Well...it's almost calving time and I get to thinking about things that happened in years past. One story that comes to mind is the story of "Three Ropes the Cow".
Along about three years ago, we got a pretty big snowstorm, about a foot of snow, right smack dab in the middle of calving. We don't like that, but as Dad says, "we take what we get. What choice do we have?" The cows were in behind the windbreaks for the storm, fed and bedded on straw. It's about as good as we can do for them.
But this day was sunny, almost no wind, the snow was settling, the cows had started to make their way out to the hilltops and they were finding a few blades of grass to make a living. Now, normally, when I drive into a pasture, run my siren or the cows catch a glimpse of the cake pickup, they come at as quick of a pace as they are able. So I was pretty sure something wasn't quite right when I looked up on that big hill and saw a cow still just laying up there.
It was a ways to get to that hill and I had to pick my way on account of all the deep snow. When I got there, I can't say I much liked what I saw. There was a black white face cow, with big black panda eyes laying on a little bare patch of ground with a big white head sticking out of her back end. No feet....this is not what we like to see. I was pretty sure the calf was still alive and the cow was either sick enough or gentle enough to let me up close to her. If I had a rope, I could rope her around the neck, dally to the bumper of the pickup and see what would be necessary to get that baby out of her. But of course, I didn't have a rope. I had a tow strap. One of those 20,000 pound, flat (about 4 inches wide), about 20 feet long with big loops in the end. It weighs roughly 5 pounds. You can't rope a cow with one of these. I know this. From experience.
So I headed back to Dad's place, about 5 miles from where the cow was. He saddled up Tim and I grabbed the calving chains and puller (a ratchet type device that rests up against the cow's butt and helps extract a calf that is difficult to get out), threw them on Matt's pickup and Dad and I trailered Tim as far as we could without getting the pickup and trailer stuck in the snow. Dad set off cross country riding Tim and Matt picked me up with his pickup.
We all reached the cow at about the same time. The game plan was for Dad to rope the cow, Matt to drive the pickup to the cow, dally to the pickup and I would work on the cow. It sounded like a solid plan. And it was.....except that Dad's rope broke. There were two more ropes in that pickup (apparently that's where every rope on the place was since there wasn't one in my pickup) and Dad set off with the second one.
The cow pretty much had this deal figured out and what followed was a series of Dad tracking the cow( following her in a position to rope her) through the deep snow, him getting a shot to rope her and the cow either ducking her head or dodging and turning off. All the while, there was this big white head sticking out of her back end, bobbing along as she ran.....once in a while, he'd open his eyes and look at us with this big eyed, "what the heck is goin' on here?" look. Finally Dad got the cow roped. About the time the rope came tight, Tim decided enough was enough and went to bucking. He put his heart into it. He was serious. It was the real deal here, folks! Dad let go of his dally and ended up getting bucked off in a snow drift.
AND NOW I AM PISSED!!! I took off chasing after ol' Tim through the deep snow, using every expletive that I knew at the time. Come to think of it, I may have added a few to my vocabulary that day. After I got Tim caught up and delivered back to Dad, I set out chasing the cow (now dragging two ropes), afoot through the knee deep snow.
It was about this time that Matt, who was driving the pickup over to Dad and the cow after the second loop fit, drove into a hole with deep, deep snow and got the pickup stuck.....to add insult to injury, the only shovel in that pickup was one with a handle about as long as my arm. Apparently, we stored ropes in that pickup, but not shovels. So Matt was left to dig out the pickup on his own, with a little kid shovel. It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?
The cow headed back to the windbreak. Not TO the windbreak, IN the windbreak. Trees are spaced very closely together and in doing the job they are supposed to do, they hold a LOT of snow in them. My plan was to try to grab one of the ropes she was dragging while she was stuck or slowed down in a drift and dally the rope to a tree or fencepost or hold her enough until Dad could get there. This did not happen. The only thing that did happen was both me and the cow trudged through some very deep drifts, tiring us both out. We ended up on the far side of the windbreak where the snow had drifted over the fence.
Now, I can't say who left the gate open. None of us remembers who did it or why. But it was open. And that cow made a beeline for it like it had a beacon light on it. About that time, Dad was back on her heels and somehow made the throw of the century with the last and third rope. He caught the cow right up next to the fence. I fumbled over through the snow and took the rope, dallied it to a good fencepost and set to work getting the calf out. The cow was tired enough that she didn't put up much of a fight. And the extraction was not a difficult one. I'd had the presence of mind to grab my chains and carry them with me and the feet were easy to get ahold of and bring out. I found a piece of an old fencepost laying close by and used it for leverage to pull the calf out. He was alive and strong, despite the whole ordeal, so that was a relief to us all!
Along about this time, Matt came driving up! He'd used the little kid shovel to get the pickup out and came as quick as he could!
Now you'd think that would be the end of the story. But here's something you need to know about a cow. If she's been jostled around like this cow had, there's a pretty good chance that she is going to head for high country and never look back for several days. She might say to heck with a calf and just about everything else and we will have a bottle baby on our hands. It's important that you understand this.
The only dry patch of ground was on the side of the fence where the cow was supposed to be anyway, so I drug the calf over to it and got out of the way so Dad could drive the cow back over to her calf. She darted right back through the gate but as soon as Dad got up along side to turn her, she must have thought he was going to rope her again. She darted off the opposite direction and apparently a several minute chase ensued. I couldn't see it from my vantage point at the windbreak. Finally, Dad got her back on track, heading toward her calf at a pretty stiff trot. She trotted right on by. Then, about fifteen feet past the calf, stopped dead in her tracks as if she'd caught a whiff of him. It was looking hopeful, anyway. She turned back and went to him, gave him a sniff and went to licking and talking to him! So in the end, everything turned out great. Mother and son were both safe and healthy and that's what we're in the business to do!
We still have ol' Three Ropes. She raises us a good calf every year. But I don't guess I'll soon forget the day she got her name.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Duke Didn't Have It Quite Right....(in my opinion)
I imagine most everyone has seen the John Wayne quote, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." Well, since I haven't posted anything in quite a while, I'll get on my soapbox a little about this quote.
The Duke is wrong about this....I know he was speaking metaphorically, so he can say it however he wants to. But here's the fact of the matter. I've saddled a fair number of horses that I was pretty sure were going to buck. Trust me when I say, saddling is the easy part. They might buck when you're saddling and they might stand there all puffed up waiting to move or they might look all relaxed until they move. But if you've ridden even one colt or horse that has a little buck in them, you know this....it ain't too scary to saddle them. Not too many bad things will happen if you are paying attention at all.
However......once you get that saddle on and the cinch tightened enough to keep the saddle on and do a little ground work and run back to the house for another cup of coffee and check your facebook account on your phone and scratch everything you can think of to scratch and....and......and.....At some point, you are going to have to put that left foot in the stirrup. That isn't really too tough either. If my cinch is tight enough, I can hang in the left stirrup all day. I can even hang there and bounce a little while the colt moves around. Hardly scary at all if you keep your foot where it needs to be in the stirrup. But EVENTUALLY.....you are going to have to swing that right foot over that horse's back and put it on the other side of that horse. THAT'S WHERE THE COURAGE COMES IN.
You know if you've ridden any broncy thing on this earth that you need to stay relaxed. Keep your muscles relaxed and your body relaxed. Keep your thoughts relaxed. But that is not the easiest thing to do. Your brain tells you all the things you know you should be doing......but your body goes into self preservation mode. And then you think, "maybe I should have had just one more cup of coffee. No wait...now I gotta pee."
Seriously, I know what the Duke meant when he coined this quote. He was saying it takes courage to start something when you are afraid. And no doubt about it, that's right. There are lot's of folks who just need that little push to "start". And maybe that quote is just the thing they need to hear to do it. But as usual, I had to put my two cents worth in.
The Duke is wrong about this....I know he was speaking metaphorically, so he can say it however he wants to. But here's the fact of the matter. I've saddled a fair number of horses that I was pretty sure were going to buck. Trust me when I say, saddling is the easy part. They might buck when you're saddling and they might stand there all puffed up waiting to move or they might look all relaxed until they move. But if you've ridden even one colt or horse that has a little buck in them, you know this....it ain't too scary to saddle them. Not too many bad things will happen if you are paying attention at all.
However......once you get that saddle on and the cinch tightened enough to keep the saddle on and do a little ground work and run back to the house for another cup of coffee and check your facebook account on your phone and scratch everything you can think of to scratch and....and......and.....At some point, you are going to have to put that left foot in the stirrup. That isn't really too tough either. If my cinch is tight enough, I can hang in the left stirrup all day. I can even hang there and bounce a little while the colt moves around. Hardly scary at all if you keep your foot where it needs to be in the stirrup. But EVENTUALLY.....you are going to have to swing that right foot over that horse's back and put it on the other side of that horse. THAT'S WHERE THE COURAGE COMES IN.
You know if you've ridden any broncy thing on this earth that you need to stay relaxed. Keep your muscles relaxed and your body relaxed. Keep your thoughts relaxed. But that is not the easiest thing to do. Your brain tells you all the things you know you should be doing......but your body goes into self preservation mode. And then you think, "maybe I should have had just one more cup of coffee. No wait...now I gotta pee."
Seriously, I know what the Duke meant when he coined this quote. He was saying it takes courage to start something when you are afraid. And no doubt about it, that's right. There are lot's of folks who just need that little push to "start". And maybe that quote is just the thing they need to hear to do it. But as usual, I had to put my two cents worth in.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Ya Gotta Have Faith
This past few years has been quite a journey for me. It's been a couple of years of education (which will continue till I take my last breath) and personal growth (which I HOPE will continue until I take my last breath). My faith in God and in walking the path He has laid out for me has increased immensely. But faith comes from going through storms, trusting in God to get you through that storm and moving on to the next one, so to speak. And faith isn't always about getting exactly what you want from God. It's about trusting HIM to give you what's best. I can't say that has been the easiest thing to accept on my part.
I have been in the cattle business pretty much all my life. I knew a lot of the work aspect of it. I knew how to feed a cow and how to put a bull with her to get her to have a calf. I knew how to ride a horse and turn a cow with it. I knew I would never be sorry at the end of the day for working hard. But I didn't know any of the business side of it. To be honest, that's one of the places that I still have a lot to learn. Ranching for me was always about self satisfaction, looking out over what I'd accomplished and the feeling that comes with that. But it was pretty much just about ME. Since that horrible day in October 2010, when we bought the remainder of the ranch, things have had to be quite a bit different.
I've had to learn business aspects that were not ever placed on my dad. I had no one to go before me to teach me the ropes or for that matter, give me much advice on such matters. A couple of close friends had been through similar experiences and they offered what advice they could, but for the most part, it was(and continues to be) on my shoulders. A bit overwhelming at times, and I will be honest in this......I have spent a lot of time in prayer about it. I knew it was going to be an on-going lesson in faith. It has been and it will continue to be. I have confessed to God and a few others that there were several things in which I did not know what I was doing. But you know what is really great about this? God has constantly put the right people in my path to help me, to teach me, to encourage me. He has pointed me in directions that I would not have considered. He has, time after time, given me what I needed when I needed it, through others or in some way, shape or form.
The land will be here long after I am gone. The cows will continue to produce generations and generations of new calves, just like the generations before. The wind will still blow and the rains will still come. The grass will still grow up in the spring and the snow will still fly in winter. I'm such a small part of the whole scheme. What seems like a giant thing to me is really just a tiny speck in the universe. My job is to take care of what the Good Lord has blessed me with in this brief moment in history.
Ranching, I have come to realize, is a never ending lesson in faith. Everything we have is really God's property. Everything we receive or don't receive is a gift from Him. There will be bad times and there will be good times......Storms and sunshine. I wish it could always be 75 degrees and sunny with just a light breeze, but that isn't the way it works. It isn't the way life works either.....However, there's a pretty good chance we'll get some days like that.
I have been in the cattle business pretty much all my life. I knew a lot of the work aspect of it. I knew how to feed a cow and how to put a bull with her to get her to have a calf. I knew how to ride a horse and turn a cow with it. I knew I would never be sorry at the end of the day for working hard. But I didn't know any of the business side of it. To be honest, that's one of the places that I still have a lot to learn. Ranching for me was always about self satisfaction, looking out over what I'd accomplished and the feeling that comes with that. But it was pretty much just about ME. Since that horrible day in October 2010, when we bought the remainder of the ranch, things have had to be quite a bit different.
I've had to learn business aspects that were not ever placed on my dad. I had no one to go before me to teach me the ropes or for that matter, give me much advice on such matters. A couple of close friends had been through similar experiences and they offered what advice they could, but for the most part, it was(and continues to be) on my shoulders. A bit overwhelming at times, and I will be honest in this......I have spent a lot of time in prayer about it. I knew it was going to be an on-going lesson in faith. It has been and it will continue to be. I have confessed to God and a few others that there were several things in which I did not know what I was doing. But you know what is really great about this? God has constantly put the right people in my path to help me, to teach me, to encourage me. He has pointed me in directions that I would not have considered. He has, time after time, given me what I needed when I needed it, through others or in some way, shape or form.
The land will be here long after I am gone. The cows will continue to produce generations and generations of new calves, just like the generations before. The wind will still blow and the rains will still come. The grass will still grow up in the spring and the snow will still fly in winter. I'm such a small part of the whole scheme. What seems like a giant thing to me is really just a tiny speck in the universe. My job is to take care of what the Good Lord has blessed me with in this brief moment in history.
Ranching, I have come to realize, is a never ending lesson in faith. Everything we have is really God's property. Everything we receive or don't receive is a gift from Him. There will be bad times and there will be good times......Storms and sunshine. I wish it could always be 75 degrees and sunny with just a light breeze, but that isn't the way it works. It isn't the way life works either.....However, there's a pretty good chance we'll get some days like that.
Friday, December 30, 2011
The China Cabinet
At the prompting (ok, it was mentioned) of a couple family and friends, I wanted to continue the story of the house and add the story of the china cabinet that is now in the corner of my living room.
Granny Cline was thrifty. Dad says she was so tight she squeaked. I can't say I ever actually heard the squeaking, but I remember it was pretty well known that Granny watched her pennies. But there were a few things Granny thought worth spending a little extra on. She believed in buying good shoes and I found a beautiful wool coat with a mink collar (not protected from moths) in the attic. Dad said she was really proud of that coat. I can see why. I'm sure it was gorgeous.
But apparently, Granny also believed in dishing out a little extra for a good set of furniture. Maybe it was something she'd always wanted. I don't know for sure, but I do remember the matching cherry wood set she had at her house. There was a lovely dining room set, buffet and china hutch. There may have been other pieces, but I just can't remember for sure. At any rate, when she passed away in 1978, my grand dad insisted that the set be sold at the estate auction. I think I know where all the pieces ended up, but I am certain that a lady named Esther Smith bought the china hutch. Ironically, Esther Smith was Matt's maternal grandmother.
So all of Matt's childhood, he remembered the lovely china hutch in the corner of his grandmother's living room. It displayed (among other things) his Grandad Fred's pocket watch. And when Matt's Grandma Esther passed away nearly seven years ago now, there was again an estate auction. And since it had meaning to both of us, Matt bought it ......for us. We were not yet married and Matt had a home in town. The hutch lived there until we moved to our new "house"......Granny Cline's old home.
So now, after many years, the old china hutch is back in it's original home and practically in as good of condition as when it left so long ago. Funny how things sometime come full circle, isn't it?
Granny Cline was thrifty. Dad says she was so tight she squeaked. I can't say I ever actually heard the squeaking, but I remember it was pretty well known that Granny watched her pennies. But there were a few things Granny thought worth spending a little extra on. She believed in buying good shoes and I found a beautiful wool coat with a mink collar (not protected from moths) in the attic. Dad said she was really proud of that coat. I can see why. I'm sure it was gorgeous.
But apparently, Granny also believed in dishing out a little extra for a good set of furniture. Maybe it was something she'd always wanted. I don't know for sure, but I do remember the matching cherry wood set she had at her house. There was a lovely dining room set, buffet and china hutch. There may have been other pieces, but I just can't remember for sure. At any rate, when she passed away in 1978, my grand dad insisted that the set be sold at the estate auction. I think I know where all the pieces ended up, but I am certain that a lady named Esther Smith bought the china hutch. Ironically, Esther Smith was Matt's maternal grandmother.
So all of Matt's childhood, he remembered the lovely china hutch in the corner of his grandmother's living room. It displayed (among other things) his Grandad Fred's pocket watch. And when Matt's Grandma Esther passed away nearly seven years ago now, there was again an estate auction. And since it had meaning to both of us, Matt bought it ......for us. We were not yet married and Matt had a home in town. The hutch lived there until we moved to our new "house"......Granny Cline's old home.
So now, after many years, the old china hutch is back in it's original home and practically in as good of condition as when it left so long ago. Funny how things sometime come full circle, isn't it?
Thursday, December 29, 2011
This Old House
I always wanted a house that faced the east so I could watch the sunrise from my living room window. And truthfully, for a long while, I questioned whether or not that would happen. You see, I lived in a "mobile home" for many years and didn't really see the likelihood of being able to move or build something more to my liking. The trailer house had, for the most part, very small windows and only one that faced the east in a small bedroom on the far end of the house. This left it, to me anyway, quite dark and dreary. While it was quite modern and as trailer houses go, cozy and nice, it just wasn't a "house" to me and it definitely did not face the east.
But a few years ago, when we were able to purchase family ground which had been owned by my great grandmother, Jennie Calkins Doyle Cline, there was a glimmer of hope that I just might have that house facing the east. The original house on the place was built about 1910 or there abouts. Later, in about 1950, the house was added onto and a basement added. Interestingly enough, my dad, who was a young whippersnapper at the time, helped mix the cement for the basement and the stairs leading to it. Over the years, quite a few family members had called this house home.....but no one had lived in the house for at least 7 or 8 years and it had not received much attention in the years prior to that. The living room ceiling was falling in, leaving a huge damaged area on the floor underneath, there were several vital stays that were completely rotten from moisture, the house had settled tremendously and we questioned whether or not the foundation, built of "sandstone" (native Sandhill sand rather than gravel) would have held up over the years. We considered bulldozing it into a pile, burning it and starting over.
But I'm so glad we didn't do that. After having a carpenter who sort of specializes in remodels of older homes (that's putting it lightly what he actually does to some of these old houses), we decided to "bite the bullet" and have the house rebuilt.
There were a lot of good things about the house also. With the exception of the damaged area in the living room, the original hardwood floor there, many years before covered in carpet, was in pretty good shape. The interior walls had much better lumber in them that what you can buy today. The house had character. It had family history. And I really, really liked that. I can remember being a tiny little girl and visiting "Granny Cline" at her house. It wasn't until we were redoing the floor that I remembered the sound her shoes made as she shuffled her poor arthritic feet across the hardwoods. AND.....it faces the east.
We had several walls removed to make the house more cohesive, changed and added two bathrooms and utility as well as adding a two car garage. Where once there were two windows facing the east, there is now a large sliding glass door, allowing lot's of sunlight in..........and..... I.... can.... see.... the sunrise!!!
Each morning as I look to the east, the shadow of the old farmstyle barn comes into view right in front of my sunrise. Several old timers have told stories of the barn dances held in that old hayloft. I think of the family members who have lived here and what that means to me. There is family history here, joy and sadness, hard work and happy times. And I think to myself that I got just what I thought I had wanted all these years. And while many times a person finally gets that thing they'd longed for and it isn't what they'd thought it would be, that isn't the case for me. It's all I'd hoped for and then some.
But a few years ago, when we were able to purchase family ground which had been owned by my great grandmother, Jennie Calkins Doyle Cline, there was a glimmer of hope that I just might have that house facing the east. The original house on the place was built about 1910 or there abouts. Later, in about 1950, the house was added onto and a basement added. Interestingly enough, my dad, who was a young whippersnapper at the time, helped mix the cement for the basement and the stairs leading to it. Over the years, quite a few family members had called this house home.....but no one had lived in the house for at least 7 or 8 years and it had not received much attention in the years prior to that. The living room ceiling was falling in, leaving a huge damaged area on the floor underneath, there were several vital stays that were completely rotten from moisture, the house had settled tremendously and we questioned whether or not the foundation, built of "sandstone" (native Sandhill sand rather than gravel) would have held up over the years. We considered bulldozing it into a pile, burning it and starting over.
But I'm so glad we didn't do that. After having a carpenter who sort of specializes in remodels of older homes (that's putting it lightly what he actually does to some of these old houses), we decided to "bite the bullet" and have the house rebuilt.
There were a lot of good things about the house also. With the exception of the damaged area in the living room, the original hardwood floor there, many years before covered in carpet, was in pretty good shape. The interior walls had much better lumber in them that what you can buy today. The house had character. It had family history. And I really, really liked that. I can remember being a tiny little girl and visiting "Granny Cline" at her house. It wasn't until we were redoing the floor that I remembered the sound her shoes made as she shuffled her poor arthritic feet across the hardwoods. AND.....it faces the east.
We had several walls removed to make the house more cohesive, changed and added two bathrooms and utility as well as adding a two car garage. Where once there were two windows facing the east, there is now a large sliding glass door, allowing lot's of sunlight in..........and..... I.... can.... see.... the sunrise!!!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Beef....In the News
Ok, Ok....sensitive subject here. For me and my fellow ranchers. Beef safety. It's a sensitive subject because for some crazy reason, one tiny little blurb in the news can send the cattle market into complete and "udder" chaos. And that spells disaster for us and our livelihood.
A few years ago, the great and powerful, "Oprah" made the comment, "I know I'll never eat another hamburger again." And the beef industry went into a tailspin. Every so often, there will be an outbreak of e-coli or someone will see a cow down at the salebarn (which nowadays can't even be sold) and "mad cow" disease is the first thing that comes to mind.
A few months ago, in "Prevention" magazine, I read an article about a morning talk show host who recently battled cancer. She said in the article, she was "certain".....CERTAIN....the reason she "got" cancer was because she ate so much red meat. Pardon me, but that is one of the most irresponsible statements I have ever heard. If the wrong person got ahold of that statement, all hell could break loose in the beef industry. Because, for some reason, this is what the media likes to do. They seldom report on the nutritional benefits of beef, only picking up on the negative things someone who is absolutely uninformed says. That makes me so mad.
It isn't really just the beef industry either. But it does seem that beef gets a terrible rap more often, just because it's beef.
A few bad producers can spoil things for many of us. I admit, there are a few who don't care about public safety and are driven by the almighty dollar. The fact is, MOST beef producers work hard to grow good cattle who will someday contribute to the world's beef supply. It makes sense that we would put out the best product possible, if for no other reason, than to have more customers, more people consuming our product, more return customers. And I truly believe those "bad" producers will get theirs in the end.
We raise "Certified" All Natural, Hormone Free, Aged and Sourced cattle. What this means is that we go to a lot more work than most producers to verify what we are doing. This certification tells buyers the cattle were raised on our place and only our place. It tells them we have never given them growth hormones or treated them with antibiotics. There is a ton of paperwork and audits by trained professionals to make sure we are selling what we say we are. It's a pain in the butt, to be honest, but something I feel strongly about. I don't want to consume hormones or antibiotics unless I absolutely have to and I don't want to sell that product to someone else that way. And honestly, the buyers pay a premium for the extra work that we do. So to me, it's a win-win situation.
But so much of the safety of beef is completely out of the hands of the producer. I can sell the absolute best product available (which I do) but after it leaves our place, I can't control what happens any longer. Proper storage, preparation and cooking techniques are imperative, as with any meat. But if some (pardon me...) DUMB ASS (thank you) can't wash their hands before they throw a hamburger on the grill at McDonald's and someone gets e-coli, suddenly it's my problem. Seriously. Even though I did everything I could to deliver the safest, best product I can. And I'm not sure a lot of people understand that.
So, for those of you that EAT BEEF, thank you. Thank you very much. Please don't believe everything the media tells you. Beef is a safe product. It's a healthy product. As with most everything in life, common sense is necessary. Thank you.
A few years ago, the great and powerful, "Oprah" made the comment, "I know I'll never eat another hamburger again." And the beef industry went into a tailspin. Every so often, there will be an outbreak of e-coli or someone will see a cow down at the salebarn (which nowadays can't even be sold) and "mad cow" disease is the first thing that comes to mind.
A few months ago, in "Prevention" magazine, I read an article about a morning talk show host who recently battled cancer. She said in the article, she was "certain".....CERTAIN....the reason she "got" cancer was because she ate so much red meat. Pardon me, but that is one of the most irresponsible statements I have ever heard. If the wrong person got ahold of that statement, all hell could break loose in the beef industry. Because, for some reason, this is what the media likes to do. They seldom report on the nutritional benefits of beef, only picking up on the negative things someone who is absolutely uninformed says. That makes me so mad.
It isn't really just the beef industry either. But it does seem that beef gets a terrible rap more often, just because it's beef.
A few bad producers can spoil things for many of us. I admit, there are a few who don't care about public safety and are driven by the almighty dollar. The fact is, MOST beef producers work hard to grow good cattle who will someday contribute to the world's beef supply. It makes sense that we would put out the best product possible, if for no other reason, than to have more customers, more people consuming our product, more return customers. And I truly believe those "bad" producers will get theirs in the end.
We raise "Certified" All Natural, Hormone Free, Aged and Sourced cattle. What this means is that we go to a lot more work than most producers to verify what we are doing. This certification tells buyers the cattle were raised on our place and only our place. It tells them we have never given them growth hormones or treated them with antibiotics. There is a ton of paperwork and audits by trained professionals to make sure we are selling what we say we are. It's a pain in the butt, to be honest, but something I feel strongly about. I don't want to consume hormones or antibiotics unless I absolutely have to and I don't want to sell that product to someone else that way. And honestly, the buyers pay a premium for the extra work that we do. So to me, it's a win-win situation.
But so much of the safety of beef is completely out of the hands of the producer. I can sell the absolute best product available (which I do) but after it leaves our place, I can't control what happens any longer. Proper storage, preparation and cooking techniques are imperative, as with any meat. But if some (pardon me...) DUMB ASS (thank you) can't wash their hands before they throw a hamburger on the grill at McDonald's and someone gets e-coli, suddenly it's my problem. Seriously. Even though I did everything I could to deliver the safest, best product I can. And I'm not sure a lot of people understand that.
So, for those of you that EAT BEEF, thank you. Thank you very much. Please don't believe everything the media tells you. Beef is a safe product. It's a healthy product. As with most everything in life, common sense is necessary. Thank you.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Christmas Memories
Well, it's the Christmas season. Since I don't get out much, it's sometimes difficult for me to grasp that it actually is almost Christmas. Not that I miss the way retail has made this time of year something to dread for many. I, of course, choose to focus on the birth of our Lord, Jesus and peace, joy and love that are here for our taking. But I do enjoy thinking about my memories of Christmas' past.
Dad used to go out when I was really little and cut down a nice cedar for our Christmas tree. One year, he went horseback and chopped it down and drug it in. I was really little and I think my memory of that is more just from my folks telling me about it than me actually remembering. But I do have memories of going to North Platte and picking out a tree and bringing it home and decorating! I loved the lights! My Mom was a HUGE Christmas decorator. Everything in her house got changed around for Christmas......and she loved garland. Silver garland and shiny red Christmas balls everywhere!!
As a little kid, I remember being so excited for Santa to come! I don't have a lot of memories about gifts that I either wanted or that I received. I just remember the "feeling" of magic and excitement of getting to open presents and waiting for Santa. We always left a thermos of coffee and usually cookies, but one year, I thought maybe Santa got enough cookies and should have a sandwich. So I talked Mom into letting me leave that instead. I think I was about 6 or 7 the year I begged Dad to bring a bale of hay up to the house for the reindeer. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't put it up on top of the house and just left it on the west side.
Music has always been an important part of my life, especially at Christmas time. I have great memories of going caroling when I was a little kid. My first memories of that are with the Ringgold Church group, who would organize and go around to the local ranches and sing the traditional carols. My mom was a very talented musician and while she didn't attend church every Sunday, she wouldn't have missed something like that for anything. It seemed like a lot of people would gather together and load up cars and pickups and convoy to our neighbor's homes. Afterward, there was always hot chocolate and cookies either at the church or at our place (another thing my mom loved.....baking and entertaining!).
During my early college years, a local fellow, Jim Gragg, would bring his team of belgians and his wagon into Tryon and a lot of us would gather to go caroling. That is indeed a great memory. We had so much fun riding in the wagon and going around town!
As an adult, I'm sorry to say, for many years my Christmas memories are not terribly wonderful or memorable. I have spent several years fighting snow, trying to get cows fed, missing sitting down with family for Christmas dinner.
A reasonably new (for me anyway) Christmas tradition is going to the Eclipse Church Christmas Candlelight Service. I have been attending and singing a song for 8 or 9 years now, I think. Eclipse is a beautiful little one room, hardwood floor, no electricity, country church in the west end of the county. Actually, I think technically it is in Hooker county, which is to the north of us...... It is surrounded by giant Sandhills and a tiny old cemetery, literally out in the middle of nowhere. One of the most peaceful places I have ever been in my life. Matt and I were married at Eclipse, so besides the fact that it is just a very neat place to go, it has a pretty special place in my heart. Every year, it's a packed house for the candlelight church service and music. I can't tell you how much I look forward to going every year.
I don't send out Christmas cards anymore and I don't get out to see folks much this time of year. But I do hold this season as one of the most special times of year. I know it becomes hectic for many and sad for others too. This is the time of year I think most of my mom, so I'm sure there are others who find this a difficult time of year for that reason alone. But I think if we focus our thoughts on what Christmas really is....the birth of Jesus.....and the love of our Savior. If we think of the peace He can place in our hearts and joy of being with those we love, or those we miss, it can truly be a wonderful time of year.
Merry Christmas, every one.
Dad used to go out when I was really little and cut down a nice cedar for our Christmas tree. One year, he went horseback and chopped it down and drug it in. I was really little and I think my memory of that is more just from my folks telling me about it than me actually remembering. But I do have memories of going to North Platte and picking out a tree and bringing it home and decorating! I loved the lights! My Mom was a HUGE Christmas decorator. Everything in her house got changed around for Christmas......and she loved garland. Silver garland and shiny red Christmas balls everywhere!!
As a little kid, I remember being so excited for Santa to come! I don't have a lot of memories about gifts that I either wanted or that I received. I just remember the "feeling" of magic and excitement of getting to open presents and waiting for Santa. We always left a thermos of coffee and usually cookies, but one year, I thought maybe Santa got enough cookies and should have a sandwich. So I talked Mom into letting me leave that instead. I think I was about 6 or 7 the year I begged Dad to bring a bale of hay up to the house for the reindeer. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't put it up on top of the house and just left it on the west side.
Music has always been an important part of my life, especially at Christmas time. I have great memories of going caroling when I was a little kid. My first memories of that are with the Ringgold Church group, who would organize and go around to the local ranches and sing the traditional carols. My mom was a very talented musician and while she didn't attend church every Sunday, she wouldn't have missed something like that for anything. It seemed like a lot of people would gather together and load up cars and pickups and convoy to our neighbor's homes. Afterward, there was always hot chocolate and cookies either at the church or at our place (another thing my mom loved.....baking and entertaining!).
During my early college years, a local fellow, Jim Gragg, would bring his team of belgians and his wagon into Tryon and a lot of us would gather to go caroling. That is indeed a great memory. We had so much fun riding in the wagon and going around town!
As an adult, I'm sorry to say, for many years my Christmas memories are not terribly wonderful or memorable. I have spent several years fighting snow, trying to get cows fed, missing sitting down with family for Christmas dinner.
A reasonably new (for me anyway) Christmas tradition is going to the Eclipse Church Christmas Candlelight Service. I have been attending and singing a song for 8 or 9 years now, I think. Eclipse is a beautiful little one room, hardwood floor, no electricity, country church in the west end of the county. Actually, I think technically it is in Hooker county, which is to the north of us...... It is surrounded by giant Sandhills and a tiny old cemetery, literally out in the middle of nowhere. One of the most peaceful places I have ever been in my life. Matt and I were married at Eclipse, so besides the fact that it is just a very neat place to go, it has a pretty special place in my heart. Every year, it's a packed house for the candlelight church service and music. I can't tell you how much I look forward to going every year.
I don't send out Christmas cards anymore and I don't get out to see folks much this time of year. But I do hold this season as one of the most special times of year. I know it becomes hectic for many and sad for others too. This is the time of year I think most of my mom, so I'm sure there are others who find this a difficult time of year for that reason alone. But I think if we focus our thoughts on what Christmas really is....the birth of Jesus.....and the love of our Savior. If we think of the peace He can place in our hearts and joy of being with those we love, or those we miss, it can truly be a wonderful time of year.
Merry Christmas, every one.
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