Tis the Season...

For conventions! At least for cattlemen. It doesn't seem to matter which part of the country they're from, now through the end of January, or February is the slowest time of year on a ranch. Montana's cattlemen's convention often conflicted with other ranch priorities, so we've missed several over the years. We have the freedom to pick our own priorities now-- so we're going! Early-- since besides being on the Board of Directors, Ray is also on the Executive Board now.

A lot of important work gets done at convention that affects the livelihoods of a lot of working landowners. Not only is Montana vastly overwhelmed by non-ag interests in Washington DC, non-ag interests carry a lot more clout right here at home too, than they ever have in the past. We've been fortunate to have a good ranch lobby in both places that helps to stave off ever-increasing pressures; most of which come via federal lands issues, endangered-species issues, and a social attitude that animals and recreation are more important uses of land, than renewable natural resource harvest and production. Most never stop and think-- or even care-- that the only NEW money entering an economy comes from the harvest of natural resources. Other “income” is simply recycled $$$.

There's fun stuff too. After spending hours in meetings and trying to come up with solutions and a united voice on difficult issues, there's the Trade Show. A lot of important stuff actually gets done there as well. Regardless of what industry you're in, there is nothing to replace face-to-face social networking, and just plain neighborly visiting to spark new ideas, and shore-up the aging, sagging fabric that is at the very foundation of a prosperous nation: family farms and ranches in a free-market economy.

Not even Facebook.

That's the way the Creator intended it to be. The very idea of private property and the best way to manage that property-- such as“rest-rotation” (EX 23:11) comes right out the Bible, from books such as Exodus, Deuteronomy, Ezekiel, and Job —which was actually the earliest book in the Bible.

In fact, one way God punishes a nation is to fill it up with “beasts of the field” (EZ 32:4) You don't need to worry about “endangered” species. The “creatures”, including the earth, belong to the “Creator”, and He is quite capable of managing them any way He sees fit. What you DO need to worry about is making God angry enough that He uses His beasts against you.

Anyway, farming and ranching are one of the first institutions of civilization. During speaking engagements for environmental stewardship, when promoting the idea of managing for profitability and sustainability by using cattle as tools, we've always used the verse in PS 104:14:

“He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”

That pretty much says it all. Food is pretty important.

Wrapping it Up



Ray and Chubby penning the cut after preg-testing. Note how Skipper's
tail is pointing straight south!



This is a busy time of year for most everybody, but even more so on a northern tier ranch. As a general rule, weaning is usually done by the end of October. Once the year's crop of calves has been allocated to their various destinations, the ones remaining on the ranch need extra care to help them through the transition. If it hasn't already been factored in, the year's crop of hay and winter grazing pastures are inventoried to make sure there will be enough to get through the winter.

Attention then turns to the factory. The mama cows, who by this time, have trailed home from summer country to the more amenable pastures around the home ranch. Most ranches pregnancy test their cows, and separate bred and open cows with a mark on the hip. Black paint on Hereford or light colored breeds, and lady's hair bleach on the black.

While running through the chute, they also receive health checkups, and are bled by a vet for brucellosis testing if they summer near Yellowstone NP. Usually the herd has been culled directly after weaning, and before trailing home, and the culls hauled off to auction.

The depth of culling depends a great deal on weather factors. i.e., if it's the middle of a drought, cattle will be culled heavily. If the markets and weather are conducive to a profitable forecast, culling is limited to health and extreme age factors. Big, fat, shiny cows with little skinny. leppy calves also go down the road. Or should.



Bringing a bunch of cows in for preg-testing.



For culling, the cows are held up in a pen with a line of cowboys acting as gates and turnback men on the front-end. Usually the owner or manager, and a herd manager will slowly sift through the cattle mentally evaluating each individual's condition. Cattle with problems will then be sorted off.

One year we had a green kid on the crew who knew very little about cattle husbandry. As he watched one bob-tailed cow cut out through the line, he asked why she was being culled. “Because,” he was told (in typical cowboy fashion— this is paraphrased), “Her tail's gone. The sun shines down...(on her bag)...and spoils her milk.”

Armed with this new bit of cowboy wisdom he soon joined the rest of the crew in helping spot problem cattle. “There's another one”, he called out, pointing into the herd. “Which one?” asked the cutter. “That one, the one with the missing tail.”

At least the kid made his mark. That story has probably been retold at least once a year for 30 years. To this day, during culling, at least one cowboy will call out: “You'd better get that one, she's got no tail!”

Smaller herds are often sorted in alleys or corrals with just “Mom and Pop” doing the work. “Moms” who have been helping “Pops” for any length of time have likely developed selective hearing.

A good friend of mine with a hilarious sense of humor, and great “Mom/Pop” stories told me a couple years ago that “Pop” was getting pretty excited and animated during a sorting session, since she didn't seem to be listening. After awhile she just turned to him and said, “I can't he-e-a-r you,” and pulled the earplugs out of her ears. This is the same friend who was on the local school board. She walked into one meeting that was expected to be a bit contentious, with ear-muffs on.

Everybody's usually quite happy once the fall work is done. Life slows down just a tad, and gives everybody a little breather. For years our “vacation” was going to the national convention in January. That's really the only time of year we could get away for more than a couple days at a time.

Sometimes we'd take the kids (since we home-schooled) and arrange for a real vacation after convention. We did take a couple of vacation-only trips when the kids were small though. Disney World in January. Loved it. Even though a lot of the attractions were closed, we didn't have to stand in line. I am not a line-stander, so that worked out well. One of the funnest vacations we took was when the kids were 3, 5, and 6. We went to Mazatlan with a group of farm people. What a hoot! And I thought WE were rednecks!

This time of year, aside from the County Fair, is also the main social season for folks out in the ag world. And it's not just because “tis' the season”. It's because they've pretty well wrapped up another year, and are ready for some slow time to relax, throw another log on the fire, and enjoy family, friends, and neighbors-- and the National Finals!

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. PV 18:24

Colt bringing home the last of the remuda from cowcamp. 25 below zero.