Finally Some Time

Finally found some time.  Life has been catching up to me.  For several weeks my small son T.M. was extremely sick.  We spent several days in a pediatric unit and have been going back and forth to the local hospital for tests.

Then, spring work started.  So, it was bust your but to get as much done in a four day work week, at the town job, then off to work the fun job.

The fun job includes- pairing out cows and calves to a different field, doctoring sick animals, and tagging calves. 

Also, it is branding season. I have mentioned how much I adore branding season.  Good friends, good times, roping, and socializing after a long winter of being holed up.

We also teach leathercraft for the local 4-H group.  This weekend is their big show.  Wish the kids luck.

The life of a weekend cowboy-girl

This has been a rough week.  I have spent more time riding my computer chair and in my pickup than I have on a horse.  Not a good start, especially when the weather has been ABSOLUTELY gorgeous.  Not just for January either.  It would be considered gorgeous for most months- high 40s to mid 50s and little wind.  It is a little  hard to believe the little wind part but it has been happening.

Plus, I have had this awful cold that has been kicking my @$$!  Not to mentioned the poor kids have gotten it to.  But life isn't too rough.

I did get some interesting training today.  I wished I had the foresight to bring a camera so I could do a photoblog about it but it wouldn't be very appetizing because...  Oh Yeah, we did a necropsy on a chronically sick calf. 

I won't gross you out with the details but lets just say- there was only about a third of a lung functioning in the entire creature.  It was pitiful.  Oh well, the refresher course on internal organs, anatomy, and physiology was great.

Thankful

It is the season for being thankful, so here is a list of things I am thankful for this year!


I am thankful for cattle- in the field, at the end of a rope, or on the grill- you are making life better for someone.

I am thankful for choices- traditionally raised, organic, natural, cage-free, free-range, grass-finished and many more. Well, that is partially true, in California, aren’t we only allowed cage-free eggs? I guess I can still choose whether or not I want organic or natural eggs.

I am thankful for the new Ag Appropriations bill does not contain any language regulatory or otherwise banning the harvesting of horses, putting the issue back to pre-2007.

I am thankful that my children may have a chance to continue working in agriculture unless the Federal Department of Labor gets its way. Then, they will have to be almost adults before they could legal assist in the operations of a farm or ranch. By the way, have you sent your comments in? Comment period ends December 1st.

I am thankful that people are becoming informed about HSUS. The Humane Society of the United States is not your local humane society. It is a lobbying, animal rights organization, which spends less than 1% of its donations on the actual care of animals, even though the commercials may lead you to think something different.

I am thankful for advocates and agricultural activists like Trent Loos. Trent has an inspiring message for many people. One of my favorite quotes from Trent is~ The 2 most important people to our country are the farmer and the soldier...and the general public knows the least about them.

I am thankful that wolves aren’t officially in our county, yet. Though, a wolf has been tracked through Lake and Klamath counties, so that may not be on the list for long.

I am thankful for youth organizations like 4-H and FFA which allow young people an opportunities in leadership and citizenship along with animal agriculture.

I am thankful that the Surprise Valley BLM had a successful feral horse gather and I am hopeful for a solution to the problem.

I am thankful for having a safe, wholesome, cheap food supply and for those who work without holidays, without overtime pay, and in adverse conditions to provide it.

I am thankful for being able to write this column for the last two years!

Here is to another year of being educated, informed and involved.

Countdown

Only 5 days until I will be showing off my skills in the Vaquero Fiesta- a fun, family-oriented event rooted in tradition. The Fiesta, at it has become known, tries to emulate the work of vaquero in its roping and cattle handling skills.

The event showcases fancy loops that have usefulness on the range. In addition to, encouraging quiet, calm handling of cattle. It promises to have wonderful, well-trained horses.

Myself, I am entered in the intermediate roping. An event which requires a person to rope two head of cattle using specified loops- sidearm and backwards swing. I am excited about my young partner who is adept at throwing many of these.

Respect

Enough with the touchy feely stuff! I wanted to talk about respect. I try really hard to respect people, animals and the environment. I think this is what some people get confused with compassion.

I listened to Trent Loos' Rural Route today as he was talking with two vegans. They complained that Trent did not have compassion for the animals he raised. True, maybe not but you do respect them. You respect the hotheaded mother who just gave birth. You respect the ability of an 1100 lb horse to stick your head in the dirt 7 miles from home. You respect the number of miles your dog saves you when working in not too spectacular conditions.

I also respect the choice of the vegans- good on you. But I don't declare my way is better than yours. I don't critize your meal choices or the way you live. So why do they constantly believe they do it better and have more respect or compassion than someone living with them day in day out?

Branding

In our family we have six seasons... The normal four with branding and hunting added on. Branding season marks the "end" of winter and the beginning of summer. Hunting the end of summer and the beginning of winter. We had to schedule our wedding around these dates. Since moving to California hunting season has gone by the wayside but branding is still a family favorite.

It maybe arachiac in the realm of being old-fashioned but so is using the USPS and I still send letters. Branding is essential to permanently prove ownership on cattle. It prevents thefts and adds traceability to the product.

Branding is a way of life here in the west. One I hope my grandkids enjoy with as much fervor as my kids are.

Hot Iron Branding

I have been remiss about posting lately. I have been partcipating in an age old tradition of hot iron branding calves. It is just as necessary now as it was 100 years ago. A form of identification, that is permanent. Very much unlike, ear tags, tatoos, and freeze irons, a hot iron brand is difficult to alter. The hot iron brand has been a source of much debate, lately. Many believe it is unnecessary but those people do not make their livlihood off of the livestock that can easily be stolen off of thousands of acres with few people. It is especially pertinent with cattle prices being high and the economy being in the dumps. Just last month I recieved an e-mail about several hundred head of calves being stolen off of private range. The take the young calves before they can be branded and sell them. In addition to the actually branding portion, young animals are given their vaccination and castrated, among other things. It is also a social event, teaching the young the traditions and a gathering after a long winter.

The WHY

This picture is not from SATURDAY.

On Saturday as I was getting my long underwear, jeans, wool socks, sweater, sweatshirt, and the complete carhartt outer garment layer on, I thought to myself- WHY am I doing this? It was a measly 8 below zero, my kitchen water was frozen, and I was getting ready to go chop ice for the horses and cows. The house water could wait, I had made coffee the night before.

Off we went to feed cows and horses, on the way the car broke down~ Some bearing on the alternator went out. UGH! Talk about timing. So, once again~ WHY am I doing this? I could have stayed home, worked on the house water and made myself comfortable in front of the stove but... No, I was out feeding cows in a pick-up which only the defroster works, you have to roll down the window to open the door, and the passenger side door has no handle. Did I mention, all of this is with an 18 month old?

I could give you all the scientific reasons cows and horses need fed but it wouldn't make much difference would it. I do it because I love seeing baby calves bucking around in the snow once they get warmed up. I do it because I know, I can go to a neighbor to get water but the animals have to/should stay in the pasture they are in for their water. I do it because I love livestock. Even knowing the circle of life~ I feed you now, you feed me later.

Holiday Weekend

An old guy I used to work with always said "a change is as good as a vacation." I change "jobs" every Thursday night. I go from animal scientist to "cow dietcian and disturber". Not a huge change but it involves less indoor meetings and more physical labor. Something that suits me quite well. I had my normal feeding crew. One border collie to keep cattle from eating directly off the pick-up and one toddler to holler at cows, "drive" and entertain.

With the toddler, it has gotten to the point where I put on a hat, she is hollering about finding her shoes. She will hardly let me out the door to start a rig. She also knows about her own chores at home. It is her job to feed the cat- one painstaking handful at a time.

Dogs

I was reading bits and pieces of the Micheal Vick drama and pit bull rescues etc. It is heart wrenching to think of the way people used and abused these dogs. One blogger commented on the scars, missing teeth, and limp ears. Called these dogs weapons and soldiers taught to fight not pets.

That got me to thinking about my own dogs. They have scars, missing teeth, one has a split tongue, and all the other various maladies and limps that come with being a tool, pet, and part of the family at our house.

So what is the difference? Someone could look at Pancho and be upset, but they would probably be more disturbed at his howls when it is not his day to work. We rotate our dogs so they all get used and have time off through out the week. But they hate their days off and live to work cows. Pancho has this stupid, goofy look on his face when he puts one back in the herd. You know " I did good huh, I showed that beast who is boss." Weapon? Maybe not. Tool? Definitely!

They are also part of our family.

Some People

We had a 4-H function this weekend. We were tagging steers when one escaped into our small town. It went through the high school lawn, across main street and was head out of town. As the tagging team hit main street they didn't know where the calf had went. A lady told them " the big dog headed that way."

The big dog? It was daylight, we live in an area where beef production is the number one economy. Ummm... and you don't know the difference. Wake up and smell the manure people.

Oh well, the calf was caught and returned to its rightful place. No harm, no foul. But a big dog? Could you imgaine the bite he could have taken out of someone?

Our weekend and holiday.

Nothing like a brisk foggy morning to get you going. Here is our little helper, helping finish off the last of the load. The heifers were sure glad to see us. They are getting trained up fairly well and come running to a whistle now, or maybe the sound of the pickup.

Domestic Terrorists

I am starting to think most groups with environmental in their name or mission statement are terrorists or should be treated as such. They threaten the nation's food supply through emotional pleas and misinformed media.

I just finished looking over a stay filed by Western Watersheds Project. The stay is against the record of decision on an allotment-public land. This specific record of decision was based in science for the most part, the RANGE portion WAS the wildlife portion was based on anedoctal and antiquated evidence along with some very conservative grazing to protect a bird that only uses the range for a few weeks.

The allotment holder actual told us "I want to reduce my numbers so this land is sustainable, I need to use it year after year." The WWP representative was worried about pedalstaling by naturally occuring frost heaves. He wouldn't listen to a soil scientist's perspective- it is natural. He wouldn't believe that PROPER grazing promotes biodiversity. He only wanted one thing- to get cattle off of public lands.

THe public lands in question probably triple the amount of land in the arid environment available to raise high quality, nutritious, wholesome food. These lands if properly taken care of flourish under moderate grazing. They also home to threatened species that have moved away from lands which have been retired from grazing.

I stand by my thoughts that many of these groups are domestic terrorists- using non-violent but effective just the same techniques to hurt America and the people which feed the people.

Is there such a thing as veganism?

http://fitperez.com/2010-10-26-interesting-picture

Check out this illustration of what all in our daily lives we can contribute to cattle and by-products. From cosmetics to charcoal cows are a part of our daily life.

MBA

Just what I need some more school work but I couldn't help but take the challenge when the e-mail came acrossed my computer to obtain a Master's in Beef Advocacy. It is a relatively simple 6 unit online course in Modern Beef Production, Environmental Stewardship, Animal Care, Nutrition, Beef Checkoff,and Beef Safety. Some of the information is not new but definitely worth a refresher course.

I learned today that beef production is the largest single segment of American Agriculture- 35% of the Total. With only 800,000 farms/ranches producing beef cattle in the U.S. I also learned the average operation has only 40 head. Wow! The numbers have changed from when I took Introduction to Animal Science about... 10 years ago. When the average operation was 75 head.

Farmers and Ranchers are not producing less beef though. They are actually increase beef production through genetics, greater carcass utilization, and decreasing the amount of fat in a carcass.