I couldn’t keep my special gift quiet. I just had to share it and show it off to everyone who follows along. Yesterday while finishing up a Special Sale at Turlock Livestock Auction Yard a lovely lady who has become so special to me came up and said she had something in her truck for me. For those that know me know I love treats and surprises so I was thrilled to follow her to find out what I was about to receive. THIS ! This beautiful hand made cross, created by her late husband and saved for “ someone special.” That lucky someone was me ! Isn’t it lovely? I could not wait to make the drive b ..read more

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is upon us ? Every year holidays and special events seem to creep up on me faster. Is that I sign I am getting old? Isn’t that the saying? Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday for me, it is a time to reflect upon all I have and give abundance thanks for another year of so much. Both good and those times that were not so good. But as I age I have learned to hang tight even to the “ not so good” bumps in life and figure out a message or lesson. Lately I have been starting my day by reading Lesa TerKeurst Proverb 31 daily inspiration. I wake up , grab ..read more

Tomorrow kicks off the California Bull Sale Run. For a little over a month ranchers across California and beyond will be traveling to various bull sales up and down the state enjoying a fabulous lunch from tri tip to tacos all the while looking at bulls to bring back home to their own herds. Our family ranch was not different, each year my dad and I would embark on our day long journey first stopping at McDonalds along the way for an sausage McMuffin :) . Once our bellies were filled we were on our way traveling to a bull sale. Dad drove until he got older and then we switched spots and I was ..read more

Hello Friends ~ I have sat back for the last few days taking in all the social media posts swirling around my feed. Posts that include frustrated moms wanting information on what they should do about their Childs school project asking them to share information on why eliminating beef helps the environment , popular upscale food magazines saying they will no longer be including beef in any of their recipes to help the sustainability of our earth, popular news stations sharing we need to cut back our burgers because the president is working on his goal of a better planet battling climate change ..read more

The Bulls For The 21st Century Sale held at Snyder Livestock, Yerington Nevada celebrated 21 years of service to customers and consignors from throughout the West. Lucy Rechel and her team have done an outstanding job of feeding and maintaining these bulls for their yearly sale. This years sale was the highest average ever recorded in the 21 years with $4,907 . Lucy sums it up best …..” I have an appreciation for what is truly important, a gratitude for my health and wonderful family, a delight in the friends I have made through the cattle business and a thankfulness for all I have been given ..read more

You know the feeling you get when you meet someone new and you feel like you are old friends? That is the feeling I got the minute I met Art and Stacy Butler. The Butlers own and operate the 102 year old Spring Cove Ranch in Bliss, Idaho. Their program is one that is built on progressive Angus genetics but maybe even more importantly to me, family traditions and values. The core of family is what makes the Butler Family a success. Spring Cove Ranch will have their Annual Bull and Female Sale on March 8, 2021 at the ranch in Bliss, Idaho. Starting at 1 pm when the gavel hits, Angus bulls and fe ..read more

In existence for 106 years , Serafino and Celeste Settrini purchased the Settrini Ranch on January 5, 1915. The couple began their new life together in the Salinas Gabilan Foothills starting their adventure in the dairy business on Rancho Natividad. The dairy business was one that great grandpa Serafino knew well as he worked throughout Switzerland manufacturing cheese for some of the Swiss dairies. It was only natural that Serafino start a dairy in Salinas. As time went on they had a family which included three boys and a daughter to complete their family, one of them my Grandpa Gus Sr. The 3 ..read more

Christmas has always been a special time. It seems that the older I get the more I remember and the more smiles the memories bring to my face. My mom and dad always made sure that my brother and I had a nice Christmas with one big present and then a few small ones. The big one was usually a bike or something cool like that and then special smaller surprises we wished for all year long. After we opened our presents in the wee hours of the morning we bundled up and headed out to do chores. Cows always seem to be the center of everything we do, even if it is a holiday. I have wonderful memories o ..read more

For years I remember my dad saying that after the first rain it was time to get the calves worked and branded. It used to be pretty simple because it seems like when I was younger the seasons came and went like they were supposed to. Now it seems that rain is sporadic and doesn’t come as we like it. However, we always start to brand after the first rain. Dad said it cleaned the air , settled the dust and made for a favorable environment to work the calves. About a week ago we were blessed with about a half inch of rain that watered our thirsty hills. It made everything fresh and clean and sure ..read more

Enjoy a glimpse into my ranching adventures…… I hope that you will follow along Managing my 105 year old family ranch alongside my brother John and my mom Anita I have the opportunity to be out on the ranch each and every day. I enjoy capturing images that tell the story of our family operation. For me pictures really make ranching come to life and for those enjoying these shots my hope is to make them feel like they are on the ranch too. My hope is that my picture stories bring a smile to fellow cattle friends faces as they think to themselves, “ yep we do that too, or, that is a new way of d ..read more