Yep, I said spring.  But spring around here brings quite a variety of weather.   We moved our cows onto spring range..  Some days we had some extra help. Moving little calves is never easy.  It takes a lot of time and a lot pf patience. Spring time means getting all of our calves processed. This means, ear marked (a distinct cut to the ears that is unique to only our ranch.  It is a way to identify our calves). They are also given an orange fly tag, which helps with fly control. They are vaccinated , just like you would vaccinate any pet , and castrated ..read more

February always seems to be the longest month of the year.  I know this is partly because it is usually pretty cold.  It is also because it is a busy month of calving heifers and moving herds on the range. This year we have actually had a very mild winter.  Even though these pictures make it look a little chilly.  We actually have had some really nice days. Heifer calving consumes a lot of our time. ​ Often a heifer will have trouble having her calf on her own, and will need assistance.  Usually that means taking her to a corral and putting her in a head cat ..read more

It's winter and we've been taking cows out to the winter range.  December was pretty dry. We have water tubs we place on the range and haul water into.  We move these tubs frequently to properly utilize our range.  The cows are always happy to reach the tubs of water at the end of the trail. It seems like the cows are pretty happy to leave the frozen fields and head out to the desert. Some of our best employees have four legs. Sometimes I make the cowboys pose.  Our four legged cowboy posed also. It's important to get a good count on the number of cows we take out t ..read more

The days are short as the year winds down.  We still have some cattle work to do before winter sets in. We just finished up preg-checking all of our cows and heifers.   We've been making up the herds to go onto our desert winter range.  We'll take 5 herds to the desert for the winter. ​ It's hard to get the work done before the sun goes down these days. But it makes for kind of neat pictures ..read more

Summer is starting to wind down.  We have finished pre-conditioning the calves and have been continuing to move cows on the mountain. When we pre-condition, we give the calves vaccinations to keep them healthy.  At this point they are then tuned back out with their moms and in a few weeks we will pull them off the moms and wean them.  We have a small herd of cows on the mountain on summer range.  We have to move them about.   Mostly due to the fact that they don't stay where they are supposed to. We had some help from my South Dakota relatives.   ..read more

We had a great spring that ran clear through June.  Cool temps and rainy days.   The green vegetation is a sight for sore eyes.  We've been doing some riding. We move cows from pasture to pasture and we have a small herd on the mountain that we need to tend to occasionally. Yes, it looks a little dusty, but this is nothing for us. The mountain is full of wildflowers and bright colored brush. Even in June there was still snow and high flowing creeks.  May and June were cloudy and cool. I had my sidekick along on some of the rides. Lookin' good. J ..read more

Heifer calving has begun, right along with the cold wintery weather.  So it's time to do whatever it takes to keep these babies alive. The big equipment was brought out to clear paths, break up snow, create wind breaks and bring in warm bedding.  Last night the wind blew and temperatures dropped to almost zero.  Tonight it is predicted to drop well below zero.  So it's all hands on deck to prepare as much as possible.   It's a pretty rough start on these babies when they are dropped in the snow and cold.  We do all we can to help them out. There is t ..read more

We have been in a drought for longer than I can accurately say.  Lately we have gotten some moisture, and as much of a pain as it is, and the muddy mess it's created, none of us are complaining. Well that's not entirely true,  This morning we had to gather the cows out of the field and it was like skating on ice.  For some reason, my horse seemed to have more trouble walking on it than all the others.  So I believe there may have been a little complaining on my part. It's been a little cold.  But also so beautiful. Whenever we get the chance to chase cows on the w ..read more

We went from warm fall weather to winter like weather.  We even got a little snow! I may not be excited about the cold weather,  but the snow is a sight for sore eyes. First, it was just cold wind.  Not a pleasant day to move the heifers. The cold day didn't stop this young cowboy from saddling up and helping his dad. Then the weather got colder, and we got a little snow.  The cowboys still work, no matter the weather.  Today they were sorting replacement heifers in the feedlot. I should also mention that the day before this was windy, snowy and cold and they wer ..read more

I started this blog back in September of 2014, but I wasn't sure where I was going with it.   I used to post a lot more frequently than I do now, mostly because I don't work with the crew as much. I am fortunate enough to have taken a less active role in the hard work, thanks to our wonderful crew and our sons. Recently, I was contacted by a stranger who had seen some of my photograph cards at a local shop. He grabbed my business card, and I agreed to meet with him. He enjoyed the pictures from my blog, and encouraged me to keep posting.  "The blog is a diary," he said. "It show ..read more