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Salute to ranching

leanin' H

Well-known member
Tonight, i am sitting here waiting to check heifers and thinking about this crazy vocation that we all love so much. Now, i'm not much of a writer so bear with me, but i want to tip my hat to the folks who share my joy of cattle and the ranching lifestyle. It amazes me how hard we work. Feeding, fencing, haying, driving, calving, cleaning, mucking, repairing, planting, watering, and 100 other things that make-up a ranchers day. I have spent most of the evening trying to save a calf I preety much knew was dying. A beautiful heifer calf born early this morning under a blue sky with temps in the 30s (and not negative!). But her navel ruptured around noon time after she'd already been cleaned up and filled her belly with mama's milk. I think she may have got stepped on, but I'm not sure. By the time I found her, the damage was done but i had to try. I worked on her and cleaned and put stuff back and sewed her up, but she died about dark. Now i knew that would most likely be the result but it still sucks. Her cow was showing her concern with soft mews and nuzzled her as i took her out. Tomorrow i'll put on a graft and i think the cow will be happy to raise him. The point of my rambling is because i'll bet a lot of you all feel like i do tonight. And folks who don't live our way can never wrap thier minds around the mix of emotion we feel when things go wrong and especially when they go perfect. They can't understand how we can work so hard to save something that we intend to haul to the sale barn or the meat processor a few months later. But when you're veins have the tradition and pride and commitment to our lifestyle coursing through them, you may understand the mix of exhaustion and deep joy that I feel as i'm typing. I salute all of you and am so proud to be a card carrying member of the crazy, beautiful bunch of people that love the wonderful ways and traditions of ranching. So no matter where you read this, from your Nebraska sandhills to the Florida glades. From you frosted Canadians to the sun tanned Texans! From the great northwest to the deep south. From here on the edge of the Great Basin to the Smoky Mountains! May the good Lord look down at ya and bless your farms and herds and kids and yourselves! I tip my hat to you, to us, and hope you know the cowcamp is always open and the coffee is on. If you get in my neck of the woods, your welcome anytime. And thanks for posting you success and your failures. It gives us all hope and thats all you can ask for. Thanks for letting me vent a little. Good luck to you and yours! :D
 

tlakota

Well-known member
that was a nice lil message...a lot of people think that ranching and farming is such an easy life....just feed cows and drive tractors thats all that it takes....well like all of us know, thats not the case...ranchers spend the whole year planning and trying to maximize their profits and trying to do things right...sure anyone can go work for someone and be told what to do for rest of their life but theres nothing more rewarding then watching calves born, sorting off those big calves in the fall and watching them go through the barn, or watching crops grow...and for me the cattle business has been full of many challenges...but i have learned a lot in the last year...things can be hard and it makes you wonder if its really worth it...i believe it is

soapweeed gave me advice last spring when i was digging calves out of a blizzard in april and having flooding problems...he said "the sun will shine tommorrow"...and when that sun did shine, it was a great feeling

a lot of people dont like big ranchers or farmers....personally, trying to get a start in farming i could also have something against them...but, i give them the most respect...being able to manage those bigger operations is not as easy as it looks...it takes an awful lot of time planning and making everything click

theres my ramblings for the nite
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
That was nice and well written no matter the degree of exhaustion!!


I know the feeling. I spent some time last nite with the neighbor ' boys' and a weak calf that may not have a good outcome. But with modern medicine borrowed from my ' vet stash' and a bit of work and care on their part....at least they can say they made the effort.
 

Shelly

Well-known member
That was a beautiful tribute to each and every one of us. I can relate to it all. Even though we don't have cattle anymore, I still help out at the best friends when I can. I still feel the anquish of losing a calf, but I still feel the joy when I watch the calves buck and play in the warm sun. That's what I miss the most of not having cattle. I will be there come branding day, sending them to pasture, weaning calves to go to the yards, and bringing the cows home. Cattle are in my blood, always will be, even though they're not on our farm. You just can't cut yourself off them completely.
 

Juan

Well-known member
Very well written--I wish I had your gift.No matter how long you have been in the business it is hard to lose a young animal.If this is your way of"venting" ,just lay it on us. :clap:
 

andybob

Well-known member
Nobody but another stockman/woman really understands the fulfillment we feel in husbanding our land and livestock. Nobody looking from the outside in can ever understand what it is that drives us, or the bond we have with our stock.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
That was well said. Thanks for letting us share your writings.
I think we all hate losing a calf, no matter how old we are;
It just hurts your heart.
 

elwapo

Well-known member
Well said! Calving can be the most sleep deprived, frustrating, character building time of year. It allows us to experience life and death in the most profound way as we attempt to assist mother nature.
 

hillsdown

Well-known member
leanin' H that was beautifully said.
I am sorry about your calf and unfortunately know exactly how you feel. However the day I quit trying or caring and doing all that I can is the day that the cows need to go as I will have lost my passion so there would be no reason to continue.
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
That was very nice, leanin' H. With this cold snowy weather, I have found myself dreading calving. Your essay has renewed my enthusiasm. Thank you. :)
 

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