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Monday, February 17, 2014

A GLIMPSE INTO LIFE ON A CATTLE RANCH by Gail L. Jenner


Living in the mountains of Northern California our seasons are shorter than most, and though many people think that California is all sun and sand, we live in a rugged environment with four seasons. In the end, however, that works out to our benefit as cow/calf operators/ranchers because this creates a higher nutrient content for the alfalfa-grass hay we raise in the summer and feed our cows in the winter. In the summer our cows remain on the ranch with beautiful grass pasture, much of which is actually native grass, never having been farmed at all. The cattle live their entire lives on this ranch, never leaving at all until time for sale. What grain our cattle do eat prior to sale is primarily seed that is reused from year to year. We raise “natural” beef; Natural Certification verifies there is no antibiotic or hormones added to the meat.
            


            All summer long is spent working; I love the old saying, “Make hay while the sun shines!” That’s definitely summer for us! There are six men (3 generations) doing the swathing (hay), raking, baling 1-ton bales, stacking on a truck, and hauling to the barns to be stored in the barn for wintertime. And there is no air conditioning for these guys – with temperatures often in the high 90s

            In the fall, we calve – that means watching the young cows (and first time heifers) and often pulling calves. OBs hold nothing over these guys on some nights!! We work cattle during these months, too – but this is a fun time, too! Riding horses and moving cattle is a time that I enjoy immensely.

            In wintertime the primary focus is feeding cattle – and      mechanicing or working on equipment for spring and summer. Sometimes the temperatures drop below zero but most of the time it’s in the teens and 20s for daytime temperatures. One of the family benefits that comes with this time of year is evening “family time!” While we eat late during the summer, sometimes after nine o’clock, in wintertime we get to eat early! 


            Many people suggest farmers and ranchers work smarter not harder. But smarter for us is employing the entire family and a quality of life that requires sacrifice and dedication.

            The women play a big role on the ranch too.  We help where it is needed, hauling hay if the need arises, working cattle, providing daily lunches to the crew, which has also gone on for generations. We are now in our 5th generation with the grandchildren being the 6th generation.

 
 For more about life on a ranch or related topics, visit my blog: www.whatsthebeeffromsouptonuts.blogspot.com


15 comments:

  1. Gail, thanks for the glimpse into the wonderful, hard-working life of a cattle rancher! And I love the pic of the 6th generation's back pockets.

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    1. I actually won two first place ribbons with that photo! And it was totally candid - caught it right at the right moment :-) I love it, too... I call it the "Littlest Wranglers"!!! :-)

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  2. Gail, these posts of yours about the ranch are so interesting. For most of us, we don't really have a clue as to what goes on in the daily life of a ranching family, so this is a great treat for us, and very informative. Thanks for sharing these pictures and your life with us. I always look forward to your posts!
    Cheryl

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    1. I will try to share some of the MOMENTS in the future that are unique -- it is a very special lifestyle and one that I'm grateful to be able to be a part of! And I always love visitors :-)

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  3. Really interesting stuff, Gail. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks! This is just an introduction but will share more :-)

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  4. Your posts always makes me feel nostalgic of when I was a kid. Ranching and farming is definitely a family affair.

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    1. YES -- it's all about family and as you're probably aware, that is not always easy....but the benefits far outweigh the negatives, at least IMHO! Some people would find "living in one another's pockets" too demanding or intrusive, but I find it rewarding, even in the more frustrating moments ;-)

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  5. The greatest benefit from all this hard work in adverse weather and long hours is that you get to do all of it with family. Not many of us have the opportunity to work along side our families generation after generation. I like that the cattle are treated well and are raised naturally.
    I enjoyed reading about this part of your life, Gail.

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    1. Yes, working with family is wonderful....we are grateful! To be fair, cattle are all raised in pastures, etc; there is actually no such thing as factory farmed beef cattle (for the first 15 months they are raised entirely in pastures/graze lands) and the time in feedlots is usually only the last month or so (if that's where they go). Unfortunately there is a widespread misrepresentation regarding cattle and "factory farms." But we do love our cows. They are amazing animals and I may write more about them in future blogs! We love our cattle, horses, pigs, and wildlife!

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  6. Reading this reminds me of watching the farmers back home putting in the crops, then harvesting and all that fell in between. Oh the memories. Hard work, but...Doris

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    1. Where was "back home," Doris??? Yes, these seasons are a wonderful compilation of memories :-) BTW, this spring, the book ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP will be released by Globe/Pequot. It's an anthology of memoirs by 40+ women remembering either childhood stories or present day stories about life in rural life!! It also contains photographs :-) You may be interested in the book!!

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  7. Hi Gail. Loved reading this, I lived on a farm as a child, and your piece brought back some happy memories especially of haymaking.Of course being in UK our farms are a heck of a lot smaller than yours! I also love that your animals are all 'natural', here we call that 'organic' and pay a whopping premium for meat reared this way. Personally being a cow lover (I was riding cows when I was a toddler!) I believe all cows, indeed all animals should be reared this way! I look forward to reading more.

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    1. Natural is almost the same as organic here, but organic has to be certified and is a long process....I would love to spend time on a farm in the UK.....when I visited England a few years ago, I loved the hedge rows and how tall they were and the way the land was so green all the time (rain!?).....my husband's father's family was originally from Icklesham, near Rye....they emigrated during the gold rush and came to CA. The other side of his family came during the gold rush (or earlier) from Germany. His mother's family came over the Oregon Trail from Ireland and the UK.....(part of my family goes back to Wales and Scotland; the other part from Italy).

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  8. Natural is almost the same as organic here, but organic has to be certified and is a long process....I would love to spend time on a farm in the UK.....when I visited England a few years ago, I loved the hedge rows and how tall they were and the way the land was so green all the time (rain!?).....my husband's father's family was originally from Icklesham, near Rye....they emigrated during the gold rush and came to CA. The other side of his family came during the gold rush (or earlier) from Germany. His mother's family came over the Oregon Trail from Ireland and the UK.....(part of my family goes back to Wales and Scotland; the other part from Italy).

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