned the new calves and their mothers out into a large pasture. Last year’s crested wheatgrass is pale yellow and still standing and there is some green growth undernea...
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Multiples, adoptive moms at calving time
Calving at the ranch has started all at once because half the cows were bred on the same day last spring by the miracle of artificial insemination. We expect them all to calve this week. Unlike o...
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A ranch by any other name — or direction
Today I’m writing from a new location on the ranch that is 5,684 units east of our old location. Well, its not really a new location because I’m sitting in the same ranch house at the same persona...
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Winter allows for cowboy reading
To my way of thinking, winter is a good time to catch up on some reading. I’ve got to tell you about some things I’ve learned. I love reading histories that can change the way I look at life. Her...
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A blue heeler Christmas
This year the ranch got an early present: a puppy dog. Not that we don’t have a dog, we’ve always had one around, but we thought it would be nice to have a dog that serves a function — a working d...
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A roaring blaze on a cold wintery day
Finally, a real snow that sticks to the ground. I love snow and the warm fire in the stove that it inspires. Here at the ranch, we use different types of wood for keeping our house warm through th...
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To be able to command wind and rain
When you live out on the land, you soon realize Mother Nature runs her own show. Due to her whims, balancing expenses with income can be tricky on the ranch. You need good bulls, fat mother cows,...
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Large tame bucks and wild turkeys
This morning I checked on the heifers and then fed the dog and cats. During the rut, the bucks get big necks and stupid. Most of the year, the big guys are rarely seen around the fields until afte...
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A cool drink of water in the desert
It snowed today — a real blizzard. We sure need it. I’ll wait to see if it storm blows over before I go outside and work on the new fence beside the “Boat” mountain — so named because it looks lik...
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