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Hello from interior Alaska

Alaska-Rancher

Alaska-Rancher

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2022
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129
Hello, I'm ranching 30 miles north east of Fairbanks, Alaska. Tough life but doable. Been at it 50yrs or so. We get 2 cuttings of brome grass hay (sometimes) a season.
 
Alaska-Rancher said:
Hello, I'm ranching 30 miles north east of Fairbanks, Alaska. Tough life but doable. Been at it 50yrs or so. We get 2 cuttings of brome grass hay (sometimes) a season.
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It strikes me funny that you can get a second cut way up in Alaska. I'm in the Alberta banana belt way south of you and we can't get one cut lately.😀
Welcome😀
 
Welcome! My dad worked in Alaska for 15+ years. He loved it there and built roads all over.
Good friend worked for the Fairbanks paper for a long time. We have friends at Tolsana Lake (I probably spelled that wrong.) They have a fishing lodge.
Lots of good people here, INCLUDING Leanin' H. Sure not as many as there used to be.
We don't get 2 cuttings of grass hay here in WY or MT.
 
I'm in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in central Montana. Folks that come here hunting tell me my place "looks like Alaska"! Our last hard frost is often in mid June and first freeze end of August or first of September. I've seen a couple second cuttings in the last 40 years! :LOL:
 
I used to be quite active on this page. I just peeked in today and am intriqued by interior Ak rancher. I spent about 5 years there in Soldotna in the early 70's. My affection for the bovine led me back "outside". How do you manage chores? Feeding hay, keeping water open etc? How much hay per head per year? Type of livestock, breed of stock??
 
short grass, Soldotna as you know is 600+ mi. south of me, another whole type of climate. North of Alaska range is the "real" Alaska and land of the midnite sun, literally. I manage just fine at 84 yrs age and been doing this since territorial days in the fifties. I have down sized from 320 ac. and 4 dozen head of cattle to 160ac. and 20 or so head of Angus. My cows sleep out side under the stars even at 50 below zero. I keep the water open using 1500w submers. heaters when below zero. Each cow will eat 4 tons of hay during winter. I sell breeding stock and butcher 6 to 8 18 month old each Oct. for sell
 
Perhaps the 2 cutting up in cold country can be contributed to growing bromegrass. I am interested in all of you that have replied as to what kind of grass is grown in your area for hay that is usually just 1 cutting. I know some here in the land of 5 cutting alfalfa, will just take one cutting from their grass pastures so as to leave a good stand for late summer and fall pasture when they bring down their cattle from range.

I know very little about brome except that cheatgrass is in the brome family.
 
I worked in Alaska 1976-1981. Most of that in Southeast a long ways from you. One year on Afognak (next door to Kodiak). That year I worked with some guys from up north. I took a couple trips with them on time off. Went to Chicken once and another trip to Flat. Both of those places were real Alaska and probably are to this day.
 
Yes Chicken is Caribou country close to Canada off the Taylor "Hiway" been there hunting back in the late 60's early 70's, it ain't no hiway but state keeps it open thru winter now. Flat is still off the beaten path, still gold there too. Afognak is own by Native corporations, nuff said. Thousands of Caribou still migrate thru the Taylor hiway area known as the "forty mile" heard
 
Alaska-Rancher said:
short grass, Soldotna as you know is 600+ mi. south of me, another whole type of climate. North of Alaska range is the "real" Alaska and land of the midnite sun, literally. I manage just fine at 84 yrs age and been doing this since territorial days in the fifties. I have down sized from 320 ac. and 4 dozen head of cattle to 160ac. and 20 or so head of Angus. My cows sleep out side under the stars even at 50 below zero. I keep the water open using 1500w submers. heaters when below zero. Each cow will eat 4 tons of hay during winter. I sell breeding stock and butcher 6 to 8 18 month old each Oct. for sell
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I didn't want to try cattle on the Kenai! I sure respect what you deal with around Fairbanks! Lots of hay to pitch for sure. This year in eastern Colorado, I have not unrolled a bale,yet. Still on cake and grass. I have busted a bit of ice. Last year, I had fed a lot of hay (not by your standards) I won't feed until calves come around April 1, unless I feed through a storm. I plan to visit next fall, good Lord willing.
 
Alaska-Rancher said:
Hello, I'm ranching 30 miles north east of Fairbanks, Alaska. Tough life but doable. Been at it 50yrs or so. We get 2 cuttings of brome grass hay (sometimes) a season.
Click to expand...

Alaska is good country. It is hard country. It is a young man's country. If you are running cattle up there at 84 years young, you are tough ol codger! You got my respect!
 
Shortgrass said:
Alaska is good country. It is hard country. It is a young man's country. If you are running cattle up there at 84 years young, you are tough ol codger! You got my respect!
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Most youngsters don't last long anymore up here in our biz, to much easy money in government jobs. I have watched many come and go, new crop every couple years:) If ya head into Fairbanks touch base I'll show ya around...if I still above ground
 
Alaska-Rancher said:
short grass, Soldotna as you know is 600+ mi. south of me, another whole type of climate. North of Alaska range is the "real" Alaska and land of the midnite sun, literally. I manage just fine at 84 yrs age and been doing this since territorial days in the fifties. I have down sized from 320 ac. and 4 dozen head of cattle to 160ac. and 20 or so head of Angus. My cows sleep out side under the stars even at 50 below zero. I keep the water open using 1500w submers. heaters when below zero. Each cow will eat 4 tons of hay during winter. I sell breeding stock and butcher 6 to 8 18 month old each Oct. for sell
Click to expand...
84 and still running 20 head in Alaska on 160 has my respect.
 
Alaska-Rancher said:
Yes Chicken is Caribou country close to Canada off the Taylor "Hiway" been there hunting back in the late 60's early 70's, it ain't no hiway but state keeps it open thru winter now. Flat is still off the beaten path, still gold there too. Afognak is own by Native corporations, nuff said. Thousands of Caribou still migrate thru the Taylor hiway area known as the "forty mile" heard
Click to expand...
It has been 43 years since I worked on Afognak. It was a Native corporation then. I was falling timber, if you could call those trees timber. We worked 8 weeks straight with 2 weeks off. I don't remember much about the trip to Chicken. I do remember I bought a lot of drinks to keep from being killed. My "friend" thought it was funny to be mouthy. The locals failed to see his humor. The guy I went to Flat with ran a trap line there in the winter and had the job keeping the airport clear. We went up to do a little work on his cabin. That was a fun trip.
 
I applaud you for raising cattle in Alaska and especially at 84 years of age. More power to you!!

When we went to Alaska, we drove through Canada, personally met several on this site that we call friends.
Coming back we wanted to go through Chicken, Alaska. It was September and the road was already
closed. Darn. We sure wanted to do that. Met some people from there, I think he was a pastor. She made me a beautiful purse out of pure wool with our brand on it. I doubt we ever get that far north again, but going back to Canada is on our bucket list. Getting vaccinated, isn't...so it might be quite awhile before we can return.
 
Faster horses, what yr was that trip? Did you drive to Dawson city? Was the "wool" from Muskox? Fly into Fairbanks & take the interior trips down into McKinley park now named Denali
 

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